Living (and dining) in the Triangle: What to eat and where to eat it

We originally conceived of these “life in the Triangle” stories as a series of email newsletters for newcomers (coming soon!), and when writing them, this was our favorite (but only because they wouldn’t let us do one about cats).

We’re going to talk about food.

The Triangle is home to some of the country’s best restaurants and most honored chefs. We have barbecue, biscuits and burgers. We have pizza, tacos and pho. We have vegetarian, vegan and raw. We have a revered 80-year-old hot dog joint and we have James Beard Award-winning fine dining.

But let’s start with barbecue.

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Lesson 1: Barbecue is a noun

First of all, barbecue is a noun, not a verb. We never say we are “going to barbecue,” we say we are “going to eat some barbecue.” If we’re cooking outside over coals (or gas), we are grilling, or cooking out. We are not barbecuing.

Second, North Carolina has two types of barbecue: Eastern NC barbecue, which is traditionally a whole-hog style of barbecue, with a vinegar-based sauce; and Western NC barbecue, which has a tomato-based sauce.

Some people might act like they are going to fight you over whichever one you say is “best,” but they probably won’t. Here’s the thing: they’re both really good. Most of us have a preference for one over the other, but we are also not likely to ever turn either down.

Here are a few barbecue spots you might check out in the Triangle. It’s not a complete list by any stretch of the imagination. Think of this as your Triangle Barbecue Starter Kit.

• Clyde Cooper’s BBQ: A downtown Raleigh staple since 1938, serving up traditional Eastern barbecue and delicious fried chicken, pork skins, hush puppies and desserts.

• Sam Jones BBQ: This is a new(ish) place in downtown Raleigh, but it is built out of a strong Eastern North Carolina barbecue tradition.

• The Pit: Barbecue (plus ribs and chicken and brisket and even vegan cue) with a full bar and space for parties. There are locations in both downtown Raleigh and Durham’s Geer Street District.

• Hillsborough BBQ Company: A local favorite in Orange County, serving Eastern-style barbecue, hush puppies and sides (and catfish!).

• Picnic Barbecue: This new(ish) Durham spot serves whole hog barbecue and seasonal sides.

FOLLOW You’ll need to follow food writer Drew Jackson on Twitter for the latest in Triangle restaurant news: @jdrewjackson

What to eat when you’re not eating barbecue

Here’s a quick rundown of some local food highlights. We know we’re leaving so much out and it has us stressed, so our best advice is to keep an eye on Drew Jackson’s work at newsobserver.com/food-drink.

Burgers: Burgers have come into their own, and we have even more burger places than barbecue. You can get smashed grill burgers or fancier thick burgers. You can go traditional and hit up landmarks like Player’s Retreat and Char-Grill in Raleigh, or try strong upstarts like Al’s Burgers (Chapel Hill), Bull City Burgers (Durham) and Fine Folk (Raleigh). Drew let the people vote on Raleigh’s favorite burger and the winner was Neuse River Brewing.

Biscuits: If you’re asking us (and you kind of are), the best biscuit in Raleigh is at the Farmers Market Restaurant at the State Farmers Market, with the biscuits at Big Ed’s — two locations in Raleigh — in a virtual tie. A lot of people like The Flying Biscuit (also Raleigh). There are some really good fast food biscuits around here, too. For those, check out: Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen in Chapel Hill, plus Biscuitville and Bojangles (locations across the Triangle).

Pizza: Some great food cities have a blind spot when it comes to pizza. The Triangle is not one of those regions. There are so many great pizzerias and styles you could spend a month sampling the best local shops and still not visit them all. The best? With its old-school charm and consistently great pizzas, the nearly 50-year-old pizzeria Frank’s Pizza & Italian Restaurant won the hearts and bellies of Triangle diners in our Triangle Pizza Bracket back in March. Other top spots include Oakwood Pizza Box in Raleigh, an artisan pizzeria disguised as a neighborhood slice shop; or Trophy Brewing, the runner-up in the Pizza Bracket.

Coffee: Drew Jackson put the vote to the people in late 2021 and they picked Pine State Coffee and 321 Coffee as their favorite coffee shops in the Triangle. Both are in Raleigh. But there are so many great coffee shops in the Triangle that Drew had to start his voting bracket at 32. Find your favorite.

Hot Dogs: Is it a sandwich? Of course not. But the bigger debate might be ketchup or no? If you go to Raleigh’s Roast Grill (the 80-year-old institution we mentioned up top), don’t ask for ketchup. Just don’t. Another debate, especially the farther east you travel: red vs. brown. If you’re in Johnston County, odds are highly in favor of you getting a bright red weenie in your hot dog bun (a Brightleaf or maybe a Stevens – both made in Smithfield, both delicious).

Vegetarian & vegan: We have great vegetarian and vegan dining options in the Triangle. You absolutely want to visit Raleigh staples Fiction Kitchen and Irregardless Cafe. Also add Copeland Springs Farm & Kitchen in Pittsboro, The Spotted Dog in Carrboro, Gorsha in Durham and Vegan Flava Cafe in Chapel Hill.

Tacos: If you love tacos (and who doesn’t?), you’re in the right place. The Triangle taco scene is rich with authentic taquerias and taco trucks, plus Tex-Mex rock stars. Shout-out to our Texan transplants: there’s even a Torchy’s in Raleigh.

Chicken sandwiches: The heat is still on in this golden age of chicken sandwiches. Ever since Popeye’s broke our brains in 2019 when the fast-food chain debuted a pair of new sandwiches, this crispy, crunchy arms race hasn’t slowed down. In Durham, the barbecue joint Picnic smokes and then deep fries its take on sandwich perfection. Raleigh’s fine dining restaurant Mandolin loosens up for brunch and serves its chicken sandwich on a waffle bun. In 2021, Ashley Christensen debuted her own fast-casual concept devoted to the chicken sandwich: BB’s Crispy Chicken.

The land of the craft beer boom

If there’s something the Triangle has more of than barbecue and burger joints, it might be breweries.

There was a bit of a craft beer boom in the Triangle several years ago (no bust so far), and beer lovers have been reaping the rewards.

Some of the most popular breweries in the Triangle:

• Big Boss Brewery in Raleigh, known for its Bad Penny Brown Ale.

• Trophy Brewing in Raleigh, known for its sessionable Trophy Wife IPA.

• Crank Arm Brewing in Raleigh, known for its Whitewall Wheat.

• Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, known for an award-winning sweet potato lager.

• Ponysaurus in Durham, known for its beer garden and Don’t Be Mean saison.

• Bull City Ciderworks in Durham, known for hard ciders, tart, crisp, sweet and gluten-free.

• Bond Brothers Beer Company in Cary, known for sour ales and barrel-aged beers.

• Fortnight Brewing, Cary’s first brewery, with everything from IPAs to sours.

Another way to get familiar with Raleigh’s beer scene is to follow the Raleigh Beer Trail, compiled by Visit Raleigh. There are 42 breweries on that alone, and will take you into Cary, Apex, Fuquay-Varina and Wake Forest.

And if all the breweries in the Triangle aren’t enough for you, you should plan a road trip to Asheville, which ranked fifth in the nation in 2021 for “beer fanatics.”

Farmers markets

Fresh tomatoes, corn, peaches, blueberries … you’re going to spend so much time at your local farmers market.

Even apart from the spring and summer months, when fresh produce is most bountiful, there’s so much available year round. January? Collards, carrots and herbs. November? Apples, beets and greens. Right now? Pretty much everything else.

And at many farmers markets, vendors will set up selling fresh bread, locally made preserves and honey, baked goods and more.

Most towns have at least one farmers market — including Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, Carrboro and Chapel Hill – but the granddaddy of all farmers markets is the State Farmers Market in Raleigh.

Open 7 days a week year round, the State Farmers Market has sellers from all over the state (but mostly from central and Eastern North Carolina) plus three restaurants (remember those biscuits we mentioned earlier?), fresh meat vendors, an import market and more.

You’ll definitely want to hit that one, but also support the smaller markets in your area.

Triangle grocery stores

There are at least 20 separate grocery store chains in the Triangle, and everyone has their favorite.

The top three in the Triangle as far as market share are Walmart, Harris Teeter (based in Matthews, NC, near Charlotte) and Food Lion (based in Salisbury, NC). If you’re keeping track of locals, other NC grocery chains are Lowes Foods, out of Winston-Salem; Fresh Market, out of Greensboro; and Carlie C’s, out of Dunn. (We can pour one out for Kroger, which broke hearts when it closed all of its stores here a few years ago, after it bought the Harris Teeter chain).

But don’t sleep on German discount grocers Aldi and Lidl. They have increased their stores across the Triangle in the past couple of years, and their fan bases are devoted. And Rochester, New York-based Wegmans, with its cult-like following, now has four stores in the Triangle (Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest and Chapel Hill) with a fifth coming to Holly Springs.

There are also locally owned markets like Weaver Street Market (Raleigh, Carrboro and Chapel Hill) and Bulldega (Durham).

So whether your stomach craves the upstate New York delicacies of Bison dip and Perry’s ice cream, or you’re embracing your new Southern lifestyle with some Texas Pete hot sauce, Duke’s mayo and Brightleaf hot dogs, you’ll find a grocery store in your town that can oblige.

Oh, and as far as prices go, we actually did a grocery price comparison study a couple of years ago (which we’re updating soon) and found that apart from big box grocery stores like Walmart and Target, the lowest prices were consistently found at Aldi, Lidl and … surprise … Wegmans.

This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Living (and dining) in the Triangle: What to eat and where to eat it."

Brooke Cain

The News & Observer

Brooke Cain is a North Carolina native who has worked at The News & Observer and McClatchy for more than 30 years as a researcher, reporter and media writer. She is the National Service Journalism Editor for McClatchy.