restaurants

I'm a bit of a foodie and enjoy finding interesting places to eat. On this page is a list of notable ones, organized by region.

Roughly speaking, “notable” means a place I might bring up in a conversation about food in that region or cuisine.

• Brodeto - Warehouse district - Adriatic cuisine. Seafood and pasta. This one is truly special, by far the best food I have had in Raleigh and the best on the East coast outside of NYC. Interesting menu. The interior design is sleek and organic, wood and stone with white highlights.
• Brewery Bhavana - DT raleigh - dim sum and beer. Half of the restaurant is a brewery and the other half is dining, with a cafe-like space in the middle. Probably the best Asian food you can get in Raleigh and a thoughtful selection of beer. Not cheap but worth it.
• Jolie - DT raleigh - french bistro. Rooftop digs are worth advance booking, especially around sunset. Steak tartare is served 'deconstructed' style and if you like that dish, definitely get it. Duck confit is also highlight. This is by the same chef as Brodeto. I went here about a year before Brodeto and thought the food was good although the menu is somewhat boring.
• Death & Taxes - upscale American? Not a fan of the food at all. Think $50 steak and pasta with the richness and palate of Carraba's fettucine alfredo - very rich, salty, fatty, exactly what a burger American would want in fine dining, exactly the opposite of what I want. My dish was pork and breaded onions. Salmon tartare with the fish drowned in sauce. Overall did not like it and genuinely felt it was because the food was bad as opposed to a matter of taste. This is quite similar to the other “upscale” Ashley Christensen restaurant I've been to (Poole's) and I think I'm seeing the formula. The service was quite good but the mediocre food made it feel like a facade. Folding my napkin doesn't make up for stale bread…
• Sitti - DT raleigh, next door to Gravy - Lebanese food. First visit was for lunch and I did not like it at all. On a subsequent dinner visit, I found it excellent. Straightforward but delicious menu.
• Caffe Luna - DT raleigh - well priced italian with a small menu. I would absolutely go here for a casual or semi casual dinner.
• Poole's - DT raleigh - People say this is the best or one of the best around. I personally found the menu, while enjoyable, somewhat boring.
• Big Easy - DT raleigh - More like the big suck, don't go here
• Gravy - DT raleigh - was (may still be) good staple Italian. Went there many many times, but had one bad experience where the food was terrible and didn't return.
• Hibernian - Glenwood south - honestly one of my favorite spots around for a casual bite. On a night with great weather the roof is one of my favorite spots to be. It's an irish pub, so the food is not really the draw, but the burgers are solid and the place you eat them in is comfortable, cozy and tucked away from the chaos outside.
• Whiskey Kitchen - DT raleigh - food is good and slightly overpriced. This is more of a whiskey bar than a restaurant. If you want to drink and also eat, this is a great spot.
• Salsa Fresh - locations in morrisville and nw raleigh. For whatever reason the Morrisville location is way better. This is an S tier lunch spot with simple mexican fare and a very fresh, very delicious salsa bar
• Sam Jones BBQ - alright bbq. They have bar seating and I've had an interesting conversation with a stranger next to me. My buddy hated it.
• Waraji - Surprisingly good sushi as NC goes, in an unexpected location. If I want good sushi in Raleigh this is my goto.
• Mulino - DT raleigh - mid Italian. Me and my friend found the food overpriced and the service somewhat slow. Drinks were good.

• wa'z - Japanese - this ranks among the absolute best places I have ever eaten. It may be the best place I have ever eaten. I am surprised they do not have a star. Extremely delicious. Extremely expensive - but worth it.
• Sushi Kashiba - Japanese - Also very good. It's high end sushi with matching service for about as much as you would expect.
• Kamonegi - Japanese - My first experience with soba, not one to be forgotten. Can be a bit hard to get in here but worth it.

• Tavernetta - It's hard to impress me with Italian but this place is very good. I particularly enjoyed their cheese selections.
• Daughter Thai - I had khao soi for the first time here. On a later visit I had their lamb curry. Great food on both counts.