Don’t forget to check out the Cat’s Cradle if anything good is going on down there. I went to a ton of great shows there when I lived in Raleigh, and a handful since moving to Charlotte.
It might be an obvious, and kind of off topic, but just thought I’d throw it out there.
You might want to check out Locopops, too. I heard an interview with the owner and it sounds really cool - she dropped everything and moved to Mexico to learn how to make the pops. A lot of our friends go there - been meaning to make the trip, but haven’t gotten to it!
I’ve been reading this thread, hoping someone would mention a restaurant that I can’t remember its name!
I ate there 10+ years ago. The name started with a P and had some kind of cutesy name.
If it was that long ago, it could very well be gone by now. The only place I can think of that starts with a P these days would be Pepper’s Pizza.
It’s making me slightly crazy. It was something like Pennyworks or some P/F combo. My boyfriend and I were vegetarians at the time, so it would have been veg friendly. Definitely wasn’t in Raleigh (where I lived) might have been in Durham. I’ve tried googling, can’t find it.
Moving from IMHO to Cafe Society.
And just like that, it popped in to my head. Pyewacket. Sorry I can’t recommend it to the op since it apparently closed in 2002. I remember it was pretty awesome!
The original is in Chapel Hill, and dates from the mid 1990’s.
If you’re willing to head out to the rest of the Triangle, Magnolia Grill in Durham is considered by some to be among the best restaurants in the country. Second Empire in Raleigh is also very good.
Oh, and for coffee in Chapel Hill, I recommend Caffe Driade.
Franklin Street’s (technically on Columbia) Buns is excellent, in my opinion. They have a great variety of different burgers (turkey as well as the usual beef, vegetarian, etc.) They give you a ton of fries too, which taste awesome. My only complaint is they’re a little expensive.
I love the cherry-lime. The other flavors are good, but I’m all about the cherry-lime.
One of my favorite restaurants is Queen of Sheba. (http://www.queenofshebachapelhill.com/) It’s a little slow, so you can’t go there when you’re in a hurry, but they have fantastic Ethiopian food.
Seconded.
There used to be a Hungarian Restaurant (Helena’s or something like that) that was very good. Since I avoid Chapel Hill like the plague, I’m not sure it’s still there.
I grew up there, but these days just visit a few times a year. With that in mind…
Pepper’s is decent cheap pizza. I loved it as a teenager. As an adult I’ve been underwhelmed. But it’s ultra-hip, so if you’d like ultra-hip, try it out.
Cafe Driade is also ultra-hip, and has IMO utterly fantastic coffee. Their atmosphere is also amazing. The lack of a Driade-quality coffeeshop is my least favorite thing about my current town. I love Driade a lot.
We sometimes stop at Carolina Brewery, but rarely for food. They’ve got decent pub grub, but nothing all that special. Pretty great beers, though.
Mama Dip’s is well-loved by many, and I think it’s pretty good. Maybe if I liked Southern food better, I’d understand why people gush over it. For me, I’ll eat there if others want and be happy with it, but I’d never suggest it.
We stop there on the way to two other amazing restaurants nearby. One looks like nothing: the Mediterranean Deli. Trust me, though: it’s got some of the best middle-Eastern food I’ve ever had. A great place for lunch.
The other is Talulla’s. It’s also Middle-Eastern, but much more upscale dining. We’ve been twice, and both times the food just blew us away.
Though you might want to bring along some Lipitor to offset that :D.
We used to live in Chapel Hill, and Time Out was our go-to place for breakfast whenever we were taking a road trip somewhere - load up the car, stop in at Time Out, and hit the road. Ahhhh, memories.
Where’s the resort? Just curious - there wasn’t anything like that when we lived there (except perhaps Fearrington House, which didn’t have accommodations back then, I think).
ETA: On reread, I see you ARE staying at Fearrington. Cool!! The restaurant there was always a big splurge when we lived in CH - we went there perhaps 2-3 times total.
I came here to second Queen of Sheba. To be fair, it’s the ONLY food I’ve had in Chapel Hill, but it was awesome!
Elmo’s.
I’ve only been there once, but I was impressed, and my family in the area loves the place.
Standard diner offerings in general, with a few southwestern-themed dishes. The focus is on fresh ingredients and a comfortable, friendly vibe.