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Big Cat
If you assembled a culinary dream team in central NC, it’d look a lot like the supergroup running Big Cat. Comprised of all-stars from some of the area’s most celebrated restaurants — like Ajja, Mala Pata, Ex-Voto and Centro — Big Cat is the kind of neighborhood spot you could happily hit up a few nights a week. Meant to be approachable while still delivering top-tier flavor and creativity, the menu draws a range of global flavors from the Korean fried eggplant with gochujang to the esquites tostada with crookneck squash and cotija cheese. It’s an exciting flavor romp in an eclectic space overflowing with personality.
Aaktun
It’s easy to visit Aaktun’s café without realizing there’s a stunning restaurant in the back. A long, black hallway running along the side of the building opens to a skylight-lit, pink banquet-accented lounge — as if entering a cave that opens to a hidden oasis. Aaktun is driven by acclaimed chef Oscar Diaz, who’s earned two James Beard nominations, competed on “Top Chef” and runs Durham’s beloved Little Bull restaurant. Here, Diaz relies on an array of Latin American and Caribbean influences, occasionally with Asian inflections, from braised short rib sancocho with yucca to mussels in green coconut curry. You can’t go wrong for lunch or dinner, especially with tropical-themed cocktails to match.
Taipei 101
Taipei 101 is the kind of humble restaurant that’s deeply loved by locals but often gets overlooked because of its straightforward, unflashy style. The Taiwanese and Chinese restaurant is among the best in NC, best enjoyed family-style; the larger the group the better to explore the extensive menu. You’ll find dishes that are hard to come by elsewhere, like squirrel fish or fried rice with Taiwanese sausages, as well as compelling takes on popular entrees such as sesame chicken. But the dim sum menu is where Taipei 101 really shines thanks to a range of dumplings and buns, which pair particularly well with noodle and vegetable plates.
Zweli’s Ekhaya
There are only a few places in the country to experience African fine dining, and Zweli’s Ekhaya is one of the best. Rooted in chef Zweli Williams’ native Zimbabwe and pulling from southern Africa and across the continent, the menu is a revelatory, tapas-style experience packed with rich flavors. Williams — whose husband, Leonardo, is the mayor of Durham — deftly prepares dishes like grilled snapper with cassava mash, slow braised curry goat, vegan cauliflower in a creamy peanut sauce and the signature piri piri chicken. At brunchtime, be sure to try Nigerian suya chicken, and for dessert, Zimbabwean doughnut bread sweet magwinyas.
Heirloom
There’s growing industry buzz about the remarkably satisfying Southeast Asian dinner menu at Heirloom that hasn’t quite broken into the mainstream. Best known as a tranquil, sunlit specialty coffee shop and tearoom by day, Heirloom’s kitchen run by veteran chef Joshua Young is dialed in. His Lao grilled chicken with mouthwatering chicken drippings rice is enough to qualify him as one of the area’s best chefs, let alone the stir-fry beef pad kra pao, saucy crab claws, or braised cabbage with shitake mushroom and chili crisp. At lunchtime, try Taiwanese fried chicken, and for weekend brunch, the Japanese omelet or pork belly char siu bowl.
Vimala’s Curryblossom Café
In an area rich in Indian restaurants, chef Vimala Rajendran and her laid-back café are consistently voted as a reader favorite. For more than 15 years, Vimala’s has served as a welcoming outpost tucked just off Chapel Hill’s main drag, famed for its vegetarian curry options, unforgettable dosas, and staples like chicken biryani or lamb roganjosh. Vimala’s serves diners regardless of their ability to pay, allowing patrons to pay it forward so neighbors can enjoy a warm meal. Enjoy your crispy okra and spicy pork vindaloo in the secluded and leafy courtyard or with a pint inside the restaurant’s brick walls.
Peregrine
Saif Rahman wants you to think about American cuisine differently. The Bengali-born, New York-raised chef offers an expansive redefinition of what counts as “American” food at Peregrine, where he plays with global flavors to find commonalities and complementary pairings. You’ll find chicken crackling with Ethiopian berbere spice next to Japanese-influenced Peruvian tuna tiradito on the menu, Saigon goat noodles next to a New York strip with curry leaf, or a radiator pasta with buffalo milk butter and Thai basil. It’s playfully rebellious without cutting any corners, set among a sleek, soaring backdrop of one of NC’s most beautifully designed modern restaurants. Plan to try something new and to be well cared for.
M Sushi
From subterranean digs in the heart of Durham, chef Michael Lee and his team crank out some of the region’s highest-quality sushi and omakase at M Sushi. Lee — who runs several other successful restaurants in the area, including a second M Sushi in Cary — imports premium seafood to prepare in front of diners in the open-style kitchen immediately behind the bar. Come for date night and order the table-smoked black cod along with sashimi and nigiri to share, wrapping up with the yuzu semifreddo for dessert. Or stop in for a lunchtime bento box or chirashi combo — order the showstopper crudo with salmon, tuna and fried lotus root for the table.
Szechuan Mansion Hotpot
It’s been called the best Chinese restaurant in NC by Chowhound, but it’s also one of the area’s most enjoyable group dining experiences. That’s because Szechuan Mansion Hotpot is both gratifyingly delicious and interactive, inviting everyone to customize their experience and easily sample new-to-them items alongside tried-and-true favorites. Choose two broths for the split pot — like the traditional beef tallow broth and the assorted mushrooms broth — and then select a range of items to cook in them. It’s worth ordering cold sides like the smashed cucumber salad or crispy plates such as popcorn chicken for textural variety.
Ajja
Cheetie Kumar has long been a decorated, nationally recognized chef, but she really hit her stride with Ajja. The Mediterranean and west Asian menu is bright and effervescent, full of personality and loaded with vegetables. The neighborhood restaurant spills from its enclosed back patio onto a scenic lawn, where a second outdoor bar was recently added — this time, operating from a repurposed boat. That irreverent and joy-filled attitude is reflected in the food, too. The menu changes seasonally, but look for options like flash-fried anchovies, heirloom local tomatoes with marinated peaches, or the boneless short rib with green mango glaze.
Yagg Sii Tenn
Yagg Sii Tenn is tricky to find, even if you know to look for it. Tucked into a quiet residential area in western Apex, only a subtle sign indicates its storefront is not a first-floor apartment. But once inside, you’re undeniably in the right place. Tables are painted with the flags of African nations, and plates shaped like the continent add to the colorful and celebratory vibe. Yagg Sii Tenn offers signature dishes from across more than a dozen African countries, with most menu items conveniently listing their origin. From a Ghanian jollof eran to Ethiopian doro wat, you can find either a coveted taste of home or an opportunity to try something new.
Sassool
Every year, the family that owns Sassool grows a few thousand pounds of mint at its nearby farm to supply the Lebanese restaurant’s Raleigh and Cary locations. That freshness is woven through the menu, where beef kabobs and chicken shawarma are cooked to order and you can watch pita puff up in the open oven behind the counter. The casual, counter service restaurant is a favorite among families, thanks in part to the assortment of options — including pizzettes, falafel and a display case showcasing the range of salads and sides. Plus, Sassool features a mid-sized Mediterranean market, adding to the appeal.
Shinmai Kumo
Itameshi cooking, which emerged in Japan as an experimental riff on Italian cuisine, is a nascent but increasingly popular style of food across the US — and Shinmai Kumo is one of the few places you can try it. Think spaghetti but with pollock roe and shiso, flatbread served with chicken thigh and Japanese curry paste, and matcha tiramisu. Consider the deceptively simple yet transcendent chicken zosui porridge with mushroom and egg and the masterful sukiyaki linguine with beef and parmesan. The folks behind Shinmai Kumo also run local Japanese restaurant Shinmai Shokudo and the forthcoming Shinmai Moku.
Boricua Soul
Soul food fans looking to branch out a little will find exactly what they crave in Boricua Soul’s signature bowl with pernil. The slow-roasted pork shoulder — not far from what you’d find at a barbecue joint — is a Puerto Rican essential. It’s served alongside the Southern classics of collard greens and mac and cheese, plus arroz con gandules and tostones, planting its feet firmly in North Carolina and San Juan simultaneously. That’s the spirit of Boricua Soul, where the menu swings from chicken wings to beef picadillo empanadas. Covered outdoor seating makes it easy to enjoy the surrounding historic American Tobacco Campus, plus pose under the photo-ready “Durham” archway sign out front.
Angie’s Jamaican Grill
When Angie’s Jamaican Grill describes its oxtail as “fall off the bone,” that’s not an embellishment. The tender meat is cooked to perfection and coated in a thick gravy that’s worth the drive on its own. The hallmark jerk chicken — with its signature crispy skin on the leg and thigh meat — is just as enticing. Vegans and vegetarians will delight in the curry chickpeas with carrots and potatoes. A meal at this no-frills spot next to the county board of elections is best enjoyed with a bottle of hibiscus-driven sorrel — a deep red, ginger-infused drink that’s made in house.
Still hungry? Check out the Triangle-area restaurants that are MICHELIN recognized. And for another North Carolina getaway with global flair, head to Jacksonville, where US Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River showcase cultural tastes from around the world on its International Food Trail.