Summer may not be here for much longer, so it’s high time to get out there and soak up the warm, sunny weather. And one of the best ways to experience a Southern summer is by trying out all the culinary hidden gems that North Carolina has to offer, ranging from NC restaurants offering unique specialties to mom-and-pop eateries with authentic recipes.
Whether you want to plan a girls’ day out in Durham’s Brightleaf District or a road trip to Asheville’s Biltmore Village, there are plenty of restaurants you have to drop by for a pit stop.
1. Benchwarmers Bagels in Raleigh
As a North Carolinian who has lived in NYC, I find that looking for a good bagel shop can feel like you’re searching for a needle in a haystack. While Benchwarmers Bagels sets itself apart from the iconic New York-style bagels, the shop offers its own unique take on the popular breakfast staple that may just put Raleigh on the map for bagels.
Benchwarmers Bagels first opened at Transfer Co. Food Hall, then opened a second location inside the Rockway Building, and a third is launching soon in North Hills. When I went to the Transfer Co. Food Hall location, the Za’atar Bagels I wanted to try were sold out, so I ordered the Sesame Bagel with the Carolina Reaper Cream Cheese.
I loved the balance between the heat of the Carolina Reaper peppers and the cool, rich cream cheese. The bagel itself has a unique texture: The toasted exterior offered a bit of crunch, but the interior was soft and light—resulting in the perfect bite to complement the generous schmear of cream cheese.
Benchwarmers start with “fresh-milled, pre-fermented heirloom grains” that go through a “long, cold fermentation,” which helps with the proofing process. That’s the key behind the bagel’s airy bite. Benchwarmers then boils the bagels in honey water and bakes them in a wood-fired oven until the exterior is dark.
If you’re more of a night person, you can also drop by the Transfer Co. Food Hall location for pizza from 5 to 8 p.m., Thursday through Saturday. My sister and I even ended up with free leftover slices of pizza from Benchwarmer’s right before closing time.
The restaurant sources all of its ingredients through local partners. So you’ll feel good supporting a local business that partners with other local food sources and reduces food waste. Check the website for the hours at specific locations.
2. Cosmic Cantina in Durham and Chapel Hill
One of my favorite hole-in-the-wall joints is a college staple for many Duke University and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill students after a night out—Cosmic Cantina. What started out as my go-to for a post-drinks midnight snack has remained one of my all-time favorite burrito spots. Considering the menu boasts over 20 types of burritos alone, I’m sure I’m not alone.
My go-to at Cosmic Cantina is the Old School Veggie Burrito that comes with pinto beans, melted cheese, and salsa—for just under $5. The burritos are mild, but still packed with savory flavor.
I love to turn up the heat, though, so I typically ask for a side of the restaurant’s Habanero hot sauce and layer it with Valentina hot sauce. While pinto beans are my base of choice, you can also choose from black beans, steak, chicken, vegan chorizo, and tofu. Cosmic Cantina also offers quesadillas and Mexican salads.
Cosmic Cantina’s Chapel Hill location is on E. Franklin St., and their Durham location is in the Ninth Street District.
3. Pincho Loco in Durham
If you stop by the Cosmic Cantina in Durham, you’ll see a Mexican dessert shop called Pincho Loco nearby. Pincho Loco is the definition of a hidden gem. It offers a wide variety of sweet treats, from ice cream cakes to Kahlua milkshakes, and it’s why I make sure to stock up on multiple desserts whenever I go.
I’ve not had one bad dessert from Pincho Loco, and I’ve ordered banana pudding, ice cream cake slices, and a milkshake with the shop’s Kahlua-infused ice cream. The Mexican-style ice cream is one of the shop’s specialties—it features a rich, dense, frozen custard-style base. If you’ve ever felt like American ice cream has too much air in it, then you would especially appreciate the thicker consistency of Mexican ice cream.
The shop has a plethora of flavors, including alcohol-flavored options such as tequila, rum raisin, and Kahlua (my personal favorite). We Southerners take our banana pudding seriously, and Pincho Loco’s version doesn’t disappoint. It’s delightfully rich and creamy, with a generous amount of bananas mixed in, and topped with the perfect ratio of vanilla wafer cookies.
The shop also has Mexican-inspired desserts I will be going back for, such as a Churro Sundae that tops crunchy churros with ice cream and a Mangonada that mixes fresh mango slices with a spicy tamarind sorbet.
4. Riko’s Pizza in Carolina Beach
As someone who has lived in NYC and Chicagoland, I always wondered how New Haven-style pizza would get thrown into the debate of best cities for pizza. Upon further investigation, I learned that multiple cities throughout Connecticut are actually known for their unique takes on pizza. One of those cities happens to be Stamford, Conn., which is known for putting hot oil, a spicy serrano-infused olive oil drizzle, and stinger pepper topping on a tavern-style, ultra-thin crust pizza.
I finally had the opportunity to try a Connecticut tavern-style pizza during a trip to Carolina Beach at Riko’s Pizza, a Connecticut-based pizza chain that specializes in Stamford-style pizza and has only one location in North Carolina. I tested the classic specialty, Hot Oil Pizza, which consisted of a cheese pizza topped with a special signature hot oil and stinger peppers.
As soon as I opened the pizza box, the spices from the serrano oil combined with the well-baked crust wafted through the air. It was easily the best-smelling pizza I’ve ever had, and the first bite was just as satisfying. The crispy crust is a great choice for anyone who gets annoyed at how floppy some NY-style slices can get.
In addition to drinks and desserts, the menu also includes a salad pizza, wraps, classic salads, wings, and sliders. So if you’re planning a beach trip anytime soon, Riko’s Pizza is definitely worth the stop for some authentic Stamford-style pizza.
5. Mexico Lindo Chapala in Asheville
For many Triangle-area residents like myself, there’s nothing better than a trip to the mountains to cool off from the mid-summer humidity. What makes a trip to Asheville even better for me is that I found one of the most authentic Mexican restaurants I’ve ever tried out on the East Coast. When you hear “Asheville,” your mind may not automatically go to Mexican food, but Mexico Lindo Chapala will change your mind.
My family and I were driving around in the Biltmore Village area and saw the colorful restaurant facade for Mexico Lindo Chapala. That’s when my sister and I decided we had to stop by for some food. We could already tell that we were going to get traditional Mexican food from seeing the restaurant’s exterior mural and interior decorations, which include imported handmade ceramic tiles from Mexico.
I ordered the Super Vegetarian Quesadilla—which was so good that it is worth making another trip to Asheville just to relive the glory of this dish. The fajita veggies, which included green peppers and onions, were cooked to perfection with the perfect blend of Mexican spices. The quesadilla had refried pinto beans, melted cheese, and tomatoes, and came with a side of rice, lettuce, guacamole, and sour cream.
I had previously featured this restaurant as one of 10 things to add to your Western N.C. itinerary, and it’s such a hidden gem that I had to remind everyone about it again. The restaurant almost didn’t reopen after the hurricane because of the recovery costs. However, Asheville community members loved the restaurant so much that they all chipped in to help the restaurant reopen its doors to the public.
Show some support for a local business that was affected by Hurricane Helene and enjoy some of the best tacos on the East Coast. Talk about a win-win.
6. Salvio’s Pizza in Cary
Having lived in NYC, it’s not just bagels I miss—it’s a good, old-fashioned pizzeria as well. Salvio’s Pizza in the Southwest Cary area is one of those pizza shops that remind you of the family-owned Italian eateries you would find in Brooklyn.
The menu has a wide variety of appetizers, pasta entrees, subs, salads, pizza slices, and desserts. One of my favorite appetizers is the Fried Ravioli, which has a golden-brown, crispy exterior with a soft, cheese-filled interior and comes with a side of marinara.
The shop is especially known for its NY-style pizzas, having been ranked as one of the top ten pizzas in Wake County by Best Things N.C. in 2022, and best pizza in Wake County by the INDYWeek in 2021. The shop sells several different topping combinations by the slice. I’ve tried the Margherita slice in the past, which consists of a red sauce, tomatoes, basil, and olive oil.
The crust is a typical NY-style thin crust, which is slightly floppy, but still baked to perfection (so no soggy bottoms). The pizza had an ample amount of sauce with perfectly melted cheese. It was a satiating slice, but didn’t leave you feeling stuffed.
My sister recently tried the new Spicy Marinara Pizza Slice and raved about the marinara base that comes topped with cherry peppers, and even called it her new favorite menu item. Another new pizza slice on the menu that might interest arugula lovers is the Prosciutto Magnifico, which has thin-sliced prosciutto topped with arugula and balsamic glaze.
We both also tried the Baked Ziti, which came with a side of two garlic knots. The dish consisted of penne pasta mixed with marinara sauce and ricotta cheese, which is topped with mozzarella and baked. Safe to say, you can’t go wrong with a baked pasta that comes with a generous helping of bread on the side.
I’ll definitely be going back to try out their dessert menu after seeing that they have chocolate-dipped cannolis.
Lime & Lemon Indian Grill in Apex, Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh
There has been a boom in Indian restaurants cropping up throughout the Triangle area, but there’s one that stands out. Lime & Lemon has an exceptional menu full of traditional entrees and eclectic, hard-to-find dishes.
The first Lime & Lemon opened in 2019 on 9th St in Durham, N.C. Now, the restaurant has several other locations, including a new one in Apex’s Beaver Creek Crossings shopping complex, which my family and I recently visited.
My sister ordered the Malai Kofta, which I got to sample as a part of what I call the “older sister tax.” I decided to be adventurous and order the Mango Lime Paneer with Mint and Basil Naan. I’ve been to Indian restaurants across the U.S. and internationally, but have never seen a more gorgeous plating of curries with edible flowers.
Malai Kofta is a dish with vegetarian dumplings (in this case, potatoes, paneer, and nuts) that are slow-cooked in a rich tomato-based curry with cream and cashew paste. It’s said to have been historically popular among Indian royalty, and Lime & Lemon’s take reflects the dish’s rich palette, blending a slight sweetness with traditional spices.
The Mango Lime Paneer is one of the chef’s specialties; it consists of paneer cubes (Indian cheese) cooked in a cream-based, tangy mango-lime blend curry sauce. If you’re like me and love a tropical flavor profile that fuses spices, tart, and sweet undertones, you’ll savor this chef’s signature dish.
The Mint and Basil Naan complemented the curries well, balancing the smoky undertones that come from the tandoor clay oven with the soft, pillowy texture that characterizes naan. I will definitely be going back to try the restaurant’s other dishes like the Mango Dal, a South Indian dish that consists of yellow lentils that are “slow-cooked with raw mango, aromatic spices, and fresh herbs.”
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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