At these 10 restaurants in North Carolina, you can pair your next meal with views of a big-city skyline or breathtaking nature.
What makes a dining experience effortlessly unforgettable? Sure, delectable dishes and yummy beverages can satiate the stomach, but there’s nothing like pairing your meal with stunning views of natural beauty or urban splendor.
Luckily for North Carolinians, the Tar Heel State has no shortage of eateries boasting jaw-dropping views. From mountain ridges to lakeshores to city skylines, here are the best views you can get right from the dinner table:
1. The Cheoah Dining Room
Tucked away in the historic Tapoco Lodge, The Cheoah Dining Room offers hungry guests unspoiled views of the Cheoah River from its scenic terrace. Located in Robbinsville—a quaint, little town within the shade of the Nantahala National Forest—the Cheoah Dining Room has been wowing guests for nearly a century with its winning combination of hearty breakfast staples like chicken and waffles and smothered biscuits combined with wildlife sightings and the soothing sounds of the gently burbling river. Why not make a day out of it? The Tapoco Lodge offers therapeutic massage packages year-round.
2. River’s End Restaurant
No visit to the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City is complete without a meal at River’s End Restaurant, where every diner sits within view of the Nantahala River. Watch paddlers pass by on river rafting trips while devouring classic American dishes like chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, pecan panko-encrusted local trout with homemade cranberry sauce, or the restaurant’s award-winning triple crown chili. After you’ve filled up, it might be time to set out for an adventure, as the outdoor center offers white water rafting, zip-lining, kayaking, tubing, and mountain biking excursions.
3. Fahrenheit
City slickers in search of breathtaking views of Charlotte’s skyline should book a sunset reservation for Fahrenheit, a restaurant and bar perched atop the 21st floor of a high-rise building in Uptown. This sleek and contemporary American eatery boasts fireplaces in every corner of its wrap-around rooftop patio. Fahrenheit menu offers seafood towers, wagyu short ribs, and whole lobster macaroni and cheese, as well as a host of Instagrammable cocktails, like the Fahrenheit Tequila Smoked Old Fashioned, which arrives at the table in a cloud of vapor. Fahrenheit’s happy hour special at 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and all day Sunday presents an array of bar bites for only $5 each.
4. The Paper Canoe
Imagine: resplendent, early-evening sunlight shimmers on the surface of the Currituck Sound, turning the water into a million diamonds as you sip on a glass of your favorite wine. Dining at The Paper Canoe, located on Route 12 just north of the town of Duck, is an unforgettable experience that should be planned in advance. As this restaurant is only open between 4:45 and 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, reservations are recommended to ensure you can savor their daily selection of locally caught Outer Banks seafood, handmade pastas, and specialties cooked in a rustic wood oven.
5. Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing
Situated atop Raleigh’s Boylan Bridge, Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing pairs exhilarating views of downtown Raleigh with small-batch craft beers and beloved bar food dishes. Guests love to dine at Wye Hill’s outdoor patio for brunch service, offering seasonal mimosa flights, sweet potato hash, and B.L.A.T.’s piled high with bacon, mixed greens, avocado, and a pumpkin seed pesto. Stop by any time of day to sip on a beer brewed in-house, like the Crystal Ball light lager or the Opal Skulls Czech dark pilsner. Not simply a brewery, Wye Hill also offers a balanced cocktail menu of botanical, sweet, and spiced flavors.
6. Nightingale
Nightingale Rooftop Restaurant and Bar, located in Holly Springs, about 30 minutes from the heart of Raleigh, offers quaint views of the suburb’s burgeoning downtown from its rooftop patio. Fans of midcentury modern style will appreciate Nightingale’s chic and eclectic décor, while foodies will adore its menu of small and large plates ranging from smoked mushroom dip and crab cake bites to rabbit and dumplings and the ostrich burger, which sits on a homemade yeast roll complete with Havarti and pickled cucumber. A healthy spirits program produces inventive spins on classic cocktails like the Queen’s Park swizzle, made with white rum, lime, sugarcane, mint, and bitters.
7. Water’s Edge Dock and Grill
Gaze at the gentle waters of High Rock Lake—North Carolina’s second largest lake—with a beverage in hand at Water’s Edge Dock and Grill, located a few minutes from downtown Salisbury. This waterfront restaurant and bar also doubles as an event space and music venue, lending it a festive atmosphere perfect for whiling away a weekend afternoon. Water’s Edge rolls out the red carpet for its weekend brunch menu, featuring a make-your-own Bloody Mary Bar boasting more than 30 mixes and garnishes, as well as oyster shooters, mimosas, and classic dishes like biscuits and gravy and steak and eggs.
8. The Restaurant at Gideon Ridge
Local Appalachian produce meets sweeping mountain views at The Restaurant at Gideon Ridge, located within the Gideon Ridge Inn, a quaint and historic bed and breakfast in Blowing Rock. Watch the mist travel over the Blue Ridge Mountains as you savor farm-to-table dishes like mushroom fondue, made with local oyster mushrooms and triple cream brie, or the prime beef tenderloin, prepared with marinated sweet peppers, artichoke, and asparagus. Note that unless you’re lodging at the inn, a reservation is required to dine at The Restaurant at Gideon Ridge, which opens each evening at 5 p.m.
9. La Strada at Lake Lure
You don’t need to request outdoor seating at La Strada at Lake Lure to experience stunning views of the lakefront and surrounding mountains, but the elevated, covered patio at this family-owned Italian restaurant in Lake Lure, located an hour’s drive southeast of Asheville, is worth experiencing. Watch the locals boat, canoe, and fish from the lake as you sample traditional Italian-American dishes like brick oven-fired pizzas, baked pasta, and fried calamari. Feeling adventurous? Opt for one of La Strada’s inventive specialties, like the nachos Italiano, which see corn chips topped with Italian sausage, sharp cheddar cheese, and jalapenos.
10. Newman’s Restaurant
White tablecloth elegance is combined with rustic mountain charm at Newman’s Restaurant, located in the Orchard Inn in Saluda, about 100 miles west of Charlotte. At this spot where the foothills end and the Blue Ridge begins, guests can savor dishes grown in-house—literally plucked from the inn’s organic garden and mini-orchard. Newman’s ever-changing, seasonal menu features selections like roasted duck confit, made with haricots verts and mango chutney, and shrimp scampi served with homemade gnocchi, tomato, and spinach. Note that dinner at Newman’s costs $95 per person, regardless of menu choices, and jackets are suggested for male guests.
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
