50 Best American Restaurants in Raleigh

“Stopped at this restaurant and it did not disappoint. If you're a vegetarian your options are really only salads or the butternut squash ravioli, but don't let this deter you from coming. The butternut squash ravioli was the best ravioli I've ever had. It was rich and creamy with the perfect mix of mushroom and sweetness from the squash. The marinated avocado salad was delicious as well. I don't usually like blue cheese but it was very mild in this dish. The people I was with ordered the pot pie which they said was great. The service was also great and everyone was extremely friendly. Would 100% recommend.“

“Wow! I was encouraged by the reviews; however Michael made our experience one to remember! He was attentive and genuine. We were celebrating my bday so we started with dessert!! The best benets ever!!! The oysters are fresh and perfectly charred. Gumbo was one for the books. Do not hesitate to eat here!“

“Fabulous service at the bartop. Roy's recommendations were impeccable and considerate of dietary restrictions. The food was outstanding and wine pairings complemented well. Highly recommend sourcing from the starters and sides to get the most variety, unless you wish to commit to the steak or full entree. Oysters and acorn squash were a great combo. I appreciated the ability to do a GF dessert (elevated ice cream sundae!) to top off the night. Thank you!!“

“While visiting Raleigh, we stopped in to this delightful hot honey chicken eatery. I had the Carolina Reaper. Advice: Get the sauce on the side. It is a spicy devil. My everlasting love for eternity got the classic, which we split, of course. We shared fries with 2 different aioli sauces. We also shared a side of Mac and cheese. A little dry but quite tasty. No drinks or desserts this time, but I'm sure we will be returning.“

“the food was awesome, we had ribs, brisket, pulled pork, nachos, wrapped jalapeños, and the best wings ever. the Habenero sauce was not hot, it had just the right heat to it and the Buffalo sauce was amazing. Great service, we never had to flag down our waitress. Great job“

“Taylor Casper has been trying to keep my old heating andac unit running for the last couple of years and has done a great job. However. This year the unit was on its last legs. I had no choice but to replace the heating/account unit. Taylor came back out and gave me a great price for the replacement unit. Thank you Taylor. Hopefully this will last another 15 years .“

“Had the best meal ever, again! I'm never disappointed when I eat at J Alexanders. The wait was an hour, so we sat at the bar. Emily took care of us with another handsome (African-American) man (wish I would have gotten his name). They were both so attentive and detail oriented. I can't say enough about my favorites offerings... ThaiKai Salad, Steak and Frites (perfect temperature) and the Carrot Cake. The service and atmosphere are wonderful too but will take second place to the fabulous food.“

“Really really enjoyed the visit! Old World decor and charm, great service, Thanks Kayla, wonderful selection of authentic Tapas, I need to go back, there's so much more unexplored to try! Maybe just seafood this time. There are so many combinations. Keep up the great work!“

“A swanky & tasty place for brunch. They had their own unique stamp on everything, from the steak & eggs to the chairs, & silverware.“

“SERVICE/ATMOSPHERE:This place was lovely. All the staff were so sweet and helpful. Definitely a gem in downtown, great for a date or an intimate catch up with an old friend.FOOD:We started with the pimento cheese, local jam, and fig tostadas, which were INCREDIBLE!! A must have if you visit here.I got the portobello mushroom and avocado grilled cheese with tomato soup, which was okay. The cheese and avocado together were a bit heavy. My partner got the burger, which he said was awesome! He said the hand cut fries were very good.OVERALL:We had a lovely time. Shoutout to our server Dvir, impeccable vibes from him.“

“Great dogs and exceptional service. Will visit again soon.“

“I have enjoyed eating here every time I come to Raleigh during daytime hours. Their food items offer a wide variety of food choices and the amazing taste makes you question if your actually eating their healthy food selections. I also love the Juice Bar menu. I got the "Purple Haze" with vitamin shot and it is so yummy!“

“Romantic 32nd anniversary. Cocktails, dinner and service were perfecto.“

“Our meal was phenomenal. One of the best meals of my life. We ordered the spinach dip, mushroom vandouvan, spanakopita, brussels sprouts, and chocolate mousse cake. Every bite was amazing. The mushroom dish was especially decadent and I was delighted to see that it was vegan. We are trying to eat more plant-based meals, so we booked our anniversary dinner here and I am beyond glad that we did. We will certainly be back. 10/10 highly recommend.“

“Pricey but great food and service . Nice experience for sure !“

“Our experience at Seasons 52 was excellent, start to finish. Our server was courteous, well spoken and timely in attention to every detail. The food was delicious...good portions and well prepared. A perfect place to celebrate a special occasion, or meet with extended family and friends. Thank you.“

“Nothing beats a passionate chef. Tonight was my first experience, and it's only the beginning! The staff was amazing and did not make me feel rushed. 5-star plus. I've never been to a restaurant where all the mussels were open and full of flavor until Northside Bistro. It was impressive and absolutely delicious, and they also serve some of the best cocktails I've ever had!“

“I am at Glenwood often and love the main dining area and the atmosphere. The food is great especially the salmon.“

“We went for Mother's Day brunch, and appreciated that they offered a special menu but also allowed us to order from their standard menu. My daughter and I choose options from the special menu and were pleased with our chooses. The crab Benedict I had was one of the best I've had. Perfect poached egg coupled with the crab and Hollandaise sauce was an ideal combination.“

“The food at First Watch is always delicious and Justin is an excellent server!“

“Great family breakfast spot. Can’t eat enough bacon. Thanks Lathaniel for being a wonderful server!“

“Awesome meal tonight with the whole family and even got to meet the amazing chef Caroline! Our lifeling vegan kiddos loved being able to experience fresh mozzerella sticks and they totally devoured the Mac & Cheese (and they are total vegan mac snobs). The rizotto was perfectly creamy…probably my favorite thing of the night! We love supporting locally owned small (especially vegan!) businesses & Fiction truly knocks it out of the park. Special shout out to Lauren for being so warm & accommodating- hostest with the mostest tonight!Vegetarian options: All vegan.. good to goooooo!“

“Great staff and delicious food!“

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“Super tasty and the staff was on point! Highly recommended!“

“Lunch food is great but the servings are meager.“

“Always great food, drinks and relaxing atmosphere!“

“A foodie's delight, Stanbury has set the bar high for any newcomers to the Raleigh food scene. They have some of the freshest seafood I have eaten in the area. They layer complex textures and flavors, and the balance of salt, fat and acid in every dish is near perfect. Their menu rotates, but the standouts during our last visit were the bone marrow, oysters minuet and the steak (when we went it was served with a mole/bbq sauce on the side...mmmm). Stanbury has been our favorite restaurant in Raleigh for over a decade, and I don't see anyone toppling them in the near future.“

“Grows excellent with all 4 of us . He was so pleasant and helpful.“

“I have only been to PLUS a few times, but every time has been so much fun! Great vibes, great music on the dueling pianos and talented musicians! I even got to try out my singing there once (not my strong point haha). My Belles and I did a dance performance there, around Thanksgiving time last year (Carol of the Belles), and I can not even begin to say enough about the staff, the accomodations, and the absolute joy that filled the room that night. PLUS is a place of happiness and fun, no matter which night of the week!“

“Had a great dinner with my cousin and her husband Saturday night. I got the Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Blue Cheese Cream sauce and had it on a bed of the OG Mac N' Cheese... WOW! So good!!! Everyone enjoyed their meal. Great food and service was excellent!!“

“Came in on a BUSY Sunday for a pick up order, decided I really wanted a milkshake, last minute. Brianna greeted us with a warm welcome and made my milkshake right away!!10 thumbs up to Brianna for making the BEST peanut butter oreo milkshake in record time!!!“

“I absolutely love their pretzels, but this is also a great place for someone looking to hang out with friends and trying something new to drink, something familiar, or looking for a challenge over time to get your plate on the wall. Good food selection.“

“I had the shrimp and grits. My wife had the roast turkey dinner. Both were delicious and freshly made. The chocolate bread pudding hit the "sweet" spot.Highly recommended. We will go back. They have friendly staff too.“

“We were there last night with our soccer team so it was around 40 people. They sat us in the tent area and Christian was our server/bartender. He did AMAZING!!!!!!! We were all shocked how he was so efficient and fast with serving that many people. He made great drinks too!!!“

“The food & service were excellent.“

“Great vibe, friendly staff, nice game selection! Had an awesome time!!“

“I went here to watch the game and have some food with friends tonight, it was a great time. Melody, our waitress, was attentive and on top of things even though it was packed and she was clearly really busy. We've been a few times and she's definitely our favorite - ask for her when you come!“

“Hadn't been to YH in a long while. Was a busy Sunday afternoon so had to wait a while and waited a bit for our waitress to come but the service was great once it started and the food was very good. I had the Korean BBQ Cheesesteak...didn't eat a lot of the bread, just the toasted part.. It was delicious...as was the Cocacola chocolate dessert! I will definitely go back for those items!Parking: There are a few parking spaces right next to the restaurant but those can fill up quickly. There is a parking deck directly across from the restaurant and a couple others available of you want to enjoy a nice little walk.“

“A fun outdoor (or indoor) place to grab a beer and a snack with friends. Great beer from LBC and good food. What else can you ask for.“

“Had a long-ish wait for a place that I didn't think was outstanding, but it was decent. I got the corned beef and hash and my friend got the chicken biscuit, which was small but tasty. Nothing really stood out, but I guess I'll keep it in mind as a reliable breakfast spot when I'm in Raleigh.“

“Everything we ordered was excellent, but the cakes are over-the-top amazing!“

“We ate here for our anniversary and really enjoyed it! We made reservations for 2 at the bar because all the table reservations before 9 pm were full, but when we arrived, a table was open and offered to us, which was really nice! (LIkely, we also would have been happy at the bar, but I'm pregnant, so the comfy booth seat was welcome.) The service was superlative, both from our attentive server and others who jumped in any time they walked by and saw something that could be done. The non-alcoholic cocktail was fantastic! Both food and drink menus are curated rather than extensive. We are parents of a small child who rarely get out to restaurants, so when we do go, we love to taste a variety of options on the menu. Your ordering style may vary. For starters, we ordered the yellowfin crudo (a standout and possibly the best dish from my perspective) and crispy porcelet belly (very tasty, although the skin was more tough and chewy than crispy). The manchego-herb biscuits were amazing in taste and texture, like, how do they do that? For entrees, we had the lamb loin and bavette steak. My lamb was nice, but the flavor of the steak dish (my husband's) was unreal. (Normally, I would have ordered the seafood, but the only option was swordfish, and I had already used up my weekly serving of potentially-high-in-mercury seafood with the yellowfin crudo, worth it!) After sharing two appetizers, biscuits, and an entree each, we were really full. However, I had been anticipating the triple cheesecake with rhubarb, so we got a portion to go. It was unusual - very strong on the savory cheese flavor in the cake - but we both really liked it. (Would I have liked more rhubarb? Yes, but I love rhubarb, and not everyone agrees. Rhubarb skeptics, this is a safe dish for you.) Two starters, two entrees, a side, two drinks each, and one dessert put our total just north of $200. Not a huge consideration for us, but it's a small-ish space with dark decor and modern, minimal lighting. I've spoken with others who remembered it as a bit cramped. The music is... not quiet... with prominent bass, but we sat next to each other and were able to talk. We definitely plan to go back. Edited to add: We were also really impressed by the short ticket times! Our food came out very promptly, and we finished three courses and had our take-out dessert ready to go in just over an hour. We also didn't feel rushed, as though we could have lingered without any pressure from the server to free up the table. As folks who no longer get out much, that's a huge plus.“

“If you want to meet some of the sweetest, loveliest and down right friendly people, I'd say take a trip here and you won't be let down. There is Gabby, Elaina and Jordan who are some of the nicest ladies I have probably ever had the pleasure of being a customer to. Drinks are always on point and the food is great, too. The service and staff here are what really makes it attractive...go give them some attention as they sure do deserve it!!!“

“I cannot say enough great thing about The Oak!! We got the Birria tacos to start and they were amazing, the perfect blend of savory and spice. The drinks were fantastic, the Pirates Garden was the BEST cocktail I've had in a long time??For dinner we had the pork shoulder and sea bass. The pork shoulder was served over a bed of delicious & creamy Mac n cheese and the Brussel sprouts... the entire dish was mouth watering. I highly recommend this place to EVERYONE!“

“Staff was extremely friendly and very attentive to our needs highly recommended.This was our 1st time visiting this place since we are from Orlando,fl and if we come back we would def come back to visit.“

“Delicious chocolates and fun gift items! The food is great, too!“

“What a fantastic local diner run by the nicest people you'll ever meet.We came in for a late brunch about an hour and a half before closing and it was pretty quiet so service was quick. We seated ourselves and had our drink orders taken immediately and placed our orders which took maybe 10-15 minutes to come out, very fast.We had the country fried steak, egg, and cheese sandwich and the BLT with fries and everything was fresh, hot, and delicious. It easily beats out anything I ever had from Denny's or IHOP. Since it's right in our neighbourhood, we'll definitely be back often!“

“Great place to hang out and watch live bands ! The atmosphere there is wonderful very friendly crowd and bartenders are awesome“

“Service was excellent and very good food!“