Dining

Restaurants Open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day

by Patty Griffin | December 19 2011

In town for the holidays and don’t feel like cooking? Check out the list of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough restaurants open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Please call ahead to confirm availablity. Some of these restaurants will have special hours on these days.

2011 Holiday Restaurants Openings

Eat to Your Heart’s Desire

by Chapel Hill Visitor | May 20 2011

Now that Andrea Reusing, chef and owner of Chapel Hill’s Lantern Restaurant, has won the prestigious James Beard Award distinguishing her as Best Chef in the Southeast. And Crook’s Corner has been honored with the America’s Classics Award, which recognizes locally owned restaurants “with timeless appeal, beloved in their regions for quality food that reflects the character of their community,” the visitors bureau is trying to enact a four-meals-a day rule, just so everybody has a chance to sample from the treats that abound. OK, there might be an ordinance against that, but you should definitely make an effort to eat-out several times during your visit.

Think of it. On Franklin Street there are enough world-class meals to satisfy everyone in the world. In a two block radius there’s nouveau cuisine, wild game and the best French food this side of the Seine. Try Vimala’‘ Curryblossom Cafe, 411 West, Sutton’s for hot dogs and malteds and Spanky’s for American fare. For barbecue, there’s Allen & Son, Mama Dip’s and Hillsborough BBQ to name a few. At the Carrboro Farmers’ Market you’ll find some of the freshest food, warmest bread and organic produce available. In Historic Hillsborough there’s gourmet award winning restaurants that are separated by a few yards from a classic chocolate shop, so if you’re on a tight schedule you can have appetizers at one, an entree at another and then take home a bag of hazelnut crusted milk chocolate bark. I could go on: this is hardly an exhaustive list. Think of it, rather, as an invitation to explore, an incomplete guide map, a treasure hunt.

Bon appetite.

Did You Know?

According to all travel studies, dining is the second most important item on travelers' itineraries (after lodging), and Orange County serves them well with numerous choices.