The local restaurant scene is buzzing with several new spots that have opened in Chapel Hill and Orange County. Check out their innovative dishes and lively atmospheres which are drawing crowds for a full culinary experience. New options feature Spanish, Asian, Latin, Mexican, Mediterranean, Italian, Southern and more. Here are a dozen new local restaurants in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough to try on your next visit.
Chapel Hill
Próximo, a Spanish tapas and wine bar at 173 E. Franklin Street, is open nightly for dinner, featuring a menu of modern Spanish dishes. Guests can order hot plates, cold plates, desserts and snacks — ranging from options like crispy sea bass, sea scallops, and Spanish anchovies to seared meatballs and filet mignon. (Header photo by Anna Routh Barzin)
White Sauce Grill & Bar offers a variety of options and sides, including chicken, gyro and falafel over rice, pita or fries with a variety of housemade sauces. It’s open daily for lunch and dinner at 104 West Franklin Street.
Also downtown find The Latin Effect at 504 W. Franklin Street serving Honduran and Latin American dishes like pupusas, arepas and tacos from El Salvador, Guatemala and Venezuela and Road to Myanmar specializes in Burmese, Thai and Malaysian food at 147 E. Franklin Street.
If you are looking for a sports bar, Rams Corner is the newest offering in downtown serving up burgers, tacos, seafood, salads, items from the grill as well as signature cocktails, beer and other drinks from the bar. Play fun bar games on the expansive front porch at 431 W. Franklin Street.
Play cornhole and more at the new Rams Corner
Check out One40 Social located at 140 W Franklin Street. The menu spans comfort and international flair, from smash burgers and pizza to seafood plates, rice bowls, and even Ukrainian street food. Find craft cocktails, 36 beers on draft, wine, and a dedicated milkshake bar stand serving both classic and spiked milkshakes. In addition to dozens of TVs, guests can play ping pong, foosball, shuffleboard, and board games.
Back after a two-year absence due to a fire, the popular Mediterranean Deli is open with a larger, more expansive layout at 410 W. Franklin Street. The massive food case showcases a wide variety of Mediterranean and Greek dishes, breads and desserts. Don't miss the neighboring market.
Mediterranean Deli's expansive food case
XOLOS Taco and Tlayudas comes to Southern Village’s Market Street with family recipes using fresh seasonal ingredients. Try queso, fajitas, tostadas, tortillas, tacos, enchiladas, bowls and salads. Chef specials include Chile Relleno, Carne Asada and Classic Ceviche. Open daily for lunch and dinner.
Tonya’s Cafe, is a restaurant specializing in Southern cooking at 400 S. Elliott Road, next to Tonya’s Cookies & Bakeshop. The menu changes regularly, but a few favorites include a Cornbread Flight appetizer, Chicken Fried Steak Sandwich, and entrees including southern Fried Chicken, Fried Catfish and Smothered Pork Chops. Desserts include Banana Pudding and Key Lime Pie.
Tonya's Burger with Pimento Cheese by SP Murray
Carrboro
Wedgewood Cheese Bar is North Carolina’s first stand-alone cheese bar. Located in the Carolina Carwash Building at 100B Brewer Lane and inspired by and intimate European neighborhood spot, Wedgewood serves cheese plates, sandwiches, salads, small bites and desserts and has a wine listed curated by Rocks and Acid Wine Shop. Find more than 100 gourmet cheeses cut to order.
The Wedgewood Caesar photo by Wesley Harwood
The Autostrada Pizza & Panini recently welcomed its first customers to its location at Carr Mill Mall at 200 N. Greensboro Street. The restaurant is modeled after an auto grill one would find along an Italian highway. The menu features a variety of made-fresh paninis, salads and pizzas, which can be ordered in either 10-inch or 16-inch pies. Right across the hall, the owners opened a gelato and coffee shop.
Hillsborough
Chef Josh DeCarolis has partnered with chef Phil Bey to serve classic italian dishes at the new Serratore’s Pasta and Pizza at 112 N. Churton Street in downtown Hillsborough. Enjoy shrimp scampi and spaghetti with pork rib sugo, veal and chicken cutlets over linguini and Neapolitan-style pizzas.
