Culinary Bites

CULINARY BITES highlights Orange County’s award winning restaurants, chefs, baristas, food artisans, brewers & distillers and the delightful culinary experience they bring to this place. Did you know that Bon Appetit magazine dubbed Chapel Hill “America’s Foodiest Small Town”? Check back often for recipes, samplers, chef bios, restaurant history, reviews and more. 

 

Coming soon:

C&B Community Store is a community-focused venture that will offer a community store filled with select staples and farm-fresh produce, gas pumps, and a community kitchen serving breakfast and lunch five days a week AND wood-fired pizzas on the weekends! Located on scenic North Carolina Hwy 86 at 5515 NC 86 in Hillsborough

A new nano-brewery plus co-working space is planned for the prime corner location of Churton and King streets in Hillsborough. The expected opening is late summer, early fall. Read more on this business.

The old Spanky’s/Lula’s location at 101 E. Franklin Street will soon become Raising Cane’s, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based chain with a menu focused on chicken. 

New restaurant alert:

  • Breakaway Cafe located near Chatham County's Briar Chapel has expanded into Carrboro. The husband and wife team are cycling enthusiasts and welcome cycling groups from all over the area to come in for really good coffee, food and camaraderie. They are open for breakfast and lunch at 410 N. Greensboro St, Suite 160.
  • Colorado Burrito Mexican Grill will occupy the space formally by Bandido Mexican Cafe & Cantina in Hillsborough at the corner of Churton and Margaret Lane. Stay tuned for opening date.
  • In Meadowmont, Brandon Sharp, chef and owner of the restaurant Hawthorne & Wood, opened a second establishment, called Bluebird, a French Bistro, in the former Cafe Carolina space this spring.
  • 1922 by Carolina Coffee Shop at 140 E. Franklin Street next to the Carolina Coffee Shop is open offering grab-and-go options. The name refers to the first year Carolina Coffee Shop opened in the town.
  • MOMO's Master  a Himalayan Bistro features momo style dumplings by Chef Ramesh Dahal. Dahal has 25+ years experience in the restaurant industry. Momo's is located at110 North Columbia Street, Chapel Hill. 
  • Blue's on Franklin located at 110 W. Franklin Street in Chapel Hill is owned by three generations of Tar Heels! Some of the menu items include smoked shrimp, wings, burgers, smoked tips, and Eastern North Carolina Style BBQ. Game days here are a must!

Featured:

Carrboro Coffee Roasters

Located in Carrboro, NC a town with a population of about 21,000, is a locally owned small batch artisan roaster with reaches far beyond the horizons of Orange County, NC - actually their reach is global. Read more ....

ACME Food and Beverage

Did you know there's more than one way to shuck an oyster? We caught up with Chef Kevin Callaghan for a little tour of his restaurant in Carrboro and got the scoop on shucking oysters and his favorite way to eat them.

Shrimp and Grits (Crook's Corner)

Crook’s Corner, named an “American Classic” restaurant by the James Beard Foundation is renowned for many things but none quite so well-known as “Shrimp and Grits,” originally a Bill Neal recipe that has remained on the menu up until the restaurant closed in June of 2021.  Read more and get the recipe...