The 2021 winners encapsulate the restaurants that have had the most influence in helping to shape the distinct culinary culture of the Carolinas.
Since opening in March of 2020 Sanford, North Carolina, Fonda Lupita has quickly risen to become one of the most talked-about restaurants in the state.
Frausto has plans to move the restaurant to a larger space in 2022, but will remain in Sanford, the community where Frausto and her siblings were raised and where Fonda Lupita has helped put the town’s extensive Mexican-American heritage and restaurant scene on the map.
This restaurant, inspired by the Mississippi River Valley’s foodways, commits to comfort and community in Charlotte’s Camp North End.
But when the restaurant opened for takeout and outdoor dining in May 2020, the addition of a Peruvian roast chicken was the comfort food many were craving, along with some creative hot dog combinations from co-owner Alex Lira.
Once the dining room opened, customers could take in the funky interiors full of wood paneling, neon signs, pinball machines, and a yellow velvet couch — like chic bachelor pad from the 1970s, but with a better bar.
Wedged into the far end of downtown Sylva, in western North Carolina’s mountainous Jackson County, Ilda’s Italian-Appalachian cuisine mashup and top-notch cocktail program has made it one of the most exciting new restaurants in the state and a driver in turning this small town into a must-visit culinary destination.
The menu infuses Southern-Italian style cuisine with ingredients and inspirations from the surrounding Appalachian mountains, like the gnocchi frito with country ham and red-eye gravy, and the spaghetti alla puttanesca with confit catfish.
After a year away from the kitchen during the pandemic, Wilmington chef Dean Neff and his wife Lydia Clopton returned to the restaurant scene with a bang, opening Seabird smack dab in the middle of downtown earlier this year to rave reviews.
Other standouts include the Fresno pepper sorghum pork ribs and a green goddess Wedge salad with fried local shrimp instead of croutons.
Seabird also operates a morning coffee bar with pastries and breakfast items, and just started serving lunch as well.
In Peachland, North Carolina, population 400-ish, some of the best Texas-style barbecue exists at Jon G’s Barbecue, just off of Highway 74.
Each week the spot plows through around 600 to 700 pounds of meat and half of this tally is Jon G’s juicy, perfectly smoked brisket that folks travel near and far for.
Customers are known to bring a chair and cold brews to partake in “tailwaiting,” as early as 9 a.m as once it’s gone it’s gone.