Places to Eat

Mozelle's Bistro (southern American fare - shrimp & grits, fried chicken, tomato pie, etc)

Luisa and I had our first date here, and have returned many times. It's our favorite restaurant in Winston-Salem. You might want to make a reservation though - it's small and very popular.

Heff's Burger Club

Heff's does the best burgers in town. A tad on the pricey side, but big portions and unbeatable flavor with all locally sourced ingredients. Cool vibe too.

Slappy's or Timmy's Hot Chicken

For fried chicken, check out Slappy's. There's nothing like it. It's halfway between Nashville hot chicken, southern fried chicken, and BBQ. The line is often out the door but it is so worth the wait. If you want something that's downtown, Timmy's does really good Nashville-style hot chicken.

DiLisio's, Cibo Trattoria, or Quanto Basta (Italian)

All three are great options, all downtown. DiLisio's has the best food by a hair and a small family restaurant feel but it's the most expensive, Cibo Trattoria is very close second in the food and has a classic sort of feel (sit on the balcony if you can), and QB is the best price point and a fun modern vibe.

Tulum or Xcaret (Mexican)

Tulum makes some exceptional food and has some nice Tequila and Mezcal cocktails. Big open space inside. Xcaret is super colorful and fun with nice big portions.

Camel City BBQ

If you want some North Carolina style BBQ, check out Camel City. Fun atmosphere, there's a barcade on the top floor.

Mojito Latin Soul Food

For a good Cuban sandwich, a beef-chorizo burger, or a Latin rice bowl, this is the place to go. They also make great mojitos, and don't sleep on the pork skins.

600 Degrees

For a fancier sit-down option, check this one out -- all open flame cooking. Nice bar, good appetizers, upscale atmosphere.

Fratelli's Italian Steakhouse

Another fancier dine-in option. Definitely on the pricey side, but a very nice and atmospheric steak house with some delicious dishes.

Thai Harmony

Just some solid Thai food. Nice restaurant if you want to dine in, take-out is quick too.

Don Express

Small restaurant serving awesome Japanese street food. The shrimp shumai and yakisoba are amazing.

Cugino Forno Pizzaria, Mission Pizza, or Burke Street Pizza

Cugino Forno is delicious Americanized Neapolitan style pizza and right next to a big craft brewery. Mission Pizza is more traditional Naples-style wood-fired pizza that also has some great pasta dishes. Burke Street is New York style - not the best dine-in option, but if you're looking for take out on a late night, it hits the spot.

Dioli's Italian Market (deli)

Fantastic Italian-style sandwiches and some wonderful desserts. Close to Wake Forest.

The Carving Board (Deli)

Really great spot for some super tasty sandwiches, wraps, and sides. Only open for lunch.

West End Cafe

Classic American fare -- sandwiches, soups, salads, and it's all tasty.

The Downtown Grille

On the nicer, more upscale end for fancy night out. Great cocktails, wonderful and unique menu.

Coffee & Breakfast

Krankie's

This is a very cool spot and a Winston-Salem staple. They make great coffee, boozy brunch cocktails, and excellent biscuit breakfast sandwiches.

Young Cardinal Cafe

For a hip brunch spot, check this place out. Nice interior, some very tasty dishes. Kevin's go-to is the build-your-own-omelet (chorizo, pimento, onion and jalapeno is the perfect combo), but they also have an avocado toast of the day, which is delicious.

Acadia Foods

A cool little food co-op and grill, Acadia makes some amazing sandwiches - breakfast and otherwise. Try the breakfast grilled cheese or the steak and brie.

Cagney's Kitchen

For a classic diner breakfast, Cagney's is hard to beat. Full plates and cheap prices. Nothing fancy, just classic diner food.

The Remedy

If you want a comfortable place to sit down with a nice cup of coffee, check out The Remedy. It's a large space with couches and comfy chairs. They also have pastries, flat breads, wine and beer.

Camino Bakery

If you want a pastry, Camino Bakery can't be beat. Muffins, scones, bagels, bread, sweets, croissants -- all baked fresh daily. Great coffee too.

Bobby Boy Bakeshop

Except maybe Camino can be beat? Bobby Boy is phenomenal artisan pastries and bread, also baked fresh daily, and fantastic desserts.

West Salem Public House

For a community-oriented coffee shop (that turns into a bar selling beer and wine at night) with nice, ample outdoor seating, check out WSPH.

The Powder Room

Are you a sassy aunt who wears t-shirts that say things like "it's wine-o'clock somewhere" and wants a coffee shop with a little attitude? This place is tailor-made for you.

Bagel Station

Authentic New York bagels. For a quick bite or something to go, this is an awesome option.

Craft Breweries

Lesser Known Beer Co

This is, hands-down, the best beer in Winston-Salem, probably all of North Carolina. And the fact that Kevin works here doesn't make this statement biased at all. They specialize in traditional and "lesser-known" beer styles, primarily from the Czech Republic and Germany. It's a great cozy neighborhood spot with unbeatable beer (wine and cider available too) and the best staff of any business in town.

Incendiary

But if you're looking for a place that's a little more party-hardy, Incendiary might be the spot. Huge outdoor and indoor seating in the former coal pit beneath the old railroad tracks downtown. Next door to pizza. Good spot to bring kids.

Wiseman & Fiddlin' Fish

Two big open warehouse style breweries across the street from each other. I'll be honest - not my favorite beer in town, but nice big taprooms with plenty of space for big parties. If you're not a beer snob like Kevin, you will be perfectly satisfied.

Radar Brewing Company

A sleek modernist tap room with a nice variety of beer options.

Hoots Beer Co.

A smaller brewery/bar but a very neat atmosphere.

Joymongers Barrel Hall

Another open-warehouse style brewery with lots of seating and a decent variety of beer. There's usually a food truck on scene too.

Cocktail Bars

Joyner's

One of our favorites. It's an old general store from a century ago converted into a fancy cocktail bar. Original floors and walls still in tact, very cool atmosphere, and be sure to check out the random old 70s grandma room in the back.

Vintage Sofa Bar

A short walk from Joyner's, Vintage offers great drinks (and daily specials) and comfy seating that lives up to its name.

Bamboo Lounge

Winston's very own tiki bar! Great tropical drinks at reasonable prices in a tasting room decked out with tropicana, what more could you want?

Trophy Room

If you want a smoked old fashioned, this is the place. Neat bar made out of tobacco leaves, excellent cocktail menu.

Tate's

Another Winston staple, Tate's has been around for a while and is still a great place for late night drinking (or normal-time night drinking) with a fun and unique cocktail menu.

Whiskey Box

This is the cool secret local spot. It's in the basement of another bar - you have to enter through Recreation Billiards, go past the bar, turn right, and head down the stairs. But once you're there, it's quite a cool spot. They do jazz night every Wednesday with some of the best local musicians around, and there's darts in the back.

La Ch.ngada

If you want Tequila or Mezcal, this is the place for you. Lots of options, lots of seating.

Fair Witness

A kind of hip modern bar -- you know, one of those places that looks like it was decorated by some Gen Z TikTokker with a plant obsession. But good drinks.

Dram & Drought

D&D is nice and big with tons of options -- you are sure to find a drink you will like here. Well suited for large parties.

Bar Pina

A cool rooftop bar downtown with a pseudo-Tiki-esque aesthetic. You can get cocktails by the pitcher too.

Broad Branch Distillery

If you want to check out some locally-made whiskey, be sure to hit up Broad Branch. It's a small tasting room, but they make some good cocktails, and you can buy a bottle of whiskey to take home.

Dive Bars

Single Brothers

Classic dive bar with some nice outdoor seating.

Silver Moon Saloon

Right across the street from Single Bros, this place is TINY but it's the spot if you wanna down PBR tallboys and chain smoke.

Recreation Billiards

If you wanna shoot some pool, this is the spot for you.

The Tap

Just a nice simple dive bar. Nothing fancy here.

Monstercade

For the more adventurous seeking something truly weird. It's kind of hard to describe this place - it's a smoky dive bar filled with old arcade games that no one really plays, sometimes featuring live music, and frequented by Winston's punk crowd of tatted-out, pierced-up odd balls.

Outdoor Stuff

Pilot Mountain

About a 30 minute drive from Winston, this is a beautiful hike that only takes about two hours to reach the top, and one more hour to hike back down. You can also just drive to the top if you're only coming for the views (which are stellar), and there are also busses that shuttle from the visitor center at the bottom to the top of the mountain. This is where Kevin and Lu came on one of their first dates, and where he eventually proposed.

Salem Lake

A 7-mile loop around a nice big lake that can be walked or biked. It's mostly flat, very little incline, and a great place to spend an afternoon with a picnic. You can also rent paddle boards.

Quarry Park

Check out the overlook at the Quarry, it's a beautiful view. There are some nice walking and biking trails around it too.

Strollway

Looking for just a nice pretty walk near downtown? This is what you want.

Stone Mountain

About an hour away from Winston-Salem, but another very pretty loop hike that takes about 3ish hours total. Check out Angry Troll Brewing nearby for some beer and pizza afterwards.

Other Non-Exclusively-Food-Related Things to Do

A/perture Cinema

The cool little arthouse theater downtown that screens independent, foreign, and festival films. Refreshments, wine, and beer available.

Old Salem

The historic town of Salem with lots of preserved buildings. There are museums, gardens, interactive exhibits, historic-fashioned restaurants, etc. A great place to spend an afternoon.

SECCA

The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art hosts a number of exhibits and galleries and also puts on some fun events, from live music to film screenings. Check out their website for a calendar.

Reynolda House Museum of American Art & Gardens

A wide range of art, also a historic house you can tour, and pretty gardens to walk around.

Truist Stadium

Do you like baseball? Why? Don't you know that football exists? Do you like being bored? Ok, fine, whatever, there's a minor league team called The Dash that plays here.

Kaleideum

A children's museum with interactive science exhibits, live animals, and planetarium shows.