Restaurateur Giorgios Bakatsias’s Osteria Georgi arrived on the Chapel Hill dining scene with a splash in 2021, quickly becoming one of the Triangle’s must-have reservations. Chef Dan Jackson and his crew plate up dishes that span a range of regional Italian cuisines. The swordfish puttanesca comes with Sardinian-style couscous and roasted vegetables, while the bistecca is a New York strip steak served with white beans. All the pastas are made in house — the tagliatelle is served with a duck ragu while the bucatina all’amatriciana comes with pancetta, a pomodoro sauce, and Calabrian chilies. The bar stocks an extensive offering of Italian amari, while a carefully curated list of Italian wines and speciality cocktails round out the beverage offerings.

Il Palio, located in the Siena Hotel, is Chapel Hill’s go-to for high-end Italian cuisine. There’s linguine alla vongole with North Carolina clams, a wagyu beef carpaccio, and wood-grilled octopus with nduja. A $95 family-style chef’s tasting menu ($140 with wine) is always available, with the staff creating a menu based on your preferences. Speaking of wine, Il Palio has one of the most extensive collections of Italian wines in the Triangle.

Many Tar Heels will argue that the biscuits at Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen are the best in the country, and the line of cars that snakes around the tiny building out onto Franklin Street most mornings might just be proof of that fact. Big, pillowy biscuits filled with a choice of meat, egg, and cheese combo, or topped with gravy, are the order of the day here. Sure it has sandwiches and burgers, but a biscuit is the way to go.

Early-risers, bleary-eyed Carolina students coming off all-nighters, UNC sports fans, and more have been packing into this Franklin Street staple since 1978. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Time-Out offers what could be called Southern diner staples, like pulled pork sandwiches, sweet potato pie, and an all-day breakfast menu.

Another Franklin Street mainstay, Sutton’s has served classic soda-fountain-style food since 1923. Hot dogs, burgers, deli sandwiches, and more can all be washed down with a milkshake. A breakfast menu is available until 11 a.m., and while the menu nods to more current tastes with pitas, wraps, and some vegetarian options, the soups are still good old-fashioned Campbell’s.

Owner Gabe Barker might be descended from Southern food royalty (Ben and the late Karen Barker of Magnolia Grill), but he’s found his success with Neopolitan-style pizzas and market-driven Italian cuisine. Wood-fired pizzas anchor a menu that also includes antipasti (marinated and roasted olives, Italian wedding soup, and pork rillettes), an extensive vegetable menu, and comforting main dishes like lasagna al ragu. The crecina is a chickpea batter crepe that comes with eggplant roasted in the pizza oven, tahini, spiced yogurt, pickled cauliflower, and pistachios. Larger family-style take-and-bake dishes are also available.

The little boxcar in the center of Carrboro has had many lives over the years and now finds itself home to Thai Station, a bustling little bistro churning out both Thai staples and in-house creations. There’s pad thai, pad see ew, panang curry, and chicken satay, but also soft shell crab with spicy herb dressing, a seasoned ribeye steak with Thai dipping sauce, and the Station duck curry — boneless duck in a red curry coconut broth chock full of vegetables. Weekly lunch specials, along with a special kid’s menu, make Thai Station an ideal spot for the whole family.

Gourmet Kingdom is the place in town to go for that Szechuan mouth-tingle. Shredded tripe in chili sauce, twice-cooked pork, dan dan noodles, and of course, mapo tofu are on offer. Those used to more Americanized Chinese fare can branch out and try specialties like sweet and sour jellyfish, Szechuan spicy conch, or winter melon with white sauce. The cultured sticky congee flavored with bittersweet osmanthus tea is a unique dessert option.

Pasta is the name of the game at chef David Peretin’s intimate 18-seat Carrboro eatery. The menu is divided into shareable small plates (like a half dozen North Carolina oysters, a radicchio salad, or cannellini beans in broth with sauteed greens and focaccia croutons), pastas, and sweets. Peretin changes the menu quite frequently, but expect to see pastas like spaghetti, bucatini, and gnudi to make appearances. A recent menu included mafalde, a ribbon-like pasta with frilly edges, served with a spicy lamb ragu.

Chef Andrea Reusing’s ode to Asian-inspired, locally-sourced Southern cuisine was at the forefront of Chapel Hill’s restaurant revitalization and remains a favorite today. Dumplings, small dishes, and entrees like whole steamed wild North Carolina black bass and Japanese steakhouse-style steak are all inspired by the bounty of local farmers Lantern has been partnering with since day one.

Matt Neal, son of the late Bill Neal (of Crook’s Corner fame), and his wife Sheila operate this small breakfast and lunch deli that offers classic sandwiches like muffuletta, chicken salad, and a pastrami Reuben. Hot dog fans will like the El Completo, the national hot dog of Chile. It comes topped with mayonnaise, Sriracha, Neal’s kraut, and avocado salsa. Neal’s also churns out massive breakfast biscuit sandwiches and piping hot coffee to Carrboro’s Saturday morning crowds.

Asian fusion is the name of the game at Jujube, The Jujube bolognese subs celery rice noodles for traditional pasta and comes with a hoisin-based sauce of shredded slow-cooked pork. There’s also a play on the popular Indonesian salad gado gado, a fancy version of kung pao chicken, and a trio of dumplings, among other small and large plates. Two prix fixe menus at slightly different price points are available nightly, as well as wine, cocktails, and beer.

The sister restaurant to Bluebird, Hawthorne & Wood is a more laid-back neighborhood joint serving Americana fare with touches of global flavor. Think General Tso’s cauliflower, a slow-cooked pork shoulder with tamarind and jalapeno, and a duck breast in mole sauce. There’s a burger that comes “fully stacked,” New Orleans-style shrimp with Portuguese cornbread, and fried olives with a rouille to help round out the edible trip around the world. The wine list features both New and Old World familiar varietals, and the cocktail menu offers both classics like a French 75 or a Moscow Mule, or new creations like the Chapel Hill iced tea (rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, black tea, lemon).