Since 1956, this iconic burger shack in Wilmington has been impressing local residents and tourists alike. A longtime favorite of our current U.S. President, Charcoal Pit has one of the tastiest burgers in the region — a juicy bison burger that’s served on a potato roll.

This steakhouse in a surprising location: A strip mall with a massive Independence Hall replica. Snuff Mill is becoming a destination on its own thanks to its dry-aging prowess and on-site butchering. Superb cuts come with plays on classic menu items, like truffled cream corn and beef marrow butter. For drinkers and abstainers alike, the beverage menu offers plenty of choices, from a zero-proof cranberry mojito to fine French wine.

This family-friendly pizzeria, from Michael Tumolo and his son Daniel, slings wood-fired Neapolitan-inspired pies cooked to charred, blistered perfection in a showpiece Forza Forni oven. Situated a bit north of downtown, and conveniently located next door to Wilmington Brew Works, La Pizzeria Metro also makes stromboli, calzones, pasta, nachos, and for dessert, s’mores pizza with Nutella.

Following in the footsteps of Wilmington’s popular De.co food hall at the Hotel Dupont, the Chancery Market recently opened a few blocks away. It offers a diverse lineup of vendors from near and far. Try Wilmington’s own Juice Joint 2.0 by Lanice Wilson, Dan Butler’s Toscana (pizza and panini), Nikita Thomas’s fast-casual vegan stall, Rooted AF, and Kati Roll Wala, which serves Indian street food both here and in Houston.

The historic restaurant at the Hotel Du Pont got a glow-up a few years back when chef Tyler Akin moved from Philly to Wilmington to reopen the picturesque, high-ceiled space as a French brasserie. Now Le Cavalier is the place in town for elegant omelets at brunch, smoked salmon tartine at lunch, and steak frites at dinner. The gorgeous bar at Le Cav is worth a visit on its own.

Bardea and its chef, Antimo DiMeo, have each been a semifinalist for a James Beard Award thanks to the incredibly creative cooking here. The always-buzzing restaurant leans Italian, but international influences and techniques pop up in nearly every dish, like an avocado that’s been preserved in yuzu butter with pineapple mostarda. Last year, the Bardea team opened Bardea Steak next door. With a massive menu of rare breeds and a $180 steak tasting, it’s not your grandfather’s steakhouse.

In the earliest days of the pandemic, chef Andrew Cini began serving soup from his apartment to the Wilmington community. Using a pay-it-forward model, Soup Noodle Soup gave neighbors a way to spread some comfort from a distance and help feed out-of-work hospitality pros. Once restaurants started opening back up to empty dining rooms, he partnered with friends Gerald Allen and Alex Neaton on an ongoing series of pop-ups around Wilmington, where they serve everything from pho to chicken noodle soup. Follow along on Instagram to get the details, and know that a portion of sales still goes to fight hunger.

The freshest opening in town comes from the team behind Wm. Mulherin’s Sons, a Fishtown hot spot for pasta and wood-fired fare. The Quoin, a hotel and restaurant in a lovingly renovated downtown brownstone, specializes in the same delicious Italian cuisine as its Philly sibling. Before dinner, visit Simmer Down, the glowy speakeasy-style bar downstairs, for a well-made cocktail; after dinner, cap the night upstairs at Wilmington’s only rooftop bar.

This acclaimed New American restaurant by three-time James Beard nominee Michael DiBianca is a gem at the Riverfront. From their slow-braised lamb ragu and seared yellowfin tuna to their duck leg confit and mortadella risotto — there’s not a dish too fancy or ambitious for them to prepare.