Nanas in Durham is one of 19 Triangle restaurants included in the new American South guide from Michelin.
Kaitlin McKeown
kmckeown@newsobserver.com
The newest Michelin Guide includes 19 restaurants in the Triangle, from avant garde fine dining to a barbecue trailer in the Raleigh suburbs.
For a century, the Michelin Guide has been the most coveted culinary honor in the world, bestowing its star system on the best restaurants in the biggest food cities.
On Monday, Michelin unveiled its latest guide, The American South, which rates restaurants in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Michelin is most famous for its star system, awarding one, two or three stars on the very best restaurants in the world. A Three Michelin Star restaurant represents an exclusive and rare tier of food quality and dining excellence, two stars means “excellent cooking” and one star is “high quality” cooking.
Simply earning one star would represent a monumental achievement in the restaurant world.
In the Triangle, 19 restaurants are included in the American South Guide. Of those, 15 earned a “Michelin Recommended” designation, representing “good cooking” in the region. Three others earned Bib Gourmand honors, which highlight good quality restaurants that also offer a good value, according to inspectors.
Michelin was expected to unveil its new American South guide Monday night, Nov. 3, at a ceremony in Greenville, SC, but instead appeared to release the list Monday morning. Michelin has not confirmed the restaurant selections included in the email
Herons in Cary, regarded as one of the South’s top fine dining restaurants, is one of 19 Triangle spots included in the new American South Michelin guide. Anna Routh Barzin Courtesy of The Umstead Hotel & Spa
Here are the Triangle’s Michelin honorees:
Bib Gourmand, which Michelin describes as “recognizes eateries for great food at a great value.”
Mala Pata Molino & Cocina
2431 Crabtree Blvd Suite 102, Raleigh
Prime Barbecue
403 Knightdale Station Run, Knightdale
Sam Jones BBQ
502 W. Lenoir St., Raleigh.
Nanas in Durham is one of 19 Triangle restaurants included in the new American South guide from Michelin. Kaitlin McKeown kmckeown@newsobserver.com
Drew Jackson writes about restaurants and dining for The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun, covering the food scene in the Triangle and North Carolina.
The newest Michelin Guide includes 19 restaurants in the Triangle, from avant garde fine dining to a barbecue trailer in the Raleigh suburbs.
For a century, the Michelin Guide has been the most coveted culinary honor in the world, bestowing its star system on the best restaurants in the biggest food cities.
On Monday, Michelin unveiled its latest guide, The American South, which rates restaurants in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Michelin is most famous for its star system, awarding one, two or three stars on the very best restaurants in the world. A Three Michelin Star restaurant represents an exclusive and rare tier of food quality and dining excellence, two stars means “excellent cooking” and one star is “high quality” cooking.
Simply earning one star would represent a monumental achievement in the restaurant world.
In the Triangle, 19 restaurants are included in the American South Guide. Of those, 15 earned a “Michelin Recommended” designation, representing “good cooking” in the region. Three others earned Bib Gourmand honors, which highlight good quality restaurants that also offer a good value, according to inspectors.
Michelin was expected to unveil its new American South guide Monday night, Nov. 3, at a ceremony in Greenville, SC, but instead appeared to release the list Monday morning. Michelin has not confirmed the restaurant selections included in the email
Herons in Cary, regarded as one of the South’s top fine dining restaurants, is one of 19 Triangle spots included in the new American South Michelin guide. Anna Routh Barzin Courtesy of The Umstead Hotel & Spa
The Triangle’s Michelin Bib Gourmand honorees
The Bib Gourmand restaurants, which Michelin recognizes as “eateries for great food at a great value.”
Mala Pata Molino & Cocina, 2431 Crabtree Blvd Suite 102, Raleigh
Prime Barbecue, 403 Knightdale Station Run, Knightdale
Sam Jones BBQ, 502 W. Lenoir St., Raleigh
Nanas in Durham is one of 19 Triangle restaurants included in the new American South guide from Michelin. Kaitlin McKeown kmckeown@newsobserver.com
Michelin Recommended restaurants in Raleigh, Durham, Cary
Here are the Michelin Recommended restaurants, which means “simply a good meal.”
Brewery Bhavana, 218 S Blount St, Raleigh
Brodeto, 2201 Iron Works Dr suite 137, Raleigh
Crawford & Son, 618 N. Person St., Raleigh
Dampf Good BBQ, 6800 Good Hope Church Rd., Cary
Herons, 100 Woodland Pond Dr, Cary
Jolie, 620 N. Person St., Raleigh
Little Bull, 810 N. Mangum St., Durham
Nanas, 2514 University Dr., Durham
Nikos, 905 W Main St Unit 21B, Durham
Poole’s Diner, 428 S. McDowell St., Raleigh
St Roch Fine Oysters + Bar, 223 S Wilmington St, Raleigh
Seraphine, 324 Blackwell St Suite 4, Durham
Stanbury, 938 N Blount St, Raleigh
Tamasha Modern Indian, 4200 Six Forks Rd Suite # 130, Raleigh
The Fearrington House, 230 Market St, Pittsboro
The Pit Authentic BBQ, 328 W Davie St, Raleigh
How Michelin divides NC
With the American South guide, Michelin is introducing a new regional culinary look, rather than focusing on a state or major city. Throughout the seven states included in the guide, Michelin selected 228 restaurants offering 44 different cuisines, by its own count.
Beyond the single star for Counter, Michelin gave North Carolina seven Bib Gourmand designations and 37 Michelin Recommended honors.
To be in the Michelin guide, Visit NC and tourism offices Visit Raleigh, Discover Durham, Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority and Explore Ashevillewill pay Michelin a little more than $1 million over the course of a three-year deal.
In this first year of the guide, Michelin selected only restaurants in those cities or metro areas.
Prime Barbecue in Knightdale, NC, serves a variety of smoked meat sandwiches including the pork topped with slaw. Juli Leonard jleonard@newsobserver.com
North Carolina BBQ shines
While Michelin has a global reputation for recognizing fine dining, the new American South guide also put a spotlight on North Carolina’s greatest regional delicacy: barbecue.
Four Triangle barbecue joints were selected in this first guide — Prime Barbecue and Sam Jones BBQ — which each nabbed Bib Gourmand honors. The outdoor barbecue trailer Dampf Good BBQ in Cary and the influential barbecue institution The Pit were also included.
“I’m literally blown away to be honored by such a prestigious organization,” Sam Jones said in an email. “Being a fourth-generation BBQ man, I wish my family who have gone before me could see where barbecue has gone and the opportunities we’ve had to take what they’ve started in a literal hole in the ground in Ayden, N.C. to a national spotlight. It’s nice to see the hard work and effort that we collectively put in on a daily basis be recognized and I’m glad that the torch that was passed to me burns brighter today than it did before.”
Crawford crushes
Raleigh chef Scott Crawford stands out on the North Carolina list with three Michelin Recommended restaurants: his flagship Crawford & Son, French bistro Jolie and ode to the Adriatic Sea, Brodeto.
Most of Crawford’s career has been spent in luxury hotel dining throughout the South, leading fine dining kitchens at some of the region’s top resorts, including time at Herons and the Umstead Hotel in Cary. Staying in the south previously meant foregoing the pursuit of Michelin honors in New York or San Francisco or Chicago, but not anymore Crawford said.
“Just Michelin coming here means the South is to be taken seriously for its restaurants and hospitality and its food,” Crawford said. “That alone is extraordinary. There are so many great and talented chefs working in the South doing amazing work. It’s gratifying to have them looking here and taking that work seriously and that that commitment to excellence is being recognized.”
Flautas de papas are pictured during a soft opening of Mala Pata on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
This story was originally published November 3, 2025 at 2:09 PM.
Drew Jackson writes about restaurants and dining for The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun, covering the food scene in the Triangle and North Carolina.
