Durham's Award-Winning Restaurants
For a small city, Durham punches far above its weight when it comes to food. Find out everything you need to know about Durham's award-winning restaurants from food journalist Matt Lardie.
As a food writer I’m on the move a lot. Traveling across North Carolina and the country for work and pleasure, seeking out the latest and greatest bites, iconic restaurants and new edible experiences. I’m often asked where I’m from, and it used to be when I told people, “I’m from Durham,” they’d immediately associate it with Duke or with Bull Durham, the iconic movie. Over the past five or six years, however, I’m just as likely to be met with, “Oh Durham! Y’all have some great restaurants!” to which I, never one to brag, humbly reply, “Uhh, YEAH we do!”
I’ve been fortunate enough to serve as a judge for the James Beard Awards in the past and I have seen firsthand that our hometown joints are able to go toe-to-toe with celebrity chefs and big name restaurants and WIN. There’s a reason Bon Appetit once called us “America’s Foodiest Small Town,” or why Southern Living called us “The Tastiest Town in the South” and there’s a reason visitors are just as likely to book a trip to the Bull City for a good meal as they are to catch a Broadway show at DPAC, Durham Performing Arts Center.
Perhaps the best indicator of our culinary prowess is the fact that Durham restaurants, bars, chefs and others continue to rake in awards recognizing their quality and craftsmanship. From the international prestige that comes with the MICHELIN Guide to the “Oscars” of the food world, the James Beard Awards, to regional recognitions from publications like Indy Week and Durham Magazine, it’s possible to spend an entire weekend – if not longer – sipping and snacking solely at award-winning Bull City establishments.
We’ve got a lot to be proud of here in Durham and our award-winning dining scene is one of the glittering jewels in our crown. I have eaten my way through most of North Carolina, across the nation and around the world. I am consistently amazed that the food in Durham often rivals what I can find while traveling, both in quality and diversity.
There are only a few places on this planet where you can have breakfast at an Ethiopian cafe, lunch at an award-winning Northern Mexican eatery, and do appetizers, dinner and drinks at three different James Beard-nominated spots all within walking distance of each other. Consider this your guide to award-winning dining in the Bull City, and happy eating!
MICHELIN Guide American South
In 2025, Durham and North Carolina were inducted into an elite group of restaurants around the world recognized for culinary excellence in the inaugural MICHELIN Guide to the American South. This was MICHELIN's first regional guide in North America and, rightfully, recognized the South's legendary hospitality, culinary traditions and innovative chefs. Right here in Durham, four restaurants were recommended.
In 2026, all four of Durham’s 2025 honorees return to the Guide, joined by new addition Ideal’s Sandwich and Grocery, who received Bib Gourmand recognition. Named after Bibendum, the Michelin Man, the award highlights skilled, unpretentious cooking that lets diners enjoy a great meal at a modest price.
James Beard Awards
As I mentioned, the James Beard Awards are often called the 'Oscars of the Food World'. Given yearly by the James Beard Foundation, these awards recognize excellence in food journalism and the culinary and beverage industries. There’s a reason it's one of the most highly respected rewards in the industry–even being selected as a semifinalist can bring a restaurant or chef national attention. Durham has been on the Beard Foundation’s radar for decades.
Phoebe Lawless of much-missed Scratch Baking and Snack Service was a four-time semi-finalist for the Outstanding Pastry Chef. Most recently, Phoebe consulted with Fullsteam Brewing for its new American Tobacco Campus location.
During his time as owner and chef at the original Nana’s, Scott Howell was an eight-time semi-finalist for various Beard awards. Amy Tournquist of Watt’s Grocery, closed in 2019, was a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant in 2008. Shane Ingram of Foursquare, closed in 2016, was a multi-nominee for Best Chef Southeast. John May was semifinalist in that same category when he helmed the now-closed Piedmont Restaurant in 2019.
“But where in Durham can I enjoy a Beard-nominated experience today?,” you ask. There are plenty of current and former nominees and winners scattered across the city to choose from.
Bon Appetit Best New Restaurant
Each year Bon Appetit Magazine puts out a list of what they consider to be the best new restaurants in America. In the past a list of 50 finalists was narrowed down to 10 winners, and over the years various Durham spots have appeared on the finalists list.
Eater Awards
The website Eater offers annual national and regional awards (full disclosure–I am an Eater contributor and have assisted in the awards selection), and in recent years they have shone a spotlight on some beloved Durham spots.
Good Food Awards
In 2026, three Durham businesses won Good Food Awards. Selected through a blind tasting process from more than 1,200 entries, 242 products were awarded for excellence across 18 categories.
Food & Wine Best New Chefs
Since 1988 Food & Wine Magazine has released an annual list of Best New Chefs in America. In 1993 Ben Barker was anointed Best New Chef along with nine other peers, and to date is the only Durham chef to receive this coveted honor. Ben and his wife, the late Karen Barker, were considered perhaps the mother and father of the Durham restaurant scene as owners of Magnolia Grill, which closed in 2012. Along with the Best New Chefs award, Ben was consistently nominated for a Beard Award beginning in 1992, and won the Best Chefs category in 2000. Karen, won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef in 2003, essentially declaring her the best pastry chef in the country at the time.
The Barker’s influence is legendary in Durham though, with folks like Phoebe Lawless, Kelli Cotter of Toast, and Scott Howell of the original Nana's and more having worked at Magnolia Grill at one point or another.
Local and Regional Awards
Every year, venerated local publications like Durham Magazine and Indy Week release “Best Of” lists. Some are handpicked by writers and editors, and others are voted on by the local community. While national recognition is nice, I am a firm believer that the locals know where the best eating is, and these awards fall firmly into the “locally loved” category. There is definitely a bit of cross-over between the two publications, but that just goes to show how truly appreciated some of these restaurants and chefs are by us Durhamites.
Durham Magazine's 2026 Best of Durham Winners
Over the years, dozens of Durham chefs, restaurants, bars and breweries have been recognized, and honestly the list would go on for pages if I were to list them all here!
INDY’s Best of the Triangle 2026: Durham County Winners
Indy Week’s reader-led awards offer both “Best of the Triangle” and “Best of Durham County" categories. Bull City culinary talent is always well-represented in the final votes.
In the 2025 Best of the Triangle, Durham joints clinched the top spot in nearly all of the dining categories in the Triangle-wide vote. 2026 winners will be announced in December.
Best of the Triangle 2025 Durham Winners
As our city continues to grow, and our dining scene grows alongside it, it only stands to assume that the awards will keep flowing. Durham has always been a city of entrepreneurs willing to take a risk and try something new, and that spirit is reflected in our restaurants, bars, breweries and cafes. In Durham we don’t just eat to live, we live to eat. Our hunger for delicious dining has made headlines across the state and country. Turns out that in Durham, your next award-winning meal is quite literally around the corner.
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