The Best Restaurants in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Did you know – Culture Trip now does bookable, small-group trips? Pick from authentic, immersive Epic Trips, compact and action-packed Mini Trips and sparkling, expansive Sailing Trips.

Steaks, chops and seafood is the name of the game at Ryan’s Restaurant. It’s a popular local joint which first opened its doors back in 1977 and has won the title of Winston-Salem’s Best Steak Restaurant from local website Smitty’s Notes. It has also held Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence since 1998. With a gorgeous woodland setting Ryan’s offers its guests and escape from downtown living with panoramic views of towering oaks and a babbling stream. Or if you’re there on a colder evening, take a seat by the beautiful stone fireplace. Try a juicy rib eye steak of aged Angus beef or perhaps a locally raised pork chop served with dried fruit and apple chutney, potatoes, green haricot beans and an espresso coffee reduction.

Noble’s Grille is a classy and elegant restaurant inspired by the chic, upscale venues of California’s Napa Valley. Napa Valley is where the restaurant’s namesake, chef Jim Noble also runs The King’s Kitchen and Rooster’s Kitchen venues, and first started out in his career. Featuring a spacious, open dining area and an open kitchen that adds to guests’ dining experience, Noble’s Grille serves Southern fare with distinct French and Mediterranean influences. There are appetizers like fried oyster salad with house bacon, local Harmony Ridge Farms eggs, roasted red peppers and a balsamic vinaigrette. Entrees include smoked BBQ pork shoulder with sweet potato puree, black eye peas and coleslaw.

Though steaks and Southern cuisine abound in Winston-Salem Hakka Chow, a stylish restaurant serving authentic and varied Asian cuisine, has found its rightful place in the city’s dining scene. The menu includes more than 100 different dishes and spans the cuisines of China, India and Thailand – to name but a few. Guests looking for exotic and mouthwatering fare will not be disappointed by a visit to Hakka Chow. Choose from dishes like wok-seared Mongolian beef served with scallions, onions and ginger on a bed of crispy rice noodles. For vegetarians, a good choice is the aloo and gobi – an Indian potato and cauliflower-based dish with chili and cilantro in a curry sauce.

Located on Winston-Salem’s vibrant 4th Street, Mozelle’s Fresh Southern Bistro serves, as its name would suggest, Southern fare. These dishes are based around the freshest and finest ingredients available. The restaurant has a lively downtown ambience and is perfect for stopping by for lunch or dinner whether with family, friends or colleagues. Meals can be enjoyed in its welcoming and contemporary interior. Or, on warmer evenings, outside on its sidewalk patio area. Mozelle’s serves brunch each weekend with dishes like biscuits and gravy and a variety of omelets. Meanwhile, its dinner menu features fare such as fried chicken with peach chutney, mac and cheese and green haricot beans.

Established in 1992, during its history Benardin’s Fine Dining has gained a firm reputation as being Winston-Salem natives’ go-to restaurant for impeccable cuisine. It is also renowned for its classy and elegant ambience and sophisticated, delicious fare. Bernadin’s Fine Dining is regarded as a five-star restaurant due to menu items. These include its lump crab cakes with black beans, corn, chorizo and cilantro appetizer. Entrees are also impressive with dishes such as pan-seared North Carolina ostrich with a cumin-fennel crust, braised cabbage, wild rice corn cake and a cranberry Madeira sauce.

Contemporary and urban, Jeffrey Adams on Fourth was established in 2013 by local restaurateurs Jeff Bassett and Adam Andrews who share a passion for fine dining based around bold and innovative dishes. The restaurant is proud to use the finest regionally sourced beef, poultry and seasonal ingredients. Andrews, who is also the restaurant’s head chef, even has plans in the works to set up his own two-acre farm which will supply Jeffrey Adams on Fourth with around 80 percent of its fresh produce. Dine on dishes like maple bourbon flavored salmon with a side of mashed potatoes and asparagus. Finish your meal with a decadent dessert such as a hot fudge brownie with salted caramel ice cream.