Asheville
This ever-progressive brewery gives experimental batches of Belgian-leaning styles – farmhouse saisons, strong dubbels and tripels – a Southern kick in…
Must-see nightlife in North Carolina
Asheville
If you need the funk, you gotta have that funk…and you'll find at it at the East Coast’s first taproom dedicated to sour, wild ale, Brett and funky beer…
Charlotte
Charlotte's best craft-beer playground is hidden behind NoDa's new and easy-to-overlook North End brewery. We went up on a Friday night and it looked…
Coastal North Carolina
If you want to belly up to North Carolina's most stunning bar, you'll need to head in the opposite direction of Wilmington's historic downtown and into…
The Triangle
OK, so the name doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, but everything else about this Carrboro wine bar – sorry, ‘wine-centric restaurant’ – oozes sleek…
The Triangle
If a local says you must order a hot chocolate at Cocoa Cinnamon, ask them to be more specific. This former service station, on downtown's northern…
Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar
Asheville
A charming champagne bar, sprawling through several opulent vintage-furnished rooms of a glorious old downtown shopping arcade, with every nook and cranny…
The Triangle
Trophy Brewing have two other locations in Raleigh, a brewery taproom and a classier downtown pub, but their original space, with six taps and a small but…
Asheville
Henry VIII called hops ‘a wicked and pernicious weed’ that ruined the taste of beer. His subjects kept quaffing it anyway – just like the lively crowd in…
Coastal North Carolina
This one-barrel, hyperlocal brewery is as small as a commercial brewery can get. Just 31 gallons per batch of their 23 beers, which are brewed with solar…
Asheville
Unlike the spit-shined, well-oiled breweries elsewhere in Asheville, the grungier Wedge in the River Arts District is happy to keep things edgy. The beers…
The Triangle
Connoisseurs of classic cocktails should plant themselves down at this long and very serious Chapel Hill bar, the best in town for mulling over mixology…
The Triangle
Calling itself a 'plow-to-pint' brewery, Fullsteam has gained national attention for pushing the boundaries of beer with wild, Southernized concoctions…
Coastal North Carolina
Behind Clawson’s on Front St, you'll find this cozy cubbyhole hangout, housed in a historic bakery. The walls still contain the original brick ovens –…
Coastal North Carolina
For a cup o' Joe with bite, head to this small independent java house in Wrightsville Beach. The owners have combined their love of scuba diving, shark…
Outer Banks
This simple but stylish wine and craft-beer bar is a welcome respite from OBX's typical fare. Select from 24 wines (in the self-service tasting bar) or 24…
Outer Banks
Part gourmet-food shop (head here for beach picnic provisions), part wine store, Zillie's is one of the classiest spots for a glass of Argentine Malbec or…
The Triangle
Half bar, half bottle shop, and a refreshingly grungy alternative to Chapel Hill’s smattering of breweries, this place offers 18 taps of local and…
North Carolina Mountains
In a massive repurposed WWII military Quonset hut, this Bryson City brewery (pints from $5) counts well over 30 taps in its main taproom. Standouts…
Charlotte
From its ultra-friendly staff to its fresh-baked pastries, this local coffee bar is guaranteed to make you feel at home. Small and cosy, with exposed…
Coastal North Carolina
It's only vaguely unusual that Wilmington's original brewery is North Carolina's biggest whisky bar! So, if beer isn't your thing, the 400+ bottles of…
Outer Banks
This Kill Devil Hills microbrewery is powered by a 93ft wind turbine, the first such brewery in the USA. That means you'll be doing your part for global…
Sierra Nevada Taproom & Restaurant
North Carolina Mountains
This monstrous restaurant and taproom, the first east coast venture from California-based Sierra Nevada Brewing, is a bustling pit stop for outdoor…
The Triangle
The Green Light is a bar within a bar, an intimate cocktail lounge hidden within the larger and less interesting Architect bar in downtown Raleigh. An…
Coastal North Carolina
Part craft beer, part wine and gourmet-provisions shop, this excellent newcomer is Morehead City's best time. Taps pour local and regional suds, and a…
Coastal North Carolina
In a tiny town like Beaufort, it's a revelation that decent coffee could be found at 6:30am, but it's even more fantastic that the connected wine bar is…
Outer Banks
The antithesis of the slicker cafe experience on offer at Ocracoke Coffee, this colorful and artsy coffeehouse is open year-round and, according to born…
The Triangle
Part bottle shop, part craft-beer bar, Starpoint Brewing’s second Triangle location is a lively oasis, complete with vintage furniture and a working…
The Triangle
This funky little 100% raw and organic cold-pressed juice bar takes its blended brews seriously, mixing up fruit and vegetables from kale to coconut, and…
Charlotte
Set in a former mill, Heist is one of several good-time NoDa breweries. With 36 taps spread over three bars (pints from $4.50), it offers some…
Outer Banks
Set in a wooden building dating back to 1921, this atmospheric cubbyhole cafe and bookshop, formerly the Powder Ridge Gun Club, once had whalebones…
Charlotte
One of Charlotte's most sociable taprooms – when the South End scene descends, it can feel like a sophisticated singles bar, full of hot millennials –…
Charlotte
The hippest intersection of Charlotte’s happening NoDa neighborhood makes an ideal location for the first outpost of Asheville coffee roasters Trade and…
Coastal North Carolina
Located in a bright space in the Brooklyn Arts District just a short walk from Front St, Flytrap Brewing specializes in American- and Belgian-style ales…
Asheville
Deft baristas dole out serious java in this trendy downtown coffeehouse, drowning in industrial cool but leavened by occasional fits of vintage furniture…
Charlotte
Everything’s distinctly German-flavored here, from the huge wood-paneled beer hall and the sunny beer garden, via the sausages ($7) and schnitzel ($13),…
North Carolina Mountains
Locals hunker down in this cozy, barn-like space, 2 miles south of downtown, for Boone’s best range of local and regional craft beer (pints $5) – 12 taps…
North Carolina Mountains
Blowing Rock's first craft brewery offers 12 taps of locally produced suds (pints $5), including a popular pilsner, DIPA and chocolate porter, in a 1940s…
North Carolina Mountains
Though it’s right in the heart of town, this small local brewery (pints from $3.50) always seems to have a peaceful, welcoming vibe. It specializes in…
Outer Banks
In a sleek minimalist space with hardwood floors, grey soft furnishings and blackboard walls, this cafe is by far the coolest hangout spot in Manteo…
