North Carolina · best-of list
The 10 Best Bars & Cafés in North Carolina
All 10 bars & cafés our route editors picked in North Carolina, across 8 destinations, gathered in one list. 1 spot on this list appears on more than one of our routes.
Our curated picks
10 bars & cafés in North Carolina, grouped by destination. Destinations with the most picks come first; this is not a ranking.
Asheville 3 picks
Antler Hill Village
Asheville · On our Asheville, Blowing Rock & Boone route
Biltmore's village of shops, restaurants and the Biltmore Winery, which offers tastings in the old dairy barn.
Tip: Tastings are included with estate admission.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Mills River
Asheville · On our Blue Ridge Parkway Slow Drive route
Big brewery with tours, a taproom restaurant and lawn music.
Tip: Book the brewery tour in advance.
Photo: David Herpy · Google
Wedge Brewing Co.
Asheville · On our Blue Ridge Parkway Slow Drive route
River Arts District brewery with an outdoor yard and food trucks.
Tip: Pairs with an afternoon gallery walk.
Photo: Marc Czarnecki · Google
Cherokee 1 pick
Mountain Layers Brewing Company
Cherokee · On our Blue Ridge Parkway Slow Drive route + 1 more
Downtown Bryson City brewery with 16 taps, an upstairs deck over Main Street and a food truck out back.
Tip: Grab a seat on the upstairs deck at sunset.
Photo: Mountain Layers Brewing Company · Google
Corolla 1 pick
Duck's Cottage Coffee & Books
Corolla · On our Outer Banks Beach Road route
Coffee and bookshop in a cedar-shake cottage on Duck Road.
Photo: Mark Steigerwald · Google
Downtown Raleigh 1 pick
The Raleigh Times Bar
Downtown Raleigh · On our Raleigh New Year's Eve route
Bar in the 1906 building of the old Raleigh Times newspaper, with a rooftop patio a block from City Plaza.
Tip: Close enough to walk to the plaza in five minutes at 11:45 p.m.
Nags Head 1 pick
Outer Banks Brewing Station
Nags Head · On our Outer Banks Beach Road route
Wind-powered brewpub with house beers and live music.
Photo: Outer Banks Brewing Station · Google
NoDa 1 pick
NoDa Brewing Company
NoDa · On our Charlotte New Year's Eve route
One of Charlotte's first craft breweries, founded in 2011, with a big taproom on North Tryon Street.
Ocracoke 1 pick
1718 Brewing Ocracoke
Ocracoke · On our Outer Banks Beach Road route
Island brewery with a deck near the harbor, named for Blackbeard's last year.
Photo: Visit Ocracoke · Google
Uptown Charlotte 1 pick
Merchant & Trade
Uptown Charlotte · On our Charlotte New Year's Eve route
Rooftop bar atop the Kimpton Tryon Park, looking over Romare Bearden Park, the ballpark and the skyline.
Tip: Reserve ahead for Dec 31; the terrace faces the ballpark side of Uptown.
How we picked these
Every entry is a stop on at least one of TripsCircle's hand-curated routes, chosen by our route editors, who wrote the reason to go shown with each place. These are our curated picks, not a scored ranking: we haven't rated or reviewed them against each other. The list is grouped by destination, and within each destination places that appear on more routes come first.
Prices ($ to $$$$) and visit lengths are rough guides from our route notes, not quotes. Check opening hours before you go.
About this list
How did you choose the bars & cafés in North Carolina?
Each one is a stop on a TripsCircle route that our editors built by hand, and each comes with a written reason to go. This page shows all 10 of them. They are curated picks, not a ranked score.
Which part of North Carolina has the most bars & cafés on this list?
Asheville has the most (3 of 10), followed by Cherokee (1) and Corolla (1).
More lists for North Carolina
Best bars & cafés nearby
Destinations on this list
- Asheville 3 on this list
- Cherokee 1 on this list
- Corolla 1 on this list
- Downtown Raleigh 1 on this list
- Nags Head 1 on this list
- NoDa 1 on this list
- Ocracoke 1 on this list
- Uptown Charlotte 1 on this list
Turn this list into a plan
Open a curated route in TripsCircle, add the spots your crew wants, vote with polls and keep everyone on one shared itinerary.