The best restaurants in Cary

Cary has more good restaurants than its reputation as a suburb suggests, and in November 2025 the first Michelin Guide American South put two of them on the map. Both are here, at the top, because a Michelin nod is the hardest thing on this list to argue with.

Below them sit the restaurants Cary readers actually vote for in the Maggy Awards, plus the two the Triangle's business press picked out. Every entry is in the Cary town limits, which matters more than it sounds: the Maggy ballot covers greater western Wake, so several award winners are in Apex or Raleigh and are not on this list.

Hours below were taken from each business's own published information and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.

Herons

The dining room at the Umstead Hotel and Spa, and the only restaurant in Cary with a Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond rating at the same time. Executive chef Steven Devereaux Greene runs it, and it was one of just two Cary restaurants named in the first Michelin Guide American South.

Hours: Breakfast Mon-Fri 7 to 10 a.m. Brunch Sat-Sun 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dinner Tue-Thu 5 to 8:30 p.m., Fri-Sat 5 to 9 p.m. No dinner Sunday or Monday.

Address: 100 Woodland Pond Drive, Cary, NC 27513

Why they made the list

• Named Michelin Recommended in the inaugural Michelin Guide American South, unveiled November 3, 2025, one of only two Cary restaurants in the guide.
• Holds both Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond, which nothing else in Cary does.
• Executive chef Steven Devereaux Greene, and the kitchen has kept that standard for years rather than a season.
• Also on OpenTable's Top 100 Brunch Restaurants in America for 2026, one of four North Carolina restaurants on that list.

See the full directory listing

Dampf Good BBQ

The other Cary restaurant Michelin recommended, and it is a barbecue joint on Good Hope Church Road doing Texas-style brisket. Four days a week, closes when the meat runs out, and there is nothing else like it in town.

Hours: Wed 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thu-Fri 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sat 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Sunday through Tuesday.

Address: 6800 Good Hope Church Rd., Cary, NC 27519

Why they made the list

• Named Michelin Recommended in the first Michelin Guide American South, cited specifically for its Texas-style brisket.
• A 2026 Maggy Awards finalist for best barbecue and a 2025 finalist for best food truck.
• Texas-style rather than the eastern North Carolina whole-hog tradition, which makes it genuinely different from its competition.
• Only open four days, and Wednesday closes at 4:30 p.m. Go early.

See the full directory listing

Lucky 32

Southern cooking on Tryon Road since 2002, and the restaurant Cary readers vote for when the category is date night. It is also the best-reviewed restaurant in town by volume, with more than 6,600 OpenTable reviews behind a 4.8.

Hours: Tue-Thu 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sun 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday closed. Brunch Sat 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Sun 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Address: 7307 Tryon Rd., Cary, NC 27518

Why they made the list

• Won best date-night restaurant in the 2026 Maggy Awards.
• Second among all Cary restaurants on TripAdvisor at 4.4 from 1,208 reviews, and first on OpenTable's Cary brunch list at 4.8 from 6,686 reviews.
• Twenty-four years at the same Tryon Road address.
• A published weekend brunch service, which most of this list does not run.

See the full directory listing

SAAP

Thai cooking on South Walker Street and one of only two Cary restaurants Axios Raleigh put on its list of the Triangle's thirty best. A split lunch and dinner service four days a week, and the room is small enough that a Friday table wants booking.

Hours: Mon-Wed 4:30 to 9 p.m. Thu 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30 to 9 p.m. Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sun 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30 to 9 p.m.

Address: 370 South Walker St., Cary, NC 27511

Why they made the list

• Named one of the Triangle's thirty best restaurants by Axios Raleigh, one of only two Cary entries on that list.
• Regional Thai cooking rather than the Americanized version, which is the reason it got the attention.
• Open seven days, which almost nothing else in this tier manages.
• A proper split lunch and dinner service Thursday through Sunday.

See the full directory listing

M Sushi

Michael Lee's second M Sushi, at Fenton, and the other Cary restaurant on Axios Raleigh's thirty best. Sunday runs the dinner menu only, which tells you how seriously the kitchen treats its own list.

Hours: Mon-Thu 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9:30 p.m. Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Sun noon to 9:30 p.m., dinner menu only.

Address: 4 Fenton Main St., #120, Cary, NC 27511

Why they made the list

• Named one of the Triangle's thirty best restaurants by Axios Raleigh, alongside SAAP.
• Chef and owner Michael Lee, whose original M Sushi in Durham built the reputation this trades on.
• At Fenton, so it sits alongside Colletta and Honeysuckle Gelato for a full evening.
• Sunday is dinner menu only, even at midday.

See the full directory listing

Lugano Ristorante

Italian cooking on Darrington Drive that has won best Italian restaurant in the Maggy Awards two years running, and claims recognition in four consecutive years. Open seven days, which for a restaurant of this kind is unusual.

Hours: Mon-Thu 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sun 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: 1060 Darrington Dr., Cary, NC 27513

Why they made the list

• Won best Italian restaurant in both the 2025 and the 2026 Maggy Awards.
• Seventh among all Cary restaurants on TripAdvisor at 4.3 from 413 reviews.
• Its own site claims Maggy recognition in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, which is four straight years.
• Open all seven days including Sunday lunch.

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Scratch Kitchen & Taproom

A Cedar Street kitchen and taproom that won best appetizers in the 2026 Maggy Awards, with the Chicken and Pancake as the dish people order by name. Weekend service starts an hour early, which is the de facto brunch slot.

Hours: Mon-Thu 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fri 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sat 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sun 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: 160 E. Cedar St., Suite 100, Cary, NC 27511

Why they made the list

• Won best appetizers in the 2026 Maggy Awards, and was a finalist for best brunch in both 2025 and 2026.
• Also a 2025 finalist for best outdoor dining, so the patio is real.
• The Chicken and Pancake is the signature and it is not on anyone else's menu here.
• Open seven days, with a 10 a.m. weekend start.

See the full directory listing

Sassool

Mounir Saleh opened this Kildaire Farm Road restaurant in 2011 and renamed it Sassool on Mother's Day 2014 after his mother, Cecilia. Lebanese and Mediterranean cooking, counter service, open ten to nine every day of the week.

Hours: Daily 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: 1347 Kildaire Farm Rd., Cary, NC 27511

Why they made the list

• Won best healthy dining options in both the 2025 and the 2026 Maggy Awards, and best Mediterranean restaurant in 2025.
• Named for the founder's mother, Cecilia Saleh, whose family recipes the menu is built on.
• Open seven days at the same hours, the simplest schedule on this list.
• Counter service and a deli case, so it works for a quick lunch as well as dinner.

See the full directory listing

Colletta Italian Food & Wine

The first restaurant to open in the Fenton development, doing scratch pastas, wood-fired cooking and Neapolitan pizza. It has won best outdoor dining in the Maggy Awards two years running, which is the reason to sit outside rather than in.

Hours: Mon-Thu 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sun 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Brunch Sat-Sun 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Address: 1 Fenton Main St., Suite 170, Cary, NC 27511

Why they made the list

• Won best outdoor dining in both the 2025 and the 2026 Maggy Awards.
• A 2026 finalist for best Italian restaurant and a 2025 finalist for best dessert.
• The first restaurant to open at Fenton, and still the anchor of that development.
• One of very few Cary restaurants publishing an actual brunch window.

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Lawrence Barbecue

Jake Wood's Cary barbecue joint on East Cedar Street, open since September 2025 and voted best new restaurant in the 2026 Maggy Awards within a year of opening. Four and a half days a week and it closes early on Sunday.

Hours: Wed-Sat 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sun 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Address: 150 E. Cedar St., Cary, NC 27511

Why they made the list

• Won best new restaurant in the 2026 Maggy Awards, less than a year after opening.
• Also a 2026 finalist for best barbecue, competing against Dampf Good BBQ.
• Pitmaster Jake Wood, whose Durham operation built the name this trades on.
• Closed Monday and Tuesday, and Sunday service ends at 6 p.m.

See the full directory listing

Frequently asked questions

What is the best restaurant in Cary, NC?

Herons at the Umstead Hotel and Spa. It was named Michelin Recommended in the first Michelin Guide American South in November 2025, holds both Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond, and is run by executive chef Steven Devereaux Greene. Dampf Good BBQ is the only other Cary restaurant in that Michelin guide.

Which Cary restaurants are in the Michelin Guide?

Two: Herons at the Umstead Hotel and Spa, and Dampf Good BBQ on Good Hope Church Road. Both were named Michelin Recommended in the inaugural Michelin Guide American South, unveiled November 3, 2025. Neither holds a star or a Bib Gourmand.

What is the most popular restaurant in Cary?

By review volume, Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen on Tryon Road. It holds 4.8 from more than 6,600 OpenTable reviews and sits second among all Cary restaurants on TripAdvisor at 4.4 from 1,208 reviews. It won best date-night restaurant in the 2026 Maggy Awards.

Where should I go for a special occasion in Cary?

Herons at the Umstead for the full fine-dining experience, Lucky 32 if you want the local date-night vote, or M Sushi at Fenton for chef Michael Lee's cooking. Lugano Ristorante has won best Italian restaurant in the Maggy Awards two years running.

Which Cary restaurants are open on Monday?

Sassool, Lugano Ristorante, SAAP, Scratch Kitchen and Taproom, Colletta and Herons for breakfast and lunch. Lucky 32, Lawrence Barbecue and Dampf Good BBQ are all closed Monday, and Dampf Good BBQ only opens Wednesday through Saturday.