Made in North Carolina: Flavors only found in Raleigh

Anne Roderique-Jones | Special for USA TODAY

A lot of folks lump Raleigh in with a handful of other North Carolina cities — Durham and Chapel Hill to be specific. And rightfully so, the three comprise The Research Triangle and feed off one another. But each city has its own heart and deserves its own story. Each city has its own art museum, science museum, an impressive downtown and green space for days. The dining scene is distinct in each city, too. From the beloved Poole’s Diner to cool-kid coffee shops, Raleigh, N.C., is ripe with options and just keeps growing.

Ashley Christensen is the chef and proprietor of AC Restaurants, which includes Poole’s, Beasley’s Chicken + Honey, Chuck’s, Fox Liquor Bar, Death & Taxes, and Bridge Club. Her restaurants are beloved in the city and if you ask any resident where to eat or drink, one of them will be surely rattled off. She says that each of her restaurants provides a different experience for the guests, but at the core, the emphasis is on hospitality and attention to detail.

“Whether it’s fried chicken at our more casual restaurant, Beasley’s, or a 60-day dry-aged grass-fed steak at our higher-end concept, Death & Taxes, we care deeply about the details, and about investing time into building relationships with our guests," Christensen says.

You’ll see this a lot in Raleigh. At restaurants like Brewery Bhavana, employees feel like family, and it’s evident the minute you walk into the stunning space that feels more like a movie set than a brewery. Employees chat while carefully curating a stunning bouquet or peruse a beautifully bound book with a customer. It’s unlike anywhere else in America.

Christensen says that's what makes Raleigh, N.C.'s eateries different from all the other thoughtful chef-driven restaurants opening across the country — the growth of the restaurant community is happening with a collective conscience. “There’s an openness, and a generosity of spirit and resources and creativity that is shared among all those of us in this community,” she says.

The word community is used a lot when talking about Raleigh, N.C.’s food and drink scene. From cocktail bars to coffee shops to breweries, there’s a huge sense of people coming together in the city to make business successful. Christensen explains that Raleigh doesn’t have the tourism traffic that other food cities in the South, like Charleston, S.C., and Nashville, Tenn., have. “Instead, we’ve seen growth from people moving here and investing in the community in a more long-term way," she says. "That has led to really exciting and thoughtful development and growth, and a clientele of guests that are genuinely interested and excited in supporting new things. It’s a great environment that fosters independent restaurants and supports creativity, which has led to a dynamic food scene.”

It’s not just about beer and barbecue in this North Carolina city. Browse the gallery above to explore the sophisticated eats in Raleigh. Plus, see more flavors from North Carolina below.