SHOPPING/RESTAURANTS

The Triangle area has a ton of good restaurants, 3 good malls and some good boutique shopping ... but it's not all spread evenly around the area.  Durham and Chapel Hill have the best independent restaurants, with Raleigh right behind them, and Cary has every chain restaurant known to man.  Raleigh and Chapel Hill have great boutiques and Durham has very little shopping outside of the mall (but they're trying to change that).

Click on a city below to see shopping venues and my favorite restaurants in each city.

Raleigh

Durham

Chapel Hill

Cary

 - READ the Top 10 reasons to move to the Triangle area

*Malls:

North Hills

Crabtree Valley Mall

Triangle Town Center

Brier Creek Commons (more of an upscale stripmall)

*Non-chain store shopping:

Glenwood South neighborhood, Cameron Village

*Restaurants (fancy):

Angus Barn, Second Empire, Poole's Downtown Diner (the News & Observer's Best New Restaurant of the Year for 08), Globe, Sullivans, Mo’s Diner, Café Luna, The Big Easy, Five Star, Bistro 607, The Mint, Red Room (especially for happy hour)

*Restaurants (casual):

Hayes Barton Café and Dessertery, South, Global Village Organic Coffee

 BACK TO START

*Malls:

Streets at Southpoint

Northgate

*Non-chain store shopping:

Brightleaf

*Restaurants (fancy):  NOTE:  Durham/Chapel Hill recently named "America's Foodiest Small Town" by Bon Appetit magazine

Nana’s, Magnolia Grill, Parizade/Vin Rouge/George’s Garage, Piedmont, Pop’s, Rue Cler, Washington Duke Inn, Four Square, Metro 8, Watts Grocery (new!) and Revolution (new!)

*Restaurants (casual):

Fishmonger, Fosters, Guglhupf, Mad Hatter, Thai Cafe, Alivia's, Toast(new!), Rockwood Filling Station (pizza - new!) and Nosh

 BACK TO START

*Malls:

Cary Towne Center Mall

Crossroads Plaza (more of an upscale stripmall)

*Restaurants (fancy)

An, Heron’s at Umstead

*Restaurants (casual)

Abbey Road (burgers), Maximillian's Pizza Kitchen, Allen & Son (BBQ)

 BACK TO START

*Shopping:

Franklin Street (has more than 300 shops and restaurants, most are independent)

NOTE:  Durham/Chapel Hill recently named "America's Foodiest Small Town" by Bon Appetit magazine

*Restaurants (fancy)

Crooks Corner (southern), Elaine's on Franklin, Lantern (Asian, the News & Observer's Restaurant of the Year 2008), Acme (actually in Carrboro), Bin 54 (steakhouse), Bonne Soiree, Il Palio

Restaurants (casual)

 Carrburrito, Weaver Street Market, Panzanella, (all in Carrboro), Mama Dips, Carolina Brewery (both in Chapel Hill)