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Start a Top 5 for Date NightEditor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in The News & Observer, Raleigh Magazine, INDY Week, and Eater Carolinas. Updated August 2026.
Crawford and Son · Mordecai, Raleigh
The News & Observer includes Crawford & Son in its current Raleigh and Triangle dining guides. The Person Street restaurant serves polished seasonal cooking in an intimate neighborhood room. Let the changing menu lead, choosing a composed starter and a main that foregrounds the kitchen's current produce and the team's precise handling of each ingredient.
The Hippo Wine Bar & Shop · Downtown Raleigh
The Hippo is an intimate downtown Raleigh bar and shop focused on low intervention wines from sustainable and ethically minded producers. Raleigh Magazine notes its compact snack menu and creative pairing classes, which have explored wine with takeout and pizza. The Martin Street room has reopened after remodeling and currently serves glasses and bottles from Wednesday through Sunday.
Jolie · Historic Oakwood
Jolie serves French bistro cooking in an intimate Oakwood dining room with a rooftop terrace above it. The concise menu moves through oysters, tartare, seasonal vegetables, and richly sauced mains without losing its neighborhood scale. A thoughtful wine program and warm lighting make the compact space especially suited to an unhurried evening meal.