Restaurants in Garner

In November 2010, AnnMarie DiMaio purchased a small brickyard nestled in the midst of undulating farmlands with a dream to remodel the property in honor of her late mother and father. Drawing inspiration from her Italian heritage, AnnMarie modeled The Villa DiMaio after a Tuscan villa replete with tiled floors, Tiffany-style lighting, and walls covered in authentic Mona Lisas. The culinary-arts graduate specializes in wedding- and corporate-catering services and opens her picturesque villa to the public for a family-style Sunday brunch that marries Italian and southern cuisines. The facility’s covered wraparound veranda and rustic brick-and-stone courtyard pair meals with panoramic views of the landscaped grounds and decorative waterfalls.

Buku takes its name from the international slang for “merci beaucoup”—the French phrase for "thank you very much.” The restaurant's global awareness extends beyond its name to a menu inspired by traditional street food all over the world. Chefs take their cues from culinary traditions from everywhere from Poland to Korea, creating gourmet dishes with authentic international flavors. As a result, the menu's wildly eclectic selection showcases dishes such as thai papaya salad, polish pierogis, and colombian arepas—soft corn pastry stuffed with pulled pork and guacamole.

Regardless of its cultural influence, each meal is prepared using eco-conscious ingredients such as hormone-free beef, sustainable market seafood, and certified-organic coffee raised on a diet of smaller, even more organic coffee beans. Diners can wash down their meals with their choice from an equally international menu of wines and craft beers, along with a selection of cocktails and sake.

The Big Easy borrows more than New Orleans' nickname—it's a full-fledged slice of the rollicking city, with authentic Cajun fare served amid street lamps and photos of the French Quarter. Louisiana classics include po'boys, gumbo, and jambalaya washed down by hurricane cocktails and sangria. An outdoor patio adds an alfresco option for romantic dining, with hanging ferns, candlelit tables, and cherubs posing for greeting cards. Inside, nightly events from live music to trivia games create a festive air around the restaurant's iron bar. There are also themed rooms for private events.

Over plates of Italian dishes and drinks, visitors to Ciago’s can spot multiple generations of the Candes family bustling between the kitchen, dining room, and full bar. The family and staff carry plates of veal parmesan and pizzas crowned with artichoke hearts, jalapeños, and eggplant, which diners wash down with more than 20 wines. Beneath spotlights at the 20-seat bar, patrons look up breathlessly at high-definition televisions as athletic events reach their conclusion and players are doused in Gatorade to prove they aren’t robots. Tabletops line up beneath the awning of the outdoor patio and snake out into sunnier areas dappled by the shade from marinara-red umbrellas. Glittering strings of hanging lights illuminate the patio when night falls or when oversized passing parade floats eclipse the sun.

Inside the large dining room of Vesuvio’s Italian Kitchen, light floods in through lofty windows over plates of steaming homemade lasagna and lobster-stuffed ravioli, carried hot from the kitchen by servers. Dark booths line a pair of walls, where a mural window looks out through curving arches onto a bright sea, dotted by sailboats and famous philosophers surfboarding. Next to the stone fireplace, rows of tables are arranged across the rustic hardwood floor, and wine and beer flow freely below the tiled awning that hangs over the bar. A range of house specialties populate the lunch and dinner menu, and an expansive salad bar supplies garden-fresh greens.