Restaurants in Winston-Salem

Hailed as one of Winston-Salem’s best restaurants by 10Best, Noble’s Grille whips up fine French and Mediterranean dishes alongside scrumptiously simple Southern bites amid an elegant, wood-furnished setting. For a main course, sup on a Dixie delight such as the shrimp and grits ($23) with bacon and midnight moon tomato, or opt for a succulent slab of USDA prime beef in the form of a 14-ounce rib eye ($29) served seared and sizzling with meaty deliciousness. Enjoy a meal as light as a globetrotting eccentric's hot air balloon by noshing on a crème fraîche-festooned white pizza ($6) bedecked with bacon and caramelized onions, or a fried-oyster salad ($14) with egg, bacon, and balsamic. Patrons can also rev appetite engines with an elegant, Southern–style appetizer such as hushpuppy-dusted fried shrimp, accompanied by a zesty dijonaise ($12)

Ryan's intimate, upscale surf-and-turfery lures fine diners with its gourmet starters, hearty soups, succulent steaks, fresh seafood, and other carnivorous delights. Signature menu offerings include the bemonocled oysters Rockefeller ($11.95), grouper Key West, with roasted new potatoes and fresh asparagus ($28.75), and the steak au poivre, a pan-sautéed pedestal of bovine decadence with classic cognac cream sauce ($32.95). Meal toppers include a gooey, delectable slice of Southern-style pecan pie ($6.25) and caffeinated pick-me-ups such as Ryan's cappuccino (with cocoa and cinnamon, $4.95) or the sprightlier Irish coffee (with Old Bushmill's Irish whiskey, $6.95).

Each Bagel Station bagel is formed by hand from scratch using fresh ingredients, then cooked the authentic Brooklyn way: first boiled, then baked. The original Bagel Station offers 18 varieties, while Bagel Station II stocks 16 flavors. Accompany a cinnamon raisin, poppy seed, or chocolate chip circlebread ($.89 each/$8.81 for a baker's dozen) with sweet and savory toppings such as honey butter ($1.60 including bagel), scallion cream cheese ($2.60), or breakfasty melted cheese ($2.65). Bagelccessories include bagel chips ($1.99 per bag), muffins ($1.50), and scones ($1.69).

The chefs at Deacon Tower Grille whip up sophisticated regional fare to be enjoyed with seventh-story views of Wake Forest's BB&T Field. They bathe local flounder in orange-basil butter and add the savory flavor of country ham to their shrimp and grits and scallop entrees. Their hearty Angus steaks sate refined appetites better than origami swan steaks, and decadent desserts such as house lemon pound cake sweetly seal the meal.

Within the luxurious confines of an Italian Renaissance–style mansion built in 1918 by John Hampton and Elizabeth Adams, Chef Steve Smid draws on seasonal and locally grown ingredients to craft a menu of fine dining fare. Now known as the J.H. Adams Inn, the restaurant’s historic venue bears traces of its Old World sophistication in its dark wooden fixtures and stunning windows, which look out on a courtyard where esteemed patricians debate the world’s flatness. In the kitchen, Chef Smid slices fresh meats and preps seafood to plate a rotating array of dishes that includes shrimp-crusted Atlantic salmon, Maple Leaf Farms duck breast, and braised Colorado lamb shank. Apart from the elegant dining room, the restaurant’s exclusive Club Room opens its doors for business dinners and private events.

From the Spanish word meaning the appetizer, La Botana references itself as "a modest little restaurant with big flavors." Modest is right. With its vegetarian menu alone boasting more than 25 dishes, the eatery was named the Readers' Choice for Best Mexican Food in 2011 by Winston-Salem Journal, among a slew of other awards.

The full menu, which is rife with mole-slathered entrees, sizzling fajitas, and lime-infused seafood, comprises multiple regions of Mexico, including Guadalupe, Nuevo Leon, and Oaxaca. North Carolina craft beers are also available to wash down spicy morsels or put out small table fires caused by rubbing your hands in anticipation.