BEST DINER
DINERS CAN OFTEN FEEL frozen in time, but while Poole’s features retro chrome edging and red artificial-leather stools and booths, you won’t find the waitstaff wearing old-school uniforms. Instead, tattooed servers shuffle around the horseshoe- shaped counters to Phoebe Bridgers music. They’re happy to walk you through the long list of craft beers or to help decipher the handwritten chalkboard menus. Chef and owner Ashley Christensen offers thoughtfully modern takes on comfort food, be it roast chicken or potato salad. There’s not a speck of iceberg lettuce or a sticky Heinz bottle (dating back to who knows when) in sight. “My dad was a truck driver and went to all these different cities. A diner was a place where he always felt like he spoke the language and would be welcomed,” says Christensen.
Although Poole’s is more hip than the places her father frequented, it appeals to all ages, from young couples sitting at the counter scrolling Zillow listings to families sharing mountains of Macaroni Au Gratin (Christensen’s famous version of mac and cheese, shown below left). While the dish might sound fussy, it hits all the same notes as the classic but with calculated refinements, like using Jarlsberg and Grana Padano cheeses in addition to sharp white Cheddar. She also broils it so the top becomes an irresistible caramelized crust. Over the past 16 years, her food has evolved, but the core mission has not: “Meet people at a place of comfort, but then take them beyond that.”
Aside from redefining homestyle diner staples, Christensen has her own perspective on Southern hospitality. A rainbow mural adorning the side of the building reads, “All are welcome.” And that’s not just a platitude. Painted by Poole’s bartender and mixed-media artist Luke Buchanan (who was Christensen’s first employee), it reflects her goal of creating a business where the doors are always open to everyone.
A colorful window decal by the entry proclaims, “Don’t forget kindness.” During the contentious 2016 election, an earlier iteration said, “Don’t forget to vote.” Some may say that food and politics don’t mix, but at Poole’s, they come together to create a space where strangers turn into fast friends and regulars become supporters of not just the business but also the artists who moonlight as bartenders there. Like the menu, Christensen pushes hospitality beyond the status quo, and her restaurant is all the better for it.
—Alana Al-Hatlani
ROBBIE CAPONETTO
BEST LIGHTHOUSE CAPE HATTERAS LIGHTHOUSE OF THE SMATTERING of beacons that dot the North Carolina coast from Brunswick to the Outer Banks, the one at Cape Hatteras is the most recognizable of all. In fact, at 198 feet from ground to lightning rod, it’s the tallest one in the country. Folks come from all over the world to marvel at its imposing size and the area’s scenic beauty, but the structure has never lost sight of its important job of protecting ships and sailors from an extremely hazardous section of the coast. When it was first built in the 1800s, a three-person staff managed the lighthouse, refueling the lamp and keeping watch overnight. Today, its operations are fully automated, so the real work is in accommodating the half a million or so guests who visit each year. Although the interior is currently closed for a $19.2 million restoration project (and likely won’t reopen until 2026), you can still snap a photo of its iconic exterior. For a peek inside, watch a virtual tour by the National Park Service to see the black-and-white checkered marble floors and the cast-iron spiral staircase’s 31 flights of steps.
—Tara Massouleh McCay
BEST BBQ JOINT
The Piedmont region of North Carolina has its own signature ’cue, and Lexington Barbecue is perhaps the quintessential practitioner of it. Forget slow-smoked brisket, ribs, and chicken. That’s not what folks in Lexington mean by “barbecue.” Here, the word translates to something very specific: pork shoulders cooked on big brick pits over glowing hickory coals. The finished meat is chopped or sliced and dressed in the thin vinegar-and-tomato sauce that locals call “dip.” Add the region’s unique red-tinged slaw and some golden brown hush puppies on the side, and you have all the makings of a perfect North Carolina meal.
—Robert Moss
2. Wilber’s Barbecue Goldsboro 3. Stamey’s Barbecue Greensboro 4. Sam Jones BBQ Raleigh and Winterville 5. B’s Barbecue Greenville 6. Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge Shelby 7. Longleaf Swine Raleigh 8. Skylight Inn BBQ Ayden 9. Shepard Barbecue Emerald Isle 10. Jon G’s Barbecue Peachland
