Winston-Salem, NC has one of the deepest food and beverage scenes in the Piedmont Triad — a mix that runs from Moravian bakeries carrying on traditions that date to the 1700s, through the barbecue and Southern comfort cooking that anchors so much of North Carolina dining, out to a craft brewery and distillery landscape substantial enough to make the city a legitimate destination for beer and spirits travelers. The city’s Camel City heritage shows up on the signage, the adaptive-reuse buildings house half the taprooms, and the whole scene stays refreshingly local — most of what’s worth eating and drinking here comes from independent operators rather than chains.
We’ve visited and documented 27 food and beverage destinations across Winston-Salem so far, and the sub-pages below cover each one with photos, practical details, and our own take on what makes them worth a stop.
A searchable and sortable list view of all of the food and beverage places we have visited in Winston-Salem is available here.
Breweries and Taprooms
Winston-Salem’s brewery scene is the strongest single category in the city’s food and beverage landscape. Foothills Brewpub is the downtown anchor and one of the most recognized craft beer names in North Carolina, with the separate Foothills Brewing Tasting Room offering a different experience at the production facility. Incendiary Brewing Company occupies the ground floor of the historic Bailey Power Plant with its Coal Pit outdoor patio, and Wise Man Brewing sits nearby in another restored industrial space.
Beyond the downtown core, Fiddlin’ Fish Brewing Company, Radar Brewing Company, Small Batch Beer Co., and Lesser Known Beer Company each bring their own approach to the city’s beer landscape. Brouwerij DuBois focuses on Belgian-style brewing, while Joymongers Barrel Hall brings a Greensboro-founded brand into a substantial Winston-Salem space.
Distilleries and Wineries
Broad Branch Distillery produces bourbon, rye, and other spirits in Winston-Salem, offering tours and tastings for anyone wanting to see the production side of NC craft distilling. Old Homeplace Vineyard adds a working vineyard and tasting room to the mix just outside the city.
Barbecue and Southern Comfort Food
Camel City BBQ Factory carries the city’s tobacco-era nickname into the barbecue category, and Mama Zoe Michael’s serves the kind of Southern cooking that regulars build their week around. The Old Fourth Street Filling Station puts a Winston-Salem dining institution inside a converted service station, and Twisted Pine rounds out the local sit-down options.
Burgers, Street Food, and Casual Dining
Heff’s Burger Club handles the burger category, and Yamas Mediterranean Street Food brings gyros, souvlaki, and Greek street food to the downtown lunch rotation. Earl’s and Theodore’s Bar + Market both offer casual dining with a bar side worth settling into.
Bakeries, Coffee, and Sweets
Wilkerson Moravian Bakery connects directly to the Moravian heritage that shaped Winston-Salem — the thin spice cookies and sugar cake here trace back to traditions the Moravians brought to Salem in 1766. Camino Bakery is a downtown fixture for pastries and coffee, and Dough Joe’s Doughnuts & Coffee covers the doughnut side in a city where doughnut history runs deep — the original Krispy Kreme opened in what is now the Old Salem historic district in 1937.
For coffee and tea specifically, Krankies Coffee and Camel City Coffee anchor the local roasting and cafe scene, while Chad’s Chai offers something different for tea drinkers. Café Gelato handles dessert.
