Editor’s note: (This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy. In the original version, a USA TODAY Restaurant of the Year from Asheville was omitted.)
Three North Carolina restaurants, one in Wilmington and two in Asheville, made USA TODAY’s list of best restaurants in the country.
The USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year 2026 list features 39 restaurants ranging from culinary destinations to roadside burger shacks. In downtown Wilmington, manna fine dining restaurant got the nod. Hospitality, a stellar wine and bar program, and the innovative Southern fare from Chef Carson Jewell and his staff were among the reasons manna was chosen for the list…