Here are the Cary and western Wake restaurants that made The News & Observer’s Top 50 in the Triangle, which published in March. (We have a separate list for Raleigh.)
Big Dom’s Bagels
A funny thing happens when a bagel scene sprouts up out of nothing: anything goes. So Amber and Zach Faulisi took over a small shack that used to be a Little Caesars and turned it into a bagel shop unlike any other, possibly, in the world. Big Dom’s bakes its bagels in the conveyor belt pizza oven left behind, each bagel slicked with Crisco, coming out dappled with shatteringly crispy bubbles. The bagel sandwiches remake the standards, ham and cheese layered like laminated dough and set off with zippy “Zazzy” sauce. In the summer, you’ll want a thick slice of tomato, melted slightly under cheese.
203 E. Chatham St., Cary | bigdomsbagelshop.com | $
Brewery Bhavana
Only part of Brewery Bhavana wants to be a restaurant. On one side, there’s the sleekest marble bar with hightop stools, seeming to answer the age-old question: Yes, there will be beer on the space station, and it will be Belgian-inspired. Then there’s the flower and book shops. But ultimately, it’s the dumplings that make Brewery Bhavana special, and the rich and dramatic xiao long bao is a must. There’s also an important lesson: Bring enough friends to split the lacquered peking duck, because what a thing to miss out on.
218 S. Blount St., Raleigh and 850 Lower Garden Lane, Cary | brewerybhavana.com | $ $ $ – $ $ $ $
Dampf Good BBQ
The Dampf brothers promise a brick and mortar is on the way one day, but no one seems to mind standing in line at this perennial pop-up — the only Michelin-rated food trailer in North Carolina. You don’t need walls when the brisket is the real Texas-style deal, unctuous and heavenly, or when the sausage game is the most creative in the Triangle. Maybe they’ll have a front door one day, but we don’t care…