We are on the road visiting family quite often and a few of these cities where our family resides are also neat travel spots. It's fun for me to share our experiences with y'all in the case you happen to visit the same town, or maybe you are stumbling across my blog for the first time while researching travel ideas.
In December, we drove to North Carolina again to spend Christmas with Ben's side of the family. His brother works in Winston-Salem (W-S), and his parents recently moved to the same W-S area neighborhood from Maryland. We have now visited numerous times and have a grasp of some favorites in the area.
Where to Eat in/near Winston-Salem, NC
Let's talk about the food, first. Where to eat? Winston-Salem has a great culinary scene enriched with the Moravian culture. In fact, many local restaurants offer a creative form of the Moravian cookies, sugar cake or cheese straws on their menus.
A restaurant we usually make sure to include during every visit now is Milner Brothers just outside of Winston-Salem in Clemmons. These are the same two brothers who brought you Milner's to Winston-Salem, a fine dining restaurant that I have not yet tried.
Milner Brothers is casual family friendly dining, with a bar and menu that is pleasing to most crowds. Our personal favorites are the pizzas, potato chips appetizer, tacos and B.E.T (Bacon, Egg, Tomato... with pimento cheese)! The pork nachos is pictured, although it's not necessarily my favorite. Hey, can't like them all!
Two visits ago, my sister-in-law and I decided to take my mother-in-law to dinner to thank her for helping so much with our kids. We decided on the new (at that time) local restaurant in the heart of downtown, The Honey Pot. It's a delicately modern restaurant with southern flare. I cannot remember everything we ordered, but what stuck in my mind as favorites were the Grit Puppies and the Farmers Plate, which I believe was a seasonal option. We split a bottle of wine and also tried the mac 'n cheese, which unfortunately had goat cheese in it so I didn't care for it. (Yes, I wish I liked goat cheese but I loathe it!) Either way, this is a charming little farm to table restaurant downtown.
Right after dinner, we walked across the street to Camino Bakery for a sweet treat. They were holding a special on their cheesecake slices, so we each ordered one and my mother-in-law ordered a bunch of loaves of bread. I think the delicious smells of freshly baked bread went to her head because she ordered a BUNCH! haha! It was after 8PM, so the bread was two-for-one, so I don't blame her! 🙂 Our cheesecake was delicious, and I do want to go back during the morning hours for a hand-crafted espresso or in the evening for a glass of wine. There is seating inside and outside on the bustling sidewalk of downtown W-S, where it may be fun to people watch (during the warmer months, of course.)
One day while the men were out golfing, we took the kids to a fun and super kid-friendly restaurant just outside Winston-Salem, also in Clemmons, called Time to Eat. This restaurant was such a nice surprise as I didn't expect much by just looking at its exterior. We were lucky to arrive early as it did get quite busy, which tells me it must be a local fave. The menu has a variety of options, from gyros to burgers to wings, etc. The kids enjoyed corn dogs (and I enjoyed stealing a few bites!). I had a gyro with delicious fries, my mother-in-law ordered a salad. We all enjoyed some of their housemade ice cream (made fresh daily)! We're definitely going back, again and again.
Let's talk about date night. When we visit our family in North Carolina, we typically get one night to double-date with Ben's brother and wife while Nana and Papa watch the kiddos. The first time we double-dated in Winston-Salem, they took us to Willow's Bistro in downtown Winston-Salem right across from the Children's Museum. Another cozy local restaurant with fresh and locally grown ingredients and a pleasing culinary experience. It was the perfect date night spot. Ben and I actually split the black bean burger and a salad along with an artichoke appetizer. Delicious! (PS - you must order the house made chips here, too!)
Another restaurant we tried and LOVED for date night during our latest visit was The Porch Kitchen and Cantina. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos while there so I'm going to hold off on a full review until next time. 🙂 But, just know that we absolutely loved this place and can't wait to go again! A little tidbit - they also offer freezer meals that you can pick up at the restaurant, take home and bake! Yep, yep!
Are you like me and REALLY enjoy breakfast places? You MUST try Mary's Gourmet Diner! It's not just a breakfast place, but I would say they are most famous for their brunch items. Oh my...where should I begin? First, don't let the word "gourmet" scare the kids away! Mary created a relaxing and fun atmosphere for the whole family, kids' toys included! I'm not kidding! 🙂 She provides a little play area with a basket of toys for the kids to play. Although we didn't bring the boys with us, next time we're bringing the entire gang! What did I order? The cornmeal cakes, of course! Ben was delighted with his breakfast burrito and our breakfast company shared tastes of their picks -- the Benedict and an Omelet (if I remember right)? Next time I trying something sweet, like the Cinnamon Swirl French Toast...yea, baby! All fresh and made from scratch. We love this little family owned restaurant!
Last for this post but certainly not least is The Bagel Station. Fresh NYC authentic bagels are sold in this shop. We stopped in for lunch and ordered bagel sandwiches. Next time, I think I would order ahead and pick up for take-out as the store is very small and pretty cramped for kids. It was tough to choose from the assortment of bagels, and I ended up ordering one of their specialty sandwiches while the kids got blueberry with cream cheese. Get there early, though! It gets busy! (A good sign, in my opinion.) 🙂
This won't be the last of my Winston-Salem posts. In the future I'll write suggestions for things to do, especially during the holiday months, and as we visit more often I'll have more reviews of places to eat! In the meantime, if you live near or visit Winston-Salem and have favorites you'd like to share with me, please leave a comment below and I'll do my best to give it a try during our next visit!
