This joint manifests the state’s big biscuit cravings, known as “cat heads.” Make Biscuit Head’s firm yet fluffy, large buttermilk biscuits extra large with piled-high combinations like country ham, fried green tomatoes, and cheese eggs.

Brian Canipelli’s Italian cooking is simultaneously playful, gusty, and admirably effortless: Pizzas and pastas are comforting, while more adventurous diners should seriously consider the sliced lamb heart.

Jacob Sessums catalyzed the new generation of local-minded restaurants when he opened Table. Among the must-order dishes: strawberries with cream and brown sugar cookies; and boiled peanut ragout, a take on a Southern classic.

John Fleer, a chef with national accolades (and a long stint at Blackberry Farm under his belt), delivers modern Southern cooking — plates like brown ale brined cauliflower steak. Do not miss the restaurant’s selection of superb local cheese.

Katie Button, an alum of the José Andrés restaurant empire, serves true-minded Spanish tapas here: Her universally appealing menu features clams steamed in cider with crumbled chorizo; ried eggplant with honey and rosemary; and a gin and tonic with mixed citrus and juniper berries.

Get plates of barbecue served sliced, chopped to a frilly texture, or (in the best option) coarsely chopped, all delivered by cheerful waitresses. The meat, lightly dressed in the vinegar sauce with a tang of ketchup, is simple yet iconic.  

With its cabin-in-the-woods charm, the restaurant showcases smoked pork shoulders. The meat, paired with chile-tinged vinegar sauce, has a textural complexity similar to whole hog.

Before glancing at a menu, ask about the honeysuckle sorbet, a seasonal ritual for Crook’s longtime chef Bill Smith, and order it if the kitchen hasn’t run out. But this institution is known of course for far more than just its dessert: Its much-loved shrimp and grits have reached icon status.

Get the signature flavors and comfort of fried chicken biscuits quick and fast through this spot’s drive-thru window.

The ever-changing lineup of crunchy-soft doughnuts may outshine their tender, crumbly biscuits, but with options like pimento cheese and bacon, the biscuits are not to be ignored for sure.

Pie is the lodestar at Scratch. Under Phoebe Lawless, who perfected her craft under Karen Barker of still-missed Magnolia Grill, Scratch’s sweets hit all the right rich notes.

Here, it’s the macaroni au gratin that manifests the greatness of Ashley Christensen’s first Raleigh restaurant. But don’t sleep on the rest of the nightly changing menu, which highlights ingredients with maximum Southern savor.

This mega-popular fried chicken emporium by Ashley Christensen brings all essential Southern charms, with dishes like green bean casserole and pimento mac and cheese. The space, as luck would have it, houses multiple Christensen concepts: Chuck’s (and its burger) and Fox Liquor Bar all also merit a visit.

The kitchen turns out praiseworthy barbecue, but during one visit, the off-the-menu order of leftover ribs was even more commendable.

Vivian Howard from PBS’s A Chef’s Life has turned Kinston into a pilgrimage site for fans and food lovers. Howard’s restaurant, featuring Italian-inflected dishes like rice-crusted catfish with risotto, is the ideal stop after visiting the area’s barbecue icons.

This place is the apotheosis of whole-hog barbecue with its overnight-roasted, hickory-and-oak-smoked pigs. The spicy, tangy sauce takes the pulled meat to the next level; consider the “whole hog tray,” served with cornpone, among the must-eat barbecue dishes in America.