Congratulations 2018 Diamond Award Winners!
Every year we ask our readers to vote for the Best of Raleigh, and more than 2,500 of you responded. This year we decided to expand our categories, and give you the top three winners for each. What follows is the best of the best; the winners that you, our readers, have decided to name as this year’s Diamond Award winners!
Dine & Drink
Best Restaurant
GOLD: Stanbury
SILVER: Vivace
BRONZE TIE: Poole’s Diner; Winston’s Grille
Best New Restaurant
GOLD: Brewery Bhavana
SILVER: Royale
BRONZE: Crawford and Son
Best Place for a Romantic Dinner
GOLD: Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern
SILVER: Angus Barn
BRONZE TIE: Herons at The Umstead; Sullivan’s Steakhouse
Best Chef
GOLD: Ashley Christensen
SILVER: Scott Crawford
BRONZE: Jeff Seizer
Best Waitstaff
GOLD: Angus Barn
SILVER: Winston’s Grille
BRONZE: Sullivan’s Steakhouse
Best Business Lunch
GOLD: The Capital Grille
SILVER: Winston’s Grille
BRONZE: Midtown Grille
Best Outdoor Dining or Patio
GOLD: Vivace
SILVER: Taverna Agora Greek Kitchen & Bar
BRONZE: Whiskey Kitchen
Best Place to Impress a Date
GOLD: Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern
SILVER: Angus Barn
BRONZE: Herons at The Umstead
Most Kid-Friendly Dining
GOLD: The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar
SILVER: Sassool
BRONZE: Gonza Tacos y Tequila
Best Breakfast
GOLD: Big Ed’s City Market Restaurant
SILVER: Brigs Restaurants
BRONZE: First Watch
Best Weekend Brunch
GOLD: Coquette
SILVER: Herons at The Umstead
BRONZE: Brigs Restaurants
Best N.C. Barbecue
GOLD: The Pit Authentic Barbecue
SILVER: Clyde Cooper’s Barbeque
BRONZE: Smithfield’s Chicken
‘N Bar-B-Q
Best Burger
GOLD: Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar
SILVER: Chuck’s Burgers
BRONZE: MoJoe’s Burger Joint
Best Pizza
GOLD: Lilly’s Pizza
SILVER: Trophy Brewing & Pizza
BRONZE: Mellow Mushroom
Best Steakhouse
GOLD: Angus Barn
SILVER: Sullivan’s Steakhouse
BRONZE: Vinnie’s Steak House & Tavern
Best Fried Chicken
GOLD: Beasley’s Chicken + Honey
SILVER: Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits
BRONZE: Royale
Best Comfort Food
GOLD: Poole’s Diner
SILVER: Beasley’s Chicken + Honey
BRONZE: Relish Craft Kitchen& Bourbon Bar
Best Vegetarian
GOLD: The Fiction Kitchen
SILVER: Irregardless Cafe & Catering
BRONZE: The Remedy Diner
Best Clean Eats
GOLD: Raleigh Raw
SILVER TIE: B.Good; Clean Eatz
BRONZE: Happy + Hale
Best Sports Bar
GOLD: Tobacco Road Sports Cafe
SILVER: Carolina Ale House
BRONZE: Yard House
Best Place to Have a Girls Night Out
GOLD: Vita Vite
SILVER: Vivace
BRONZE: Level7
Best Place for Drinks After Work
GOLD: Level7
SILVER: Vivace
BRONZE: The Raleigh Times
Best Local Beer
GOLD: Trophy Brewing Co.
SILVER: Lynnwood Grill & Brewing Concern
BRONZE: Raleigh Beer Garden
Best Place to Grab a Glass of Wine
GOLD: Vita Vite
SILVER: Vivace
BRONZE: Bella Monica
Best Spot for a Craft Cocktail
GOLD: Fox Liquor Bar
SILVER: Watts & Ward
BRONZE: C. Grace
Best Dive Bar
GOLD: Slim’s Downtown Distillery
SILVER: The Players’ Retreat
BRONZE: The Goat
Best New Bar
GOLD: Watts & Ward
SILVER: Level7
BRONZE TIE: Milk Bar; Whiskey Kitchen
Best Bread Bakery
GOLD: Yellow Dog Bread Company
SILVER: La Farm Bakery
BRONZE: Boulted Bread
Best Cakes/Sweets
GOLD: Lucettegrace
SILVER: Edible Art Bakery & Dessert Café
BRONZE: Hayes Barton Café & Dessertery
Best Place for Dessert
GOLD: Hayes Barton Café & Dessertery
SILVER: Bittersweet
BRONZE: Lucettegrace
Best Ice Cream
GOLD: Goodberry’s Frozen Custard
SILVER: FRESH. Local Ice Cream
BRONZE: Two Roosters Ice Cream
Best Food Truck
GOLD: Cousins Maine Lobster
SILVER: Chirba Chirba Dumpling Truck
BRONZE: Gonza Tacos y Tequila
Best Cheap Eats
GOLD: Snoopy’s Hot Dogs & More
SILVER: Cook Out
BRONZE TIE: Char-Grill; Mami Nora’s Rotisserie Chicken
Best Local Coffee House
GOLD: Sola Coffee Café
SILVER: Jubala Coffee
BRONZE: Cup A Joe
Best Pet-Friendly Patio
GOLD: Lynnwood Grill & Brewing Concern
SILVER: The Station
BRONZE TIE: Vivace; Whiskey Kitchen
Shopping & Services
Best Shopping Center
GOLD: North Hills
SILVER: Cameron Village
BRONZE: Crabtree Valley Mall
Best Florist
GOLD: Fallon’s Flowers
SILVER: The English Garden
BRONZE: Davenport at Five Points
Best Place to Buy Designer Jewelry
GOLD: Bailey’s Fine Jewelry
SILVER TIE: Diamonds Direct; Raleigh Diamond
BRONZE: Fink’s Jewelers
Best Place For Custom Jewelry
GOLD: Raleigh Diamond
SILVER: Bailey’s Fine Jewelry
BRONZE: Diamonds Direct
Best Place to Buy Wedding Rings
GOLD: Diamonds Direct
SILVER: Raleigh Diamond
BRONZE: Bailey’s Fine Jewelry
Best Resale/Consignment Clothing
GOLD: dress.
SILVER: Revolver Consignment Boutique
BRONZE: Adore Designer Resale Boutique
Best Wine/Beer Store
GOLD: Total Wine & More
SILVER: Taylor’s Wine Shop
BRONZE: The Raleigh Wine Shop
Best Youthful Woman’s Boutique
GOLD: Uniquities
SILVER: Bevello
BRONZE: Vestique
Best Women’s Boutique
GOLD: Kannon’s Clothing
SILVER: Uniquities
BRONZE TIE: Charlotte’s; Vermillion
Best Men’s Boutique
GOLD: Kannon’s Clothing
SILVER: Nowells Clothiers
BRONZE: Liles Clothing Studio
Best Store for Vintage or Antiques
GOLD: Father and Son Antiques
SILVER: Hunt & Gather
BRONZE: SuzAnna’s Antiques
Best Garden Center
GOLD: Logan’s Garden Shop
SILVER: Homewood Nursery
BRONZE: Atlantic Gardening Company
Best Pop-Up Market
GOLD: Sola Pop-Up Market
SILVER: Pop-Up Raleigh
BRONZE: N.C. State Farmers Market
Best Place to Buy Locally Made Goods
GOLD: DECO
SILVER: N.C. State Farmers Market
BRONZE: NOFO @ the Pig
Best Furniture Store
GOLD: Green Front Interiors & Rugs
SILVER: Ethan Allen
BRONZE TIE: Havertys; Nadeau
Best Home Décor
GOLD: HomeGoods
SILVER: Inspirations Home Decor & More
BRONZE TIE: DECO; Furnish
Best Place to Buy a Unique Gift
GOLD: Raleigh Diamond
SILVER: DECO
BRONZE TIE: Charlotte’s; Zest Café & Home Art
Best Local Sporting Goods Store
GOLD: Omega Sports
SILVER TIE: Great Outdoor Provision Co.; Johnson-Lambe Co.
BRONZE: Runologie
Best Place to Find Denim
GOLD: Raleigh Denim
SILVER: Uniquities
BRONZE: Belk
Best Place to Find Men’s Shoes
GOLD: Belk
SILVER: Nordstrom
BRONZE TIE: Kannon’s Clothing; Nowells Clothiers
Best Place to Buy Women’s Shoes
GOLD: Main & Taylor
SILVER: DSW
BRONZE: Nordstrom
Best Local Pet Store
GOLD: Unleashed
SILVER: Phydeaux
BRONZE: Woof Gang Bakery
Best Pet Grooming
GOLD: Woof Gang Bakery
SILVER: PetSmart
BRONZE: Canine Country Club & Pet Hotel
Best Pet Boarding
GOLD: Dog Diggity Daycare & Boarding
SILVER: Suite Paws Pet Resort & Spa
BRONZE: FURbaby Pet Sitters
Best Veterinarian
GOLD: Armadale Animal Hospital
SILVER: Care First Animal Hospital
BRONZE: Hayes Barton Animal Hospital
Best Catering
GOLD: Catering Works
SILVER: Rocky Top Catering
BRONZE: Ladyfingers Caterers
Best Home Cleaning
GOLD: Molly Maid
SILVER: Merry Maids
BRONZE TIE: The Other Woman, Inc.; Metro’s Other Woman of the Triangle
Best Private School
GOLD: Ravenscroft School
SILVER: Cardinal Gibbons High School
BRONZE: The Franciscan School
Best Dry Cleaners
GOLD: Brothers Cleaners
SILVER: Medlin Davis Cleaners
BRONZE TIE: Capstone Cleaners; Pope’s Dry Cleaners
Best Auto Repair Shop
GOLD: Autohaus Import Service
SILVER: Atlantic Avenue Tire & Service
BRONZE: Walton’s Family Auto Service
Best Real Estate Agent
GOLD: Angie Cole, A Cole Realty
SILVER: Christina Valkanoff, Christina Valkanoff Realty Group
BRONZE: Heidi Harris, Home Sweet Heidi Realty
Health & Beauty
Best Salon for a Haircut
GOLD: Von Kekel AVEDA Lifestyle Salon Spa
SILVER: Mark Christopher
BRONZE: Salon Blu
Best Salon for Color
GOLD: Mark Christopher Salon
SILVER: Von Kekel AVEDA Lifestyle Salon Spa
BRONZE: Salon Blu
Best Health Club/Gym
GOLD: Life Time Fitness
SILVER: O2 Fitness
BRONZE: Burn Boot Camp
Best Place to De-Age
GOLD: Skin Raleigh at Davis & Pyle Plastic Surgery
SILVER: Von Kekel AVEDA Lifestyle Salon Spa
BRONZE: Raleigh Plastic Surgery Center
Best Med Spa
GOLD: Skin Raleigh at Davis & Pyle Plastic Surgery
SILVER: The MedSpa at Raleigh Plastic Surgery Center
BRONZE: Synergy Spa & Aesthetics
Best Place for a Facial
GOLD: Skin Raleigh at Davis & Pyle Plastic Surgery
SILVER: Von Kekel AVEDA Lifestyle Salon Spa
BRONZE: Synergy Spa & Aesthetics
Best Spa Experience
GOLD: The Umstead Hotel and Spa
SILVER: Von Kekel AVEDA Lifestyle Salon Spa
BRONZE: Skin Raleigh at Davis & Pyle Plastic Surgery
Best Massage
GOLD: Von Kekel AVEDA Lifestyle Salon Spa
SILVER: The Umstead Hotel and Spa
BRONZE: The Sport of Massage
Friendliest Customer Service
GOLD: Von Kekel AVEDA Lifestyle Salon Spa
SILVER: Russo DDS
BRONZE: Pinup Studio
Best Dentist
GOLD: Russo DDS
SILVER: Renaissance Dental Center
BRONZE: Lane & Associates Family Dentistry
Best Orthodontist
GOLD: N.C. Oral Surgery + Orthodontics
SILVER: Zaytoun Orthodontics
BRONZE: Cheek-Hill Orthodontics
Best Chiropractor
GOLD: Atlas Chiropractic Of Raleigh
SILVER: Atlas Orthogonal Chiropractic
BRONZE: Crabtree Chiropractic Center
Best Place to get a Mani/Pedi
GOLD: Paintbase
SILVER TIE: Cameron Spa & Nails; HighPark Nail Spa
BRONZE: Paris Nail Bar
Best Yoga/Pilates Studio
GOLD: Barre Up!
SILVER: Pulse Pilates
BRONZE: YoBa Studio
Entertainment & Events
Best Innovative New Business
GOLD: Supper Meals
SILVER: The Flourish Market
BRONZE TIE: Meraki Salon; Raleigh Raw
Best Place to Take Out-of-Towners
GOLD: N.C. Museum of Art
SILVER: The Umstead Hotel and Spa
BRONZE: Angus Barn
Best Live Theater
GOLD: Durham Performing Arts Center
SILVER: Raleigh Little Theatre
BRONZE: N.C. Theater
Best Live Music Venue
GOLD: Red Hat Amphitheater
SILVER: Lincoln Theatre
BRONZE: Walnut Creek Amphitheater
Best Museum
GOLD: N.C. Museum of Art
SILVER: Marbles Kids Museum
BRONZE: N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences
Best Staycation in the Triangle
GOLD: The Umstead Hotel and Spa
SILVER: Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel
BRONZE: Fearrington Village
Best Place to Entertain the Kids
GOLD: Marbles Kids Museum
SILVER: Pullen Park
BRONZE: Frankie’s Fun Park
Best Golf Course
GOLD: Lonnie Poole at N.C. State
SILVER: North Ridge Country Club
BRONZE: Carolina Country Club
Best Wifi Lounge Spot
GOLD: Starbucks
SILVER: Sola Coffee Café
BRONZE TIE: The Morning Times; Panera Bread
