Milltown Glass by Flickr user abbyladybug

For seventy years, North Carolina law capped ABV for beer sold in the state at 6%. In 2005, thanks to the efforts of the Pop the Cap initiative, that limit was raised to 15%. Today, North Carolina is home to the most microbreweries in the South, and at local restaurants and bars, you can usually find more craft beers on tap than watered-down domestics. Here are our favorite spots in Carrboro and Chapel Hill to grab a bite and a brew.

Panzenella

If you’ve ever been to Carrboro, you’ve likely been to Weaver Street Market. The local co-op grocery is the heart of Carrboro, geographically and figuratively. What you may not have realized is that Panzanella, the Italian restaurant around the corner, is also owned by the same community. Panzanella is committed to keeping it local, with a seasonal farm-to-table menu and a summer beer dinner series featuring all local breweries.

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If you can make it, you must go to a beer dinner, where they pair up their farm-fresh cuisine with a variety of brews from each brewery. And the vegetarian options at these dinners are just as good as the non-veggie.

flickr user yTravelBlog

Top of the Hill

Top of the Hill is probably best known for its excellent view of Franklin St, Chapel Hill’s downtown strip. With front-row seats to the annual Halloween Parade and UNC Championship “celebrations,” this is a true Carolina institution.

Oh – and they also brew a wide range of beers.

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Top of the Hill’s all-American menu has something for everyone. Our favorite dish is the Arizona Chicken, served on gemelli pasta with southwestern veggies. From lagers to ales, they’ve got  all tastes covered, but in this hot weather, we recommend cooling yourself down with the Blue Ridge Blueberry Wheat.

Milltown

In a word: Beer. The website says everything you need to know about one of Carrboro’s most unique restaurants:

A Gastropub located in downtown Carrboro featuring 18 specialty drafts from around the world, 150 more in the bottle, menu items inspired by and made with beer…

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No matter what you get, you must order a side of pommes frites – especially if you’re ordering a Belgian ale to drink. For lunch, you can’t go wrong with the Prime Rib sandwich. Covered in cheese and served with French onion soup, this is the sandwich to compliment your poutine frites. Just make sure to bring a friend to cart you out.

Tyler’s Taproom

With locations in Durham, Apex (near Raleigh), and here in Carrboro, Tyler has the Triangle covered. Known for its delicious appetizers, local taps, and back-room Speakeasy, this is where team Blogads usually goes for post-event beers and fried pickles. Yes, fried pickles. And they’re awesome.

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While it’s totally possible to fill up on their southern-inspired appetizers, nothing says North Carolina more than pulled-pork BBQ. To drink? Check out their beer menu, and look for anything that says NC.

The part of North Carolina we work in is a bit of a foodie utopia. Here in Carrboro, our downtown streets are lined with restaurants serving up everything from French cuisine, to New York-style pastrami, to traditional comfort food. Chapel Hill, a two-minute walk from our office, has many culinary delights of its own, including two 2011 James Beard winners.

In the first of our Blogads Local series, we’ve pick our favorite two restaurants in Carrboro and Chapel Hill.

Our Absolute Favorites

It’s only a small coincidence that our favorite restaurants were also honored by the James Beard Foundation earlier this year.

Lantern

As Food & Wine magazine put it, “everyone who comes to Chapel Hill loves Lantern.” Listed by Gourmet as one of the top 50 restaurants in America, this farm-to-table pan-asian restaurant is a Blogads favorite for dinner. Chef Andrea Reusing was recently crowned the Best Chef in the South by the James Beard Foundation. So yeah, it’s really good.

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Dinner: White meat or the other white meat. Check out the Tea-smoked chicken or the pork shank. You can’t go wrong either way.

Dessert: When it’s in season, you must try the basil mint sorbet, served with a home made fortune cookie.

Crook’s Corner

Chef Bill Smith is no stranger to the James Beard Foundation either. In 2009 and 2010, he was a finalist for the Best Chef of the Southeast Award. This year, the Beard Foundation gave the well-loved Crook’s Corner the America’s Classic award for its “timeless appeal” and “quality food that reflects the character of their community.” The seasonal menu boldly explores Southern cuisine, with incredible specialties for every course of your meal.

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Hey, there’s a big pink pig on their sign for a reason. Try the Carolina sampler: pit cooked pulled pork served with hoppin’ John, collard greens and black pepper cornbread.