![\"Second](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790020268.jpeg\" "\\"Second")
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Second Empire restaurant on Hillsborough Street in downtown Raleigh.<\/p>\n
NEWS & OBSERVER FILE PHOTO<\/p>\n
Linen-clad tables, exemplary service, and sublime bites are the hallmarks of fine dining \u2014 and two North Carolina restaurants know them well, according to Tripadvisor.<\/p>\n
The travel website named Second Empire Restaurant & Tavern in Raleigh and Ristorante Paoletti in Highlands among the \u201cbest of the best\u201d restaurants for fine dining in the nation. They ranked third and 13th, respectively, on the Top 25 list of must-try eateries.<\/p>\n
Glowing reviews from the travel community helped put both spots over the top, earning them the coveted Travelers\u2019 Choice Awards Best of the Best title.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re looking for the cr\u00e8me-de-la-cr\u00e8me, these are the places worth getting on the waitlist for,\u201d Tripadvisor editors wrote.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what makes them stand out:<\/p>\n
Location: 330 Hillsborough St, Raleigh, NC 27603<\/p>\n
Rating: 4.8\/5 stars<\/p>\n
Housed in the historic Dodd-Hinsdale House in downtown Raleigh, Second Empire serves Contemporary American cuisine with elevated flare. Foodies can enjoy an elegant dinner upstairs in the restaurant, or head downstairs to the Tavern for a casual meal, light bites and local beer.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrue to its name, Second Empire Restaurant & Tavern leans into an elegant, historical vibe,\u201d Tripadvisor says. \u201cAnd it has the seasonal dishes to match \u2014 think duck breast and scallops \u2014 all beautifully plated and presented.\u201d<\/p>\n
A recent customer raved about the \u201cdelicious flavors, great wine and very attentive service\u201d at Second Empire, while others gushed over must-try dishes like the citrus and herb salmon and chocolate soufle\u00e9. One foodie even declared her espresso martini was \u201cthe tops in the Raleigh area.\u201d<\/p>\n
The restaurant and tavern also landed on Yelp\u2019s Top 25 places to eat in the Triangle last year, appearing alongside local favorites like Press Coffee Cr\u00eapes Cocktails in Durham and Saap in Cary, The News & Observer previously reported.<\/p>\n
![\"Second](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/SecondEmpire.jpeg\" "\\"SecondEmpire\\"")
Second Empire Restaurant in Raleigh is on the AAA \u2018Diamond\u2019 list for the 13th time. Richard Usanis <\/p>\n
Location: 440 Main St, Highlands, NC 28741<\/p>\n
Rating: 4.7\/5 stars<\/p>\n
At Ristorante Paoletti, you\u2019ll find refined Italian classics, seafood and fine wines. In fact, its exquisite vino selection earned it a 2025 Best of Award of Excellence from WineSpectator last year, spotlighting the variety of Italian, French and Bordeaux wines on the menu.<\/p>\n
Tucked away in the lush Blue Ridge Mountains, Ristorant Paoletti also earned high marks for its service, value and overall atmosphere.<\/p>\n
\u201cHomemade bread and a family vibe sets the scene at this Italian mainstay,\u201d according to Tripadvisor. \u201cStart with the light, crispy calamari and try a pasta special or two \u2014 heaping portions make sure no one leaves hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what diners said about their recent visits:<\/p>\n
\u201cExcellent service starting with the hostesses Mama G and Regina seating us to our sommelier who selected an excellent Italian wine. We especially liked the carpaccio and the beet salad and the grouper and the fillet were world class. The restaurant ranks with any you can find in NYC.\u201d \u2014 Ryan L.\u201cThe food is always extraordinary, and the staff treats everyone like family. We go every chance we can. Mama G is full of heart\u2026such a beautiful experience. And the bolognese\u2026amazing!!\u201d \u2014 Stephanie R.\u201cThe food was truly memorable \u2014 the trout was delicate and perfectly prepared, and the pastas were divine. The gnocchi was light and fluffy, and the lasagna special was rich, comforting, and absolutely delicious.\u201d \u2014 Kristin S.<\/p>\n
Note: Ristorante Paoletti is currently closed for the season and will reopen April 16.<\/p>\n
What are the best fine dining restaurants in the US?<\/p>\n
These swanky eateries were top picks among Tripadvisor members:<\/p>\n
Revival in Charleston, SC (No. 1)Saz\u00f3n in Sante Fe, New Mexico (No. 2)Second Empire Restaurant & Tavern in Raleigh, North Carolina (No. 3)Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina in Nashville, Tennessee (No. 4)La Grande Boucherie in Chicago, Illinois (No. 5)Brenner\u2019s on the River Walk in San Antonio, Texas (No. 6)Primal Steakhouse in Las Vegas, Nevada (No. 7)Club A Steakhouse in New York City, New York (No. 8)Gallaghers Steakhouse in New York City, New York (No. 9)Vic & Anthony\u2019s Steakhouse in Lake Charles, Louisiana (No. 10)<\/p>\n
See the full list at tripadvisor.com.<\/p>\n
Related Stories from Raleigh News & Observer<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tanasia Kenney<\/p>\n
Sun Herald<\/p>\n
Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings\/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She\u2019s been with McClatchy since 2020.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Second Empire restaurant on Hillsborough Street in downtown Raleigh. NEWS & OBSERVER FILE PHOTO Linen-clad tables, exemplary service, and sublime bites are the hallmarks of fine dining \u2014 and two North Carolina restaurants know them well, according to Tripadvisor. The travel website named Second Empire Restaurant & Tavern in Raleigh and Ristorante Paoletti in Highlands<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24183,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[3027,3025,3023,3026,3024],"class_list":["post-28811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-north-carolina","tag-north-carolina","tag-north-carolina-dining","tag-north-carolina-food","tag-north-carolina-grocery-stores","tag-north-carolina-restaurants"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dc\/117325081181210651","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28811"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28811\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}