Carolina’s Finest – Best Place to Take Your Parent – Top of the Hill

Connecting families over delicious meals, lovely views of Franklin Street and local brews and spirits since 1994, it’s no surprise that Top of the Hill has been chosen as Carolina’s Finest’s Best Place to Take Your Parents. It is the crossroads of Chapel Hill, after all. 

The iconic eatery’s location on the corner of Franklin Street and North Columbia Street makes it an ideal spot to visit with the parents while seeing the other sights of Chapel Hill. Stopping by a clothing store or walking toward campus to see the Old Well, the quad or any other classic UNC spot is no more than a five-minute walk.

Of course, a restaurant voted “Best Place to Take Your Parents” wouldn’t be complete without an elevated dining experience. While we all love a good late night Cosmic run, parents might prefer to spruce it up a bit – and Top of the Hill delivers. With everything from appetizers, salads, sandwiches and entrees ranging from French Quarter Jambalaya to Bulgogi Salmon, there’s something to please even the most discerning of taste buds. 

You also can’t talk TOPO without talking drinks. The restaurant brews beer and spirits themselves, and getting to see the distillery equipment next to the dining room is part of the experience. Chapel Hill-themed beers like the Bell Tower Blueberry Wheat and the Old Well White will have parents feeling like seasoned locals. If liquor is what you seek, they produce their own vodka, gin, rum and whiskey and have plenty of mouthwatering cocktails and mules made with them.

Top of the Hill hits all the right notes for a night out when family comes to town. It’s a nice place to hit on the parental dollar, and if not it’s a great experience to treat them to. The food is creative and delicious and the drinks have a special touch being brewed or distilled in-house. 

“My favorite thing about Top of the Hill is the longevity of it,” TOPO Founder’s Club member and UNC senior Ryan Peddycord said. “It’ll always have that beautiful view of Franklin Street that brings to mind iconic images of the crowds celebrating basketball championships. It’s also where Roy Williams would host his Roy Williams Live radio show, and that will forever be special to Tar Heel fans.”

If there’s one dining experience that best captures the magic of Chapel Hill, it’s Top of the Hill.