Food
Armadillo Grill
Carrboro Beverage Company
Carrboro Raw
Carrburritos
Glasshalfull Restaurant & Wine Bar
Jessee's Coffee & Bar
Milltown
Open Eye Cafe
Panzanella
Provence
Tyler's Restaurant & Taproom
Weaver Street Market

Shopping & Services
The Beehive Salon
Carr Mill Mall
The Clay Centre Gallery
Fleet Feet Sports
Framers Corner
Jesse Kalisher Gallery
NC Crafts Gallery
Roulette Vintage
Seagrove Pottery
Townsend Bertram & Company

Entertainment
The ArtsCenter
DSI (Dirty South Improv)

Other
Century Center
Town Hall
Public Parking

Swing by the Armadillo Grill along with all the locals for terrific and inexpensive Tex-Mex food. Be sure to try their locally famous soft tacos and absolutely say yes to their renowned queso dip. And here’s a little known fact: they make fresh tortillas for each order. When you have your food, sally up to the salsa bar and enjoy as much salsa as you like, also made every morning from fresh produce.

 

Want a delicious taste of Carrboro? Well, nothing could be more Carrboro than this place… it’s mission is to provide alternative, nutritious and delicious raw drinks that are in harmony with our bodies and the earth – made to order and on demand by people who are passionate about life, earth and, well, everything Carrboro… clearly.

If you’re looking for a special micro-brew soda, beer or a nice bottle of wine, this charming shop is the place for you. Have a beer from the tap while you browse the great selection at this top-notch store. Some Carrborites simply call this place Tyler’s Bottle Shop, but whatever you call it, it’s a fun place to browse and shop, in part because you can buy or request nearly any beer available in North Carolina.

Carrburritos is a local institution, serving up generous and reasonably priced portions of Mexican food. Make sure to try their famous flour tortilla chips and sample their six different salsas. Like most things Carrboro, everything here is made fresh, in-house everyday and receives rave reviews from locals. Come check out the food, the scene and their cozy outdoor patio.

A wine bar, wine shop, and restaurant all under one roof, they successfully combine big-city sophistication with small-town hospitality. This lively restaurant is a great place to meet friends for either a drink and a bite or a delicious bottle of wine and a full dinner… And do ask Mickey or Jim in the wine shop to recommend wines in any price range. They have tasted them all and will help you discover something you’ll love.

No better way to start your day than with a visit to this cozy café, bar and restaurant. Home of The Kind Coffee, Jessee’s. serves up delicious fresh coffee that’s roasted on site along with a fresh roasted atmosphere brimming with good vibes. The Jessee family came together to create this homegrown experience that offers everything they love: incredible coffee along with great food and spirits for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Seating indoors or out on a lovely patio. And of course, you can access free WiFi throughout.

Enter into a land of Belgian-inspired food (try the fries!) of generous proportions supported by more than 100 beers, each of which was personally tested and chosen by Milltown Beermeister Brendon Biggins. Take a moment and enjoy wading through the beer menu which is pages long, each entry coming with a brief and helpful description. Adding to the Milltown experience is an outdoor patio that provides a perfect dining spot most of the year.

Visit the Open Eye Café, owned by internationally respected coffee guru Scott Conary, and you’re in for a wonderful experience. Scott’s expertise takes him around the world to teach, lecture, and to judge coffee competitions. Fortunately for us, his first and true love is hand-selecting the coffee beans which he then roasts right here in the back of the Open Eye Café. Come sit, enjoy the town’s free WiFi, sip some truly miraculous coffee and enjoy a snack. That’s what all the locals here do.

A truly local culinary experience, Carrboro’s community-owned Italian restaurant, Panzanella was created by the folks at Weaver Street Market (Carrboro’s community-owned grocery store). As delicious as the food is, the cornerstone of the restaurant is considered by many locals to be their bread, baked on site at Weaver Street Market and served with dinner… and dinner is, as always, made from fresh ingredients which are bought, as often as possible, from local farmers.

Truly bringing Paris to the Piedmont, chef Felix Roux was born and raised in Provence, France and apprenticed at the famous Jane Madeleine restaurant. Felix and his wife Anne went on to run great restaurants in Carmel, California, Naples, Florida and now here in Carrboro. Their creations have been featured in Gourmet Magazine, the New York Times and Chapel Hill Magazine among many other celebrated national and local publications. With a menu that favors seafood, their culinary creations are a delight not to be missed.

Tyler’s is a Carrboro institution among locals from all generations, famous for many things, but especially their delicious garlic fries. Come here to enjoy a smoke-free setting that evokes a sense of comfort and familiarity. And while you’re here, try one of their 32 craft and specialty import beers they have on tap along with a full menu of traditional pub fare and seasonal comfort foods (did we mention the garlic fries?).

The de facto center of life in Carrboro, this food co-op specializes in authentic foods from small producers and local farmers. What makes them a center of Carrboro’s community is that they manage to have something for everyone whether you shop for organic, vegetarian, or carnivorous food. In addition to the grocery store, they have an on-site bakery, a tremendous hot and cold salad bar, and fresh sushi options. And don’t miss their summer music series… free live music and dancing on their front lawn.

If you sat down to create the perfect hair salon for Carrboro, it would look exactly like The Beehive. At The Beehive, Diane and her staff take the time to know their clientele and to get involved with the town’s unique culture. While their role is to create gorgeous hair, they provide much more than that, offering an oasis to retreat to and support for all things Carrboro. What’s more, they take great pride in offering top of the line, environmentally friendly and cruelty free products in their cozy and relaxed salon. If you’re looking to have your hair done for a special event, or just because it’s Tuesday, this is the place to go.

In 1898, Tom Lloyd built Alberta, the cotton mill that was his pride and joy, in a small town originally known as West End, as in the west end of Chapel Hill. That mill took a few twists and turns over the years, during which time the West End became the independent town of Carrboro. In 1977, five years after the mill had closed for the last time, Carr Mill Mall opened as a pedestrian mall of independently owned shops. Today, you can walk the original hardwood floors and enjoy a cacophony of fun and unique stores.

Carrboro is a beehive of creativity and nowhere is that more apparent than at The Clay Centre Gallery. Tucked away on Lloyd Street, this gem is definitely worth finding… North Carolina is famous for its pottery, and here Carrboro potters display and sell their beautiful wares. The Clay Centre is made up of a group of studios, a kiln room, a glaze-mixing room, a courtyard and gallery with an emphasis on exchange among artists, collaboration, and group creative energy. The results speak for themselves. If you have the time and interest you may also take a class or schedule a time to tour the Clay Centre and peek into the studios. Either way, be sure to stop in and enjoy the gallery. You’re sure to be delighted.

 

This locally owned store represents the best of Carrboro’s robust running culture. Filled with staff who obsess with how your particular foot hits the pavement (or trails as the case may be), getting fit for running shoes here is an experience not to be missed (hint: it includes, and we are not making this up, having someone draw on your feet). The local experts can even recommend a few places to run around town, if you like. Fun Fact: Carrboro is the national headquarters for all Fleet Feet stores around the nation. Still, you can walk in and ask to speak with the owners of this shop, Brian or Tricia- they’d love to say hi and talk with you about running in Carrboro.

Take a walk back in time to personal service combined with decades of experience in framing everything from posters to family heirlooms. The folks at the Framers Corner combine artisanship, a love of framing, and respect for whatever moves you to create museum quality framing solutions for all types of art, and at prices that are very reasonable. For a town that loves art, this is our resource for everything framed.

Carrboro is home to the internationally acclaimed photographer Jesse Kalisher. Jesse’s work resides in the permanent collections of museums across the world from The Louvre to The Smithsonian. Fortunately, he believes that everyone should have access to affordable art, which makes his flagship gallery perfect for Carrboro. Stop in and browse affordable prints and ask to meet the photographer. If Jesse’s not out taking pictures he’s always happy to say hello.

If you want to see why North Carolina is well known for its rich tradition in the craft and creative industry then this gallery is not to be missed. The North Carolina Crafts Gallery features wonderful traditional and contemporary fine crafts made by the best artisans from across the state. Here, you’ll see a wide assortment of pottery, wood turnings, blown glass, jewelry, metal, fiber art, baskets, photography, toys, folk art and more. A delight for the senses.

Since it’s beginnings more than 200 years ago, the town of Seagrove, North Carolina has remained a center for pottery. This lovely shop in the heart of downtown Carrboro shares the best of what Seagrove has to offer. With shelves stacked high with hand made creations, Seagrove provides a remarkable range of pottery that’s both functional and decorative. It’s worth spending time here just to learn a bit more about North Carolina history. And who knows, you might fall in love with a piece or two.

A hometown favorite, Townsend Bertram and Company is a unique outdoor outfitter full of experts who will help outfit you for your next adventure. Whether you’re in search of a BPA-free water bottle, the perfect back-pack, or a comfortable pair of everyday walking shoes, the staff here will share their time and expertise willingly. In addition, the store’s owners and employees take environmental responsibility into account when deciding which brands and products to bring into the store. You can’t get much more Carrboro than that.

A visit to Carrboro isn’t complete without checking the ArtsCenter performance schedule. A long-standing bedrock of the Carrboro community, The ArtsCenter prides itself on nourishing the arts, creativity and community through education, performance and exhibition. In practice, this means they have something for everyone, from painting and pottery classes and studios to live performances that run the gamut from Emmy nominated children’s musicians to bluegrass, blues, gospel music and more. The ArtsCenter has an equally diverse theater program and runs a range of terrific classes for all ages and interests. This is truly a center for the arts and one in which all of Carrboro takes pride.

Step aside Chicago, our humble Carrboro is home the nation’s largest annual comedy festival produced by the internationally acclaimed Dirty South Comedy Theater. Owner and Executive Producer Zach Ward has trained comedians who have gone onto success everywhere from Saturday Night Live to the Silver Screen and you can watch him and his comedians perform right here in the center of town. DSI is an 84-seat non-smoking theater that offers seven shows every week – and if your comically inclined, the DSI Comedy Training Center offers new classes every month in the art of improvisation and sketch comedy. Laugh and learn with the best.

Community events, classes, art exhibits, events, the Carrboro Cybrary (Cyber Library) and more!

The town of Carrboro is known for well-managed growth, comittment to residnet inout cultural diversity, activities for everyone, economic base of lcally-owned businesses, and walkability for residents and visitors.