Wake Forest University Guide: Best Restaurants, Bars & Hotels
A saveable map of restaurants, bars, hotels, and campus landmarks near Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem for students, parents, alumni, and visitors.
Whether you’re a Wake Forest student still working out
your Winston-Salem rotation, an incoming freshman about to move onto the
Reynolda Campus, a parent in town for the weekend, an alum back for a Saturday
at Allegacy Stadium, or a prospective student getting a feel for the place,
this guide pulls together the restaurants, bars, hotels, and campus landmarks
worth knowing near Wake Forest University.
Wake Forest works a little differently than most college
towns: campus sits on the wooded north side of Winston-Salem, with Reynolda
Village – the converted farm buildings of the old R.J. Reynolds estate – right
at its edge, and nearly everything else a short drive away. The areas to know
are Reynolda Village next to campus, Burke Street for the bar strip, the West
End for dinner, and downtown’s Fourth and Trade streets for breweries, brunch,
and most of the hotels – and everything below is organized so you can find what
you need fast.
Best Restaurants Near Wake Forest
Eating around Wake Forest starts in Reynolda Village at
the campus gates and fans out from there: the West End and downtown Fourth
Street carry the date nights and parent dinners, Trade Street has the pizza,
and a couple of counter-service originals are worth crossing town for. The
city’s best mornings are here too – Winston-Salem takes breakfast seriously.
Featured restaurants to check out
Mozelle's
878 W 4th St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
A small Southern bistro where Fourth Street meets the West End, doing shrimp and grits, tomato pie, and fried chicken since 2008. The patio tables go fast and weekend brunch is the local move – book ahead on parents weekends.
Ryan's Restaurant
719 Coliseum Dr NW, Winston-Salem, NC 27106, USA
Steaks, chops, and seafood in a wooded building above a stream, five minutes from campus and going strong since 1977. This is Winston-Salem’s special-occasion standby, and the window tables feel like a mountain lodge.
The Katharine Brasserie & Bar
401 N Main St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
A French brasserie with a Southern accent on the ground floor of the Kimpton Cardinal, inside the 1929 R.J. Reynolds Building downtown. Handy for anyone staying in the city center, and the weekend brunch is one of the more polished in town.
Village Tavern
221 Reynolda Vlg Wy, Winston-Salem, NC 27106, USA
The original 1984 location of the now-national tavern chain, tucked into Reynolda Village a short walk from the Quad. It’s the closest reliable sit-down to campus, which makes it the default for family dinners and post-tour lunches.
The Porch | Kitchen & Cantina
840 Mill Works St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
Tex-Mex from a Texas-native chef in the West End Mill Works, with margaritas served in jelly jars and an easygoing patio. Groups fit here without a plan.
Mission Pizza Napoletana
707 Trade St NW, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
Wood-fired Neapolitan pies on Trade Street that keep landing on the 50 Top Pizza USA list. Small, food-focused, and worth the wait for a date night that doesn’t need white tablecloths.
Bernardin’s Restaurant @ zevely House
901 W 4th St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
Fine dining inside the circa-1815 Zevely House, one of the oldest homes on this side of Winston-Salem – the whole building was moved to Fourth Street in 1974. The graduation-dinner pick when the night calls for candlelight and a story.
Theodore's Bar & Market
114 Reynolda Vlg Wy Ste. D, Winston-Salem, NC 27106, USA
Half European-style market and bistro, half English-pub bar, opened in 2022 by two Wake Forest grads in Reynolda Village. Steps from campus for a parent lunch or an afternoon cocktail.
Rooster's Wood-fired Kitchen Winston Salem
380 Knollwood St, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, USA
Jim Noble’s wood-fired rotisserie room in the Knollwood corridor, the more relaxed successor to his longtime Noble’s Grille. Parents weekend dinners and celebration brunches land well here.
Bobby Boy Bakeshop
1100 Reynolda Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27104, USA
Croissants, baguette sandwiches, and locally roasted coffee on Reynolda Road, right on the drive between campus and downtown. Closed Sundays and Mondays – worth knowing on graduation weekend.
Slappy's Chicken
200 W Acadia Ave, Winston-Salem, NC 27127, USA
A no-frills West Salem counter serving North Carolina-style dipped hot chicken – breaded, fried, then dunked in spicy sauce – that Yelp named the best fried chicken in the state. Hours run short early in the week, so check before you drive over.
Young Cardinal Cafe and Co.
424 4th St NW, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
A bright breakfast-and-brunch cafe at Fourth and Spruce, downtown’s easy answer for the morning after move-in. Daytime only, so plan it as the start of the day rather than the end.
Best Bars Near Wake Forest
Wake Forest nightlife takes a short drive: Burke Street is
the closest thing Winston-Salem has to a college bar strip, downtown’s Trade
and Fourth streets carry the breweries, and the West End covers cocktails.
Nothing here is a walk from the dorms – budget a rideshare and the whole list
opens up.
Featured bars to check out
Foothills Brewpub
638 W 4th St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
The downtown anchor of Winston-Salem’s best-known brewery, with a full kitchen, weekend brunch, and regular live music. Roomy enough for game-day groups and easy for a parents-in-town dinner that still counts as a night out.
Wise Man Brewing & Coffee Bar
826 Angelo Bros Ave, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
A taproom filling a renovated 1929 warehouse near the north end of Trade Street, with a coffee bar added in 2024 so the afternoon crowd shows up too. Relaxed, local, and built for lingering.
Incendiary Brewing Company
486 N Patterson Ave #105, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
Craft beer inside the restored Bailey Power Plant, the signature building of the Innovation Quarter. Industrial bones, a casual crowd, and an easy first stop on a downtown night.
Vintage sofa bar
1001 Burke St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
A lounge on Burke Street built around actual sofas, fire pits, and a serious cocktail and wine list. The grown-up end of the strip – date nights and the 21st birthdays that call for a step up.
Burke St Pub
1110 Burke St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
Pool, darts, ping-pong, arcade games, and cheap specials at the center of the Burke Street strip. This is the classic college night in Winston-Salem, and it looks exactly like you’d hope.
Gatsby's Pub
1157 Burke St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
Camel City’s self-declared oldest neighborhood pub, pouring since 1986, with karaoke Wednesday through Saturday. There’s no kitchen – regulars carry in Burke Street Pizza from across the street, which is half the charm.
Joyner's Bar
854 W 4th St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
Craft cocktails in an 1890s West End building that started life as a corner grocery, with bookshelves, leather seating, and an upstairs room. Small groups and slow rounds – this is the conversation bar.
Fiddlin' Fish Brewing Company
772 Trade St NW, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
A family-owned brewery at the top of Trade Street with a big covered patio, live music, and game nights. The friendly, no-attitude taproom on the list.
Best Hotels Near Wake Forest
Wake Forest visitors split two ways: stay near campus on
University Parkway or Reynolda Road, or stay downtown ten minutes south where
the restaurants are. Winston-Salem’s hotel supply is modest, so football
Saturdays, graduation, and citywide events push prices fast – book something
refundable the day you know your dates.
Featured hotels to check out
The Graylyn Estate
1900 Reynolda Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27106, USA
A 1928 manor on 55 acres that Wake Forest itself owns, five minutes from campus and once the second-largest private home in North Carolina. The special-occasion stay – graduation, milestone reunions, and parents who want the trip to feel like an event.
Kimpton Cardinal Hotel
51 4th St E, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
A boutique hotel in the 1929 R.J. Reynolds Building, the skyscraper that served as a model for the Empire State Building, with the Katharine brasserie downstairs and a rec room with its own bowling alley. Downtown polish, ten minutes from campus.
Hotel Indigo Winston-Salem Downtown by IHG
104 W 4th St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
Seventy-five rooms in the Art Deco Pepper Building at Fourth and Liberty, with the Sir Winston restaurant and wine loft on site. A solid mid-range downtown base steps from the Fourth Street dining strip – just note that parking is valet only.
The Historic Brookstown Inn | Trademark Collection by Wyndham
200 Brookstown Ave, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
Seventy rooms in an 1837 textile mill with exposed brick and beams, free hot breakfast, and free parking, minutes from Old Salem. The character pick for alumni and parents who’d rather skip the chain feel.
Courtyard by Marriott Winston-Salem University
3111 University Pkwy, Winston-Salem, NC 27105, USA
The closest hotel to campus at under a mile, sitting practically next door to Allegacy Stadium and the coliseum. Book it the day football tickets are bought – it’s the first hotel in town to sell out on game weekends.
Hampton Inn & Suites Winston-Salem Downtown
235 N Cherry St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
A newer downtown build with free breakfast, an outdoor pool, and twenty-plus restaurants within a few blocks. The value-and-logistics pick for families combining a campus visit with a downtown evening.
Wake Forest Campus Landmarks
The Reynolda Campus rewards a slow walk. These four anchor
any first visit to Wake Forest – and they’re all on the map.
Featured campus landmarks
Wait Chapel
1834 Wake Forest Rd X, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA
Wake Forest’s 213-foot steeple has anchored the head of the Quad since the campus opened in 1956, and the building has hosted Martin Luther King Jr. in 1962 and presidential debates in 1988 and 2000. Start your visit here and the rest of campus unfolds down the bricks.
Hearn Plaza
1834 Wake Forest Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA
The Quad (officially Hearn Plaza) runs from Wait Chapel to Reynolda Hall, ringed by residence halls, and hosts commencement every May. After big wins, students roll its trees with toilet paper, and a freshly rolled Quad is one of the best sights in college sports.
Benson University Center
2120 Eure Dr, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA
The hub of student life, with a food court, lounges, Pugh Auditorium, and most of the offices that keep campus running. Stop in to see everyday Wake Forest between the postcard stops.
Allegacy Financial Stadium
475 Deacon Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27105, USA
Home of Demon Deacons football since 1968 – through the Groves, BB&T, and Truist names – with about 31,500 seats a mile east of the main campus on Deacon Boulevard. Small enough that every seat feels close to the field, which is exactly the Wake Forest pitch.
Related guides
University of Virginia Guide: Where to Eat, Drink & Stay in Charlottesville
University of South Carolina Guide: Where to Eat, Drink & Stay in Columbia
University of Kentucky Guide: Where to Eat, Drink & Stay in Lexington
Duke University Guide: Where to Eat, Drink & Stay in Durham
Vanderbilt University Guide: Where to Eat, Drink & Stay in Nashville
Frequently asked questions
What are the best restaurants near Wake Forest University?
Where do Wake Forest students go out?
Is Allegacy Stadium on Wake Forest’s campus?
Where should parents stay during move-in or graduation?
Is the area around Wake Forest walkable?
How far in advance should I book a hotel for Wake Forest football weekends?
What should I see when visiting Wake Forest?
About the creator
Saving all of the best hotels, restaurants, and bars for every university
View profile →