Visiting Raleigh for NCAA Tournament action on Sunday and looking for good food? You came to the right place. While some of Raleigh’s best options for tournament-centric eats are not open, there are still a ton of great locally-owned places.

The PNC Arena is in West Raleigh, however all of these places are within 15 minutes of the arena traffic plume. (more on that at the bottom. Depending on your route in, some places are better choices than others if timing is tight)

$

• Armadillo Grill – Quickie SW food. I still love this place – DT
• Mami Nora’s – Rotisserie chicken done with Peruvian flair – NR
• Guasaca – Columbian arepa outlet is NC’s best – WR

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• Chuck’s – Gourmet burgers by Ashley Christensen, finalist for James Beard Awards’ 2014 Best Chef in the Southeast – DT
• Torii Noodle Bar – Great little Japanese noodle/sushi place. One of the best bargains in Raleigh. (WR, at the Crabtree Mall entrance)
• BurgerFi – small national chain with burgers that are a step above Five Guys – (off 40 near arena and NR)

$$$

• Raleigh Times Bar – Gritty beer bar (family friendly, though) with fantastic food. Started the downtown renaissance, and always mentioned in any short blurb bits about Raleigh in magazines – DT
• Buku – Fantastic urban street food place, in a contemporary, NYC feeling atmosphere – DT
• Busy Bee – Good beer hall place with sneaky-good food.
• Sitti – Lebanese.
• The Pit – NC BBQ place that is always written up in magazines, on DD&D
• Humble Pie – (Brunch only on Sundays) Great tapas place – DT
• Poole’s Diner (opens at 5:30) – Ashley Christensen’s flagship – DT
• Gonza Tacos – (opens at 5) Best Mexican restaurant in NC. – NR
• Mez – Southwestern in RTP – Near 40/540

$$$$

• An – One of the best Asian restaurants in NC (off 40 near arena).
• Heron’s – (Brunch only) One of the finest restaurants in one of the finest hotels in the country (off 40 near arena).  – (off 40 near arena)

LOCATION KEY

DT = Downtown
NR = North Raleigh
WR = West Raleigh
("Off 40" – these locations are found on the way to the arena from Charlottesville).

Parking Recommendations

Parking for the main lots at the arena will have traffic spilling out to Edwards Mill Road and Wade Ave/I-40 East (between the airport and the arena) causing significant delays. My recommendation is to skirt these areas and see what you can do to get to the intersection of Hillsborough St. and Youth Center Drive in Raleigh. YCD ends at the NCSU football stadium entrance, where there is ample parking with better traffic flow than the main lots. In a sense, you are approaching the complex from the South instead of from the Northwest. map it

PNC Arena Parking Fee: $20

Game Times: Tennessee-Mercer, 6:10 , Virginia/Memphis, ~8:40