It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Triangle Restaurant Week. The semi-annual event comes around every January and June — and with so many new restaurants opening around the Triangle, now’s the perfect opportunity to try somewhere new.

The series of specials are now available through next Sunday, January 26, but don’t set your forks down just yet: there are nearly 100 restaurants participating this winter, so unless you’re planning on shoving down back-to-back-to-back dinners, you still won’t be able to eat your way through the entire list. For those dedicated foodies determined to try, remember: this is both a marathon and a sprint.

A quick recap of how this works:

🍴A prix fixe (pronounced pree-fix) menu typically offers an appetizer, entree + dessert for one fixed price. (Get it?) While most participating restaurants will have a prix-fixe menu specially designed for Triangle Restaurant Week, their regular menus are usually available as well.

🍴Group dinner? Make sure your crew is ready to commit. Some restaurants require that *everyone* at a table must participate in Restaurant Week — or else no one gets the deal. This varies by place, so you’ll want to call ahead.

🍴The secret to scoring a true deal is paying attention to the cost of the regular menu items. For example, if a restaurant advertises a three-course meal for $30, add up the cost of those same dishes if you were to order those menu items any other time. Unfortunately, some menus are more of a pairing + less of a deal. Diners beware.

🍴Some restaurants create menus specifically for restaurant week. Meaning if you fall in love with a dish, it may not be available the next time you go back. Certain chefs use this time to test new tastes + show what they’re capable of cooking up. Our recommendation: think outside the to-go box and try something different.

Overwhelmed? Don’t be. We scoured each and every menu, then narrowed it all down to some of the most delicious deals on the table — so all you have to worry about is whether or not you want to add in an optional wine pairing. (Um, always?) But if you still want it all, click here to see the complete list of participating restaurants + search by deal and location.

Daniels Restaurant

📍1430 Williams St., Apex
⏰ Lunch and dinner Sunday-Friday + dinner Saturday
🍽️ This casual spot for Italian fare offers house made sauces, fresh ingredients + we love the gluten free options. For restaurant week, they’re offering a $30 dinner. Our picks: vegetable minestrone, pasta bolognese + fried dough.

Ko•an

📍2800 Renaissance Park Pl., Cary
⏰ Lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday, open late Friday + Saturday nights
🍽️ We’ve fan-girled about this southeast-Asia concept from chef Drew Smith before, so suffice to say we’re excited about their $35 dinner menu for restaurant week. TryThis: Vietnamese meatballs, Korean fried chicken + pomegranate molasses sorbet.

Totopos Street Food and Tequila

📍1388 Kildaire Farm Rd., Cary
⏰ Lunch and dinner on weekdays + Saturday and Sunday brunch
🍽️ The Spanish word “totopo” translates roughly to “noisy tortillas” — and we’re here for it. Everything on the menu is bright, fresh, and totally delicious, plus the restaurant dinner special is only $30, or $35 if you want a margarita pairing. Don’t miss: esquites, cochinita pobil + tres leches.

Lugano Ristorante

📍1060 Darrington Dr., Cary
⏰ Lunch and dinner every day, open late Friday + Saturday nights
🍽️ The menu at this restaurant is inspired by its namesake town, located on the border between Switzerland and Italy. For restaurant week, they’re offering a $30 dinner menu. Our picks: fried smoke gouda mac, flounder gnocchi + the espresso ganache tart.

City Kitchen

📍201 S. Estes Dr., Chapel Hill
⏰ Lunch and dinner every day + Sunday brunch
🍽️ Besides the great bar space, this restaurant boasts top (in our opinion) small bites and drinks, and is a fun spot to meet friends or colleagues after work. For restaurant week, they’re doing a $15 lunch + $35 dinner special, so you can’t go wrong. TryThis: greek salad, turkey BLT sandwich + strawberry shortcake.

Talullas

📍456 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill
⏰ Dinner Tuesday-Sunday, lunch on weekends
🍽️ We love the Medetteranean vibes and bites at this local spot, and are super hyped to see their $15 restaurant week offering. Not-to-be-missed: Turkish coffee.

Guglhupf Bakery, Cafe & Biergarten

📍2706 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd., Durham
⏰ Brunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday
🍽️ The indoor-outdoor setting of this German-inspired restaurant really encourages us to settle in and enjoy some tried-and-true comfort food. For restaurant week, they’re offering a $35 dinner special. TryThis: chicory salad, tafelspitz + dark chocolate cake.

Rue Cler

📍401 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham
⏰ Lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday, Saturday + Sunday brunch
🍽️ Oui, s’il vous plaȋt — the $35 dinner lineup for restaurant week at one of Durham’s chicest dining spots looks magnifique. Our picks: roasted beets, smoked trout rillettes + moules cocos.

Coquette Brasserie

📍4351 The Circle at North Hills St., Raleigh
⏰ Lunch, midday, and dinner menus served every day + Sunday brunch
🍽️ This French-inspired restaurant in North Hills is not disappointing us for restaurant week, with their $10 two-course lunch + $35 three-course dinner. Don’t miss: the potato croquettes + chicken paillard.

Garland

📍14 W. Martin St., Raleigh
⏰ Lunch Wednesday-Friday, dinner Tuesday-Saturday
🍽️ The combination of Indian and mainland-Asian flavors at Cheetie Kumar’s restaurant always leaves us wanting more, so we’ll definitely be hitting up her $35 dinner menu for restaurant week. TryThis: local fish crudo, honey-date glazed pork belly + cardamom coffee ice cream

NOFO

📍2014 Fairview Rd., Raleigh
⏰ Lunch and dinner Monday-Friday + breakfast and lunch Saturday-Sunday
🍽️ If you want casual, localized comfort food, look no further. The cafe will be offering $25 dinners during restaurant week — one of the best deals we found. Our picks: fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits + chocolate torte.

Papa Shogun

📍111 Seaboard Ave., Raleigh
⏰ Dinner Wednesday-Saturday
🍽️ Whoever said Italian + Asian food don’t match? Chef Tom Cuomo has totally proven them wrong, with his inventive concept, located in Seaboard Station. Be sure to check out his $35 dinner special during restaurant week. Not-to-be-missed: fresh-pulled mozzarella, Italian wedding soup ramen + black sesame cake.

The Big Easy

📍222 Fayetteville St., Raleigh
⏰ Lunch, dinner, and late night seven days per week
🍽️ Give us alll the Cajun foods. This New Orleans-style restaurant is offering a $20 dinner special for restaurant week, and we can’t wait to get over there. Must have: alligator bites, crawfish étouffée + Bourbon Street brownie.

Piccola Italia

📍423 Woodburn Rd., Raleigh
⏰ Lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday
🍽️ Three courses for lunch or dinner + it’s only $15 during restaurant week — that’s just one of the reasons why we love this hidden gem inside Cameron Village. TryThis: mozzarella caprese, chicken parmigiana + cannoli.

Poll

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