Southern Living Names Davidson’s Kindred Best NC Eatery

DAVIDSON, NC — Southern Living magazine, revered by many as the veritable bible of southern cuisine and hospitality, has lauded Davidson’s Kindred as one of the best restaurants in the region and the best in North Carolina.

NoDa’s famed Haberdish, located in Charlotte, is also one of the top 10 best eateries in the South, according to the magazine.

“Kindred brings Southerners from all over the region to Davidson, North Carolina, a tiny town of less than 15,000 people, for fresh takes on Appalachian cooking,” the magazine said.

In 2015, Chef Joe Kindred and his wife Katy opened up their namesake restaurant Kindred and thrust Davidson onto the national food scene. In that time, Kindred has garnered serious recognition, which earned Joe acknowledgement as a semifinalist for a James Beard award.

SEE ALSO: NC's James Beard Award Semifinalists: Full List

Here’s what Southern Living had to say about Kindred:

“In a cozy brick building that once housed the town pharmacy, neighbors sip seasonal frozen cocktails and share plates of crispy oysters at the marble soda fountain-inspired bar. Local farmers, many of them Joe’s friends, influence the ever-changing menu of house-made pastas that staffers are eager to describe to first-time diners.

“In a perfect world, every small town would have a restaurant this special, a place where friends could celebrate a memorable occasion or just a night out with a bottle of wine and a slice of fudgy birthday cake topped with ice cream and sprinkles. Kindred shows us the possibilities.”

In December, the Kindreds opened their second Lake Norman restaurant, Hello Sailor, in Cornelius in what had been called by Eater as one of the most highly anticipated restaurant openings of the year in the U.S.

SEE ALSO: Highly Anticipated 'Hello, Sailor' Eatery Opens

The South’s Top 10 Restaurants, according to Southern Living:

• L’Opossum, Richmond, Virginia
• Signature, San Antonio, Texas
• The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tennessee
• Kindred, Davidson, North Carolina
• Haberdish, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Commander’s Palace, New Orleans,
• J.C. Holdway, Knoxville, Tennessee
• Acre, Auburn, Alabama
• Husk, Charleston, South Carolina
• Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, Alabama

Read more about Southern Living’s 2018 list of best restaurants in the South here.

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