Top of Hill Top of the Hill

Top of the Hill Awards

Brewery and café with a bird's-eye view of bustling downtown Franklin Street.
Openings: Lunch & Dinner daily, Brunch Sat.-Sun.

Features

Top of the Hill, Chapel Hill, NC


Top of the Hill Restaurant Review:


The view from Top of the Hill’s dining room and bar sweeps along Chapel Hill’s main street and glimpses giant vats of beer brewing behind glass walls. A porch overlooking Franklin Street three floors below is accessible by elevator. Its international menu complements the house-made beer selection, but start with a cocktail made from spirits produced by Topo, Top of the Hill’s distillery. With a martini, share the crisp sweet potato fries topped with cream cheese and pepper jelly or a spicy spinach-artichoke dip with tortilla fries. Impressive beer choices would be Big Bertha Brown Ale (also used in the onion soup), Blue Ridge Blueberry Wheat and Lewis Black Imperial Stout. At the Back Bar (a popular student hangout in a separate room), tasty cask brews are available. For the main course, we recommend cornmeal-dusted catfish served with fries and cabbage-kale slaw, lump crab cakes with chipotle rémoulade sauce, the rich Arizona gemelli pasta with chicken and chipotle cream sauce, or New York strip steak with garlicky “frites.” Wild mushroom grits with or without shrimp is a fine choice for Sunday brunch. American-style desserts include a classic apple pie, fudgy brownies with vanilla ice cream, and Key lime pie. Between lunch and dinner and late at night, a limited lighter menu is offered.