Two Triad restaurants were the only North Carolina eateries to make Yelp’s Top 100 U.S. Restaurants list for 2022.
Machete in Greensboro ranked 18th on the list, and Harvest Grill in Dobson came in at No. 79.
To create the ninth annual list, Yelp reached out to its users for their favorite dining spots. Then, it ranked each restaurant by total number of submissions, ratings, reviews, and geographic representation, among other factors.
Tai Blevens opened Machete on Battleground Avenue in the LoFi area in February, 2020, just before the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the ensuing lockdown and difficulties brought on by the pandemic, it has been drawing rave reviews ever since.
Yelp wrote that “Though Machete has only been around for a couple of years, its impact on Greensboro’s fine-dining scene has been substantial. Each visit is a special occasion because the creative and eclectic menu changes often based on seasonal ingredients and the chef’s keen eye. Past favorites have been pork cheeks with charred romaine, Wagyu fat, and “lettuce soup”; and rabbit with polenta, mushrooms, and seasonal greens.”
Machete has an American (New) cuisine and is known for “creative dishes that feature rare or unusual ingredients, and artful cocktails that are exciting and seasonal,” according to Yelp.
“The depth of flavor from the slow-cooked lamb and their Bolognese sauce—yum! The pasta was also on point. I know their dishes are seasonal but would want to eat this all year long,” wrote one Yelp reviewer.
Harvest Grill in Dobson is the restaurant at Shelton Vineyards in Surry County.
Harvest Grill is known for crab cakes served with gribiche (a cold egg sauce) and shoestring fries, according to Yelp.
“Spending time at Shelton Vineyards is so relaxing—great wines and a gorgeous property—the icing on the cake is Harvest Grill. They offer an extensive farm-to-table menu and great wine list (most of the wines by the glass, so you can try different wines with each course). Everything we tried on the menu was delicious,” wrote a Yelp reviewer.
Two restaurants from Charleston, South Carolina, also made the list — No. 6 Jackrabbit Filly and No. 22 LoLa.
Yelp’s top-rated restaurant was Cocina Madrigal in Phoenix.
