Davidson is located about 20 minutes north of Charlotte and Ryan and I first visited the town after a bunch of you guys recommended some Davidson-area restaurants to me when we moved to North Carolina at the end of last summer.
(Davidson around the holidays is my favorite!)
We quickly fell in love with downtown Davidson, thanks to the adorable brick paths, unique shops, delicious local restaurants and friendly people.
It’s one of my favorite places to bring guests when they come to visit and everyone from my mom and sister to my best girlfriends continue to rave about this beautiful town and always ask to go back whenever they visit!
(Me + Leslie in Davidson – Fall 2014)
(Me + Ashley in Davidson – Spring 2015)
Today I am working with Taste Buds Travel, a fun YouTube travel show, and Ford to share a Downtown Davidson Dining Guide with you guys, just in case you ever find yourself in the Charlotte area looking for some incredibly delicious and unique dining options! All of the restaurants mentioned below may be found on Main Street in Davidson and they’re all within walking distance of each other.
Breakfast
For the purposes of this dining guide, breakfast is a two-step process because great coffee deserves its own shout out, right!?
Before your day in Davidson begins, you must grab coffee from Summit, a favorite local coffee shop you’ll immediately recognize from the line that almost always curls around the outside of the shop on weekend mornings. Open since 1998, Summit is a community hot spot for everyone from students and families to couples, athletes (I always see bikers meeting up here after a long weekend ride!) and music fans who come to enjoy live music three nights a week.
Summit is a Davidson staple, so head in and grab a latte to enjoy while you walk down Main Street and put your name in for a table at Toast!
If you’ve read PBF regularly over the course of the past year, you know how much Ryan and I love Toast! We make our way to this brunch hot spot once or twice a month and have yet to be disappointed.
On the weekends, you’re greeted with a basket of cornbread served with sweet apple butter to enjoy while you browse the menu.
I’ve ordered everything from their omelets and French toast to their eggs benedict and quiche and have nothing but good things to say about everything, though Ryan swears their banana nut pancakes are the best!
Lunch
Though the food and baked goods I’ve tried at Millstone Bake House keep me going back time and time again, I also adore the comfortable ambiance of this local gem.
It’s a small restaurant located along Main Street and though it can be challenging to find a table at times, it’s a must-visit spot thanks to flavorful food made with ingredients from the local farmer’s market.
I typically opt for the build your own sandwich option on one of their artisanal breads and love grabbing one of their baked goods to go to enjoy later in the day when my sweet tooth strikes.
And if you happen to swing by in the morning, their croissants are flaky and buttery and definitely worth a try!
Dinner
If you’re looking for a fantastic local hot spot to check out for a dinner that will knock your socks off, you must check out Kindred, a new-to-the-area restaurant that’s quickly developing a fabulous reputation.
Your meal will begin with a complimentary loaf of Kindred’s milk bread which may just end up being the highlight of your meal, as it’s the freshest, fluffiest bread I’ve ever been served at a restaurant.
Kindred’s portions are on the smaller side, so I highly recommend ordering a few dishes to share, as that will help you leave the restaurant feeling satisfied but also give you the opportunity to try a handful of their entrees.
Though the menu is constantly changing thanks to a focus on seasonal fare, you cannot go wrong by selecting one of their fresh pastas (made in-house) or ask your waiter recommend a new dish to try. They haven’t steered us wrong yet!
Taste Buds Travel
And just in case you enjoy hearing all about awesome places to visit in new areas, I wanted to take a quick second to share a little bit more about Taste Buds Travel, a new YouTube show brought to you by Ford featuring stars (and best friends) Krissy and Jessica who travel around the country looking for cool local spots to check out!
In their latest episode they visited New Orleans and met up with amazing food blogger Joy The Baker. (If you haven’t checked out Joy’s blog yet, you should… and prepare to start drooling immediately!) They spend some time at Joy’s favorite local restaurant and learn how to make Tiki drinks. They also have episodes featuring more famous cities across the United States, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Austin. I love their energy!
I hope you guys enjoyed this sneak peek into some of my favorite dining spots in Davidson!
More PBF Travel Guides
Here are a few additional travel guides that have popped up on PBF in the past:
- Orlando: The Non-Theme Park Side
- My Favorite Sanibel Restaurants
- Things to Do in St. Petersburg, Florida
Question of the Morning
- Have you ever visited a small(ish) town that immediately captured your heart? Please share more below!
I absolutely love Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and St. Augustine, Florida. They both have so much history and character.
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I visited Charlotte for Memorial Day weekend. On Monday before making the drive back home to Baltimore, my boyfriend and I stopped for breakfast at Toast. The omelet I got was amazing! I love Charlotte and it’s surrounding areas.. so beautiful. I can definitely see myself settling down there!
Davidson looks like such a cute town! When I first visited Newport, Rhode Island, I absolutely loved it! I loved the whole vibe of it and seeing the different shops/restaurants. A lot of New England towns are fun to browse and look at.
I agree with you, I love Newport,RI. When I lived in Providence, RI I would travel to Newport to relax. There is one street close to the water that has cute little shops and restaurants. I always took the drive along the old mansions and coast and would stop near the boat dock and just sit and enjoy the peace. My favorite place in the U.S..
i LOVE local restaurants!! they are definitely the best and far superior to chain places!!
Although Charleston isn’t small, the food and quaintness of the Holy City is just unmatched.
I love small towns (I love big cities too – but small towns are super quaint.. or small towns in a BIG CITY!! haha) – I recently went on a work trip in Montana and visited Bozeman and their Main Street – it was super adorable! The food was great, interior decor of restaurants and shops great, and so walkable! Which I love! 🙂 Montana is FULL of small towns and Red Lodge and Livingston are also both super cute places! Oh! And Seaside up in the Panhandle of Florida- Fort Walton Beach area… ok.. I think I’m done…
I almost went to Davidson College to play field hockey, and I completely fell in love with that town, as well. So many local treasures that totally blow big cities out of the water. 🙂
Good Morning from the State of Missouri!
Just want to tell you this is an awesome post! Blogging about a town you love showing the world its wonderful character and history. I personally love small town restaurants. They usually off the best tasting food you can ask for. A lot like mom’s cooking back home. Am I right? I love how you broke it up between Meals(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner). The food looks amazing in the photos. Makes me want to pack up and come visit the town myself! I have visited a few towns just like this that are to die for. I may just have to pack up and travel a few hours to visit them all again to blog for the world to see the beauty a lot of smaller towns have to offer.
My friend and I have recently started a Food and Travel blog called All Around the Midwest. Bloggers on an Adventure. Visiting New Place. Meeting New People. Check it out and let us know what you think. Maybe give us some advice and pointers? We are new to this an still building it up. Thanks in advance and I hope you have a wonderful day!
Travis
All Around the Midwest
http://www.allaroundthemidwest.weebly.com
allaroundthemidwest@gmail.com
Love Davidson! I had a fitness cert near there a couple of years ago–it was such a cool place!
I haven’t been to Davidson yet (we just moved to the Charlotte area last summer too), but we have a Toast near our house in South Charlotte and we love it! I’ll have to get up there to give some of these restaurants a try!
Portland, Maine is my favorite place in the world it has that small town look with a bit of a city vibe. Love it for just a day trip or a weekend getaway! One day I hope I can get the guts to make the move to live there!
Since you have moved and began sharing these gems of North Carolina, I just can’t wait to get back up there for a visit.
Smaller towns: St Augustine tops that list, of course. Ybor City, Mount Dora, and Winter Park are my favs in Florida!
I love Winter Park, too!
Love all these suggestions! I love North Carolina and will definitely make a stop in Davidson some time 🙂
Never been to Davidson but heard great things! Since you love to travel, I’ve got to make a recommendation for you. Add Christmas Town as a place to visit around Christmas. Its not far from Charlotte and well worth going too! All the houses are decorated with lights and the town. It’s beautiful!
http://www.mcadenville-christmastown.com/
Oh awesome!! Thanks for the rec!
How fun! Davidson looks like a beautiful, yummy place! My favorite small town is Lewisburg, PA. So charming!
Love these suggestions! Looks like a great place!
I have never been to Davidson, but I LOVE small college towns so much. A couple towns that captured my heart have been Cedarburg, WI and Columbia, MO. Midwest girl now living in the big city of Dallas, TX ;).
That looks like such a CUTE town! I love this!
Kim
http://trendkeeper.me .. 50 shades of BLUE!
Great post ! Now I know where to go should I ever pass by Davidson.. Charleston SC is one of my favorite “quaint” city towns, as is North Dover VT. Nantucket MA is where my family’s summer home is so it will always have a very special place in my heart. My boyfriend went to college at Gettysburg, so I’m hoping to get out there some day to visit.
I lived in Charlotte for about 6 months and really liked the Davidson area. I didn’t try any of the places you recommend, but they all look delicious!
When I went to Davidson for college, I loved taking my parents to Summit for coffee and the Soda Shop for lunch when they came to visit. Your pictures brought back some wonderful memories!
So fun! Do you remember any favorite dishes at the Soda Shop? I haven’t had anything I’ve loved yet from there and am looking for recommendations b/c I know so many people love that place!
We always kept it pretty simple with either the homemade veggie soup and grilled cheese, a club sandwich, grill chicken melt, or chicken salad sandwich. I hope you find something that you like!!! Have you tried a milkshake yet? Also, have you tried North Harbor Club (http://northharborclub.com/) in Davidson or Jeffrey’s (http://jeffreyslkn.com/) in Mooresville? Both are a bit more fine dining, but excellent! My friends and I used to go to Vinnie’s Raw Bar in Mooresville too…right on the lake so you could take you boat there. It’s a more relaxed, bar atmosphere, but good seafood. I’m not sure if it’s still around or not, but if it is, it’s work trying!
We loved North Harbor Club!! Hoping to go back soon! And I haven’t heard about Jeffrey’s yet but I’ll definitely look into it. And I MUST check out Vinnie’s when I can eat raw oysters again. They’re my favorite!
Julie, Davidson looks so cute! I’ve always wanted to try living on the east coast at some point, and this definitely drives that feeling home!
We just visited Boulder, which is another great little collage town. Cute, walkable downtown plus absolutely gorgeous hiking and scenery right there.
Boulder is so beautiful! I am dying to go back!
I love Fredericksburg, TX. It’s about an hour+ drive from Austin and they have some great shopping, quaint restaurants, and lots of wineries! Great for a girls day trip to get out of the city.
Fredericksburg immediately came to mind, too! I grew up in Bastrop and have many fond memories of day trips out there. 🙂 I remember a really cool candle-making shop where you could watch them craft really intricate things out of wax. I wonder if that’s still there! It’s been a number of years since I was able to make it out there.
I went about a year or so ago and I think it’s still there! The salt water taffy place is my favorite!
Oh, I love Fredericksburg, too! I grew up in Dallas, and I have happy memories of visiting as a kid, and then later as an adult. The best day trip from there is to Schlitterbahn — heaven!
My BFF lives in Mooresville and has taken me to Davidson. She raves about the same places as you!
Fredericksburg! It’s located in the Texas Hill Country, and is an adorable German town known for many things: picturesque setting of local shop-lined streets, wineries, lavendar, bed and breakfasts, peaches (it’s the Peach Capital of Texas), etc. It is also close to Enchanted Rock, which is a massive pink granite dome popular among hikers and rock climbers.
Lol – I just saw a poster above me beat me to it. 🙂
It’s so much fun to discover local restaurants. I tried to eat local while I was in Vancouver on vacation.
I went to Gettysburg as a kid on a family vacation. I learned so much.
I live in Wisconsin, and every year I take a trip with my family and/or friends to Door County (the peninsula). There is a small town called Ephraim that I absolutely LOOOOVE. Hidden behind a wooded area, along the main road is this little coffee shop that holds some of the best coffee I ever did sip! Perfect for relaxing in the shade on a sunny day.
I used to go camping in Door County!! Love it!
My grandparents used to take me to Door County every summer. We used to get juices in bottles that my grandma kept forever.
I’m from Franklin, TN originally, and think you would LOVE it! It’s constantly winning little awards like “america’s favorite main street.” I grew up wondering around historic downtown Franklin, and main street is lined with adorable shops and boutiques, and history. I’ll always love Franklin!
Also, Eureka Springs, Arkansas is in northwest arkansas and is one of the most eclectic, unique, and WEIRD little towns I’ve ever been to! Definitely worth a visit!!
Love this! I usually visit the Charlotte area in the fall for work and have spent some time around Davidson, but never really knew where to go for meals. Thanks for sharing!
Davidson looks like such a cute town! Love all the local eateries. I live on the outskirts of a city right now (to be close to work) and would love to settle somewhere like that. A few that come to mind are: Princeton, NJ, Martha’s Vineyard, MA, and Sanibel, FL.
Toast is the best!
I kind of feel that way about Asheville. It’s more of a little city.. but it is a special place!
Millstone looks like my kind of place! I love cute little towns, I”m moving to Seattle this summer and am hoping to find a spot like this!
Maybe this is a hing you’re naming your son David?!?!? 😉
An ongoing joke between me and Ryan right now is that we’ll name him David Guetta Fagan. Ha! 🙂
Davidson is such a cool little city! I can’t wait to go back!!
i don’t think you can really call it a “small town” but key west has been my favorite since i randomly ended up there during spring break in college.
I *love* small towns like this. If I’m ever in the Charlotte area, I’ll be sure to visit Davidson.
My favorite gem of a town is Fairhope, Alabama. It’s a suburb of Mobile (my hometown) situated along the bluffs of Mobile Bay, and full of fantastic historic buildings, delicious restaurants, charming boutiques, and a stunning public pier. We often visit the town for brunch (and evening art walks pre-baby).
The neighboring community of Montrose was actually founded by my ancestors, so I feel even more drawn to the town. Forrest Gump author, Winston Groom, has a home in the area. It’s not far from local beaches, either.
Bay St. Louis, Mississippi is another favorite. Much of downtown was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina, but it’s coming back strong.
Stratford, Ontario is one of my favorite little towns because it’s close to me, but Davidson sounds adorable!
I’m only familiar with New England but we have so many cute small towns here, especially my own hometown of Ridgefield, Connecticut with an amazing Main Street with lots of great restaurants, a bookstore, and a homemade chocolate and ice cream shop. There’s also a town park where they play outdoor summer concerts and a gazebo just like you’d imagine. I also love Litchfield, CT, Nantucket, MA, many of the towns down the Cape, and Kennebunk in Maine 🙂
Another amazing one in Davidson is called The Pickled Peach!! SOOOO good!!
Davidson looks adorable! There’s a small town north of where I live called Weston, MO and I get such a huge smile on my face whenever we go! Definitely love visiting a small town with a lot of history 🙂
Julie, you make me want to venture over to North Carolina! Hopefully one day I can make my way over to that state because I know through your website, I would have plenty to keep me busy! I would have to go with Ryan’s advice if I ever visit Toast and grab some banana pancakes. 🙂
Awesome post! This is such a great round up of ideas for when I travel more to the North Carolina area. Thanks, Julie!
My favorites are Madison, GA which has an awesome homemade sweets shop and great antiques! Nearby is Milledgeville, GA, which is a great college town, (my husband went to Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville). And close to you is Elon, NC, which is where I went to college! Great local food and beautiful location!
Raspberry Walnut pancakes at Toast are my favorite!
Ah, that town looks adorable! I absolutely loveeee quaint downtowns. (I am a coffee shop junkie). Charlottesville, VA is one of my faves 🙂
princeton, new jersey! it was my FAVORITE town when i lived in jersey. it’s upscale, quaint, and quite preppy as you can probably imagine but its got SO many unique eats and boutiques and is absolutely charming to walk around anytime of year! there are some pretty fancy stores like kate spade and brooks brothers and it’s not uncommon to see a super-gawker sports car every once and a while (and try to take a stalker pic while nobody’s looking), but there are also your hole in the wall fast food places like hoagie haven (the reviews speak for themselves) and deliciously fresh ice cream shops (halo pub, bent spoon). it’s got a nice mix of college students (and if you’re at princeton, they’re either super preppy or totally hipster..), old rich people, tourists, and randos like me!
some of my fondest memories in jersey are weekend afternoons and summer evenings spent roaming around in princeton! would totally recommend a half-day stop at this quaint town and a tour of the beautiful campus if you’re ever in the area 🙂 but be prepared to shell out some $$$ when you’re there 😉
I am from a small coastal town in Maine and when I left for college I realized when I came home to visit just how nice it is to grow up in a sweet little town. There are so many cute local shops and restaurants and if you grow up there everyone knows you! We are also like 20 minutes from the ocean and I don’t think I would ever want to live too far from the coast! I just recently moved to the Portland, Maine area and I want to start trying some of the restaurants here because I’ve heard there are some really good ones!