From single origin coffees to slow-smoked, Texas style Barbecue from a generations old recipe, Nash County has the perfect sips and bites to get your taste buds excited. This quick trail will give you a sample of our local flavor while keeping you hungry for more.
Day 1
STOP 1: Larema Coffee House
Ease into the morning with fresh-brewed, single origin coffee prepared by hand right here in Rocky Mount. The Larema menu includes all your favorites from easy-going drip coffees to rocket-charged espressos to calm-me-down herbal teas. You can even order up some homemade toast topped with local jams, butter, chick peas or avocado.
STOP 2: Barley & Burger
This small, crowded restaurant is a local favorite. It combines the nostalgia of great movies with some new and unexpected burger combinations. Try the Godfather (fried mozzarella, marinara, pepperoni and fresh basil) or the Marty McFly (american cheese, chili, slaw and mustard) with a side of gourmet tater tots. Then, faster than you can reach 77 miles per hour in your modified Delorean, your food will arrive.
STOP 3: Michael's Showside Grill
The more you weigh, the harder you are to kidnap. EAT DESSERT. That’s the feeling here at Michael’s Showside Grill. Take their advice. Though it’s a full service grill, you’ll be tempted to skip the meal and go straight to dessert. Chocolate mousse pie, oreo cheesecake, blackberry cobbler. . . drooling yet? Before entering a sugar coma, load up on their fresh seafood or burger of the day. Think hard about coming back Friday and Saturday nights. You can say it’s for the live music, though we all know it’s for the coconut creme pie.
STOP 4: Koi Pond Brewing Company
Open Wednesday through Sunday, Koi Pond features an ever-changing variety of unfiltered ales made with local ingredients. This includes pale ales and IPAs, stouts and Belgian beers, Saisons and more. Try an angry Squirrel. Toss back a Bozo Brown. Or grab a flight and settle in for some trivia and local music.
Day 2
STOP 5: Books & Beans
If you like a good book with your morning coffee, this is your place. Perk up your morning at Books and Bean. Breakfast sandwiches, smooth coffee drinks, and inspiration await. Owner and New York Times’ best-selling author Etaf Rum curated this calm space to awaken customers’ senses with locally brewed coffees and teas, as well as a rotating wall of books for sale or to borrow. Take your morning pick-me-up outside and pose with Rocky Mount Mills water tower peeking over your shoulder. Insta-hearts to follow.
STOP 6: Smith's Red & White
Take a little of Nash County back home with you. Make a stop at Smith’s Red and White. A local family favorite for over 65 years, this little store produces over 10,000 pounds of local sausage every week, roast 30 BBQ shoulders and uses over 1,000 pounds of sharp cheddar in its homemade pimento cheese daily. So bring your appetite and love of all things pork.
STOP 7: Nashville Exchange
If you're a lover of comfort food that has been serving it up for 20+ years, welcome to the Nashville Exchange. Take a bite and forget your troubles as you're transported through the flavor of handcrafted burgers, a ribeye plate piled high with homemade chips, or an ala carte breakfast. Fabulous food, reasonable prices, and great customer service will leave you full, happy, and ready to face the rest of your day.
STOP 8: Lou Reda's An American Table
Craft bourbon cocktails. Fried Kung Pao Brussel sprouts. Brisket and short rib burgers. Everything is made in-house on the daily at this modern American restaurant. The menu is constantly changing depending on the inventive, inspired whims of owner Lou Reda and Chef Justin Gaines, who hails from NYC where he worked in Michelin Star restaurants in Manhattan. When the plate hits the table you know that the food is the star of this show. The finest and freshest local ingredients make your plate a pretty picture.
