Greensboro, NC food guide: Elm Street, Tate Street and the Curb Market

Greensboro is a major North Carolina city and the center of the Piedmont Triad, and it tends to be passed through on the way between Charlotte and Raleigh. That is a mistake for anyone who likes to eat. The city has a walkable downtown with an important history, a university district with cheap food and long hours, a long-running market and an international food scene that reflects decades of immigration. Here is Greensboro itself, street by street. Confirm hours before you go.

Where is downtown Greensboro's food district?

South Elm Street and the blocks around it. Start on South Elm for independent shops, then walk north toward the International Civil Rights Center and Museum. Restaurants, bars and cafes line the street and the cross streets, in brick buildings that were once warehouses and department stores. It is lively on Friday and Saturday evenings and quiet on Sunday afternoons. A guided food tour operates downtown for visitors who want an introduction.

What is the civil rights museum's connection to food?

The museum occupies the former Woolworth's store where, on February 1, 1960, four college students sat down at the whites-only lunch counter and asked to be served. The sit-ins that followed spread across the South. The counter is preserved in the museum, which is worth a visit before or after a meal downtown. A lunch counter is a plain thing, but the story of who was allowed to sit at one is part of the story of American eating out. Check the museum's hours and ticket details before you visit, since they change.

Where do students and locals eat near Tate Street?

Tate Street runs along the edge of the UNCG campus and the historic College Hill neighborhood. It has coffee houses, pizza and sandwich counters, vegan and vegetarian cafes and bars that cater to students. Prices are lower than downtown, many places open early and late, and the street is walkable from campus. Between terms, hours are shorter, and some places close for the summer. Ask a student where they go, and the answer is usually a dish.

What about the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market?

The Curb Market is the old market of the city. It operates on Saturday mornings, and the schedule can change with the season, so check the market's own page before you go. Expect produce, flowers, baked goods, eggs, meat and prepared food from regional growers. Go early for the best selection, and bring bags and small bills.

What does Greensboro's international food look like?

Greensboro is a refugee resettlement city and has welcomed people from Vietnam, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America over several decades, including a large community of Montagnard people from the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The result is a mix of Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Indian, Mexican, Ethiopian, Mediterranean and other restaurants and markets, many of them outside downtown along Lawndale Drive, High Point Road, Spring Garden Street and West Market Street. Ask at an Asian grocery store which restaurant the staff eat at. The answer is often a family-run place with a short menu.

How do you eat on a budget in Greensboro?

Look at the lunch specials, the meat-and-three counters, the barbecue places and the international grocery stores with hot food counters. North Carolina's tradition of a plate of meat with several vegetable sides is easy to find and costs little. Student areas offer cheap pizza and sandwiches. Many small restaurants take only cash, so carry some.

When is the best time to visit?

Spring and fall are comfortable. Summer can be hot and humid, and winter is mild. Weekday lunch is easy; Friday evening is the busiest. If you plan to visit the museum and eat downtown on the same day, do the museum in the morning and eat lunch before the lunch rush at noon.

A good way to spend a full day is to start at the Curb Market on a Saturday morning, walk to the museum for its opening, eat lunch on South Elm Street, and spend the afternoon at one of the city's parks, such as Lake Daniel or the Greensboro Arboretum, before a dinner on Tate Street or in one of the international corridors. Greensboro is easy to drive and parking is rarely hard, so you can see more in a day than in a bigger city.

If you are in town for a sporting event or a concert, check the schedule at the coliseum and the baseball park downtown, since traffic and restaurant waits rise on event nights. And if you are a barbecue fan, remember that Greensboro sits between the Lexington style to the west and the eastern styles toward the coast, so you can taste the dividing line in a single afternoon with a short drive.

How do you keep track of the best meal in Greensboro?

Greensboro spreads its best food across downtown, a college street and a long list of commercial strips, and a map alone will not sort it out. Mosey is a food-first app where you rate the dish you ate, keep lists of places to try and share them with friends. Rate the pho from Spring Garden Street and the meat-and-three plate from the lunch counter, and your list becomes the map.

More guides to read next:

• Allentown and Bethlehem food guide: Hamilton Street to SteelStacks
• Harrisburg Broad Street Market: what is open and where to eat
• Where to eat in Moab: Main Street meals around Arches days

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