Chapel Hill punches well above its weight for a college town. Franklin Street and the blocks around it hold a range of restaurants from cheap student-budget staples to genuinely ambitious cooking. The town has more restaurants per capita than almost anywhere in North Carolina.
Crook's Corner on West Franklin Street is the most celebrated kitchen in town — a landmark of Southern cooking that has been feeding Chapel Hill since 1982. The shrimp and grits here helped define the dish nationally. Mediterranean Deli is the kind of place every college town needs: enormous portions, reliably good food, open late, and priced for students.
The adjacent town of Carrboro has its own strong dining scene. The short walk west on Franklin Street into Carrboro is worth it, especially for dinner.