Hawthorne & Wood

A dear friend and I came to celebrate our growing friendship. The manager was a jolly man who welcomed me on entry and showed me to the lounge after I checked in. The restaurant is a great place to have an upscale hangout or celebrate an occasion. Reservations are a necessity; I'd be sad to be turned away.H&W features a rotating menu that changes every day. You can order shareables to split among a group, or you can opt for a two-course meal. One main might be enough for those who eat light. Our server was prompt and careful to time his check-ins and food delivery with our progress on our drinks. He used them as a gauge from afar. H&W has an extensive selection of wines you can get by the glass. Premium wines are only sold by the bottle.The kitchen has the cooking time down to an art. Our menu featured seafood. My scallops had a delicate flavor balance and my friend's striped bass had soft meat with a crunchy skin.Thoroughly enjoyed my experience here and look forward to my next visit.

Hawthorne & Wood may be the best restaurant in Chapel Hill. The service alone is worth every penny; our servers were so attentive, informative, and knowledgeable, without seeming overbearing or pretentious. The drinks were lovely, and every course we ordered was exceptionally designed. And yeah it's expensive, but I've paid more at restaurants in Chapel Hill and received much worse food and service. H&W is a great place to impress clients or friends; it's a special place and deserves all the accolades.

Hawthorne & Wood is an elegant establishment where you want to dress up for, it's a perfect date night establishment. The service we received for our private party was top notch. Ok the food... the flounder we got was insane how delicious it was paired with coconut rice. Perfect combo. Now we also got a pork chop, this sucker was about 2" tall and the juiciest pork chop I've ever had. Hands down... and I mean hands down the best pork chop I've ever ate. This place has a great selection of wine, best and other alcoholic drinks too if you so fancy. We'll be back in the future!

Hawthorne & Wood is one of the nicer restaurants in the area. They have a modern sophisticated interior and a short but sweet menu. The dishes were predictable and average in execution for this caliber of restaurant, but that's comparing to restaurants in larger cities. Beet Salad 4/5 - Our server offered to split this onto two plates for us and it arrived so beautifully presented. I wish the flavors were brighter and more contrasted, it came off overall a bit salty.Barbecue Shrimp 2/5 - It comes with five small-medium shrimp haha and a strangely sweet(?) sauce. The "cornbread" didn't taste of cornmeal and instead resembled a dense, failed homemade biscuit/bread.Duck Confit Cassoulet 4.5/5 - The rich fatty flavor of the duck melded well with the salty cassoulet. The duck had crispy skin as promised, and soft tender meat.Flounder 1/5 - I must take some blame for this one because I saw it on the menu and said "every new american restaurant does this fish and coconut curry/soup dish and it always falls flat." But I was feeling fish and wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. I should've stuck to my guns. The fish was cooked just fine but the coconut broth is so uninspired and lacking in flavor. Didn't finish it and didn't wanna take it home.Pork Chop 4/5 - This thing is huge. It was cooked quite nicely for pork, but did taste under seasoned and dry on its own. The sauce was actually really delicious but there wasn't enough to go around so you're just eating the last half of the pork chop plain.Our server was a little brusque but very competent. I don't care if the server doesn't fake a smile for us, but some people may. Overall we had a nice time and enjoyed our meal. Glad we tried it but don't feel a desire to come back again.

What an amazing dinner experience at Hawthorne and Wood. If you're in the Chapel Hill, NC area, this fine dining restaurant is a must! The ambience and restaurant decor is a vibe. It's swanky and modern. Lighting and restaurant colors were perfect! We started with a variety of appetizers which were shared amongst three of us. They not only look beautiful but they taste amazing, too. Apps: black truffle arancini, lamb tartare, gem lettuce, and corn soup. Mains: gnocchi, tenderloin and bass. All delicious! Service: Our server Scott and host Mike were friendly and informative. They were detailed when explaining the menu and helped us make the right choices. I will definitely be back and highly recommend this fine dining establishment.

We loved our dinner experience at Hawthorne & Wood. To date, I think this is the best restaurant we've eaten at in Chapel Hill and it's certainly one of the best we've been to in the Triangle. The food quality here was comparable to that of other fine-dining establishments we've been to in bigger cities. Chapel Hill is lucky to have this place.This place is popular and deservedly so. I think if you want a preferable reservation time, you'll have to book at least several days in advance. I booked less than a day out and was able to get my wife and me a 5pm Saturday reservation. We checked in with a wave of 5pm customers. The restaurant and bar stayed busy for the duration of our stay.Inside, the restaurant is very classy and beautiful with a low-key, sophisticated, modern design. I liked it a lot. The restaurant is located in the East 54 mixed-use development on highway 54 near 15-501, just east of UNC Chapel Hill's campus. Plenty of free surface lot and deck parking is available outside the restaurant.Hawthorne & Wood serves New American cuisine. During our visit, the food menu was divided into three sections: Bar Snacks, First Courses, and Main Courses. Examples from each section, respectively, included Seared North Carolina Shrimp ($16), Seared Slow-Cooked Pork Shoulder ($14), and Pan-Roasted Beef Tenderloin ($42). On the drink menu, there were 16 cocktails ($11-15 each), from classic to "custom," plus over a dozen each of wine by the glass ($10-18 per) and North Carolina craft beer ($5-9 each).Here's what we got:Bar Snacks* Black Truffle Arancini ($10) - cured egg yolk, Parmigiano-ReggianoFirst Courses* Smoked Duck Breast Prosciutto ($16) - Huckleberry, roasted hen-of-the-woods, preserved root vegetables, pistachio genoise* Yellowfin Tuna Crudo ($16) - avocado, Fresno peppers, purple daikon, blood orange granitaMain Courses* Roasted Oyster Mushroom En Presse ($28) - Hon-shimeji mushrooms, melted leeks, horseradish, sherry gastrique, chives* Seared New Bedford Scallops ($38) - smoked Thai pumpkin, farro, bacon, Ruby Streaks mustard greens, sour cherry jusDessert* Apple Butter Cake ($8) - maple whipped cream and candied pecans* Chocolate Cream/Mousse with Amaretto cherries (complimentary)Custom Cocktails* Desolation ($14) - gin, Pernod, apple, tarragon, lemon* Bird of Paradise ($14) - Mezcal, aperol, honey, passionfruit, lime* Open Kimono ($13) - Japanese whiskey, ginger, burnt thymeIn general, we thought the food and drink were incredible. From ingredient quality to execution, everything was superb. Also, each dish and cocktail was absolutely beautiful. It reminded us of some of our favorite finer-dining type restaurants back home in Atlanta, and within NC, some of the best places we've been to in Asheville. Next-level stuff for Chapel Hill, in my opinion.Every dish impressed. The Black Truffle Arancini was served in a small iron skillet. The rice balls were smothered in shaved Parm. They had warm, savory centers. The Smoked Duck Breast Prosciutto looked like a work of art, like a flower crown from the woods (all of the dishes and drinks looked like works of art). As a fan of cured meat, mushrooms, and vegetables, I really enjoyed this dish. It was light yet packed with flavor and gratifying. The Yellowfin Tuna Crudo was outstanding. The presentation was bold and colorful. The ingredients were fresh and tasty all around.My wife and I love mushrooms and we thought the Roasted Oyster Mushroom En Presse was wonderful. They were pressed mushrooms, cut into rectangles, with flaky crusts. Unique. The mushrooms were garnished with additional mushrooms, along with greens. The sherry gastrique was flavorful and went well with the mushrooms. The Seared New Bedford Scallops were terrific. They were delectably charred, plump, and delectable. We loved how Thai pumpkin was incorporated into this dish. Again, unique.The Apple Butter Cake was phenomenal. If it's available during your visit, I recommend it. The dessert was sweet, smooth, and addictive. The maple whipped cream and the syrup, altogether with the cake, were simply sublime. The Chocolate Cream/Mousse with Amaretto cherries was complimentary for my wife's birthday. It was simple and delicious.The three cocktails were equally fantastic. I didn't prefer one over another. Each was well-made and very satisfying.Service was great. I forgot our server's name, but she was knowledgeable about the menu. Her name didn't print on the receipt. The food runners were nice, including one guy whose name I do remember: Eric, who also goes by the nickname "Jolly." We were seated in a nook in the back of the restaurant, close to the kitchen. We were near a corner where the staff had to say "corner" every time they approached so they didn't run into each other.Hawthorne & Wood opened in April 2019. Chef-owner Brandon Sharp opened up sister restaurant Bluebird, in nearby Meadowmont Village, in July 2022: https://bit.ly/3HnveNj.

My partner and I were highly anticipating this restaurant as many of our friends in the area I have recommended Hawthorne & Wood. He denoted in the reservation online that it was to celebrate my 25th birthday and we were quite disappointed with nothing came of it. There wasn't even any acknowledgment of the denotement. However, we understand as sometimes these things can be missed.Now for the ambience, it was lovely. The interior decor were moderate and dim lights. Very fitting for the high-quality restaurant that Hawthorne & Wood and would like to call themselves. However, the service was subpar at best. The server seemed to be in a rush to get us out. We were there for less than an hour in total. He didn't really communicate with us, kept conversations very short, perhaps he was just having a bad day.Now the food and appetizers, we had the ceviche and duck and both were good. The ceviche was tart which was unexpected but a good mix. The duck, however, was on the saltier side. But we were still happy to try for the unique combination of ingredients. Now the main entrées, the steak that I got truly blew me away. One of the best steaks in the chapel hill area, that I have tasted! The pork chop was quite delicious as well. The sauce and the pork chop itself was of a smoky salty sauce, and it was delicious. I'm not much of a fan of barbecue or smoky flavors, but my partner really enjoyed it. However, we do have to give it to the chefs that the steak was truly the star of the show.Despite having a delicious steak, we will not find ourselves coming back to Hawthorne & Wood for the service, and the lack of attention to detail. It's difficult to justify such a high price for below average service.

Like its sister restaurant, Bluebird, the food Hawthorne & Wood is Michelin Star level. The flavors and textures are all very refined and well balanced; fat, acid, sweet, savory, crunchy, smooth. The pork chop was an elevated and delicious interpretation of familiar American flavors. I really liked the huckleberry sauce to contrast with the tender pork and creamy parsnip puree. The flounder, in contrast, seemed inspired from Thai flavor profile with the coconut lemongrass broth and rice. Both dishes were excellent. I would describe the atmosphere of the restaurant as sophisticated and cozy. Highly recommend H&W if you're looking for a delicious upscale meal.

I chose to celebrate my 50th birthday here with my husband last night. This was on a Thursday night and we still couldn't get a reservation earlier than 8:00 p.m., so make sure you make reservations if you want to eat here! We have been a few times before and had good experiences.Arrived a few minutes early and were seated at a cocktail table with couch while they finished preparing our table. We ordered drinks and were escorted to our dining table before we received them, but they were quickly served to us once we were seated. The restaurant decor and ambiance is really nice, but I will say that the tables are pretty close together and it's a little dark (or I'm just getting old!). We sat inside, but they do have a nice outdoor seating area. Our table was directly under the A/C vent, so it was pretty chilly, but Mike, who I assume was a manager, noticed from my body language that I was cold, so he was very proactive and came over to let me know that he was going to take care of it. Points scored for Mike! I ordered a glass of the French Chardonnay (I only like unoaked) and my husband ordered the Paper Plane cocktail. He wasn't a fan of it due to its overly "lemony" taste, so our server happily switched it out for an old fashioned, which the hubby said was very good.On to the food! We ordered the pork belly and the Chilled N. Carolina crab for our starters. They were both really, really good. I would order them again in a heartbeat. It took a little longer than expected for our entrees to arrive, but it was actually okay because we were just enjoying being there. I had the flounder with jasmine rice and the hubs ordered the seared new Bedford scallops. He said that his scallops were quite possibly the best meal he has ever had, and we have eaten at some pretty superb restaurants! My flounder was on point as well. I have had it there before and the fact that I ordered it again should serve as evidence that it's fantastic. I feel like the price point here is appropriate for the experience. The only drawback for me was that there was no acknowledgement of the special occasion that we were celebrating (except for by the hostess). Usually nicer restaurants will do a little something, especially when you indicate on the reservation that you are there to celebrate. I considered taking a star away for that, but thought that it would be petty. I won't lie though, it was a bit disappointing. Fifty is a big milestone! Bottom line....this is one of our favorite restaurants.

We celebrated our anniversary and H&W delivered as always! We are never disappointed even though our expectations are high. They continue to change the menu and we are amazed how everything we try is always great. Could not recommend more