Honest opinions on Pinehurst resort food vs dining in town? Worth skipping the dinner package?
Heading to Pinehurst in September with 12 guys for a golf trip and trying to decide if we should keep the Pinehurst dinner package or ditch it and eat in the village/town instead.
Right now our dinners are:
- Pl8te at No. 8
- Carolina Dining Room
- Pinehurst Brewing Company
Since we’re on the resort package, those were the options we picked. But food is important to us — we’re Italians from NY so you know we are pretty picky when it comes to restaurants.
I’ve eaten at Carolina Dining Room and Pinehurst Brewing before and thought both were just “fine.” Nothing terrible, but not memorable either. I actually think Pinehurst Brewing got me sick the first time I went, so I’m a little hesitant there.
For people who’ve done both:
- Are the resort restaurants actually worth it?
- Is Pl8te noticeably better than the others?
- Would you skip the dinner package entirely and eat in Pinehurst/Southern Pines instead?
- If so, what restaurants are must-do spots?
Not looking for sugar-coated resort answers — looking for real opinions from people who know the area and care about food. Appreciate any recommendations.