12 Hottest Restaurants in the Triangle, February 2025

"The recently opened Khao Sen is bringing the kind of flavors more often found in Cary and Morrisville to the outer Wake County suburbs and so far the public seems to be loving it. Located in Fuquay-Varina, Khao Sen’s faithful Thai menu revolves around both rice (Khao) and noodle (Sen) dishes and avoids typical Americanized dishes like pad Thai or generic “green curry”. Instead, try the khao soi, a Northern-Thai curry with chicken in a fragrant broth alongside egg noodles and herbs. The ba mii moo daeng is akin to a Thai version of a meat-and-three, with slow-roasted pork shoulder, pork and shrimp dumplings, bok choy, cilantro, scallion, and crispy wontons, egg noodles, and served with a side of pork broth. There are spicy chicken wings, handmade spring rolls, and a very autumnal dish — the kuay tiew neur, a brothy soup with rice noodles, sliced New York strip steak, stewed beef, beef tendon, beef balls, cilantro, scallion, and Chinese broccoli." - Matt Lardie