Where to eat in Apex: lists by category

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Refreshed every three months.

These are Peak City News’s dining lists, one page per kind of food. Each one is alphabetical and gives every confirmed place inside Apex town limits with its address, phone and the hours it publishes on its own website. Downtown’s Salem Street, the shopping centers along West Williams Street and Beaver Creek Commons, Kelly Road, Pine Plaza and the Sweetwater and Teachey Place centers turn up on most of them.

How we made these lists. The places come from OpenStreetMap records inside Apex’s town limits, the same data behind our local directory, checked against each place’s own website. Where a place has no site we could find or its page would not load, we used its record in Wake County’s restaurant inspection data. The lists are not rankings or recommendations, and nobody paid to be on them. Run a restaurant? Write to us to correct your entry.

The lists

Where to get wings. Eleven places, most of them taverns and pizza chains on West Williams Street and downtown, plus Apex Wings on East Williams Street and Wingstop at Beaver Creek Commons.

Where to get pizza. Fourteen pizza places, from a family pizzeria on Salem Street to delivery chains on West Williams Street and Perry Road and sit-down restaurants on Pine Plaza Drive and U.S. 64.

Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants. Thirteen restaurants, from La Rancherita downtown and three kitchens on East Williams Street to burrito counters at Beaver Creek, Pine Plaza and Haddon Hall Commons.

Breakfast and coffee. Fifteen breakfast restaurants and coffee shops, including two cafes that share a downtown building on Salem Street, Foxtail Coffee on Hunter Street and at Sweetwater, and a 24-hour Waffle House.

Where to get burgers. Ten places, from a downtown burger pub to chains on Kelly Road, Pine Plaza, U.S. 64 and West Williams Street.

Sushi and Asian restaurants. Fifteen Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai restaurants, with sushi downtown, on East Williams Street, at Creekside Landing and on Lawnview Lane.

Ice cream and desserts. Eight shops for ice cream, frozen custard, gelato, cookies and cafe sweets.

Bakeries. Four bakeries: Groovy Duck downtown and three chains.

Patios and outdoor dining. Nine places whose own sites list a patio or outdoor seating, from downtown coffee shops to a covered pub patio on Apex Peakway.

Barbecue. We looked for barbecue restaurants inside the town limits and could not confirm four, so there is no barbecue list yet. Know one we missed? Tell us.

More food guides

Brunch. Weekend breakfast and brunch hours, from Doherty’s Sunday brunch to First Watch and Eggs Up Grill.

Date night. Places for an evening out in Apex.

Restaurant inspection scores. How Wake County inspects Apex restaurants and how to look up a score.

Also: the business directory, downtown Apex and Salem Street and dog-friendly places.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find a list of restaurants in Apex?

Peak City News keeps alphabetical lists by category: wings, pizza, Mexican and Tex-Mex, breakfast and coffee, burgers, sushi and Asian, ice cream and desserts, bakeries, and patios. Each gives the address, phone and the hours each place publishes.

Are these Apex restaurant lists rankings?

No. Every list is alphabetical. It is not a ranking or a recommendation, and nobody pays to be on it.

How often are the Apex restaurant lists updated?

Each list is checked against the restaurants’ own websites and refreshed every three months. The current lists were checked Oct. 12, 2026.

How do I check an Apex restaurant’s inspection score?

Wake County inspects Apex restaurants and posts the reports online. Our restaurant inspections page explains how to look one up.