Highest-rated restaurants with outdoor seating in Rocky Mount by diners

The average person spends over 74 minutes eating and drinking on any given weekday. On weekends and holidays, that goes up to over 81 minutes. Where is a better place to spend that time than a restaurant?

Consumers agree. The National Restaurant Association states that 9 in 10 adults enjoy eating out at restaurants, which give people access to a world of great-tasting food that's often difficult to reproduce at home.

People choose restaurants to scope out the latest food trends, including deeper dives into Southeast Asian cuisines from Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines, without trying to master these complex dishes at home. Chefs also have the resources to experiment with ingredients and bring new favorites like hot honey, spicy maple, matcha, and pickled foods to the table.

Dining out also offers unique, hyperlocal experiences featuring local farmers, food producers, brewers, winemakers, and distillers in a way that connects diners to the area.

When the weather's nice, diners flock to al fresco seating. At least 2 in 5 diners like eating outdoors and look for great ambience like skyline views, rooftop settings, and waterfront seating to enhance their dining experience.

Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated restaurants in the Rocky Mount area using data from Yelp. Data is as of Aug. 4, 2025. Only businesses marked as having outdoor seating on the Yelp website were included. Yelp's ranking system calculates an adjusted rating value that considers the number of ratings and the rating score itself. Only businesses with at least 20 reviews within a 10-kilometer radius of Rocky Mount were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than 10 locations nationally, based on our Yelp data, were not included. Read on to see if your favorite spot made the list.

Texas Steakhouse & Catering

1 / 21

#21. Texas Steakhouse & Catering

- Rating: 2.6/5 (245 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 126 Gateway Blvd. Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: Steakhouses, American, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

Chico's Mexican Restaurant

2 / 21

#20. Chico's Mexican Restaurant

- Rating: 2.9/5 (51 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1701 Sunset Ave. Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

Gardner's Barbecue 301 Flagship Store

3 / 21

#19. Gardner's Barbecue 301 Flagship Store

- Rating: 3.1/5 (93 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1331 North Wesleyan Blvd. Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: Barbecue, Southern, Soul Food
- Read more on Yelp

San Jose Tacos & Tequila

4 / 21

#18. San Jose Tacos & Tequila

- Rating: 3.1/5 (55 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1130 North Wesleyan Blvd. Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: Mexican, Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Cook Out

5 / 21

#17. Cook Out

- Rating: 3.2/5 (24 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1020 North Wesleyan Blvd. Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: Fast food, Burgers, Hot Dogs
- Read more on Yelp

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Ichiban Japanese Steak House

6 / 21

#16. Ichiban Japanese Steak House

- Rating: 3.3/5 (61 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 191 South Wesleyan Blvd. Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: Japanese
- Read more on Yelp

Shuckin' Shack Oyster Bar

7 / 21

#15. Shuckin' Shack Oyster Bar

- Rating: 3.7/5 (22 reviews)
- Address: 1123 Jeffreys Road Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: Seafood, Sports Bars, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q

8 / 21

#14. Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q

- Rating: 3.9/5 (41 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1169 Eastern Ave. Nashville, North Carolina
- Categories: Barbecue, Chicken Shop, American
- Read more on Yelp

El Tapatio

9 / 21

#13. El Tapatio

- Rating: 3.9/5 (32 reviews)
- Address: 21 Progress Drive 301 Bypass Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

The Prime Smokehouse

10 / 21

#12. The Prime Smokehouse

- Rating: 4.1/5 (839 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1151 Falls Road Ste 1018 Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: Barbecue, Smokehouse, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q

11 / 21

#11. Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q

- Rating: 4.1/5 (113 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 670 N. Wesleyan Blvd. Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: Barbecue, Chicken Shop, American
- Read more on Yelp

Westridge Grill

12 / 21

#10. Westridge Grill

- Rating: 4.1/5 (101 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3639 Sunset Ave. Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: American
- Read more on Yelp

Brian's Cheesesteaks

13 / 21

#9. Brian's Cheesesteaks

- Rating: 4.2/5 (53 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1129 Jeffreys Road Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: New American, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

Mario's Pizza

14 / 21

#8. Mario's Pizza

- Rating: 4.3/5 (115 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3653 Sunset Ave. Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: Pizza, Italian
- Read more on Yelp

D Chill Spot

15 / 21

#7. D Chill Spot

- Rating: 4.3/5 (59 reviews)
- Address: 101N Fairview Road Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: Caribbean
- Read more on Yelp

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El Jimador

16 / 21

#6. El Jimador

- Rating: 4.4/5 (118 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2181 Lawrence Cir Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

El Mariachi

17 / 21

#5. El Mariachi

- Rating: 4.4/5 (27 reviews)
- Address: 126 South Winstead Ave. Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

Books and Beans

18 / 21

#4. Books and Beans

- Rating: 4.4/5 (49 reviews)
- Address: 1151 Falls Road Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Tipsy Tomato

19 / 21

#3. Tipsy Tomato

- Rating: 4.5/5 (119 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 7 East Elm St. Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: Pizza
- Read more on Yelp

NABS Deli and Coffee Shop

20 / 21

#2. NABS Deli and Coffee Shop

- Rating: 4.7/5 (29 reviews)
- Address: 219 Northeast Main St. Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Delis, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Larema Coffee House

21 / 21

#1. Larema Coffee House

- Rating: 4.7/5 (79 reviews)
- Address: 106 South Washington St. Rocky Mount, North Carolina
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Venues & Event Spaces, Cafes
- Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 327 metros.