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Keto Foodies of Raleigh-Durham

Top 9 Best Keto Restaurants in the Triangle

There’s no doubt that foodies love the Triangle area. With dozens of incredible local chefs and restaurants, eclectic cuisine from all across the globe can be found just down the road. From authentic Japanese ramen to real Vietnamese pho, to genuine Chinese bao–global flavors are at our fingertips. Plus, restaurants and chefs are more considerate of diverse dietary needs than ever before. Chances are, you can find a vegan restaurant, gluten-free bakery, and keto-specific menu on any downtown street. 

In the past, gluten-free, vegan, or keto diets may have made people feel restricted like they couldn’t dine at restaurants and be social with friends. With the soaring popularity of the Keto Diet, in particular, Raleigh and Durham restaurant chefs have gone above and beyond to provide healthy keto options. As a Raleigh-based Chef, I decided to create this brief guide to eating keto — so you can go explore the diverse and eclectic downtown cuisine, worry-free!

While this is a guide specifically for keto dining, many of these restaurants offer healthy vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options as well. Eat up! 

1. Clean Eatz (Raleigh)

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A hybrid restaurant and meal plan delivery service, Clean Eatz has sparked a revolution in healthy eating in the Triangle. They have a restaurant area, which serves up fresh meals with ample servings of veggies and lean meats. If you’re looking for an easy meal plan subscription, they serve a variety of dietary needs with daily, delivered prepared meals. 

They offer burgers, salads, and bowls. Their bowls offer a keto-friendly base of spinach or cauliflower rice, a choice of protein, and a plethora of veggies. Add a tasty sauce for zesty flavor, and you’ve got a quick and delicious keto option. 

According to their website, “Clean Eatz Meal Plans offers you the opportunity to have a personal chef prepare every meal for you at a cost you can afford.”

2. B.GOOD (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Morrisville)

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B.GOOD cleverly describes themselves as “food with roots.” Their farm-to-table ethos means all food is sustainably-sourced, grown seasonally, and supports community farmers. With a mouth-watering menu of locally-sourced burgers and grilled chicken, they offer plenty of keto-friendly protein. One protein-packed burger offers beef, egg, avocado, bacon, and cheddar — a savory, satisfying mouthful. However, they also offer vegetarian keto options like eggplant meatballs and marinara. If you’re craving a lighter snack, their seasonal produce allows them to rotate a variety of crunchy and flavorful keto-friendly salads. 

3. Raleigh Raw (Raleigh)

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While Raleigh Raw does offer a unique variety of raw juices–typically a ketosis nightmare–they actually do offer some very healthy keto options! Look at their bowls of raw, flavorful cubes of fresh salmon and tuna. Swap out the rice base for a foundation of greens, and it’s a keto-dream with raw, lean protein, crisp veggies, and avocado.

They also offer a keto-inducing Crack Coffee with coconut oil and grass-fed butter — a great way to kick start your morning!

4. Refectory Cafe (Durham) 

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Here’s a riddle: Four friends walk into a restaurant. Sarah can’t eat gluten; John can’t eat meat or dairy; Amber only eats meat; Greg is allergic to peanuts. How does this group of friends go out for a social dining experience, while still eating at the same restaurant? 


Answer: They went to the Refectory Cafe in Durham.

Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free; Refectory Cafe strives to serve healthy food for every need. In fact, according to their website, “the original goal of the Refectory Cafe was to be a “one-of-a-kind” local farm to table restaurant where omnivores, vegetarians, vegans, plant-based diets and gluten-free diets could all happily share a table together in the same facility.”

With sustainably-sourced healthy keto options like sweet ribs with goat cheese and spinach, or eggs with salmon and avocado, it’s an eclectic dining experience, enjoyable for all dietary requirements. 

5. Neomonde Mediterranean (Raleigh, Durham, & Morrisville)

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With mouth-watering chicken, salmon, beef, and lamb kabobs, Neomonde is the perfect place for a quick and easy protein pick-me-up. Savory sides like eggplant and steamed greens with spices are cooked in Mediterranean oils and herbs. 

Neomonde’s healthy menu has long been heralded by vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free, and keto dieters alike. Better yet, Neomonde is one of the most affordable restaurants on our list! With many flavorful options, the award-winning menu makes it one of the best Mediterranean restaurants in the Triangle. 

6. Salt & Lime Cabo Grill

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If you’re craving the West Coast zest of the Baja California Coastal Style, but you live here in the South, you may find yourself short on options. Fortunately, the Salt & Lime Cabo Grill has brought the flavors here to the Triangle. With a menu “ranging from street food and tacos to European style dishes, Baja mixes old Mexico with modern, fresh flavors from around the world.”

Their fire-grilled wings are an easy start for a keto-conscious snack. They also have seared yellowfin tuna, with lime cream, cilantro, and citrus flavors. Their meat selection is dazzling — from pork belly to steak to mahi-mahi. If you want a brighter, fresher, zestier keto dinner, Salt & Lime is for you.

7. Carolina Keto Bakery 

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Warm, sweet cakes, cookies, and pastries are often off-limits for the keto diet. You certainly couldn’t have baked treats like:

But “Keto” is right there in the name of the Carolina Keto Bakery. They whip up sweet treats and even savory snacks like pork rinds, then ship them right to your door. If you want to make yourself hungry, just scroll through their Instagram page and imagine the possibilities. 

8. Tupelo Honey

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Sometimes you just need some Southern homestyle comfort food — the kind you eat at the end of a lazy Sunday, after spending a long afternoon sipping iced tea on the front porch. The kind that reminds you of childhood.

With keto-friendly menu options like Sweet Tea Roasted Chicken, Griddled Appalachian Pork, Blackened Catfish, and Creole Trout, the meals at Tupelo Honey are as nostalgic as fireflies in a mason jar. Plus, the farm-fresh sides are savory and delicious.

Tupelo Honey also offers many vegetarian and gluten-free options.

9. Ordering a Personal Chef

If you’re hosting a group of friends and family with diverse dietary needs, don’t stress! For the cost of dining out, you could have an intimate gathering in the comfort of your own home–while your professional-chef irons out all the dietary details! 

The Triangle area has many professional and personal chefs who happily host unique dinner parties or private group cooking classes with any style of the desired cuisine. Whether you’re craving savory Southern foods, zesty Baja style, authentic global street food, or a whimsical Harry Potter-themed meal — this is a shockingly easy and affordable way to entertain a group with diverse dietary requirements. 

Whether you’re experienced with keto or just starting out, there’s no reason for your diet to restrict you! With the many fabulous local chefs at the Triangle’s best restaurants–and private chefs for your home event–you can still socialize with friends and enjoy good food, good company, and making good memories. 

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Carolina In My Mind

How to Create a Nostalgic NC Themed Dinner Party

I love Raleigh. I love the relaxed heart and soul of North Carolina, combined with the boundless creative energy of our growing city.

I love the electric tart-tang flavor of our burgeoning downtown, with eclectic food halls, global food choices, and craft breweries with a million complex fizzy flavors.

But also I love the laid back, slow molasses summer days with sweet tea on the front porch and simple sandwiches of Duke’s mayo and tomato. 

Videri Chocolate, Larry’s Beans, and Snoopy’s Hotdogs were all born here. When we’re feeling feisty, we also claim Krispy Kreme and Cheerwine, although those were started in neighboring towns. 

With this love in mind, I began creating the perfect Dinner Party or Cookout to introduce loved ones to the culture and climate of Raleigh, North Carolina. It’s ideal for next time you host a family reunion for out-of-town relatives and want to treat them to a deeper understanding of the cuisine, music, and decor of your hometown.

“It’s ideal for next time you host a family reunion for out-of-town relatives and want to treat them to a deeper understanding of the cuisine, music, and decor of your hometown.”

It’s equally fun for hosting a madhouse cookout for the next NCSU vs. UNC championship. Whatever your reason, I hope this guide helps inspire your next Raleigh or North Carolina themed event — and that you learn a little about your own history and culture in the process. 

Raleigh, North Carolina: A Menu of Local & Historic Cuisine 

You can learn so much about your own culture and history by studying North Carolinian cuisine. Taste is such an intimate sense. It can bring back those simple childhood memories of North Carolina summers — salty trips to Wrightsville Beach; sweet glazed doughnuts on Peace Street after coming from Pullen Park. I reached for these memories as I pulled together some menu ideas.

“You can learn so much about your own culture and history by studying North Carolinian cuisine.”

This is not a definitive menu, but rather an exploration of menu ideas to help inspire your own meal plan.

A Sweet Home Carolina Amuse Bouche: 

While a classic French amuse-bouche may not seem appropriate for a down home-style menu, this fun twist on a State Fair staple really screams Southern. 

  • Try small savory pork-stuffed Krispy Kreme doughnut holes, stuffed with Eastern Carolina hog, and sweetened with Cheerwine drizzle. While these recipes call for larger doughnuts, I suggest using small doughnut holes for a bite-sized flavor combination of sweet childhood memories stuffed with savory comfort food. Hushpuppies with Cheerwine drizzle made an appearance at the North Carolina State Fair and they did not disappoint.

Hushpuppies w Cheerwine Drizzle

HistoryKrispy Kreme has roots in Winston-Salem, and Cheerwine in Salisbury, so they are Carolina classics. While they aren’t from Raleigh proper, they are true blue NC, and every Raleigh kid from the 1970’s remembers these flavors.

“Every Raleigh kid from the 1970’s remembers these flavors.”

Classic Southern Hors d’oeuvres

My Grandmother also served me pimento cheese sandwiches (her favorite, aside from ‘Mater and Mayo). This savory crowd-pleaser recalls the simplicity of these fresh summer favorites – Green tomatoes and Pimento Cheese. You can combine them in any number of ways, but here are some suggested recipes. 

  • These Loaded Fried Green Tomatoes will bring full-on nostalgia. Zesty breaded and fried green tomatoes with creamy, mild pimento cheese are a warm, heavy hors d’oeuvre, perfect for cooler months. 
  • Southern Living Magazine has an entire list of pimento cheese recipes. From Southern Pimento Mac n’ Cheese bites–to cool refreshing dip for cucumbers and crackers in the hot summer.

Snoopy’s Hot Dogs is a Raleigh classic, founded by Raleigh native Steve Webb in 1978. The original Snoopy’s stands on the corner of Wake Forest Road and Whitaker Mill Road, it is converted from an old gas station. It’s still there today, so visit the iconic yellow stand with the striped roof, and get yourself a few hot dogs to turn into appetizers! 

  • Pigs in a Blanket, with a special ingredient: Snoopy’s hot dogs! It sounds simple, but it’ll bring the childhood nostalgia out in a hurry. 
  • For a fun, easy appetizer, create a hotdog slider station. Slice Snoopy’s hotdogs into slider-sized bites in tiny buns, and set out all kinds of toppings for creative flavor combinations! 

Side Dishes: Featuring Raleigh’s Best Brews

Raleigh has several top-notch breweries, including Raleigh Brewing Company and Lynnwood Brewing Concern. Lynnwood Grill was established in 2004, one of Raleigh’s oldest breweries, which began as a small craft brewery in the back of the restaurant. It has been ranked as the third-best brewery in the United States. Raleigh Brewing was established by Kristie Nystedt, the first woman to own a brewery in North Carolina, in 2013. Both companies produce craft beer that is perfect for these Raleigh-themed recipes.

  • Pour a Bad Leroy English Brown from Lynnwood Brewing into a traditional beer cheese soup recipe to add some classic Carolina flavor. The rich malt has complex flavors of caramel and toffee, this will add a nutty and toasty flavor to the soup. 
  • This Pumpkin Beer Cheese Soup from Southern Living Magazine is a perfect blend for the Oktoberfest Lager at Raleigh Brewing Company. With notes of sweet caramel, baked bread, and herbal hops, this malty lager finishes light and clean, with the crispness of Autumn.
  • These Crispy Beer Battered Onion Rings make a fun, Southern side to bring out your guest’s playful side. Add a Raleigh-based brew to truly complete the theme. 
  • It’s not a Southern meal without baked beans. Try these Boozer’s Smoky & Spicy Baked Beans with a Raleigh-based brew for a sweet, spicy, boozy treat. This recipe is vegan — but we’re in North Carolina. Go ahead and add that bacon.  
  • Our final side dish is old fashioned potato salad. Put away the Helman’s mayonnaise. This recipe comes straight from the Duke Mayo website. Duke’s Mayo is the Southern choice, created by Eugenia Duke in South Carolina in 1917. It may not be from North Carolina, but it’s way closer than New York, where Helman’s began in 1905. With its distinct tang, Duke’s is perfect for all the Southern favorites – cole slaw, mater sandwiches, deviled eggs, and potato salad. Go ahead and use it for your potato salad — and throw on some Mt. Olive’s Pickles (another NC favorite!) for a little crunch and zip.

Entree: A Battle of the Barbecue 

There are two big cultural rifts in North Carolina:

  1. NCSU Wolfpack vs UNC Tarheels
  2. Lexington Style BBQ vs Eastern Style BBQ

There are two big cultural rifts in North Carolina:

North Carolina’s harshly divided opinions on Eastern and Western barbecue is a part of our culture and history.

Therefore, I dare you to embrace both. Add an element of whimsy and fun by creating both styles of North Carolina barbeque and letting your guests decide which they like best. You can even do a blind taste-test! 

Therefore, I dare you to embrace both.

Eastern Barbecue History & Recipe

Eastern Style barbecue uses “every part of the hog except the squeal,” often cooking and eating an entire pig at cultural Pig-Pickin’s. Raleigh traditionally embraces this style of BBQ, which is pulled pork seasoned with vinegar and peppers. This Eastern-style barbecue recipe harkens back to its origins in the Carribean in the 1500s, where the barbecue was seasoned with lemons and peppers. Since lemons were hard to come by in North Carolina, we used vinegar instead. It’s characterized by its tangy, zippy flavor that contrasts with the smoky pork, enhancing the taste.

It’s characterized by its tangy, zippy flavor that contrasts with the smoky pork, enhancing the taste.

Lexington Style Barbecue History & Recipe

Lexington style barbecue began to branch away from these traditional toppings, using tomato-based sauce and apple cider vinegar, for a sweeter flavor. This Lexington style barbecue recipe includes brown sugar and ketchup, which often covers the taste of the pulled pork. Instead, the dry and savory pork enhances the flavor of the sauce as the flavors collide.

Instead, the dry and savory pork enhances the flavor of the sauce as the flavors collide.

Dessert

North Carolina has many charming desserts. But instead of traditional banana pudding, we are going to utilize some of Raleigh’s unique flavors to create a Raleigh-specific dessert.

  • We begin with a crowd-pleasing chocolate espresso cups — with a Raleigh-twist! Use Larry’s Beans Coffee for the rich espresso, and Videri Chocolate for the velvety chocolate teacup. Larry’s Coffee began in the Five Points neighborhood of Raleigh, and Videri Chocolate is in our Warehouse District. Both companies are devoted to building the community, culture, and art of our city.
  • Just like the battle of the barbecue, teach your guests a bit about Raleigh culture by creating Basketball Cake-Pops for our local teams — UNC, NCSU, and Duke. These go doubly well if you are hosting a watch party for the NCAA Championships! Just color that frosting with Wolfpack Red, Carolina Blue, and Duke Blue to see what team everyone is on!

Drinks

Raleigh’s Traditional Cherry Bounce
  • Non-alcoholic: Cheerwine, established in Salisbury, NC in 1917.
  • Cocktail: Aged Cherry Bounce. Since the mid-1700s, the Cherry Bounce has been Raleigh’s original cocktail. It has a deeply entrenched history in the origins of Raleigh, such that the City of Raleigh was actually created primarily because of our proximity to Isaac Hunter’s Tavern, which sold this very drink. Before Raleigh was established, this land was known as Bloomsbury or Wakefield Plantation. After the Revolutionary War, North Carolina’s delegates were tired of traveling by horse and wagon all the way to New Bern, which was the Capital at the time. During their travels, they always stopped at Isaac Hunter’s Tavern, which stood on modern-day Wake Forest Road by the Hilton. They voted on a new Capital and decided it should be within 10 miles of Hunter’s Tavern, especially due to his delicious Cherry Bounce (and the more convenient location.)
The recipe goes as such: 
  • 4 cups fresh cherries
  • 2 cups of sugar
  • 4 cups rum, whiskey, or brandy
  • Nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon to taste
  • Put all ingredients in an airtight container, and allow to ferment for one to three months. Stir and shake every so often.
  • Remove cherries, squeezing the excess liquid into the cocktail. Add one or two cherries for taste.

Raleigh Music History & Cultural Decorations

As you know, a dinner party theme is about more than just the menu. The decorations, music, and ambiance should take your guests to a sweet, simpler time in Raleigh, North Carolina’s history.

Raleigh Music

Depending on the age of your crowd of the energy level of your event, I have several suggestions for some truly North Carolina–and specifically Raleigh–music. Let’s explore some music history!

Old School Raleigh kids from the 1970s and before will appreciate the gritty, punk, Southern rock vibes of the Village Subway. In that era, Raleigh was putting punk music on the map with local bands like Arrogance, the Fabulous Knobs, Th’Cigaretz, and SuperGrit Cowboy Band. Local band Glass Moon made a music video in Pullen Park, to the catchy tune of “On a Carousel.” Byron McCay of Th’Cigz played against The Ramones, acting as North Carolina’s first punk band. While Arrogance is from Chapel Hill and the Knobs hail from Winston-Salem, Raleigh was the center of the era’s music scene. The Connells played in Raleigh and were launched to national fame. Pull some old records and let the old memories roll back in.

Modern musicians from Raleigh (or nearby) include American Idols Clay Aiken and Scotty McCreery. McCreery’s home-grown country music could provide a mellow backdrop to a relaxing event; whereas SuperGrit Cowboy Band will create a higher level of energy. 

And while he isn’t from Raleigh, you can always play some James Taylor, who is from next door in Chapel Hill. “Carolina in My Mind” is a staple.

Raleigh Decor

Known as the City of Oaks, Raleigh has dozens of species of oak trees planted around our capital building. Utilizing some of Raleigh’s best-known iconography, you can create beautiful centerpieces and decor.

  • Collect a few acorns, and add them to a transparent glass vase. Rustic brown acorns look perfect encircling pure white candles. 
  • A dogwood flower bouquet would make a lovely natural centerpiece for the table. Dogwoods are the state flower.
  • Bright red cardinals are our beloved state bird and it happens to pair perfectly with white dogwood flowers.
  • Here are a few more ideas for using acorns in your decorating.
  • Create North Carolina shaped cut-outs on colorful paper. Use them to mark seating arrangement, or to mark the different foods.
  • Hand-paint acorns to create tiny place cards. These adorable name-cards can be a sweet keepsake.

A Taste of Raleigh, North Carolina History, Culture, & Cuisine

By the end of your event, both you and your guests will have a true Southern experience–with a deeper understanding and appreciation of our culture and history. These are the businesses, foods, music, and memories that make us who we are. It’s my wish that in planning this dinner party, cookout, or event that:

  1. You grow closer to your own heritage, and perhaps touch those memories of sweet, simple days from your childhood.
  2. Your guests come to better understand the beauty, wonder, and nostalgia of North Carolina. 

If you feel overwhelmed, remember, a personal chef can help prepare the food and provide even more inspiration on menu items that fit the theme. 

Whether your party is fun, energetic and full of dancing and arguments over the best barbecue–or full of quiet memories and sips of sweet tea–this theme will provide conversations that make the event one that’s talked about for years to come.

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How To Host The Ultimate Dinner Party

The Ultimate Guide for a Memorable Evening

A memorable dinner party leaves a lasting impression–a warm feeling of community and rambling conversations, peppered with flavors that fill the stomach as well as the soul. Food has the power to bring people together–whether you’re serving family members, business colleagues, or new friends. To help you create a dinner party that your guests will always remember, we’ve put together a list of guidelines and elements every great host or hostess follows.

The recipe for a successful dinner party is very simply–a classic combination of food, friends, drinks, and meaningful discussions. Every choice you make–from theme to menu to music–should center around creating this atmosphere of warmth, openness, and discussion. However, every host or hostess adds their own personal flavor to the event–a sprinkle of fun, a dash of competition, or a heaping spoonful of classic elegance.

In this article, a professional caterer and chef will take you through the process of hosting a dinner party, starting with overall guidelines, then breaking down into actual timelines, processes, and checklists. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert who just needs help organizing, this guide will ensure you have all the details you need to throw a low-stress dinner party your guests will keep talking about for years to come.

1. Everything begins with the theme

A theme is the foundation of a memorable dinner party. It determines everything from your menu, to your choice of entertainment, to how your invitations will be decorated.

So how do you choose a theme? First, think about the reason for your dinner party. Are you entertaining close friends, or trying to impress new colleagues? Are you celebrating a holiday, or hosting a game night? Will the event be kid-friendly?

Also, consider the atmosphere you’d like to create. Is this a formal dinner, or a casual gathering? Would you like your guests to feel calm and relaxed, or excited and boisterous? Will this be an intimate event with close friends, or will the evening be an energetic introduction of many new acquaintances?

The atmosphere and theme work together. Even a theme as simple as “Christmas Dinner” can be interpreted in many ways. Is it a classic, elegant, Charles Dickens-style Christmas? A Southern charm Christmas? A fun, whimsical, snow wonderland Christmas with elves and sparkles? A gingerbread and candy Christmas?

Once you’ve decided on the atmosphere you hope to create, you can really narrow down your theme. Many factors can determine a theme. Perhaps you have a new French recipe book you’d really like to try. Maybe you want to host a fresh Springtime gathering with colorful flowers, chilled soups, and napkins folded into doves–or an Autumn gathering with harvest foods, butternut squash souffle, and rustic decor. You can do something as traditional as a Summer tea party, a standard 5-course meal themed around cultural cuisine–or really stretch your creativity by serving only foods found in Harry Potter or Game of Thrones.

The theme is the party’s foundation. Now, it’s time to build upon that theme. Menu items, decorations, music choices, entertainment options, conversation starters, and even the font you choose for invitations — all of it stems from your party’s theme. Every choice you make should further the theme and atmosphere you’re creating for your guests.

2. A memorable menu sets the tone

Good food creates a community and brings people together. Every memorable dinner party tells a story, and the menu is the plot hook. Each course carries guests through a culinary experience, unfolding the story and keeping guests engaged throughout the meal. A great menu is a conversation-starter.

Just because a menu is memorable doesn’t mean it has to be complex. Some of the best advice is very simple:

  • Choose dishes you’ve already successfully cooked in the past.
  • Choose menu items that are in-season; seasonal items bring nostalgia
  • Choose foods you can easily cook ahead-of-time. This frees you to focus on hosting.

Your menu should also make sense together, with complementary flavors. For example, serving sushi as a side dish would likely clash with spaghetti and meatballs as a main course. Likewise, the menu should offer a mixture of heavy and light dishes. Guests may feel sluggish after eating heavy, hot hors-d’oeuvres like miniature quiche, followed by thick clam chowder, and a dense cheese casserole. If you’re serving a dense main course, try offering lighter fare for the first two courses. Likewise, if the main course is very light–like couscous, white beans, and veggies–guests may still feel hungry. A heavier soup or hors-d’oeuvres would be appropriate.

Choosing Each Course

A typical dinner party has five courses, but an ambitious host or hostess may prepare as many as seven courses. Depending on the culinary culture, each of these courses may vary. Here is an example of a seven-course meal:

  1. Amuse-bouche (mouth-pleaser)
  2. Hors-d’oeuvre (appetizer)
  3. Potage (soup)
  4. Salad
  5. Entrée
  6. Side dish
  7. Dessert

If you choose to stick to three or five courses, you can simply remove items like soup, salad, or the amuse-bouche.

In a classic dinner party, the amuse-bouche and hors-d’oeuvres are served during cocktail hour. Then, guests can be seated, as each following course surprises and delights, working together to tell the story of your overall theme. Each course should have a common thread, which ties back to the party’s theme and atmosphere.

3. Decor, music, and place-settings create ambiance

Your tablescape and decor creates the tone for the evening. If each course tells a story, then your tablescape is the background for the theatre of your menu.

How do you want your guests to feel? A relaxed and elegant evening may require dim lighting, white candle centerpieces, baby’s breath flowers, with linens folded into crisp doves. Likewise, a tablescape full of color and whimsy will create a more exuberant and energetic vibe. Everything from lighting to centerpieces, to music will set the tone for the evening.

Depending on how formal the dinner party is, there are varying levels of how to set a table. But a beautifully-dressed table will typically have:

  • A table cloth
  • A table runner
  • A centerpiece
  • Properly-arranged plates and silverware
  • Folded linens
  • Name cards

There are thousands of creative, whimsical, elegant, and classic ideas for decorating a tablescape, which can easily be found online. Sometimes just browsing through photos can help you brainstorm the perfect theme and decor for your dinner party.

4. Seating arrangements encourage discussion

Remember – the highlight of any dinner party is memorable conversations! As the host or hostess, you have the power to create an engaging seating arrangement, setting your guests up for success by creating an atmosphere of openness and discussion. This begins with your table-setting and seating.

Create name-cards that coincide with your chosen theme, and place them where you desire each guest to sit. Name-cards can be creative, tucked inside a linen napkin folded to look like a flower, or simply, resting on each guest’s plate. You can find a ton of creative place card ideas online.

You can seat the guests however you wish, but if you hope to spark memorable conversations, some experts suggest a few guidelines:

  • Don’t seat spouses or romantic partners next to each other. This creates temptation for guests to only talk within their comfort bubble.
  • Follow etiquette rules, such as seating guests of honor at the head of the table at special events.
  • For a networking event, seat guests who share common interests near each other, to spark conversation between them.
  • You know your friends’ personalities! Try sitting an introvert next to an extrovert, so even the more quiet guests can be drawn into conversations.
  • If you have great conversationalists with amazing stories, let them take point! But don’t let them bowl over everyone else.
  • Consider your guest list – if you have a guest who doesn’t know anyone, make sure you invite a friend for them so they don’t feel uncomfortable.
  • Find lots of interesting ideas for seating different personality types online!

However good the food, however fine the drink, and however fun the atmosphere — the highlight of a dinner party remains memorable and meaningful conversation among friends.

5. Games and conversation starters help get the discussion started

Since conversation is key to a memorable dinner party, a wise planner prepares ice-breakers and conversation-starters to help generate discussion. Something as simple as conversation cards can add a sense of fun and whimsy to jump-start the evening. Many websites offer free printables, some with different themes to match your party!

It’s also helpful to have a handful of questions in your back pocket, to pull out if the conversation begins to lull. “How did you two meet?” is a great question to generate discussion amongst couples. Here are a few other examples:

  • “If you could have an alternate career, what would it be?”
  • “Let’s all try to learn from each other. What’s one life experience or piece of advice you’d share with the world?”
  • What books are on your summer reading list?
  • If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why?
  • What is your one big life dream?

If you plan a few questions beforehand, you won’t be stuck in a rut if the conversation starts to dwindle. Deep, meaningful conversations over wine, candles, and good food — this is the stuff memorable dinner parties are made of.

6. Make a shopping list – check it twice!

Once you’ve determined your menu, take a few moments to write down each and every ingredient you’ll need for each course. Any event planner or caterer will tell you – staying organized is key! You’ve got a lot of things to think about: cooking, decorating, invitations, seating arrangements, games. It’ll be far easier and less stressful if you take a deep breath and take the time to organize. The last thing you want is to run back to the grocery store two or three times because you forgot a small ingredient!

On a separate document, make a list of every decor item you need. Put a checkmark next to any items you already own.

Most event coordinators will tell you: Begin planning early. Give yourself at least a month to plan. Here’s a simple checklist of your timeline.

Planning Your Dinner Party

One month before:

  • Check Pinterest for unique themes
  • Brainstorm desired atmosphere and decor items
  • Create guest list
  • Begin planning menu

Three weeks before:

  • Design and send invitations
  • Determine theme
  • Create a shopping list of required decor items
  • Begin shopping for decorations

Two weeks before:

  • Guests RSVP; finalize the list of attendees
  • Check dietary needs for guests
  • Create seating arrangements
  • Finalize menu
  • Create a shopping list for ingredients

One week before:

  • Choose music; begin creating a playlist
  • Create name cards
  • Create ice-breaker question cards
  • Clean house – trash out, restrooms clean, interesting table books

Two or three days before:

  • Use finalized shopping list; buy ingredients
  • Purchase alcoholic beverages – wine, champagne, beer, or cocktail mixes.
  • Purchase bottle-openers and corkscrews for opening wine.
  • Create ice-breaker question cards

One day before:

  • Prepare as much of the menu as you can, so you can easily heat and serve the next day.
  • Begin decorating and laying out centerpieces, tablecloths, candles, flowers.
  • Hook-up playlist to make sure music plays
  • Go ahead and set your table as much as possible — one less thing to worry about tomorrow.

The day of:

  • Prepare any remaining menu items
  • Warm-up previously-prepared foods
  • Layout hors-d’oeuvres and drinks for cocktail hour
  • Arrange all prepared courses in the order you’ll need to serve them
  • Set the mood by lighting candles, turning on your playlist, and staging your home for guests.
  • Finally, get dressed for the evening.

Ideally, all of this early-preparation will leave very little work for you to do on the actual day of your dinner party. Be sure to take some time for yourself. Drink a glass of wine, watch your favorite TV show, and take a few moments to unwind.

Simple is still memorable

Your dinner party should be as distinct and unique as you. The games, atmosphere, themes, and menu should reflect who you are. Likewise, a host or hostess shouldn’t have to stress out; a dinner doesn’t have to be complex to be amazing. Remember: All of the lace, flowers, and candles on earth won’t make an evening memorable–at the end of the evening, what guests remember most are the connections and conversations.

For hosts or hostesses who are overwhelmed by the prospect of cooking so much food, there are options like competitive potlucks, taco buffets, or desserts-only themes that are equally fun and memorable but allow for guests to help with the cooking. Likewise, professional caterers or personal chefs can manage all of the menu-planning, cooking, and serving, which allows the host or hostess to focus on guests.

Cheers. Here’s to an unforgettable night of good food, meaningful conversations, and lasting memories.