How To Have A Date Night at Crawford & Son Restaurant, Raleigh

When it comes to finding the perfect date night restaurant, you won’t find a more sophisticated and intimate setting than Crawford and Son, a fine dining establishment in the historic Oakwood neighborhood in Raleigh.

We picked Crawford and Son as our date night location because it had a curated, ever-changing menu, but still has a casual neighborhood restaurant vibe. We wanted our night to be special, but we weren’t looking for a special occasion restaurant.

Crawford and Son is an award-winning restaurant, earning the title “Restaurant of the Year” by Raleigh’s The News & Observer in 2018, and is lead by Chef Scott Crawford, a five-time semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef in the Southeast.

If you’re looking for a restaurant that has outstanding hospitality, dishes with a broad depth of flavor, and an intimate dining environment, then here is why you choose Crawford and Son for a date night.

How to Enjoy a Date Night at Crawford & Son

Date nights for us are important. With two kids at home, and full time jobs, dates are our way of spending quality time together, as well as giving us a chance to check out about some of the best new restaurants in Raleigh.

We particularly love exploring the North Person St District in the Historic Oakwood area, which is where Crawford and Son is located.

This district is lively and vibrant, and thankfully there is a lot to do on N Person St both before and after your dinner, which we took full advantage of.

Pre-Dinner Drinks at Pelagic Beer & Wine

Pelagic Beer & Wine has been one of our favorite spots in Raleigh this year. It’s the neighborhood bar – or tap room/ bottle shop – that you dream about. The one where everyone knows your name, and if they don’t, they’re interested to quickly learn it and your story.

So a fun part of our date night was actually chatting with the bar man at Pelagic, Ryan, and a couple of the locals sauntering in and out.

Founded in 2015 by local North Carolinian’s, Pelagic offers an extensive selection of craft beer, wine and cider. They only sell beer from independent craft breweries in our state and region!

Don’t worry if you don’t want to talk to anyone. There is a cozy seating area in the corner, and tables and chairs on the new wooden patio (with heaters!) And if Ryan is your bar man for the night, tell him Caroline and Craig say hi.

Dinner at Crawford & Son

Crawford & Son is one of Raleigh’s restaurants we have wanted to dine at for some time and have been saving for a special experience. It did not disappoint.

It’s the perfect date night experience for those who want an intimate setting with a little buzzy vibe. It’s not too quiet that it feels awkward if you were to suddenly burst out laughing.

Crawford’s style is casual yet elegant and modern with dimmed lighting, exposed brick walls, and a polished L-shaped quartz bar.

The home photographs in the wall while waiting for the bathroom gives it that extra touch of homeliness.

Crawford and Son is the namesake restaurant from outstanding Chef Scott Crawford, a five-time semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: Southeast.

Chef Scott Crawford’s product-driven approach is well known. He’s famous for creating innovative dishes with a modern technique, with beautiful presentations that make them look just as great as they taste.

He hails from Pennsylvania, and like us was drawn to Raleigh for its welcoming community atmosphere and wanted to create a restaurant that fit in with that personality.

That community personality permeates through to the food with an ever changing menu dictated by seasonal and local produce.

Our friendly waitress recommended the potato and celeriac chowder for appetizers and as one of the creamiest and most delicious you’ll try. A testimony not given just because she was representing the Chef’s menu.

It was love at first slurp (once I got over the love at first pretty sight!). I didn’t even realize it had buttered king crab in it until I bit into its tender sweetness with surprised delight.

Craig’s appetizer of caramelized scallops was equally delicious.

Moving onto his main of beef short rib with root vegetables, barley, nordic rye and onion glaze were his repeated exclaims of, “This is the best beef I’ve ever had.”

Followed by another sip of Pale Rider “This cocktail is amaaaazing.”

I had the pork cheeks, which were just as tender as the beef – no knives needed.

The Manchengo herb biscuits are meant to be outstanding. We didn’t eat them as we’re gluten free, but I heard a diner exclaim mid mouthful how delicious they were.

As soon as I spied sticky date pudding on the dessert menu I ordered it as a surprise for Craig. It is his favorite dessert and not one we see often in the USA.

The Crawford and Son version comes with banana mousse and spiced hazelnuts. It was more fluffy cake in texture than the richer, denser pudding version you’d get in Australia, but the verdict is, it’s “equally delicious.”

Signature cocktails are created to pair well with the food. As mentioned, Craig loved his combination of bourbon, scotch and maple walnut, and my Sundowner cocktail had the innovative, smoky vibrant I love most from my mezcal drinks (Mezcal, Cachaca, pomengranate, falernum).

They also offer an eclectic list of wines atypical to what you’d normally expect to find in a downtown Raleigh Restaurant.

Although it was hard to tear myself away from my Sundowner, the featured wine from the Hunter Valley enticed me with a taste of home.

The Hunter Valley wine region is close to our home town in Australia and where we’d frequent as a young adult partying enjoying wine tours.

Service at Crawford and Son Raleigh was warm, friendly, and attentive. The kind of smiling service we have come to expect and love in Raleigh.

It wasn’t rush hurry to get your order and flip you out. Our waitress spent time chatting with us about life in Raleigh and the dishes she was recommending.

Their focus on community and innovative and honest food and drinks makes it one of the stand out restaurants in Raleigh.

• There are gluten free and vegetarian options on the menu. And parking is what you can find on the streets!
• Prices were reasonable for such a classy downtown dining experience with mains around $22 – $25
• Reservations are not needed, but you should make one in order to get a table as this is a popular restaurant. Click here to make a reservation.
• Address: 618 N Person St, Raleigh

After Dinner Drinks at Person Street Bar (or Willco)

After dinner, you have a couple of options for after dinner drinks in the Person Street District.

William & Company is an excellent local’s cocktail bar, or head across the road to the Person St Bar, another cozy Raleigh neighborhood bar.

Located in a former warehouse next door to Yellow Dog Bakery, Person Street Bar is stylish with black paneled walls and a stained wood bar offers cocktails and craft beers on tap and a jukebox.

There is a cute, covered patio area outside with overhead heaters where we enjoyed a round of drinks before heading home.

Final Thoughts

Our entire date night did not help my pining for a house in the historic Oakwood neighborhood – how we’d love to live there!

We loved everything about Crawford and Sons and would highly recommend them for a special evening such as a date or birthday celebration.

We are now excited to check out Scott Crawford’s other restaurant in downtown Raleigh, Jolie, a French Bistro named after his daughter. It would also make for a perfect date night location! We also like his Crawford Cookshop restaurant in Clayton, Johnston County, which we’ve dined at on another date night!