INDY’s Best of the Triangle

INDY Best of the Triangle 2026

The Triangle’s original and most anticipated readers poll!

Wake Ballot is NOW OPEN!

Readers—it’s time, again! Our Best of Wake ballot is officially open through August 26.

From neighborhood restaurants and local shops to artists, nonprofits, and community leaders, Wake County is full of people and places worth celebrating. Vote for your favorites and help highlight the best our community has to offer.

What’s Next?

The Best of Wake ballot closes on August 26, and winners will be announced on September 23. After that, the competition continues with the Triangle-Wide “Best of the Best” ballot, open September 30 through November 11, where the top winners from Wake, Durham, and Orange/Chatham Counties will compete for the ultimate title.

Please refer to the key dates below, and don’t hesitate to contact your INDY sales representative or [email protected] if you have any questions about the contest timeline, advertising opportunities, or ballot structure.

Interested in staying up to date on all things Best of the Triangle? Sign up here to receive contest news, winner announcements, and future voting reminders.

Vote now, support local, and help crown this year’s Best of the Triangle—and ultimately, the Best of the Best of the Triangle.

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About INDY’s Best Of:

Winning INDY’s “Best of” has been a coveted honor for the last 25 years. Our Best of the Triangle Readers’ Poll is year-round by county—Orange/Chatham, Durham, and Wake. At the end of the year, the winners of each region will go head-to-head to claim the title of “Best of the Best of the Triangle.”

To streamline the contest for both readers and participating businesses, we have eliminated the traditional nominating round. Each county now has one voting period, resulting in one Winner and two Runner-Ups in every category

Business Owners: Get Your Business on the Ballot

Want your business or organization included on the ballot? Once voting opens, cast a vote for your business in the appropriate category. We’ll add it as a selectable option within 24 hours so other readers can vote for you, too.

Haven’t registered your business or organization yet? Register here to make sure you’re ready for this year’s contest!

Support independent local journalism by joining INDY Week’s Press Club!

Your membership helps sustain trusted reporting and ensures the Triangle continues to have strong, independent local news.

INDY is the only official provider of recognition materials for the Best of the Triangle Readers’ Poll. Any emails or solicitations from other companies offering plaques, posters, awards, or similar products for a fee are not affiliated with INDY and should be treated accordingly.

The Best of Durham winners are here!

Voters have spoken—it’s time to celebrate the winners of the 2026 INDY’s Best of Durham competition!

For more than 25 years, INDY readers have recognized the businesses, organizations, people, and places that make Durham a vibrant community. This year’s winners and runner-ups represent the very best across food and drink, arts and culture, health and wellness, shopping, services, and so much more.

Below, you’ll find the community’s top picks—the restaurants, local businesses, nonprofits, venues, and professionals that earned the support of this year’s Readers’ Poll voters.

Whether you’re discovering a new favorite or celebrating a longtime go-to, we hope this guide encourages you to continue supporting the local businesses and organizations that make Durham unique. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and runner-ups, and thank you to everyone who cast a vote and celebrated our community!

If your business or organization earned a Winner or Runner-Up (1st, 2nd, or 3rd place) finish and would like to commemorate your achievement with an official INDY Best of Durham window decal, please click here.

**Please be aware that third-party companies may contact you offering plaques at high prices while claiming affiliation with INDY. These companies are not affiliated with us, and we recommend not engaging with these solicitations.**

Click to View Winners

Voting Window

Orange & Chatham

Durham

Wake

Triangle-wide

Voting Window

1/21 – 2/28

4/22 – 6/1

7/22 – 8/26

9/30 – 11/11

Winners announced

April 22

July 1

September 23

December 9

BOTT-26-one-sheet

fAQs

Below please find a list of commonly asked questions. If your question is not listed below please reach out to [email protected].

How do I get my business included?

You can nominate your business for its relevant categories here. You can, and should, encourage friends, family, and patrons to nominate your business and all of your favorite places across the triangle area.

I am interested in advertising in one of these special editions, what should I do?

Advertising rates and placements can be requested from your indy sales rep or by emailing [email protected].

How can I promote my business in this contest?

Use your newsletters, social media, and other customer facing channels to promote both your nomination and vote. Links to creatives can be found here, and the link to vote can be found here.

I am interested in sponsoring the Best Of Readers Poll.

Please reach out to [email protected] for more information.

Are there scams that I should be aware of?

Businesses that made it onto the finalist ballot will likely receive phishing attempts via whatever public-facing communication channel you use. Any offer to sell you a plaque, poster, sign or any other “Best of the Triangle”-related product should be handled as a scam. INDY Week provides window decals to all finalists, and winners receive a poster to proudly display. If you are a previous finalist or winner and have not received these for previous years, please contact [email protected].

I won in a past year but never received my sticker.

Please contact [email protected] with your business’ name and the year that you won.

I want to make sure that I receive updates on Best of the Triangle.

You can sign up for Best of announcements throughout the year here.