Acme Food & Beverage Co.

Acme Food & Beverage Co.: Southern Cooking and a Legendary Sunday Brunch in Carrboro

For more than a quarter century, Acme Food & Beverage Co. has anchored the corner of East Main Street in downtown Carrboro, serving thoughtful Southern and New American cooking to generations of Triangle diners. Independent and locally owned, Acme has built its reputation on seasonal ingredients, warm hospitality and a Sunday brunch that regulars will happily wait in line for. Nearly three decades in, it remains open and welcoming guests for dinner nightly and brunch every Sunday.

A Downtown Carrboro Institution

Acme opened its doors in 1998 and has spent the years since becoming one of Carrboro’s most beloved gathering places. Housed in a historic storefront at 110 E Main St, the restaurant sits in the heart of a walkable downtown known for its music venues, farmers market and creative, community-minded spirit. Inside, exposed brick, soft lighting and an easy, unfussy energy make it equally suited to a celebratory dinner or a low-key weeknight meal. Chef and owner Kevin Callaghan has guided the kitchen throughout, giving Acme a consistency and sense of place that chain restaurants simply cannot match.

Southern Roots and Local Ingredients

At its heart, Acme is a Southern restaurant, but one that treats regional tradition as a living, evolving thing. The kitchen leans on time-honored techniques and comforting flavors while letting the seasons steer the plate. Long before farm-to-table became a marketing phrase, Acme established itself as one of the South’s leading advocates for sustainable and local farms, and those relationships still show up in everything from the vegetables to the seafood. Menus change regularly to reflect what area farmers and purveyors are harvesting, so no two visits feel exactly alike.

The Famous Sunday Brunch

Ask anyone in the area about Acme and the conversation almost always turns to brunch. Served every Sunday from 10am to 2pm, it is a Carrboro ritual that draws a devoted crowd week after week. Expect Southern comfort classics alongside sides such as cheese grits, collard greens, butter beans and mashed potatoes with gravy. It is relaxed, generous and unmistakably local, and it pairs perfectly with a slow morning spent wandering downtown Carrboro and the neighboring farmers market afterward.

What to Order

Dinner is where Acme’s kitchen really shows its range. The pecan-crusted fried chicken, served with mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, butter beans and mushroom gravy, is a signature that keeps regulars coming back. The steak frites features a Cajun-spiced seared ribeye with French fries and Herbsaint butter, while the shrimp étouffée delivers fresh shrimp in a rich, tomato-laced seafood stock over rice. Other favorites, from overnight-smoked local pork to fresh oysters on the half shell and soft-shell crab, rotate through as the seasons allow. Save room for the house desserts, which change along with the menu.

Planning Your Visit

Acme serves dinner nightly beginning at 5:30pm, with the kitchen open until 9:00pm Sunday through Thursday and until 9:30pm on Friday and Saturday, plus brunch on Sundays from 10am to 2pm. Reservations are available through Tock and are a good idea on weekends and for larger parties. A few house policies are worth noting: Acme does not accept split checks or substitutions, and a 20% gratuity is added to parties of five or more. You will find the restaurant at 110 E Main St in Carrboro, an easy stroll from downtown parking and the Carrboro Farmers Market. Whether you are marking a special occasion or simply craving damn good Southern food, Acme continues to deliver the warm, dependable experience that has made it a Triangle favorite for decades.