Green Valley Grill

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Informally Elegant, Zestfully Serious

Green Valley Grill describes itself as "informally elegant, zestful dining" — and that phrase earns its keep. Adjacent to the O.Henry Hotel near Greensboro's Friendly Center, this employee-owned restaurant has built a loyal following on the strength of fresh seasonal European and Mediterranean cooking drawn from the wood-fired rotisserie and grill. It is the only restaurant in Greensboro to hold Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence, a distinction that reflects a wine program of genuine depth — 500 bottles and counting, alongside artisanal cocktails and craft beers.

The People Behind It

Green Valley Grill is part of Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants & Hotels, the Greensboro group led by Dennis and Nancy Quaintance and Mike Weaver. Dennis Quaintance — who, as a PBS North Carolina profile noted, worked his way up from hotel housekeeper to company CEO — credits the restaurants' success squarely to his staff. When Quaintance-Weaver was named a national semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Restaurateur award in 2009, Quaintance's response was characteristically direct: "What I feel like doing is walking out and hugging a bunch of people in our restaurants. They are the ones humping it everyday." That attitude shapes how the room feels when you walk in.

What's on the Table

The menu moves through the day without losing its identity. Breakfast brings Giacomo's Ham & Gruyère Omelet, a GVG "Reuben" Benedict built on rustic pumpernickel with corned beef and pastrami, and housemade Ricotta Olive Oil Coffee Cakes with a rosemary-orange glaze. The jazz menu — served on Thursday evenings and select Saturdays alongside live contemporary jazz — offers shared small plates like Sicilian Beef Arancini with tomato-chili compote, Warm Blue Crab and Spinach Tarts, and Short Rib Sliders with pomegranate glaze and Boursin. The Mediterranean thread runs through it all: tzatziki with grilled pita, smoked salmon with dill cream and fried capers, whipped goat cheese with balsamic roasted strawberries.

Recognition That Means Something

OpenTable's diners — drawing on 13 million reviews — named Green Valley Grill one of the Top 100 Most Beloved Restaurants in America for 2022, one of only two North Carolina restaurants on that list. With over 7,800 reviews and a 4.8-star rating on the platform, the consistency is hard to argue with. Guests describe it as equally suited to a special occasion and a casual weeknight — a balance that is genuinely difficult to strike and rarer than it sounds.

Beyond the Dining Room

The catering arm extends the kitchen's Mediterranean-inspired sensibility into private events for up to 150 guests across several distinct spaces at the adjacent O.Henry Hotel, from the garden-facing Hawkins Brown Room to the intimate, wine-cellar-inspired Merchants & Manufacturers Room. The same sourcing philosophy — thoughtful, seasonal, personal — carries through to every format.