Machete: A Dinner Party Experience to Remember!

By carolinianweb on March 10, 2020 • ( 0 )

Austin Horne
Staff Writer

Machete, previously known as “Greensboro’s best kept secret dinner party” (Yes! Weekly), has opened its own brick and mortar physical restaurant downtown! If you’re familiar with our fantastic food scene you may recognize their new location at the corner of Battleground and Eugene as the old home of Crafted: Art of Street Food. Machete officially opens today, but they’ve been hosting a soft open for the last two weeks that I was lucky enough to attend.

Machete strives to separate itself from other high-end options with its creative food and friendly style. Throw pillows adorn the booth seating and the menu welcomes you with “This is not a restaurant, this is our home; you are not our customer, you are our guest.” I’d say Machete’s roots as a personal dinner party experience have stuck with it through their transition. The mood of the restaurant is aimed to be inviting and it succeeds in a big way. However, the food is what you’ll really be talking about after visiting. I got to try a few different menu options and they were all brilliant. The best part was the chef’s creativity, which was pouring from every dish. Even the most traditional food I tried, smoked pork ribs, was made unique from every other rib I’ve had. They were perfectly smoky and covered in buckwheat and chives, giving them a crunchy topping that kept every bite interesting.

As delicious as all the food was, my favorite item was unassuming; Duros, a vegetarian, Mexican snack covered in sweet chili and lime. This stole the show for me. The light and crunchy duros are well seasoned and packed with flavor. Even when my ribs arrived I still found myself picking at the duros. The menu is big enough that I only got to try a small portion of it. But judging from my experience I doubt there are any wrong choices.

Machete also plans to open a late-night menu offering favorites like bao and ramen for night owls. Whether for a date night or a late bite, I’d heartily recommend checking out Greensboro’s newest hotspot.