Top of The Hill Restaurant, Brewery And Distillery

- From my perspective, Top of the Hill was created because of community and I loved the idea of creating a place where you had to go to that place to get something, which, in this case, was our beer. And so Top of the Hill became this community crossroads. - It's kind of the quintessential meeting place in Chapel Hill. Socially, this is where people come and I think it goes beyond just being a bar. This is where everybody meets. - It's the heart of Chapel Hill. It may be just a brewery and just a restaurant to other people, but to true Carolina fans, it's home. - [Narrator] But in the mid-90's, Top of the Hill, or TOPO as it's frequently called, was still a dream. Scott Maitland was a UNC law student when he learned of plans to put a chain restaurant in the building popping up on Franklin Street and he took a big leap of faith. - And I didn't want to see my new hometown dominated by a chain restaurant. So I had no money, no experience, but I came up with the idea and dedicated my third year law school around it, getting the actual restaurant and brewery open in 1996. Top of the Hill was created for the entire community to come together and have a place where everybody kind of relate to and I think we've done a pretty good job of becoming the social crossroads of Chapel Hill. - [Narrator] Over the years, TOPO was evolved into a crossroads of another kind, a place where a broad based menu meets a brewery and a distillery intersects with outdoor dining. - Cheers mate Cheers. - Good to be here with you. - You do a lot of things and I think it's pretty unique. The original restaurant was started in 1996. It was about 10,000 square feet. It's got about a 2,000 square foot outdoor deck. You can get lunch, dinner, late night. We have Sunday brunch. - The view, the food, the people, the service is great. The different types of foods that they have. It's not just one type of food, there's many different types. - We are a completely from scratch kitchen. Our customer base ranges from people that may have not had a very adventurous cuisine up to that point, to folks that are world travelers and so we need to kind of, you know, balance all of that. - My go to, every time I'm here, is the buttermilk fried chicken entree. It's number one, since I was 18 years old, I think I've gotten that every single time I've come to TOPO. - TOPO is my favorite restaurant throughout North Carolina. I come here for the nachos and the brewery. - A brewery that can create about 1900 to 2,000 barrels a year. Six or eight beers are on tap at any given time. And through the course of a year, we'll rotate through and have 20 to 22 beers on tap throughout the year. - I love any local beer. There's lots of breweries around Chapel Hill but TOPO has some really great lagers, some really great pale ales. Even the way they name the beer is pretty awesome. - Thank you. I ordered the Old Whale White. It's kind of like a citrus-y flavor that I like. It's not too heavy, it's pretty light, easy to drink. It's made right here in house and fresh right here in front of me. - [Narrator] TOPO takes pride in brewing the rotation of beer served at the main bar and at TOPO's separate back bar next door. But the commitment to producing on-site beverages doesn't end there. TOPO also serves up spirits crafted in its own distillery. - [Man] We make six different spirits now. We've got the gin, the ***, the moonshine, the two different whiskeys and organic spiced rum. - [Narrator] The distillery, brewery, menu and scenic Chapel Hill views entice visitors to TOPO year round. The place sees a spike in the winter and spring months though as a certain activity takes center seat. - TOPO's is the best place to watch a game because you can choose the atmosphere and a sense that you are in the heart of Chapel Hill. - The sports experience is integral to the Chapel Hill experience and I think that that's the way we look at it. It's the Chapel Hill experience. We're not a sports bar. We're a Chapel Hill establishment. What we're really looking for is a sense of community and one of the things that we really rally around is, of course, our basketball and other sports teams and I think that that's the thing that makes us special. Not necessarily the actual amount of TV's on the wall. - [Narrator] From the very beginning, Scott Maitland has designed TOPO to offer a wide ranging and unique experience that's also independent and local. As the establishment begins its third decade, he wants that mission to endure. - You ask anybody about their town and say hey what do I need to do? I guarantee you that within the top five, probably top three things is there's gonna be some restaurant that's unique to that town that makes that town different and I like to think that hopefully we're in that conversation for Chapel Hill. - To have something that is specifically Chapel Hill, that is this town, this town is so special in so many ways to have something that's kind of born here is why we keep coming back. - Top of the Hill Restaurant, Brewery and Distillery is located at 100 East Franklin Street, third floor, in Chapel Hill and they're open every day for lunch, dinner and late night. The nearby distillery is also open for tours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. For more information give them a call at 919-929-8676, or check them out online at topofthehill.com.