After 25 Years, North Carolina Food Critic Greg Cox Retires

Greg Cox, the longtime restaurant critic of the Raleigh-based News & Observer, announced his retirement on Monday after 25 years at the paper. Cox, one of the few remaining restaurants critics who still carefully guarded his anonymity, wrote in his announcement “here I am, 1,300 and a gazillion calories later, still counting myself lucky to have a job that combines my passions for food and writing.”

In his more than two decades covering the Triangle’s food scene Cox had a prime seat, literally, to the area’s rebirth as one of the most exciting dining regions in the country. His laid-back, friendly approach to his reviews endeared him to many local chefs and restaurateurs; rather than give a scathing review he just wouldn’t write about a meal.

The News & Observer’s Drew Jackson wrote of Cox “leaving a legacy of wit and taste and a broad portrait of the Triangle’s rich restaurant community.”

“In hundreds of reviews and columns, Cox wrote more as a diner’s friend than a kingmaker,” Jackson added.

The paper reports that while the time was right for Cox to step away from the critic’s table, readers could expect to see his byline in the future in an as-yet-undefined role.

• News & Observer Restaurant Critic Greg Cox Retires After 25 Years. [N&O]
• A Toast to 25 Years As a Restaurant Critic in the Triangle’s Most Exciting Culinary Era [N&O]