Featured Restaurant News
- North Hills announced this week that as PrimoHoagies expands across the East Coast, they will open their first North Carolina location at the Park District in North Hills, with an anticipated grand opening later this year. PrimoHoagies was born and “bread” in South Philadelphia – its first location opened there in 1992 offering freshly baked bread and locally sourced gourmet meats and cheese to create fresh-to-order, specialty sandwiches. Franchise owners Allison Engle and Amanda Wolsky are native Philadelphians with a passion for the gourmet sandwiches. Start getting familiar with them here.
Wake County Restaurant News
- On the Peace Street side of downtown, Ashton Mae Smith noted in her weekly email the News & Observer’s report that Charlotte’s Midwood Smokehouse Bar & BBQ is heading east to Raleigh and will open a location in the Smoky Hollow development (think Publix). Check out Midwood Smokehouse here.
- Saw on the Downtown Raleigh Alliance page that the downtown location of Happy + Hale reopened yesterday with weekday, lunch hours (10 a.m. – 3 p.m.) Monday thru Friday. Check them out here.
- Also near downtown, RalToday posted on Twitter that a Starbucks is coming to the former SmallCakes location near the intersection of Hillsborough and Pogue streets (2526 Hillsborough Street). No word on a timeline (just a banner hanging up at this point).
- Down in Knightdale, Raleigh Convergence shared the first two named tenants at Craften Food Hall, a new concept coming to Knightdale. Finca Burger, traditional burgers with Venezuelan inspiration, and Poblanos Tacos. Expect Craften to open later this fall at 706 Money Court in Knightdale. They also have plans to open a second location in Clayton. Get to know Craften and its tenants here.
- Looking for all the outdoor dining options in Downtown Raleigh? The Downtown Raleigh Alliance has put together a great list of those options, and they even divided it up by district. Check out that list here.
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
- More Happy + Hale news in Durham. Happy + Hale announced that their University Hill location is now open. This marks their second location in Durham (original Durham location is on Ninth Street) where they are located next to O2 Fitness and University Hill Apartments. They also have two locations in Raleigh (downtown Raleigh and North Hills). Visit them here for hours and all the details.
- A little bit of a pivot over in Hillsborough in Orange County as The House at Gatewood announced this week that they will transition into a full-time event venue for parties and special events. But don’t worry too much if this has become one of your favorite dining destinations, they will also be hosting regular Supper Club dinners, such as wine dinners with Tyler, themed parties, and live music. Get all the details on the new business model as well as subscribe to their Supper Club on their website here.
- And here are a couple of wonderful resources for those looking to dine in downtown Durham or downtown Chapel Hill – Downtown Durham Inc. has an up-to-date listing of the status of each restaurant in downtown Durham. Check out the list here. And the Downtown Chapel Hill Partnership has put together a similar list for Chapel Hill here.
Closings / Cancellations
- None to report. Keep eating local, folks!
Food Trucks
- The Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo will make its return on Sunday, September 5th (Labor Day weekend) from 12 noon until 4 p.m. Find out which trucks will be there and all the details here.
- Looking to find your favorite food truck (or stalking them and simply don’t want to have to admit it)? We understand. Find them on Street Food Finder here.
Events
- The Downtown Raleigh Alliance continues tonight (August 6th) with their Dine Out @ First Friday from 7 – 10 p.m. on Fayetteville Street with their monthly celebration of arts and culture. They will have have a live painting demo, dance battle with the Raleigh Rockers, chalk drawings, live music and of course outdoor dining options from nearby restaurants. Get all the details here.
- Over a 24-hour period on August 11th and 12th the folks over at Rocky Top Catering are looking for about 120 volunteers over 4 shifts to help out at meal packing events to partner with Overflowing Hands and Kids Around the World to pack 130,000 meals to feed undernourished families in Nicaragua. This is a great opportunity for families, companies, friends and youth groups. Visit this site for all the details and to sign-up to volunteer.
- Downtown Durham Inc. announced that The Streetery will return Saturday, August 14 at Five Points with added outdoor seating and buskers. Join them from 12 – 9 p.m. to shop, carry out, dine in or dine out. The Streetery happens on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month. Get all the details here.
- RalToday shared that Raleigh’s International Food Festival is returning to City Plaza on Sat., August 28 from 12 noon -10 p.m. The festival features a variety of international food, beer and wine, as well as international performers. Admission is free. Get all the details here.
- You might want to go ahead and plan on spending your Labor Day weekend in Pinehurst for the inaugural Pinehurst Barbecue Festival – a three-day event, staged in and around the historic Village of Pinehurst from September 3-5, 2021. The event will offer a unique culinary sampling experience of various barbecue meats and traditional sides. Choose to experience the entire three-day festival, or attend just one signature event. A multi-ticket VIP package, as well as individual tickets for each event are available. The pitmaster lineup includes: Ed Mitchell, The Preserve (Raleigh); Christopher Prieto, Prime Barbecue (Knightdale); Adam Hughes, Old Colony Smokehouse (Edenton); Joe Lumbrazo, Backyard Bistro (Raleigh); and Ashley Sheppard, Pik N Pig (Carthage). Get tickets, schedule and all the details here.
- Get ready for the seventh-annual WRAL.com Voters’ Choice Awards! Each year, your nominations and votes help WRAL recognize local favorites. Mark your calendars because the nomination period will begin September 13! Get all the details here.
- The 8th annual Sola Hot Mini 5K is happening this year on Saturday, September 18th and registration is now open. You can register to run/walk, volunteer, donate or sponsor as they look to top last year’s effort to raise money towards finding a cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Three years ago, Jeanne, the co-owner of Sola Coffee, was diagnosed with ALS. Get all the details on their website here.
- Our friends over at RalToday pointed out a few events you might want to go ahead and get on your calendar. So exciting to think of some of our favorite events actually happening in 2021! First up, Raleigh Veg Fest 2021 originally scheduled for April 4 has moved to October 31 in downtown Raleigh’s Moore Square. Details here. And Brewgaloo is now scheduled for September 17 & 18 in downtown Raleigh. Details here.
Food Bank Corner
- Their summer match may be over, but the Food Bank’s Kids Summer Meals Program will continue to serve free nutritious meals through August 20 – filling the summer meal gap that occurs when kids & teens miss out on reliable school meals. While school is out, the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina knows families struggle to keep food on the table. Budgets for so many families are already stretched thin from the pandemic, with job losses and hours being cut. The Food Bank is providing free grab-and-go meals for children at approximately 40 meal sites across our service area. Learn more about the Grab & Go Kids Summer Meals here.
