Triangle Restaurant News
Triangle restaurant news…that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler.
Featured Restaurant News
- The closed Hickory Tavern location in Carrboro will have new life breathed into it just in time for the 2024 showdown between Carolina and Duke. Michael DePersia of DePersia & Associates shared the news with me this week that the folks behind Bru’s Public House in Raleigh will open their second location in that spot. The location is at 370 E. Main St. on the ground floor of the Hampton Inn & Suites in the East Main Square shopping center. Triangle Business Journal added that they will be adding technology to allow every seat in the Carrboro dining room to have a view of a television. Visit Bru’s here.
Wake County Restaurant News
- We learned this week that The Exchange Raleigh in Midtown will include a ground-level location of The Optimist – a full-service coffee shop and cafe and will open next year. This second location will be called WRK by The Optimist. For those not familiar, The Optimist, it is a popular coffee shop in Raleigh in Historic Oakwood/Mordecai at 1000 Brookside Drive near downtown. Visit them here.
- Triangle Business Journal reported this week that Glenwood Avenue is adding a new elevated cocktail bar called Nomad. Located near Plates Neighborhood Kitchen, they will offer indoor and outdoor seating with a menu featuring cocktails and small bites. Check them out on Instagram here.
- A few reminders. Chicken Salad Chick opened their newest location this past Tuesday in Raleigh’s Lake Boone shopping center. That will soon be followed by their neighbors opening the newest location of The Butcher’s Market on December 1st as well as a Duck Donuts to open soon after that. Visit Chicken Salad Chick, The Butcher’s Market and Duck Donuts. The Chick-fil-A in the same shopping center reopened yesterday after undergoing renovations.
- Two other openings occurred this week in Cary. Lon Bounsanga, the longtime executive chef at Bida Manda and Brewery Bhavana opened SAAP on the ground floor of The Walker (370 S. Walker Street). Get familiar with SAAP here. And the Flying Biscuit Café opened this week in Parkside Town Commons at 1103 Parkside Main Street. Visit them here.
- And one final reminder thanks to our friends over at RalToday – Fiction Kitchen’s last day at their current location on South Dawson Street is Saturday, Nov. 25. Take your last few bites at this plant-based restaurant’s downtown location before they move to Gateway Plaza. Berkeley Cafe will open in its place soon after. Follow Fiction Kitchen here.
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
- Spoke with Saltbox Seafood’s Ricky Moore yesterday and he has extended the deadline to get his Lemon Punch Pie with Ritz Cracker Crust on your table this Thanksgiving! Pies are 9″ and are limited to two (2) per customer. You now have until Saturday, November 18th at 5 p.m. You can then pick up your pie(s) on Tuesday, November 21st between 10:45 a.m. and noon at Saltbox Seafood Joint. Order here.
- More “sweet” news over in Chapel Hill this week. Tonya Council has opened Tonya’s Cookies and Bakeshop at 400 South Elliott Road and has her Grand Opening today (Friday, November 17). The new concept centers around a “grab and go” experience, catering to busy individuals seeking quality treats that fit into their daily routines. There will also be a selection of holiday pies, cakes and baked goods available for purchase in store or online, just in time for Thanksgiving. Take it all in here.
- We learned this week that Flight Tea Bar & Lounge, a new pop-up tea bar, has opened for the holidays in Carrboro’s Carr Mill Mall. It offers a unique array of artisan teas sourced from farmers around the world including Japan, China, and Taiwan, as well as specialty baked goods and chocolates and a curated selection of teawares. It should also be noted that plans are underway for opening a full-time tea shop next year at the nearby historic Carrboro train station. Check them out on Instagram here.
- Over in Durham, reader Tom Viemont shared with me that Asian Kitchen has changed hands and is now being operated by the same folks that operate Chengdu7 in Cary. Viemont noted that their online menu is mostly Chinese American favorites like General Tso’s, but the dine in menu is much more interesting with hand pulled noodle dishes and more regional Chinese specialties. They are located at 1125 West NC Hwy 54 Suite 801. Visit them online here.
- And not far from us here in the Triangle in Harnett County, Triangle Business Journal reported this week that Cary’s popular burger shop Corbett’s Burgers and Soda Bar will open in Sanford at the Shoppes at Sanford retail center along Highway 87. Owner Corbett Shope grew up in Harnett County. The newspaper also noted that we should expect more locations of Corbett’s soon. Start getting familiar with them here.
- Adding to the Corbett’s news this week, Triangle Explorer John Huisman shared with me this week that he spotted new signage up for a Corbett’s Burger and Soda Bar on Wakefield off Falls of the Neuse in the old Sergio’s Pizza spot (13200 Falls of Neuse Rd.). So, sooner rather than later!
Closings
- Square Burger in downtown Raleigh’s Moore Square will serve its last meal in its current location this Sunday.
- And after 31 years, Capital Creations Gourmet Pizza on Wake Forest Road in Raleigh will close its doors next week on November 23rd.
Food Trucks
- 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 ninth-annual WRAL Voters’ Choice Awards voting is only open for a few more days! Celebrate the Triangle’s local businesses by voting for your favorites across over 140 categories. You can vote once per category through this Sunday, Nov. 19. Cast your votes here!
- Join Trophy Brewing (location at 656 Maywood Ave.) this Saturday, November 18th to help celebrate their 10th anniversary. From 12 to 6 p.m., there will be live music, bites from Locals Seafood and Lawrence Barbecue, a kid zone, and plenty of Trophy beer flowing. Get all the details on their calendar here.
- Carolina Brewery is hosting their Sixth Annual Oyster Roast on Saturday, Nov. 18th from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m at their Pittsboro location (120 Lowes Dr, Pittsboro). The event includes free admission with steamed or raw oysters available for purchase by the half-dozen or dozen. Pair those with Carolina Brewery’s special oyster stout. Carolina Brewery will also offer their full menu during the event. Visit Carolina Brewery here.
- On Tuesday, November 21st over at Saltbox Seafood Joint, chef Ricky Moore will hold his 10th Annual Lobster Roll & Crab Grits Social. This Pre-Thanksgiving tradition features Ragout of Lump Crab & Sherry with Creamed Garlic Grits $12 (served from 8:30 – 10:30 am or until they are sold out – Limit 4 orders). Followed by Warm Celery Buttered Lobster Roll $28 (served from 12:30 – 4:00 pm or until they are sold out – Limit 4 rolls). And finish the day off with “A Slice” of Lemon Punch Pie with Honey Ritz Cracker Crust $5 (served from 12:30 – 4:00 pm or until they are sold out – Limit 4 slices). Get all the details on Ricky’s Instagram here. Thanks to Wesley Pierce for connecting me with Ricky!
Food Bank Corner
- Think you can’t make a difference in someone’s life? Think you don’t have enough money to make a difference? Would you believe me if I told you that as little as $1 equates to 5 meals through the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina!?! It is true. Nearly 510,000 people face hunger across our 34-county service area. And thanks to your generosity, the Food Bank provided over 81 million meals to families and individuals last year! Make a donation today!
