TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

Triangle Restaurant News
Triangle restaurant news…that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler.

Featured Restaurant News

• The Triangle Business Journal reported this week that we have an opening “date” for the long-awaited opening of Longleaf Swine BBQ coming to the former Oakwood Cafe location in downtown Raleigh. In August, we will see the 1,800-square-foot restaurant open with 36 seats inside and a very cool outdoor space offering 80 additional seats. The restaurant will be located at 300 E. Edenton Street. Congrats to owners Adam Cunningham, Marc Russell and Ben Davis. Keep up with their progress on Instagram here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• This is a hard one to share as we lost an amazingly beautiful person this week. Sola Coffee shared the news that beloved coffee shop owner Jeanne Luther passed this week after a nearly 4 year fight with ALS. Jeanne and her husband John opened Sola Coffee on Lead Mine Road in Raleigh in 2013. The coffee shop, which is truly a community gathering place with an amazing family feel, will re-open on Tuesday. Best to see some of the tributes to Jeanne on their Facebook page here. Our prayers go out to John, his family and the entire Sola community/family.

• We are hearing that after a successful soft-opening weekend, the folks over at Fine Folk are now open from 5-10 p.m. Thursday through Monday at their location at 2409 Crabtree Boulevard next to Union Special (former Brew Coffee Bar spot). We are also hearing they have plans to extend their hours to Tuesday once they get through the initial opening. The duo behind Fine Folk, Chris Lopez and John Kleinert, ran Cary restaurant Postmaster Bar and Grill until the Covid-19 pandemic forced the restaurant to close. Since then they have hosted pop-up meals at the Foundation bar and more recently at Union Special. You can view the menu and link to their social media through their site here.

• CowBar Burgers and Fries shared on Facebook this week that they have opened their second location in North Hills having moved into the former B.GOOD location in the Park District. While CowBar already has a presence in the Raleigh community at Morgan Street Food Hall, the North Hills location features various new menu items – including a vegan burger, Italian beef sandwich, beer floats, and boozy milkshakes. They also offer a full-service bar. CowBar is just one of the many Raleigh restaurants that are a part of Niall Hanley’s Hibernian Hospitality Group. Visit them here.

• Reader Chuck Till shared that signage for the new Fresko Greek Kitchen is up at Brennan Station at 8107 Creedmoor Rd in north Raleigh. This is the former Pokano and Pokego site. No word yet on an opening date. Looks like this is their second location in Raleigh (first is on Bale Street, just off Wake Forest Road). Visit them here.

• Over in Cary, my buddy David McCreary let us know that a Korean-inspired fast casual concept (which is also 100% gluten-free) called Bibibop Asian Grill is now open at 2007 Walnut Street in Crossroads shopping center. This marks their first location in North Carolina. Pay them a visit here.

• Some exciting news from the folks over at Cary’s Catering by Design. Owners Philip and Amy Lin have started a nonprofit foundation with the goal of bringing Howdy Homemade Ice Cream to the Triangle. If you are not familiar with Howdy, it was established to train and mentor young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities using smiles and amazing ice cream. In order to make this dream a reality, they are holding their first fundraising luncheon on Thursday, May 5th at the Courtyard by Marriott in Cary. Get details on the luncheon here, and learn more about Howdy Homemade Ice Cream here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• This is interesting. I didn’t see/receive any “new” news in Durham, Orange or Chatham this week. I think that is a first. Next week!

Closings / Cancellations

• Several readers pointed out to us that the Boston Market at the corner of Kildaire Farms Road and Cary Parkway in Cary has closed. That building will become a Fifth Third bank. That also means there are just two remaining Boston Market locations in the Triangle, both in Raleigh.

Food Trucks 

• The Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo dates for 2022 rodeos are as follows – May 1st, June 12th, August 7th, Sept 25th or Oct 2nd and November 6th (Alternate/Rain Date). The rodeo is set up on downtown Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street featuring a half mile of food trucks and restaurants spread out over 10 city blocks. Details here.

• Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo 2022 schedule is as follows: June 5, September 4 and October 30. Mark your calendars. Get 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

• It is back after two years, bigger than ever, and in a new location! This Saturday, April 16 from 12 – 6 pm, The Pit Authentic BBQ is moving their 12th ‘Cuegrass Festival to Fayetteville and Hargett streets. The event is free to attend, family friendly, and all for a good cause. Every penny spent at ‘Cuegrass will be donated to local children’s organizations including SAFEchild, Junior League of Raleigh’s BackPack Buddies Program, and BSA Troop and Pack 325. The best bluegrass, barbecue, and beer (all local to NC) await you, so mark your calendars for ‘Cuegrass 2022!

• We are just over a week away from this year’s edition of Shop Local Raleigh’s Brewgaloo (April 22-23) – NC’s largest craft beer festival and 2nd biggest in the US! Voted #1 Best Beer Festival two years in a row by USA Today’s 10Best. The weekend of events features craft breweries from NC and partners with local food trucks, local vendors and local bands. Friday night will be a sampler event from 6-10pm. Tickets are $45 per person. Saturday’s event is 2-10pm and open to the public. Beer is sold by the pint or the taste. The day will feature over 75 NC breweries, over 50 food trucks, dozens of local vendors and bands. Drink tickets will be sold in advance and available for purchase at the festival. Food trucks and vendors accept cash and credit options. Get tickets and all the details here.

• The Glenwood South Neighborhood Collaborative (GSNC) is holding their annual Glenwood Faire on April 24th from 11am to 2pm at Smoky Hollow. They will offer guests a chance to taste the food of 15 of the great restaurants in Glenwood South. Participating restaurants include: Mellow Mushroom, Raleigh Beer Garden, My Way Tavern, Plus Dueling Piano Bar, Vidrio, Ale House, Cortez, Clockwork, Hibernian, Sushi Blues, Plates, La Santa, DeMo’s, The Willard, and Dose Smoothie Bar. Beer will be provided by Clouds Brewing and wine will be served by Raleigh Wine and the Wine Feed. The event will also feature artists selling products, live music from local musicians and dog contests sponsored by West Street Dog. Tickets for a taste of all the food are $25 in advance and $30 day of. Beer and wine sold separately. Get tickets and all the details here.

• On May 1st the folks over in Pittsboro will gather under the stars for Local on Lorax: A Farm & Art Dinner from 6-9pm at The Plant at 192 Lorax Lane in Pittsboro. It is a pop-up dinner with a super-local twist gathering area farmers, chefs, restaurants, craft beverages, and visual and performing artists for a good time. Tickets are $125. Get all the details here.

• The town of Cary has announced that Fest in the West, western Cary’s signature event, is back at Thomas Brooks Park on Saturday, May 7th from 11am-5pm. There are two stages with entertainment featuring some of the best talent in the Triangle. Food trucks will be in three areas, a centrally located beer garden and a fun Kids Corral with activities for families along with a petting zoo. Mark your calendar and get all the details here.

• The folks at Bites of Bull City shared the great news that The Glass Jug’s third annual Hops & Blues Fest returns this year on Saturday, May 21st from 4-8pm at Glass Jug Beer Lab’s RTP location (5410 NC-55). Note: the event is capped at 250 people, so get your tickets early. The $45 ticket price gets attendees unlimited samples from the best IPA and hop-forward beer makers in the area along with live music from some of the best local blues musicians: Brett Chambers & The Usual Suspects and The Pheobees. Along with The Glass Jug, other brewery reps on site include Aslin, Resident Culture, New Anthem, Wilmington, Commonwealth, Triple Crossing, Funguys, Durty Bull, Wooden Robot, Grimm, Equilibrium, and Southern Grist. Get tickets here.

• The second annual Bubbles and Brisket is scheduled for Saturday, June 4th from 2-6 p.m. at Smoky Hollow in downtown Raleigh. The event is a collaboration of chefs, pit-masters, wine producers, sommeliers and brewers, pairing sparkling bubbles with a variety of cooking techniques and side dishes that feature everyone’s favorite: brisket. Early Bird Tickets on sale for the month of April are $65/person. On May 1st, tickets are $75/person. Get all the details and tickets here.

Food Bank Corner

• You can make a difference every month! Despite a record amount of food being distributed to individuals, seniors, children, veterans, and families of all kinds who are facing hunger last year, the food bank is still not meeting the increased need in the 34 counties the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina serves. Their partner agencies on the front lines are still reporting a sustained 35% increase in need over pre-pandemic levels. They need your reliable support to nourish all their neighbors in need. Sign up this January and your 1st monthly gift can be matched up to $2,500! Start giving today! #NoOneGoesHungry

Triangle Restaurant News
Triangle restaurant news…that not everyone knows. Impress your co-workers at the water cooler.

Featured Restaurant News

• A concept similar to Boxyard RTP is coming to Glenwood South according to an article in the Triangle Business Journal. The property at the corner of Glenwood and Peace (which currently houses an autoshop) will be transformed into The Yard. The project will include an upfitting of the existing building and between 15 and 20 repurposed shipping containers placed on the property (some two story). The concept will feature a kitchen and service area in the existing building, a courtyard seating area, and four to five bars and hangout areas inside shipping containers. Local Icon Hospitality (The Architect, Virgil’s Taco, The Merchant, The Green Light and Little City Brewing), under the leadership of Jon Seelbinder, will oversee operations. CityPlat’s G Patel, no stranger to the Triangle food scene, was instrumental in bringing the partnership together. The food offerings will rotate and might include food trucks as well. Construction is expected to begin in the early to late fall and will take 3-4 months. In the meantime, visit Local Icon Hospitality here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• The Triangle Business Journal also shared the exciting news this week that a group headed by Trophy Brewing partner David Meeker will bring a wine shop, a coffee shop and a bar to the three little houses that sit between Trophy Brewing & Pizza and Goodnight’s Comedy on Morgan Street (849 W. Morgan Street). As part of the extensive renovations to the interior of the homes, the front of the homes will share a connected porch, while the backsides will all feature patios with seating and fenced-in space for children to play. A single entity will operate all three concepts which are planned to open in the fall of 2023.

• Downtown Raleigh has a new dining option. The Downtown Raleigh Alliance shared the news that The Venue Raleigh, a restaurant, bar, lounge and event venue, has opened in the warehouse district directly across from the train station (327 W. Davie Street to be exact). Looks like they will feature tacos on Thursdays and live music every Friday. A new, fun place to check out. Visit them here.

• And if you are looking for a new watering hole in downtown Raleigh, we have good news on that front as well. The much-anticipated Vault Craft Beer has opened at 518 West South Street. It is located in a former bank building, one of the first “drive-thru” banks in Raleigh. Vault’s goal was to restore and preserve the historically relevant building by creating a community gathering place. Their beer list is extensive and almost exclusively North Carolina brews (one outlier, a stout from Freeport, Maine). A very cool spot to gather, check it out.

• A quick update on something we told you about in February. The News & Observer reported this week that Cheeni Indian Food Emporium will open this month in North Raleigh at 1141 Falls River Avenue. Cheeni is the brainchild of Preeti Waas, owner of the coffee shop Cheeni Chai + Coffee + Tiffin. Waas envisions the emporium to be a blending food and community where she will be able to serve cafe items along with Indian dishes for both dine-in and takeaway options from morning to night. She also plans to rent out the space for guest chefs teaching cooking classes, pop-up dinners, product or video shoots in the kitchen, as well as kitchen space for up to three businesses to utilize. Keep up with Cheeni here.

• Last week out in Park West Village in Morrisville, we noted the newest location of Red, Hot & Blue is on the way. Got word this week that their grand opening event is scheduled for June 4th from 1pm – 7pm with live music from local musicians and of course, great BBQ. Get to know them here

• Also in Park West Village, Jennifer Buccholz shared that the newest location of Leo’s Italian Social is coming to the popular shopping center. With locations throughout Ohio and North Carolina, this will be the first Triangle-area spot for Leo’s. No word yet on an open date. Get to know Leo’s here.

• Some exciting news from the folks over at Cary’s Catering by Design. Owners Philip and Amy Lin have started a nonprofit foundation with the goal of bringing Howdy Homemade Ice Cream to the Triangle. If you are not familiar with Howdy, it was established to train and mentor young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities using smiles and amazing ice cream. In order to make this dream a reality, they are holding their first fundraising luncheon on Thursday, May 5th at the Courtyard by Marriott in Cary. Get details on the luncheon here, and learn more about Howdy Homemade Ice Cream here.

• In Wake Forest, we have an updated opening date for Poki Bowl at 1898 South Franklin Street. The new opening date is May 7th. Thanks to Ashly Chavez for providing the update. The concept began in California, and now has locations that stretch all across the country to the East coast. Get familiar with them here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• The folks over at Bites of Bull City shared that the next establishment to open in Durham’s UHill will be Aperitif, a great spot for families to hang out in a “downtown-like” setting to enjoy wine (they will offer 100+ labels of wine), craft cocktails and beer, shareable desserts and small plates. Aperitif plans to open sometime this month with hours being 3-10pm Tuesday thru Thursday; on Friday and Saturday they will open for lunch at noon and close at midnight; Sunday will also be open for lunch, but closing at 9pm. Best to follow them on Instagram.

• Last week we shared that Durham will be the next location for Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream. We weren’t sure of the location, but reader Kathleen Karamanian shared that she saw the sign over between Goorsha and Gojo, in the Brightleaf Square area. They currently have 18 locations across the country, with one of those being in Charlotte. To give you an idea of their unique flavors, they have an Everything Bagel flavor…Need I say more? In the meantime, get familiar with Jeni’s here.

• The owners of Bulldega Urban Market, located at 129 W. Parrish Street in Durham, announced this week that they sold the store to Savi Provisions. Savi Provisions started in Atlanta almost a decade ago and has built a reputation as a place for healthy groceries, chef driven meals and fine wines. The new owners will retain the Bulldega name for a few months as they transition to the new store. Get familiar with Savi here. Thanks to Lesley Stracks-Mullem of Taste Carolina for the tip on this.

Closings / Cancellations

• Reader Burke Williams shared the news that TGI Fridays at 4209 Wake Forest Rd. in Raleigh has closed. That’s the bad news. The good news is there is a sign up for Crazy Crab to take over that spot. Crazy Crab is a concept out of Winston-Salem (3 locations in the Triad). This will be their first Triangle-area location. Get to know Crazy Crab here.

Food Trucks 

• The Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo dates for 2022 rodeos are as follows – May 1st, June 12th, August 7th, Sept 25th or Oct 2nd and November 6th (Alternate/Rain Date). The rodeo is set up on downtown Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street featuring a half mile of food trucks and restaurants spread out over 10 city blocks. Details here.

• Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo 2022 schedule is as follows: June 5, September 4 and October 30. Mark your calendars. Get 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

• Knightdale’s biggest spring event, Spring Fling Festival, is happening at Knightdale Station Park this Saturday, April 9. Bring your Easter baskets and enjoy live music, food trucks, inflatables, and a vendor market. The vendor market and food trucks begin at 12:00pm and the live music and inflatables begin at 1:00pm. New this year is our modified Easter Egg Hunt meaning our vendors will have eggs at their stations to distribute. Visit their Facebook event page here.

• Cary’s Downtown Chowdown food truck rally returns this weekend, Sunday, April 10th where you can enjoy a food-filled afternoon along Academy Street tasting some of the best food in the Triangle, enjoy cool beverages from craft beer and wine vendors, and relax to the music of great local performers. See you downtown! Get all the details here.

• Raleigh’s Vidrio restaurant is hosting a “Taste Tour of the Mediterranean” monthly dinner series and it begins on Thursday, April 14th from 6:30-9 p.m. The destination and menu inspiration will change each month as they work their way through the Mediterranean. Each “culinary tour” will be led by executive chef Saif Rahman. The cost is $85, plus tax and gratuity. Buy tickets and get all the details here.

• On April 16 from 12 – 6 pm, The Pit Authentic BBQ is moving their 12th ‘Cuegrass Festival to Fayetteville and Hargett streets. The event is free to attend, family friendly, and all for a good cause. Every penny spent at ‘Cuegrass will be donated to local children’s organizations including SAFEchild, Junior League of Raleigh’s BackPack Buddies Program, and BSA Troop and Pack 325. The best bluegrass, barbecue, and beer (all local to NC) await you, so mark your calendars for ‘Cuegrass 2022!

• Raleigh’s Vidrio restaurant is hosting an Easter brunch buffet from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. April 17, 2022. The cost is $55 per person. Celebrate the Easter holiday with a wide selection of Mediterranean-style dishes and brunch entrees, including breads and spreads, sundried tomato and feta frittata, shakshuka, applewood smoked bacon, crispy potatoes, mujadara, chicken cacciatore, a prime rib and ham carving station, a cinnamon bread casserole and assorted desserts. See full menu here.

• We are just a few weeks away from this year’s edition of Shop Local Raleigh’s Brewgaloo (April 22-23) – NC’s largest craft beer festival and 2nd biggest in the US! Voted #1 Best Beer Festival two years in a row by USA Today’s 10Best. The weekend of events features craft breweries from NC and partners with local food trucks, local vendors and local bands. Friday night will be a sampler event from 6-10pm. Tickets are $45 per person. Saturday’s event is 2-10pm and open to the public. Beer is sold by the pint or the taste. The day will feature over 75 NC breweries, over 50 food trucks, dozens of local vendors and bands. Drink tickets will be sold in advance and available for purchase at the festival. Food trucks and vendors accept cash and credit options. Get tickets and all the details here.

• On May 1st the folks over in Pittsboro will gather under the stars for Local on Lorax: A Farm & Art Dinner from 6-9pm at The Plant at 192 Lorax Lane in Pittsboro. It is a pop-up dinner with a super-local twist gathering area farmers, chefs, restaurants, craft beverages, and visual and performing artists for a good time. Tickets are $125. Get all the details here.

• The town of Cary has announced that Fest in the West, western Cary’s signature event, is back at Thomas Brooks Park on Saturday, May 7th from 11am-5pm. There are two stages with entertainment featuring some of the best talent in the Triangle. Food trucks will be in three areas, a centrally located beer garden and a fun Kids Corral with activities for families along with a petting zoo. Mark your calendar and get all the details here.

Food Bank Corner

• You can make a difference every month! Despite a record amount of food being distributed to individuals, seniors, children, veterans, and families of all kinds who are facing hunger last year, the food bank is still not meeting the increased need in the 34 counties the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina serves. Their partner agencies on the front lines are still reporting a sustained 35% increase in need over pre-pandemic levels. They need your reliable support to nourish all their neighbors in need. Sign up this January and your 1st monthly gift can be matched up to $2,500! Start giving today! #NoOneGoesHungry