TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

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

Featured Restaurant News

• Raleigh Magazine broke the news this week that there is new life coming to the former Midtown Grille spot in the Lassiter District in North Hills. Foxcroft Wine Co., which was founded in Charlotte, will operate as both a retail bottle shop and full-service restaurant. You will be able to enjoy bottles of wine in store or take them home with you. Wine by the glass will also be available for diners. Look for a total upfit of the space that will showcase wine selections from around the world, along with an enlarged patio space. Their full-service kitchen will serve small plates as well as full plates featuring pasta made in-house, burgers, steak, scallops and fish. This will be their fifth location (with a sixth on the way in Lake Norman). Start getting familiar with them here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Downtown Raleigh’s renowned Brewery Bhavana is expanding into Cary’s Fenton development with a second location. Look for them to open in early fall of 2024. This version will be about 1/4 the size of the current location, and will feature an expansive patio space. Like the original version, this location will also include a book store and a flower shop. This location will focus mainly on dim sum and the restaurant’s Belgian-inspired beers. Visit them here.

• And speaking of downtown, saw on the Downtown Raleigh Alliance website that Alex Ricci’s Prospects Craft Kitchen and Cocktail Bar has opened in the former Rainbow Luncheonette space at 911 N. West St. Best to get familiar with them on Instagram here. And Axios added that the former bar next door, the Pink Boot, is also being revamped by the restaurant into a new neighborhood watering hole called Devereux, a nod to the former downtown Raleigh baseball stadium.

• Got word this week that Playa Bowls is opening on Raleigh’s Hillsborough Street (2526 Hillsborough Street) this Saturday (January 13) at 11 a.m.! This marks the second Triangle location of the concept (the other is on Durham’s Ninth Street). The new shop will be offering free bowls to the first 50 guests in line, plus T-shirts and other swag on the morning of the 13^th! The Raleigh shop is owned and operated by local entrepreneur David Pokorny, who recently opened Playa Bowls Durham location and is set to open an additional location this year. The new shop specializes in bowls such as acai and pitaya, oatmeal, chia, smoothies, juices, cold brew and more. Pay them a visit here.

• RALToday shared that Mon Macaron will open their third location today (January 12) at 5249 Capital Blvd. in north Raleigh. They also have locations in downtown Cary and at Seaboard Station in Raleigh. Stop by today and get your macarons, espresso and wine!

• One of my readers anonymously shared with me that a new Mediterranean kabab spot called Mr. Kabab has opened in Poyner Place at Triangle Town Boulevard and Old Wake Forest Road in Raleigh (behind Triangle Town Center). Get to know them here.

• And one last Raleigh “note”…RALToday shared that the mobile espresso cart Quarter Note, has opened a permanent location just inside the beltline on Glenwood Avenue (3700 Glenwood Ave. – just across from the former Sushi Mon and Iron Oaks). Get to know them here.

• Over in Cary, reader Michael Hord shared with us that Rita’s Italian Ice is now open at 921 N. Harrison Avenue. They serve up three things there: ice, custard and happiness. Works for me! They now have over 600 locations across 31 states. Visit them here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Got word this week that Flying Bull Beer Company is opening their brand-new location on Morris Street in the Durham Innovation District this Sunday, January 14^th. Moving forward, Flying Bull will be open for full cocktail and dinner service, pub food/Bull Bites are available all day, and serving their award-winning beer as well. They will be open daily from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m., with their elevated menu running from 4 until 10 p.m. Keep up with them here.

• Also in Durham, Karl-Christian Vanmoerkerque shared with the Chapel Hill Carrboro Foodies Facebook group that there is signage up in the New Hope Commons shopping center for a KPOT coming soon (5454 New Hope Commons Dr.). They are known for providing a unique, hands-on, all-you-can-eat experience that merges traditional Asian hot pot with Korean BBQ flavors. They also have a location on Capital Blvd. in Raleigh. Check them out here.

• And over in Mebane, the Mebane Enterprise reported this week that Jay Starnes, owner and pit master for Fat Man & His Food truck, plans to open Pig Pin by Fat Man inside the Buffaloe Lanes Mebane Family Bowling Center. He is hoping to open by the end of this month. Best to follow along on Facebook to keep up with his progress and pending announcements.

Closings

• Chapelboro shared the news that Craftboro Brewing Depot in the South Green Shopping Center in Carrboro will be closing February 17. You have a little over a month to get by.

• Reader Michelle Canfield shared that the Arby’s at Fairbanks Road in Raleigh has closed. We still have 10 Triangle-area locations.

• Reader Zan Bunn shared that the Panera at Crabtree Valley Mall has closed.

Food Trucks

• Not a “food truck” exactly, but a mobile unit. The awesome folks over at 321 Coffee announced this week that they have launched a mobile version of their coffee concept. The 321 Coffee Cart is custom-designed and thoroughly equipped with a full service espresso bar to seamlessly bring the entire 321 Coffee experience to you (think conferences, kickoff meetings, weddings, parties, employee appreciation events and recurring office visits to name a few). Check them out here and book them for your next gathering!

• 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

• My buddy Neha M. Shah, director of the Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau, shared that the annual Farm to Fork Picnic, celebrating local food and local farms, will take place Sunday, June 2 from 4pm – 7pm, again at Fearrington Village. Get details and tickets here.

• Hard to believe, but tickets have already gone on sale for the 9th Annual Dinner in the Meadow which will take place on September 15, 2024 on a grassy knoll at Meadow Lane Farm, in bucolic Franklin County, offering beautiful pastoral views and clear, starry skies. Some of the region’s most sought-after chefs will be preparing delicious dishes using ingredients from local farms and food artisans. It is an annual fundraiser for the Leonard-Mobley Small Farm Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 2014 to support and cultivate small farms in our region of North Carolina. Get tickets and all the details here.

Food Bank Corner

• This holiday season, families all over our community will be sitting down for delicious meals with their loved ones, enjoying good company, good food, and a good time. But for some, these meals may not be a given. Many of our friends and neighbors are having to decide between stocking their refrigerator and pantry or paying their bills. You can help bring comfort, joy, and hope by making a generous gift now to provide more holiday meals this year. Until December 31, compassionate friends are matching all gifts to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina up to $378,500. Give $10 now and have double the impact, providing 100 meals.

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

Featured Restaurant News

• Triangle Business Journal reported the news that Flavor Hills, a concept out of Jacksonville, North Carolina, has opened in the former Wahlburgers/Flying Mayan spot in downtown Raleigh at 319 Fayetteville Street. Flavor Hills is owned by Marine Corps veterans and the menu features classic Southern dishes and a dose of Cajun flair. TBJ shared that the restaurant’s brunch menu features fried devil eggs, salmon croquettes, a waffle burger and catfish and grits. The dinner menu includes bang bang shrimp, crab fries, rattlesnake pasta and steak frites. They are operating on a walk-in only basis from January 4 through 7th. Reservation options will resume after January 8th. Get familiar with them here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• OK, here is the follow-up to my post last week about the concept moving into the former Leli’s Italian Eatery, Market And Bakery spot at 3325 Rogers Road in Wake Forest. Thanks to “Linda” who posted a comment on my blog (sorry, it didn’t have her full name), we now know it is Milazzo’s Ristorante, featuring a variety of authentic Italian dishes. A quick back story…Grandpa Milazzo dreamed of opening a restaurant with his first grandson, Christopher. With this opening, Christopher continued with that dream even after Grandpa Milazzo passed. Looks like they are already open. Check them out here.

• Staying in Wake Forest, got word from an anonymous tip that there is another new restaurant coming to Wake Forest called The Cha House, which already has locations in Cary, Raleigh and Chapel Hill (operates as Tea Hill in Chapel Hill). If you are not familiar with them, they are an Asian-inspired tea house, influenced by the tastes and traditions of Taiwan. They will be located at 1009 Forestville Road. No word on an open date. Get to know them here.

• Steve Abbott was the first to share the news that the parent company of the Carolina Hurricanes, Gale Force Sports & Entertainment, has purchased the Backyard Bistro restaurant adjacent to the PNC Arena and Carter-Finley Stadium. Triangle Business Journal shared in further detail that plans call for the restaurant to continue operating, but will use the space to host a sportsbook, once that becomes legal. Might be best to keep up with this development on Facebook here.

• We shared this with you back in early December, but down in Zebulon Norse Brewing Longhouse has opened for normal hours (daily lunch and dinner) at 120 N. Arendell Avenue. They are serving up Norse beer, cider and seltzer, wine, a full liquor bar with craft cocktails and Scandinavian-Southern style food. Their original location is in Wake Forest. Visit them on Facebook here.

• Speaking of sports, reader Christine Marshall Goebel shared with us that Epic Wings sports bar is coming to the corner of Creedmoor and Strickland Roads in Raleigh in the Brennan Station shopping center between Fresko and Five Guys. No word yet on an open date. Get familiar with them here.

• Over in Cary, if you are looking for a new lunch spot, we got word this week that lunch reservations are now available at SAAP, a Laotian restaurant next to the new Downtown Cary Park (which, if you haven’t been…it is a park like none other in the Triangle…just sayin’). Visit SAAP here.

• Also in Cary, reader Chris Creighton shared that Boba-N-Chai has opened in the Harris Teeter shopping center at 3460 Ten-Ten Road. According to their website, they are a proud minority women-owned business. Their journey began with three ambitious women who shared a vision of infusing world-famous Indian flavors into the heart of traditional boba tea. Their mission was to create unique and harmonious flavors that perfectly complement Indian snacks. Check them out here.

• Continuing in Cary, got word this week from owner Anson Fernandes that his restaurant, Biryani Maxx (serving up Indian cuisine), has undergone extensive renovations taking it from a small, mostly take-out concept, into a warm and inviting space featuring seating for 50 inside, and 20 more outside. It really is beautiful! Stop by soon and pay them a visit at 590 E. Chatham Street. Check them out on Instagram here.

• On a recent drive down Raleigh’s Hillsborough Street noticed a coming soon banner that just went up announcing that Chex Grill & Wings out of Charlotte would open in the Uncommon building at 3020 Hillsborough Street, just down from Cup A Joe. The banner indicated they will be slinging 35 different flavors of wings as well as hot oven subs, salads and more. Looks like this will be their thirteenth location, the first in the Triangle. Start getting familiar with them here.

• Over in Garner, saw on the Choose Local & Small Y’all Facebook page that Shady’s bar is closing for a few weeks for some much needed renovations. According to their post, the new Shady’s will be sleeker, more sophisticated and more comfortable. Follow along on Facebook here to see when they reopen.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• In Pittsboro, The Mod shared on the Pittsboro Eats! Facebook page that they are under new ownership and they have reopened. According to additional posts on social media, ownership has changed to the same folks that own Smoke & Barrel in Sanford. Great news for downtown Pittsboro! Visit them here.

• Back in early December we shared that that signage was up for Kiichi Ramen Izakaya right next to Durham Pack and Ship at 730 Ninth Street. Axios noted this week that they have opened. They shared that they offer eight ramen bowls as well as a collection of bento boxes and rice dishes, fried appetizers and mochi ice cream. Open daily, visit them here.

• And this is a bit of a teaser. But Morrisville’s Chaat Mandi posted this past week that they are bringing their concept to Chapel Hill. That is it. No timeline nor hints as to where. Thanks to Carrie Brogren for sharing this teaser with the Chapel Hill Carrboro Foodies Facebook group. So…stay tuned. In the meantime, start getting familiar with them and their chef here.

Closings

• Chapelboro was the first to share that after a nearly 50-year run, Franklin Street’s Linda’s Bar and Grill in downtown Chapel Hill is closing at the end of service today (Friday, January 5). Sad to see this one go.

• Reader Hunter Butler was the first to share that Cary’s Totopos closed on December 23rd. They first opened in January, 2015.

• Reader Chris Creighton shared that the Arby’s on Harrison Avenue in Cary has closed its doors.

• Creighton also shared that the Papa Murphy’s in the Mill Pond shopping center at 3434 Kildaire Farm Road has closed.

• Reader Rose Hiebert shared the news that Koi Grill & Sushi on Millbrook Road in Raleigh has closed.

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

• They are doing it again. Our friends over at Cape Fear Seafood Company (with 3 locations here in the Triangle) are bringing back their wildly successful wine pairing events. The first time they did this, all three locations sold out, and I’m already hearing that the Wake Forest location is sold out for the next one. So, it will take place on Tuesday, January 9th at each of the Triangle locations (Wake Forest (sold out), Raleigh’s Village District, and North Raleigh). This French Culinary Voyage will feature seafood and wine delights for $65 per person (+ tax and tip). They limit it to just 24 people per location, so call today to reserve your spot. Visit their site here for phone numbers of each location.

• Hard to believe, but tickets have already gone on sales for the 9th Annual Dinner in the Meadow which will take place on September 15, 2024 on a grassy knoll at Meadow Lane Farm, in bucolic Franklin County, offering beautiful pastoral views and clear, starry skies. Some of the region’s most sought-after chefs will be preparing delicious dishes using ingredients from local farms and food artisans. It is an annual fundraiser for the Leonard-Mobley Small Farm Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 2014 to support and cultivate small farms in our region of North Carolina. Get tickets and all the details here.

Food Bank Corner

• This holiday season, families all over our community will be sitting down for delicious meals with their loved ones, enjoying good company, good food, and a good time. But for some, these meals may not be a given. Many of our friends and neighbors are having to decide between stocking their refrigerator and pantry or paying their bills. You can help bring comfort, joy, and hope by making a generous gift now to provide more holiday meals this year. Until December 31, compassionate friends are matching all gifts to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina up to $378,500. Give $10 now and have double the impact, providing 100 meals.