Featured Restaurant News
- Good Graces, a vibrant market, bar, and eatery, will be opening in North Hills Innovation District at the base of Channel House Apartments in early spring 2025. They aim to be the go-to gathering spot for the Raleigh community, offering a versatile dining experience, serving coffee, breakfast, and lunch during the day, and transitioning to shareable bites and drinks in the evening. Start getting familiar with them here. Congratulations to owners Haley Borden (a recent MBA graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill) and Lindsey Bayless.
Wake County Restaurant News
- In downtown Raleigh, Raleigh Magazine broke the news that Jubala Coffee will open their fourth location at Raleigh Crossing at 301 Hillsborough Street (the Pendo building). No word yet on an open date. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime, visit Jubala here.
- Over at Lake Boone shopping center, we got word that the newest location of Duck Donuts has opened – 2414 Wycliff Road, Suite 101. If I’m reading their locations map correctly, this is their 25th store in North Carolina. Visit this location here.
- A brand new concept called Union Station Deli & Catering from Rocky Top Catering will open on August 15 inside the iconic Raleigh Union Station at 510 W Martin Street in downtown Raleigh. Touted as a true New York-style deli, they will be serving up breakfast bagels, deli sandwiches, and hot pressed sammies – with toppings like house-smoked pastrami, corned beef and chicken cutlets — as well as black-and-white cookies. Look for weekday service (6 a.m. until 3 p.m.) initially, with weekend service to start in January. The concept will be managed by Sean Degnan, known for his outstanding restaurant portfolio including bu•ku, so•ca and kō•än. Follow along on Instagram here.
- Tahir Kakar is opening new Eggs Up Grill locations in Raleigh at 6820 Davis Circle, off Millbrook Road near Glenwood Avenue, and 10501 Shadowlawn Drive in North Raleigh. He could also open as many as eight additional locations in the future. The chain has restaurants in Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Garner and Clayton. Look for the Millbrook Road location to open in October, with the North Raleigh location to open in November. Visit Eggs Up here.
- The Downtown Raleigh Alliance shared this week that Anthony’s LaPiazza has opened at the top of Glenwood Avenue (21 Glenwood Ave.) on the first floor of the AC Hotel By Marriott. This is the fifth location in the Triangle for this Italian restaurant and bar. Visit them here.
- Raleigh Magazine confirmed what we have been hearing (maybe smelling) for a few weeks now – Insomnia Cookies is coming to downtown Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street (121 Fayetteville Street). Look for them to open before year’s end. Visit Insomnia here.
- Ashley Christensen announced this week that here Fox Liquor Bar, a well-loved and lived-in bar in the basement of Beasley’s Chicken + Honey (237 S. Wilmington Street), will end its regular service this week transitioning to a private event space after Saturday. Visit Fox here.
- Over in Cary, Michael DePersia of DePersia & Associates reached out to let me know that he facilitated the sale of Brixx (14112 Bradford Green Square Way Cary, NC 27519) to Praveen Arasu and Kuladeep Mullagolla. The duo also owns an Indian restaurant in Morrisville called Chutneys. They plan on running the Brixx “business as usual.” Visit Brixx in Cary here.
- Also in Cary, Triangle Business Journal reported this week that the Town of Cary has received plans for a Gen Korean BBQ House at 232 Crossroads Blvd. in the Crossroads Plaza shopping complex. A unique aspect of the concept is that it features traditional Korean and Korean American cuisine, with guests cooking the food themselves on personal grills at each table. The chain has about 40 locations across the country. Start getting familiar with them here.
- Out in Wendell, Triangle Business Journal reported that the Wendell Falls area, with its Treelight Square retail district, will see the newest location of Chipotle, the popular Mexican food chain, join their lineup with an opening planned this week. Visit Chipotle here.
- Over in Garner, the News & Observer reported this week that Bojangles, a fast food chain known and loved for its fried chicken, is expanding (again) in the Triangle. Charlotte-based Bojangles is building a new restaurant at 1619 Benson Rd. in Garner. Look for them to open in the second quarter of 2025. Visit Bojangles here.
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
- This week Sean Wilson, owner of Fullsteam Brewery, announced via social media that they will soon relocate to a new space. As part of that transition, Fullsteam (726 Rigsbee Ave.) ended food service this week and the taproom will close to the public Oct. 31. The brewery’s second location in Boxyard RTP will remain open. The brewery plans to continue production at the location until next June, but haven’t announced yet the location they will move to. Follow along here.
- A reminder that on August 17th, Mama Dip’s, a 48-year tradition in Chapel Hill, will shift gears and move to a new chapter in their storied history, ending their traditional service model and shifting to selling family-style take-home meals. But, they will continue serving in the restaurant as normal for the next two weeks. Let’s just say the restaurant has been slammed since their announcement, so plan your visit accordingly. Visit Mama Dip’s here.
- Over in Southern Village, Market and Moss, an award-winning restaurant focused on seasonal new American is now serving Sunday Brunch from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Executive chefs Danny Vacca and Chuck Jones have designed a menu that features elevated takes on familiar brunch classics. Check out the brunch menu and make reservations here.
- In downtown Chapel Hill, Sarah Boak posted on the Triangle Table Talk Facebook page that we are getting close to the opening of Max’s Tin Can, located just under Time Out Chicken at the corner of Franklin and Henderson streets. Might be best to follow pending announcement on Instagram here.
- Over in the Durham Food Hall we noticed that Patty Boy, a no-fuss Americana food stall specializing in cheesy smash burgers, hand-battered chicken tenders, and crispy loaded tater tots, is now open. It is owned by the same folks behind Ex-Voto. Visit them here.
Closings
- China Palace on Garrett Road in Durham closed their doors yesterday, July 30th.
Food Trucks
- Got great news this week that A Place at The Table (a pay-what-you-can cafe) will take their offerings on the road with The Travelin’ Table food truck. Book them for company parties, weddings and catering opportunities. Check them out 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
- Yo Tim Coynesmith! The Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival is THIS weekend – August 2nd and 3rd to Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. It’s two great days of beer sippin’, bourbon tastin’, music listenin’, and barbeque eatin’. Your admission buys you a sampling glass so you can enjoy an ALL-YOU-CARE-TO-TASTE sampling of beer and bourbon (60 beers and 40 bourbons). Yes please! Get tickets and all the details here.
- Wine enthusiasts, join Mandolin in Raleigh on Saturday August 31st from 1:30 to 4 p.m. for a wine tasting event that you will not soon forget. They have invited eight of their top wine purveyors to pour some of their favorite wines – offering over 24 different wine selections with light hors d’oeuvres, fruit, and cheese. The wines will be available for purchase at deep discounts. This is the perfect way for any wine lover to spend a Saturday afternoon! Tickets are $45 and can be purchased here.
- Tickets are on sale now for the 9th Annual Dinner in the Meadow which will take place on September 15, 2024 on a grassy knoll atMeadow 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.
- USA Today Food & Wine Experience is coming back again to Raleigh on Saturday October 26th at the Big Field at Dix Park. Chef Jared Bobkin coordinates this event visiting approximately 12 U.S. cities annually. Get all the details here.
Food Bank Corner
- Picture this scenario: you have enough money to purchase food for the week, but not enough to cover your utility bills or transportation costs to work. Many of our neighbors in our own communities who face food insecurity struggle silently and have to make the difficult choice to go without meals to make ends meet. Every day at the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, they hear stories from grateful children, families, and seniors about the impacts of having access to nutritious food and especially fresh produce. Your generous gift, no matter the size, has the power to nourish countless lives, ignite hope, and pave the way for a brighter future. Give today if you can.
