Featured Restaurant News
- Triangle Business Journal shared the news this week that Jubala Coffee will open this spring in the Park District of North Hills adjacent to the Coastal Credit Union Midtown Park. Look for “an enhanced food menu” that includes weekend brunch options. This will be Jubala’s third location, with the original location in Raleigh’s Lafayette Village and another location on Hillsborough Street in the Aloft Hotel. Visit Jubala here.
Wake County Restaurant News
- And we now know where Jose & Sons will land! They shared via Facebook this week that they will serendipitously open in their father’s third location of El Rodeo in Raleigh’s Pleasant Valley – on the 25th anniversary of that opening (4112 Pleasant Valley Rd.). After a few rounds of remodeling, the location is temporarily closed so that they can put the final touches for the debut in the coming weeks. Look for the menu to be a bridge from old school Tex-Mex nostalgia to the current day Sur-Mex flavors. Follow along on Facebook here.
- Raleigh Convergence shared the great news that Gov’t Cheeseburger, which started as a temporary pandemic burger shop from the Postmaster folks in Cary, is changing their name and will soon have a new location. Beginning November 27, Fine Folk will be slinging out of the back of Foundation Bar (213 Fayetteville St.) in downtown Raleigh. Get a peek at their menu here.
- Saw in Ashton Mae Smith’s newsletter that Lonerider’s Hideout in Five Points opened to the public this past Sunday in the former home of The Point at Glenwood. This is their first full restaurant and will feature pizza, wings, salads, and more under head chef Ron West, who had previous stints at Flemings, Mandolin, and MOFU. Check out their Hideouts here. A nod also to childhood friend Gordon Brown as he noticed something was “brewing” on a recent drive thru Five Points.
- Also in Raleigh, WRAL shared the news that another location of the Wingstop is coming to the Avent Ferry Shopping Center at the intersection of Avent Ferry Road and Gorman Street. Look for them to open next month, although we don’t have an exact date. This will be Wingstop’s 7th Triangle-area location. Visit them here.
- In Cary, the Triangle Business Journal reported that Cary-based Cotton House Craft Brewers unveiled plans for a second location in town after acquiring the former site of the Jordan Lake Brewing Company. The new location is situated at 320 E Durham Road in downtown Cary. CHCB’s original remains at 307 S. Academy Street. Expect the new location to open in February or March of 2021. Visit them here.
- For those over in Apex, the peak of good living in the Triangle, Chris Creighton shared the news that Alpaca Chicken has finally opened their new location on Hwy 64 in the old Pei Wei restaurant spot at 1107 Pine Plaza Drive. Visit Alpaca 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
- Jennifer Noble Kelly notified us this week that Giorgios Hospitality Group reopened Kipos Greek Taverna in its newly renovated location in the Eastgate Crossing shopping center in Chapel Hill at 1800 East Franklin Street (in the former Babalu space). And in a really cool twist of fate, chef George Delidimos, who assisted in the original opening of Kipos in 2013, returns and will lead the Greek kitchen with Bakatsias’ sister and co-chef Olga Bakatsias. Reconnect with Kipos here.
- Bites of Bull City posted on Twitter that a new book cafe is opening in the former East Durham Bake Shop location. Rofhiwa Book Café is a neighborhood bookstore and coffee spot, featuring contemporary and classic works by Black writers across the globe. Check them out on Facebook here.
- Also in Durham, reader Mel Montano gave us a heads up on some new signage on the former DeeLuxe Chicken on Broad Street. It looks like it will soon be the newest location of The Loop, which has locations on Duke’s campus (Bryan Center) and in Chapel Hill’s Eastgate Crossing shopping center. They are known for their salads, pizzas, burgers and shakes. Get familiar with them here. No word yet on a timeline.
- What began as a nano brewery operating on PlowGirl Farm outside of Carrboro, has now expanded and opened Dingo Dog Brewing Taproom at 410 N. Greensboro Street. Due to the pandemic, all seating is outdoors, but if they do fill up (likely), they do have some options in 4-pack cans to-go. Dingo uses profits to fund grants to no-kill animal rescue organizations in North Carolina. Check them out!
- 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! Now more than ever!!
Food Trucks
- Triangle on the Cheap shared the news that Food Truck Flix is a recurring event that combines drive-in movies with food trucks, for a safer entertainment experience just announced their schedule for the upcoming weekends (Friday and Saturday nights). The events will be taking place at Frontier RTP, 800 Park Offices, Durham, and at Focus Church, 7000 Destiny Drive, Raleigh. You can purchase tickets in advance for any of the drive-in movies. The price is $25 per car. Of course, you’ll also want to bring money for the food trucks. Get the movie schedule, purchase your pass and get all the details here.
Events
- Here is a Thanksgiving good deed story if I’ve ever heard one – Lawrence BBQ will be offering free Thanksgiving meals to those in need. On Wednesday, November 25th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the parking lot of Killjoy (116 N West St), Lawrence BBQ will be offering single trays, and take-home meals for families, all on a first-come-first-served basis. All the home-made Thanksgiving staples will be provided, including smoked turkey, Brunswick stew, stewed potatoes, ham hock green beans, cast-iron cornbread and sorghum butter, and homemade peanut butter cookies. Thanks to Jake Wood and all those involved in making this happen! Follow Lawrence BBQ on Facebook here.
- Speaking of great Thanksgiving stories, the good folks at A Place At The Table are partnering up with Gonza Tacos & Tequilla for a little curbside Thanksgiving! Stop by the cafe from 8-10 a.m. for curbside tacos and community on the Thursday, November 26th! Check it out here. Thanks to Ashton Mae Smith for bringing this goodness to our attention.
- Many people are looking to Thanksgiving dining options this year – it is a great way to support our local restaurants. Look to the News & Observer and WRAL to provide links to restaurants offering Thanksgiving packages. And the Downtown Raleigh Alliance has a list of downtown Raleigh restaurants offering Thanksgiving meals – check it out here. Again, this would be a GREAT way to support your favorite, local restaurant. Visit your favorite local restaurant’s social media pages for menus (for instance, here are Boulted Bread’s holiday offerings, Lucette Grace’s offerings and here is the offering from ACME in Carrboro).
- As The Pit in downtown Raleigh celebrates its 13th birthday, the restaurant will be cooking up Thanksgiving again this year, offering guests the opportunity to dine in at the restaurant or order the meal to-go. Guests can also order from an a la carte menu with all the meats, sides and desserts to fill in any gaps on the Thanksgiving table. Their dine-in family-style Thanksgiving dinner is $34.99 a person ($19.99 for kids 12 and under) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 26. See their menu here. The Pit’s sister restaurants, Gravy and Sitti, also have Thanksgiving packages.
- RalToday shared the following event: Tickets are on sale now for The Black Farmers Market’s second farm-to-table dinner, Grazefully Rooted. The dinner will be held November 28 at First Fruits Farm (~45 minutes outside downtown Raleigh) and will explore cultural and culinary connections across the African diaspora. Get tickets here.
Food Bank Corner
- Since 2013, community members have celebrated their Thanksgiving at Plates Neighborhood Kitchen. To celebrate the restaurant’s eighth annual Thanksgiving charity initiative, Plates Neighborhood Kitchen is partnering with Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina on “Plates for the Community.” This year, Plates wants to make sure they can still provide the same level of satisfaction while keeping everyone safe during this unprecedented time. Through Monday, November 23, chef David Mitchell is offering Thanksgiving meal packages designed to feed six to eight people in the comfort of their own homes. Owners of Plates, Steve Day and Justin Gallus, have pledged to provide a $20 donation to the Food Bank for each package sold. The donation from each package purchased is enough to provide 100 meals for those in need right here in our local community. Get the details on their Facebook event page here. #noonegoeshungry
