Friday Fun Food Facts – January 17, 2025

Featured Restaurant News

• Brewery Bhavana, the acclaimed brewery and dim sum restaurant based in downtown Raleigh, is set to expand with a second location at Cary’s Fenton development this April according to owner Patrick Woodson. Unlike the downtown Raleigh flagship, this version will not feature a bookstore or flower shop. Instead, it will offer a spacious outdoor patio with seating for around 60 guests, adjacent to a large courtyard. Guests can look forward to their beloved dim sum menu, as well as popular entrees like General Tso Chicken and Peking Duck. They also plan to offer exclusive dishes with an emphasis on lighter, healthier fare. Alongside the brewery’s award-winning Belgian-inspired beers, wine and cocktails, the Fenton location also will feature draft cocktails, available to enjoy in the Fenton’s sip-and-stroll district, and beer coolers, offering a selection of to-go beers, including exclusive, limited-edition brews. Might be best to follow along on Instagram here.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Axios Raleigh reported this week that a new tapas bar called Marian Cocktails & Tapas will open in Raleigh’s Glenwood South this month. The new fully plant based spot comes from the owners of the popular vegan restaurants The Dirty V, Element Gastropub and de plantas food truck. It’ll serve cocktails plus globally inspired small and large plates from chef Lelia Kidd. Look for them to open at the end of January in the former Plates Kitchen spot at 301 Glenwood Avenue, Suite 100. Its owners will also be relocating the Apex restaurant The Dirty V to downtown Raleigh in the spring of 2025. You can find updates on their progress on Facebook here.

• And more downtown Raleigh nightlife is on the way according to Triangle Business Journal. A new sports bar called Halftime Sports Lounge is having their soft opening today (January 17) and their grand opening on Saturday. It is located in the Moore Square district at 133 E. Hargett Street (former Remedy Diner spot) and the full bar will feature cocktails, beer and wine. The interior is decked out with generous LED lighting to create a stimulating atmosphere in addition to eight TVs for watching games, according to TBJ. Just in time to catch the College Football Playoff National Championship (Notre Dame vs. Ohio State) on Monday night! Congrats to cousins Moe Deloach and AJ McNeil! Best to follow along on Instagram here.

• Axios also reported this week that Left Hook Coffee, the popular coffee hang-out inside Gussie’s at 927 W. Morgan Street, will eventually open a new location. For now, owner Kristin Kulik is roasting coffee out of the old Hargett Street Laundromat at 912 E. Hargett St. but will eventually convert it to a standalone coffee shop. Here’s hoping this means we will have two Left Hooks! Visit Left Hook here.

• Also in downtown Raleigh, Raleigh Downtown shared that Primo Hoagies opened yesterday at 121 Fayetteville Street. Using bread from Philly, you can order your favorite hoagie with the toppings you want, pair it with Primo or Herr’s Potato Chips, and pick from a wide selection of sides including salads (potato, mac, pasta, etc) and our favorite – dirt pudding! This is their second Raleigh location, with the first being over at North Hills. Visit them here.

• Up in Brier Creek, we learned this week that Golden Krust, the premier Jamaican fast-casual restaurant group that aims to bring a taste of the Caribbean to the world, has opened their third location in Raleigh at 8741 Brier Creek Pkwy. They have well over 100 locations across the United States. Get familiar with them here.

• Back in May, 2024 we told you about Wong’s Tacos, a Richmond taco shop known for melding Asian and Mexican ingredients, expanding into Raleigh. Initially hoping to see them open at the beginning of this year, reader Tim Pflaum shared with us that he learned they won’t actually open until April or May of this year. A brand from Richmond’s Eat Restaurant Partners, they will open near Crabtree Valley Mall at 4251 Parklake Ave. in the GlenLake office park. The menu features a combination of Asian and Mexican cuisines, including chorizo egg rolls, brisket boa buns, black pepper chicken fajitas and kung pao chicken tacos and features a large cocktail menu with an emphasis on margaritas. Eat Restaurant Partners has 12 brands, so possibly look for more of their concepts to land in the Triangle. Check them out here.

• Over in Cary, Triangle Business Journal shared that there will soon be a new spot to enjoy a cup of mocha in the downtown area. The former Howdy Ice Cream spot at 370 S. Walker Street, will soon become Coffee Studio. It will be located in The Walker, an apartment complex next to the Downtown Cary Park. The space will undergo a slight remodel. No open date has been set. Stay tuned!

• Also in Cary, Downtown Cary Facebook page shared that we are getting very close to the opening of Paris Baguette in the former Your Pie location in Cary Village Square Shopping Center at 685 Cary Towne Blvd. They also have a location in Raleigh. Get to know them here.

• “Up” in the Peak of Good Living (aka Apex) I don’t think there is anyone more excited than mayor Jacques Gilbert about the new Chick-fil-A coming to Apex (their second Chick-fil-A). If all goes as planned, they will open this location next month at 1001 South Hughes Street (South Hughes at Apex Parkway near Walmart). The original Apex location is in Beaver Creek Commons. Stay tuned and hope for cooperative weather to stay on schedule!

• In Wake Forest, Dawn Marie Turci-Elem shared on the Wake Forest Real Community Information Facebook page that the next location of Cookout will open in the former PDQ location on January 20th. It is located at the corner of Hwy. 98 and Northpark Drive near the Carolina Ale House. Visit Cookout here.

Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News

• Carrie Brogren, founder of the Chapel Hill Carrboro Foodies Facebook page, shared that Kolapasi Indian Canteen is coming to downtown Chapel Hill going into the former Bul Box spot on Franklin Street (200 W Franklin St.). No word yet on an opening date. Start getting familiar with them here.

• Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant CAVA is opening its first Durham location TODAY Friday, January 17, in Southpoint’s Renaissance Village retail center (8128 Renaissance Parkway). They are opening in the former Harvest 18 spot near the Streets at Southpoint Mall. Visit Cava here.

Closings

• None to report. Keep eating local, folks!

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

• Triangle Restaurant Week returns Monday, Jan. 27 through Sunday, Feb. 2, featuring over 50 restaurants in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and beyond offering special two-to-three-course menus with fixed prices. This is a great chance to check out restaurants you’ve been meaning to try. Get all the details and a list of participating restaurants on their site here.

• Downtown Raleigh’s Whiskey Kitchen (201 W. Martin Street), popular among whiskey and culinary enthusiasts, is hosting an exclusive Paired Whiskey Dinner featuring Glenmorangie Scotch on January 29th. Guests will indulge in a specially crafted multi-course menu, each dish expertly paired with Glenmorangie’s iconic Scotch whiskies. The complete menu and pairing details are available on the Whiskey Kitchen event page.

• Tickets went on sale earlier this month for An Evening To Ignite, the annual fundraiser by the teams at The Merrimon-Wynne House, Band Together and La Fête Planning & Design. The nonprofit beneficiary of this year’s event will be Ripe for Revival, which operates a fleet of pay-what-you-can mobile markets in central and eastern North Carolina. They will use the proceeds to expand the mobile markets’ presence in Raleigh. This year’s An Evening To Ignite will be March 14, 2025 in downtown Raleigh. Get tickets here and get information on Ripe for Revival here.

• This is kind of cool…a traveling Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy cocktail event that will be in Pittsboro next January 23 and 24. It is a chilling cocktail experience that brings four of his stories off the page and onto the stage as told through the Poe historians while you sip on delicious themed cocktails that are paired with each story. Tickets are $45 and will take place at Forest Hall at Chatham Mills (new location). Get tickets and all the details here.

Food Bank Corner

• With over 560,000 community members facing food insecurity and hunger at its highest in over 15 years, the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is working overtime to ensure no one goes hungry. Your generous support is making a positive impact for people who are fighting to stay afloat. Monthly giving is a great way to increase your impact for our neighbors. Just $10 a month could provide 50 meals to families experiencing hunger. A monthly pledge is a steadfast commitment to providing nourishment across our community. Join a caring group of donors by becoming a Sustainer today!