Featured Restaurant News
- The Downtown Raleigh Alliance shared the news this week that Omakase by Kai, a new Omakase-style Japanese restaurant, has opened on the ground floor of the Hyatt House Hotel at Seaboard Station (15 Seaboard Avenue) in downtown Raleigh. The space features a wrap around sake bar, a fully immersive dining experience, and is the latest creation from chef/owner James Chung, who also operates Kai Sushi & Sake Bar in North Raleigh. Might be best to follow along on Instagram here.
Wake County Restaurant News
- Triangle Business Journal reported this week that Sixty Vines, a vineyard-inspired restaurant with locations throughout the South, plans to open in late 2025 at 4000 Center at North Hills in a 2-story space. It will be located in One North Hills in the Main District, in the space Limani Grille originally planned to occupy, near RH Gallery and its rooftop restaurant. They will serve brunch, lunch and dinner and feature an extensive selection of wine on tap. Its food menu includes charcuterie boards, appetizers, salads, pizza, pasta, main entrees, sandwiches and more. The space will feature outdoor patios on both the first and second floors, as well as a bar on each floor with operable windows to create indoor or outdoor bar areas. In addition to a location in Charlotte, the concept has 13 locations in Texas, Florida, Washington, D.C., Tennessee and Virginia. Start getting familiar with them here.
- In downtown Raleigh, Triangle Business Journal reported that Durham’s ice cream shop Simons Says Dip This will open this month at 621 Hillsborough St. in the Bloc83 in Glenwood South. Audrey and Nathan Simons opened the original store in Durham in 2021. The menu features soft-serve vanilla ice cream, 24 dipping sauces and 30 toppings such as hand-spun cotton candy, pistachios or fruit. Get familiar with them here.
- Over in Cary, buddy David McCreary shared that Paris Baguette, a French-style bakery cafe, has opened at 685 Cary Towne Boulevard in Cary in the former Your Pie spot. The eatery serves pastries, cakes, donuts, sandwiches and much more. This is their second Triangle-area location with the first being over in Raleigh at 10341 Moncreiffe Road. Discover more here.
- And down in Clayton, Oscar Diaz will bring his incredibly successful Aaktun Coffee + Bar (he opened the first one in Durham last fall), in the coming weeks. He is opening in the space formerly occupied by Crawford Cookshop at 401 E Main Street. Visit them here. (See more about Diaz’s other plans below in the Durham section.)
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
- We first told you about this last October, but the Triangle Business Journal updated us this week that Tataco, a taqueria from James Beard Award-nominated chef Oscar Diaz, will open next month at 620 Foster St. in the Geerhouse apartments. Diaz has had tremendous success in Durham with both Little Bull restaurant and Aaktun Coffee + Bar. Tataco will have a tortilla-making station, as well as a fish station with fresh seafood displayed on ice including oysters, clams, scallops and more. Diaz is also bringing in corn from Mexico to make masa dough for tamales, sopes and tortillas. Best to follow along on Instagram here.
- But that’s not all Oscar Diaz has coming up in Durham according to the Triangle Business Journal. He, along with his partners at the Mezcalito Group, signed a lease for a century-old building at 301 E. Chapel Hill St., will operate a yet-to-be-named restaurant and rooftop bar on the main and second floors, while the basement level will feature a lounge. Diaz plans to open by the end of the year with a concept that will feature live-fire cooking with a large wooden grill inside. Stay tuned on this one.
Closings
- WRAL reported this week that The Green Monkey in downtown Raleigh, a LGBTQ gift shop, bottle shop and neighborhood bar, is closing after a 12 year run. Their last day at the current location is March 15th – after which it will move online.
Food Trucks
- Great news as the Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo returns to downtown Raleigh on Saturday, June 28th from noon until 6 p.m. all along Fayetteville Street. From savory flavors to sweet treats, there’s something to satisfy every craving and cuisine curiosity. Whether you’re a fan of gourmet burgers, delicious tacos, or decadent desserts, our food truck rodeo promises to have something for everyone! Visit their Facebook event page 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
- Chapel Hill’s Med Deli and owner Jamil Kadoura are hosting a fundraiser THIS Saturday, February 15th to help victims of the wildfires in California. In partnership with Chapel Hill’s Acts of Kindness, the Share The Love event will send 100% of its ticket costs, beer and wine purchases, and donations to the Global Empowerment Mission. The Story Venue, owned by Jamil Kadoura, at 450 West Franklin Street is hosting the fundraiser with dinner, a live auction and dancing planned for ticket-buyers. Get all the details here.
- MilkShake wner Alex Chandler shared with me that they have opened the Cary location (he also owns the location in Durham) at 161 E Chatham Street. They are currently in soft opening mode and will have their Grand Opening event THIS Saturday, February 15th from noon until 4 p.m. featuring live music, giveaways, lots of chocolate samples, and a FREE vanilla shake. Visit their Facebook event page for all the details.
- Rocky Top Catering is proud to sponsor and host the 7th Annual Cooking for the Kids benefiting Overflowing Hands and King’s Ridge which kicks off with Round One the week of February 17th. This fun competition matches eight premier Triangle chefs in a tournament-style culinary showdown to win cash prizes. The competition takes place at Millbrook Manor (formerly 1705 East) at 1705 East Millbrook Road in Raleigh. Round Two takes place February 26th and 27th and the Finale is scheduled for March 5. See the participating chefs as well as purchase tickets here. Thanks to Dean Ogan for reaching out to me about this great event!
- 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.
- To commemorate its 50th anniversary, Irregardless is hosting a series of special prix fixe dinners, each celebrating a different decade in the restaurant’s history. The first event will honor the 1970s with a nostalgic three-course meal at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, priced at $80 per person. Get tickets and all the details here. Additional dinners are as follows: 1985 Dinner: 6:30 p.m. May 21 (tickets and details here); 1995 Dinner: 6:30 p.m. July 9; 2005 Dinner: 6:30 p.m. Sept. 10; and 2015 Dinner: 6:30 p.m. Nov. 12.
- Fest in the West returns to Cary after a one-year hiatus on Saturday, April 5th from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. at Mills Park (441 Mills Park Drive). The event is geared towards children and families with tons of entertainment and activities – and of course a plethora of food trucks for everyone’s enjoyment! Get all the details here.
- NC Sugar Rush will be held in downtown Raleigh’s City Plaza on Sunday, May 25th from noon until 6 p.m. If you are not familiar with this yumminess, it is a dessert food only event with something to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth. Sign me up! Get all the details on their Facebook event page here.
- The 10th Annual Raleigh International Food Festival will take place this year on Saturday, June 7th from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. on downtown Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street. The event will feature over 120 food trucks/dessert trucks from around the globe with over 60 cultures represented. Free tickets and all the details here. (Tickets not required as this is a free event)
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!
