Featured Restaurant News
- Got word this week that we are just a little over a month away from the opening of Trophy Brewing Company’s newest location in the former Electric Supply Co. building at 207 Bickett Blvd. in Five Points next to Aija. Dubbed Trophy Five Points, this will be the seventh location from the folks behind Trophy Brewing Co. in Raleigh. They will be joining their growing list of concepts – Trophy Brewing & Pizza, State of Beer, Bend Bar, State of Beer at The Bend, Trophy on Maywood (production facility and taproom), Young Hearts Distilling (a small-batch distillery) and Maywood Hall & Garden, Visit all of Trophy’s locations here.
Wake County Restaurant News
- Raleigh Magazine shared that combined hemp dispensary, coffee and mocktail bar Haven Herb Garden Bar has opened at 215 Glenwood Avenue. It is in the same building as Drink wine bar and Mad Ethel’s Tattoo. The coffee menu includes lattes, dirty chai, matcha and other espresso bevs, plus drinks with adaptogenic properties. Check it out on Instagram here.
- Learned from Triangle Business Journal this week that Mediterranean restaurant Cava and Chipotle Mexican Grill will open locations at Cary’s Alston Town Center along Highway 55 in northwest Cary. The project aims to finish construction by next spring, with restaurants opening in the summer.
- Way up in the Wake Forest and Rolesville area, reader Ryan Harrison shared with me that the new Char-Grill at Crenshaw Corners on Hwy. 98 in Wake Forest is now open. Additionally, the new Five Guys in Rolesville at the Wallbrook Shopping Center is also open. Thanks Ryan!
- My buddy Bates Battaglia shared with me the news that his bar, Lucky B’s, is celebrating 20 years as Glenwood South’s favorite Dive Bar! Looks like they will have an anniversary party on Saturday, September 13th. Stay tuned for details. Visit B’s here.
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
- Out in RTP, Raleigh Magazine shared the exciting news that chef Katsuji Tanabe’s beloved High Horse restaurant is coming back when it opens in a brand-new building at Horseshoe RTP. You’ll remember he first opened High Horse in November, 2019 in downtown Raleigh’s City Market, but closed just months later due to the unfortunate timing of Covid-19. The new venture will be in partnership with Raleigh restaurateur Anthony Rapillo. Expect the return of some of your favorite menu items—think skillet cornbread and cotton candy—plus newcomers like a houseground burger and charcoal-cooked seafood platter according to the magazine. Look for the modern space to feature an indoor/outdoor cocktail bar and expansive patio. Look for them to open next summer. Follow chef Tanabe on Instagram here.
- On a recent stroll down Chapel Hill’s Franklin Street, I learned that Brunches is finally open at 133 W. Franklin St. next to Roots Natural Kitchen. Open daily from 7:30 a.m. until 3 p.m., you can expect everything from breakfast, mimosas, cocktails, burritos, burgers and bowls. This is their sixth location in North Carolina, and second in the Triangle (they have a location in Cary) and a location is planned for Raleigh. And of course, they have the best website URL ever (www.mimosasmademedoit.com). Visit them here.
- Axios Raleigh reported this week that Even Dough, the Carrboro bakery beloved for its custom cakes, challah, pies and other baked goods, will open as a café on Tuesday, Sept. 2, at 203 W. Weaver Street. Once the cafe opens, expect both sweet and savory pastries, like tarts, cookies, cakes, bagel sticks, bourekas, puff pastries and coffee from Grey Squirrel. They will be open 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Get familiar with them here.
- In Chapel Hill, Chapelboro reported that The Latin Effect, which has been operating as a food truck out of Durham since 2020, is opening its first brick-and-mortar location at 504 West Franklin Street. They will serve up authentic and flavorful Latin American cuisine, specializing in tacos, taquitos, baleadas and more. Alberto Chedrani, who runs the food truck with his wife Rebecca, co-owns the restaurant with Happy Rathore. Rathore’s family are the folks behind NaanStop Indian Cuisine and Terrace Kitchen in Durham and the Naan House Indian Bistro in Apex. Look for them to open in September. Follow along on Instagram here.
- Saw on Instagram that Little Gem, a cocktail bar and event space, has opened at 630 Weaver Dairy Road in Chapel Hill. It is the latest offering from the folks behind Beau Catering. They are open Wednesday through Saturday, opening at 5 p.m. each of those days. Visit them here.
- Over in Carrboro, Autostrada Pizza & Pannini, a pizza and panini restaurant and neighboring gelato and coffee shop in Carr Mill Mall, announced they will celebrate their grand opening September 6-7. Saturday September 6 festivities include a free gelato with any 16″ pizza purchase and they will donate 10% of that day’s sales to the Carrboro Elementary School PTA. On Sunday September 7, they will introduce their new Sunday Supper special featuring family-style pasta and salad while airing the Italian Grand Prix. Customers can also enter to win Autostrada gift cards and more during the weekend and online. Do so here.
- Triangle Business Journal is reporting that Dame’s Chicken & Waffles is moving from its downtown location to 471 S. Driver St. in East Durham with plans to open in late September. On Driver Street, they’ll be joining Proximity Brewing, Congress Social Bar and the event space Garland Hall. Visit Dame’s here.
- Also in Durham, we learned that Bull McCabes is now Bull McCabes with the TanDurm Kitchen, a new concept managed by the team at Viceroy. It’s a new bar fare menu featuring Indian and Asian street food, with pub classics. TanDurm started as a food truck parked on their lawn eight or nine years ago, and that’s where their sister restaurant, Viceroy, got their start. And now they’re back! Bull McCabes has never been a “traditional” Irish pub, but rather an international pub with neighborhood roots. Visit them here.
- Back out in RTP, Glenn Gillen noted that Soul Forking Good (up for restaurant name of the year!) has opened at 2500 Meridian Parkway in Suite 135. This is the former location of Chef Chick’s Bakery. Check them out on Instagram here.
- We saw this week that Chatham County’s Ta Contento, Mex fresh food, will soon be opening a second location down in Pittsboro’s The Plant development, which is a food and beverage campus located at 220 Lorax Lane. No word yet on an open date. Looks like Facebook is the best place to keep up with their pending announcement.
- And staying in Chatham County, we learned that Pittsboro’s Red Moose Brewing Company is closing up operations there as the new owners are moving the brewing equipment and décor just a short drive away to Liberty, NC, where the spirit of Red Moose will continue to live on in a new home. Might be best to follow along on Instagram here.
Closings
- None to report. Keep eating local, folks!
Food Trucks
- The final Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo of 2025 will be on Sunday, November 2. It will run from 12 noon until 4 p.m. featuring over 50+ food trucks with cuisine from all over the world making it the ultimate Sunday Funday in Durham Central Park (501 Foster Street)! Get all the details 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
- WRAL reminded us that this Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 30-31) is the African American Cultural Festival along downtown Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street featuring live music, black-owned vendors, art and merchandise, food, a kids corner, storytelling and more in downtown Raleigh. Get all the details here.
- For the month of September, Little Rey’s latest taco collaboration is with Dave Ellis from Figulina. Available just in September, stop by to try a braised chuck taco with onion sugo, ramp salsa verde and crispy shallots. All proceeds benefit Now Serving NC. Visit Little Rey’s here.
- The inaugural Salt & Smoke & Sound Festival will be held Saturday, October 18th at Blackwood Farm Park between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough. The exciting new community event merges together two beloved festivals–Acme’s Salt & Smoke and Sonark Media’s Harvest Festival–into a celebration of food, culture, and music in a welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere. Food will be provided by Acme’s Kevin Callaghan and a team of local chefs and food trucks offering a wide variety of dishes and dining options. The festival will feature craft beers, curated beverages, and other interesting spirit-free options. All food and drink will be available for purchase and is not included in the price of festival entry. Tickets are on sale now.
Food Bank Corner
- It’s no exaggeration to say that North Carolina is in the grip of a hunger crisis. More than 1.6 million of our neighbors — 1 out of every 5 children — don’t know where their next meal might come from. That’s what makes the news of federal funding cuts such a blow, and why it’s more important than ever for our community to pull together. Existing federal funding changes: The elimination of LFPA, a program that let food banks like us buy fresh produce from local small farms; Reductions to TEFAP, a program to provide emergency food for families; Funding loss equivalent to 11.8 million meals that children, families, and seniors in our community need. Upcoming federal funding changes to SNAP: 375,000 North Carolinians could lose food assistance, including 46,000 veterans; “Cost-sharing” shift of $280 million from federal government to North Carolina state and local governments; Increased paperwork requirements to qualify. But a gift to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina at Raleigh Branch is a simple, effective way for you to help meet the immediate need. Every $10 is enough for 50 meals, so your gift quickly adds up to a big impact!
