Featured Restaurant News
- Sam Jones BBQ will open its second location in downtown Raleigh; this time as a food stall at Morgan Street Food Hall in the Warehouse District (411 W. Morgan Street). The award-winning eastern North Carolina barbecue restaurant aims to open this new location called Sam Jones BBQ Pit Stop by the end of the year. This will be the third location of Sam Jones BBQ, which specializes in whole hogs cooked over wood and served with a vinegar sauce, which is the traditional style in eastern North Carolina. Jones is a fourth-generation barbecue man from Ayden, N.C. Jones’ grandfather, the late Pete Jones, opened Skylight Inn in 1947, in Ayden, N.C. Sam Jones went on to open restaurants under his own name; the first one in Greenville in 2015 and the second on West Lenoir Street in Raleigh in 2021. The new location will be less than a mile from the original Raleigh location. Check them out here (including a rendering of their space in Morgan Street Food Hall).
Wake County Restaurant News
- Patrick Shanahan is doing it again. This time teaming up with co-owner Robby Opperman, the duo will open Little Saint Cocktail Co., the first true standalone cocktail bar in North Hills. Slated to open in 2027, this is Shanahan’s fifth project in two years. His other projects include: Peregrine, Capulet Cocktail Club at The Exchange, Rosebud Cocktail Lounge and opening this month, the all-day Café Royale, also at The Exchange. Little Saint will be on the ground floor of the St. Albans Lofts building at 600 St Albans Drive, directly across from Standard. Follow along on Instagram here.
- The team over at Whiskey Kitchen in Nash Square in downtown Raleigh (201 W. Martin Street) shared the exciting news that they are bringing back the downstairs space below their restaurant as Low Bar Lounge…and it looks fantastic! No word on an exact opening date, but I can tell you it is soon. Check them out here.
- Reader Ken Jarvis reached out to let us know that following the opening of their second El Salsa Mexican Grill in downtown Wendell (the first is in Raleigh), the team of Christina Chavero, husband Fabian Mendez, and cousins Jose and Alberto Arellano opened their newest concept Campo Azul Mexican Cuisine at the Buffaloe Bend Shopping Center (7320 Buffaloe Rd Suite 120) in Raleigh. I couldn’t find their online presence, but you can visit El Salsa here.
- Over at Glenwood Place (just inside the beltline) and next to Ladyfinger’s, we’ve noticed that a concept called Ladybug Creamery is nearly complete with their buildout. Won’t be long now. Keep up with their progress and pending announcements on Instagram here.
- Up in Wake Forest, saw on the Wake Forest Real Community Information Facebook page that they are getting a location of Firebirds Wood Fired Grill. And word on the street suggests they may be open by the end of September at 1311 Grove Village Road in Grove 98 near Highway 98 and Ligon Mill Road, next to Wegmans. . Visit them here.
- Also in Wake Forest, reader Katie Flanagan informed us that Yumma Mediterranean Grill opened at 10016 Capital Blvd, near the Wake Forest Sam’s Club. The concept is serving up fresh shawarma, kebabs, hummus and more. Get your mouth watering by visiting their Instagram page here.
- Down in Holly Springs, the Triangle Business Journal reported that Libations Bottle and Bev Co. will open next month at 3101 McChesney Hill Loop. Brought to us by Bart and Kali Gentile, along with business partner Ryan Walters, they will be located in Peterson Station, in the same building as Doherty’s Irish Pub & Restaurant. Get to know them here.
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
- Reader Russell Henry has been doing a little snooping and has turned up a terrific nugget over in Durham. Developer documents indicated that a concept called Compa Pizza & Pasta is coming to the Latta Park development at the intersection of Guess and Latta roads in Durham. We won’t speculate any more at this time, but we think you are going to love who is behind this concept. Thanks Russ!
Closings
- Got word this week that Lula & Sadie’s in Durham will serve up their last meal on September 20th. That leaves you just over a week to get by (2202 Chapel Hill Road).
Food Trucks
- Like my buddy Tim Coynesmith likes to say, “Somebody has been reading my diary.” Two Roosters is hosting an Ice Cream Truck Rodeo on Friday, September 25th from 5-9 p.m. with five of their catering vehicles and carts! They’ll be serving off-the-menu specialty items and Longleaf Swine (which is moving into the former Sawmill Taproom space) will be there with barbecue. It will be held in the Greystone Baptist Church (7509 Leadmine Road) parking lot, directly next to their Greystone Village shop and kitchen in N Raleigh. You can get all the details on their Facebook page here.
- The final Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo will be held from noon to 4 p.m. on September 27. You’ll find food and drink at over 30 food trucks as well as inflatables and family fun for all ages. It will be hosted at Durham Central Park (500 Foster Street, Durham). Go ahead and mark your calendar. 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
- The Crunkleton Chapel Hill (320 West Franklin Street) is hosting a series of special Office Hours tastings with Gary Crunkleton. These curated tasting events feature bourbons from their vast collection including antiques, barrel picks, and some unsung heroes that deserve recognition. Dates run from tonight thru the end of September. Tickets are $125 per person with a maximum of 15 guests for each session. To reserve a spot on the night of your choice, and for additional details, please visit them here.
- The Sola Hot Mini 5K is this Saturday, September 12th. Join the community and Sola’s fight to find a cure to end ALS. Any and everyone is encouraged to come out – runners, walkers, volunteers, donors, cheerleaders, kids, strollers, moms, dads, friends, family…just be there. Get all the details here.
- This Sunday, September 13th from noon until 5 p.m. Pinheiro Vinho e Vida, a Portuguese wine bar in East Durham (304 S Driver Street), will be raising money for Nepal recovery efforts. A portion of all Pinheiros sales for the day will be donated to the Prime Ministers Relief Fund. Additionally, MomoManduNC food truck will be on site serving up Nepalese cuisine. Visit them on Instagram here.
- Chef Sera Cuni and her team over at The Root Cellar in Chapel Hill and Pittsboro are taking part in three dinners coming up that you are going to want to check out. First up is a Fish Pickin’ on September 20th where she is teaming up with chef Bill Hartley at Chatham Oaks Farm in Pittsboro. Next up is the Annual Pay-What-You-Can Community Feast benefitting chef Sera’s nonprofit Feed-Well Fridges to build Feed-Well’s first permanent home and commissary kitchen. This event takes place on September 27th also at Chatham Oaks Farm. And finally, a Yellowstone Dinner on October 29th where four incredible chefs are taking over Holl & Stone Farm in Garner. Chefs Sera Cuni of The Root Cellar, Bill Hartley of Postal Fish Company and JDub’s Po’Boys, Ryan Butler of Smoke Ropers, and Lynn Wells of Thyme Well Spent and Our State Magazine will each helm their own station, giving guests the chance to wander the farm, fill their plates and experience a menu built around smoke, fire, Southern ingredients and a little Wild West inspiration. Get your tickets for any of these events and all the details here.
- On Sunday, September 27, from 12 to 6 p.m., the inaugural Carolina Culture Food Fest will transform Moore Square into an exciting celebration of food, culture, and community. With the tagline “Where Food, Family & Fun Come Together,” the free, family-friendly festival will bring together food trucks, chefs, dessert vendors, local businesses, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders from across North and South Carolina. One of the festival’s most anticipated attractions will be a live food competition, where participating chefs and food vendors will put their signature dishes, creativity, and culinary skills to the test. Get all the details here.
- Tickets are now on sale for the third Rawleigh Oyster Fest, presented by Earp’s Seafood Market, returning Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. This year’s event, themed “Smoke & Shuck,” expands the festival’s signature chef-and-oyster-farm pairings to include North Carolina pitmasters for the first time, bringing barbecue into the mix alongside raw oysters. It will be held at Raleigh Iron Works. Rawleigh Oyster Fest has sold out both of its previous events — its launch in November 2025, which sold all 550 tickets, and a spring 2026 edition that sold out in just five days. The event is organized by Eduardo Mera of Mera Brothers Oysters, Katie Dombrowski, communications administrator for the City of Raleigh, and Max Trujillo of the NC F&B Podcast. Together, the two previous events raised approximately $12,500 for the Frankie Lemmon School and Development Center and the N.C. Coastal Federation. Get tickets and all the details here.
Food Bank Corner
- The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina is launching the Plate It Forward campaign to address the rising hunger crisis in the region. During Hunger Action Month this September, Food Bank supporters can dine out at partnering restaurants to purchase #PlateItForward dishes. A portion of the proceeds from each order directly benefits the Food Bank and our network of over 700 partner agencies and meal sites. At a time when more than 1 in 7 of our neighbors don’t know where their next meal might come from, it’s never been more important to #PlateItForward. Our community can get involved by visiting them here to find a roster of participating restaurants and their #PlateItForward dishes. Diners are encouraged to share their #PlateItForward meal on social media to invite others to get involved.
