TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

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!

Featured Restaurant News

• In the never say never category, news broke this week that we might be just months away from the re-opening of 42nd Street Oyster Bar in downtown Raleigh. It closed in March of this year after nearly 100 years in business. The new ownership team (42nd Street Partners LLC) consists of the restaurant’s longtime general manager, Hunter Correll (GM since 1996) along with John F. Holmes Jr., president of Hobby Properties, the restaurant’s landlord. Looks like their Facebook page might be the best place to keep up with this developing story. Best guesses are they are looking at a February opening.

Wake County Restaurant News

• Raleigh’s newest taco shop, Barrio Tacos, Tequila & Whiskey, in downtown Raleigh’s Smoky Hollow development is (FINALLY) having their Grand Opening this Friday, August 22nd. The doors open at 3 p.m. and the first 50 people in line will receive 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗢 for an entire year! This will be the chain’s first venture into North Carolina after being voted one of the top 10 taco stands in the United States. They are also known for their vast selection of tequila, whiskey, and beer. At this point, best to follow their Instagram for an announcement.

• Thanks to a tip from Darryl Fuller, owner and chef at Morning Rolls, we learned that he is getting a new neighbor at Quail Corners Shopping Center (corner of Falls of the Neuse and Millbrook) in Raleigh. Burrito Shak will have their last day today (Friday) and Gym Tacos will move into that space, making this their third brick-and-mortar location (one in Raleigh and one in Durham) joining a couple of food truck locations. No word on how quickly they will be able to flip the location, but I don’t imagine it will be too long. Looks like they are sharing updates on their Instagram site.

• New coffee concept, Simmer Coffee (at 726 Slash Pine Drive in Amberly Village in Cary), will celebrate their grand opening on Saturday, August 23 from 10am-1pm with special promotions, opportunities to win free Simmer food, drink, and merchandise, a photo booth, face painting and balloon art for kids of all ages. As part of its grand opening, Simmer is also giving one lucky winner Free Simmer for a Year. Check them out here.

• Also in Cary, Triangle Business Journal reported that Mezcalito, a Tex-Mex chain with six locations in North Carolina, plans to open its next location at 1102 Walnut Street in the former home of On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina. It is located at the intersection of Walnut Street and Southeast Maynard Road less than two miles from downtown Cary. Mezcalito has locations in Apex, Beaufort, Clayton, Durham, Goldsboro and Henderson, with plans to open in Rolesville’s Cobblestone Village. Check out Mezcalito here.

• Up in North Raleigh, reader Hans Kerekes sent word that there is a coming soon banner hanging up for Mamacita, Modern Mexican & Cocktails in the Forestville Crossing shopping center in the former Hwy. 55 burger spot. No word on an open date. This will be their fourth location here in the Triangle. Visit them here.

• In Wake Forest, reader Rebecca Taylor informed us that a sign is now up for The Flying Biscuit Cafe in the former East Coast Wings spot in Wake Forest Crossing on Capital Boulevard (12646 Capital Blvd., Suite 168, Wake Forest). It is in the same shopping center as Playa Bowls which just opened a couple of weeks ago. This will be their 5th Triangle-area location. No timeline is available just yet. Visit them here.

• And over in Wendell, Raleigh Magazine reported that Glenwood South pizza spot, Vic’s Pizzeria, is opening a new location at Wendell Falls. Their first location outside of Raleigh will be in a brand-new 2,400 square-foot building with an opening planned for May, 2027. Look for pretty much the same menu as Raleigh, with the addition of more pasta dishes—plus a full bar serving craft and bottled beer, wine, and liquor. Until then, visit them on Glenwood South here.

• 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

• Cucciolo is expanding its reach as the team behind North Hills’ Cucciolo Terrazza and Downtown Durham’s Cucciolo Osteria is opening Cucciolo Famiglia in South Durham’s Sutton Station this Saturday, August 23rd. Of the three restaurants, this will be the most casual, evoking the charm of a classic Italian bistro. Thanks to Carrie Brogren for the tip on the opening date. Visit Cucciolo Famiglia on Instagram here.

• Also, got word this week that the creators of Korean-inspired restaurants Namu, Bulkogi and The Can Opener have teamed up to bring Baekho Coffee & Ice Cream to Boxyard RTP. They are serving inventive espresso creations made with Counter Culture Coffee beans and scratch-made, locally sourced ice cream. Baekho combines contemporary coffeehouse vibes with tastes inspired by global flavors. Congrats to Charlie Ji, Joe Choi, Bo Kwon and Jin Song on their latest venture! You can find them on Instagram here.

• Anyone from New York (or anyone that is a Seinfeld, Sex and the City or The Office fan) will be excited to hear the news shared by the News & Observer this week – University Place in Chapel Hill will soon be home to H&H Bagels. And not only that, the N&O unveiled that this is the first of 5 locations planned for the Triangle. We should expect the iconic kettle-boiled bagels by the end of 2025. If you’ve never watched Seinfeld, Sex and the City, The Office or been to New York, check out H&H here.

Closings

• The News & Observer reported this week that Brio Italian Grille has closed its Crabtree Valley Mall location after 15 years.

• Chris Creighton notified us that The Cranky Yankee Bakery on Salem Street in Apex has closed.

Food Trucks

• Jennifer Martin posted on Facebook that the Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo will take place THIS Sunday, August 24th from 12 – 7 p.m. in downtown Raleigh. Expect over 50 of your favorite food trucks. It is being put on by Shop Local Raleigh.

• 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

• The Durham Bulls Athletic Park will host its first Tacos & Margarita Festival THIS Saturday, August 23rd from 12-4pm! Try their specialty taco and margarita creations for a unique culinary experience! This festival will not only include a variety of food and beverage items for patrons to taste but will feature an in-house DJ and live wrestling. What? Tacos and wrestling….sign me up! Get all the details here.

• Carolina Brewery is closing out the summer with their second Shrimp Boil event where guests are invited to enjoy a classic lowcountry-style boil, live music, and the release of a limited-edition beer brewed specially for the occasion. The Chapel Hill location will host their boil on Saturday, August 23 from 4 to 7 p.m. For additional details or to make reservations, visit them here.

• The Town of Cary’s Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival will be held on Saturday, August 23 and Sunday, August 24 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. It is a great way to wrap up the summer and explore the work of over 250 artists from across the nation, great food, live music and performances, as well as a kids section. Get all the details 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!