Raleigh’s Recent Food & Beverage News

Village District’s first full-fledged cocktail bar Mr. Henry—from the mind of local hospitality vet Matt Bettinger—is now open, pouring classics like cosmos, spritzes and a top-notch martini in a British pub-esque environment. Cheers to that, guv’nor!

Giorgios Bakatsias is on a roll—literally. His newest concept, Tomi Sushi, has landed at East End Market with elevated contemporary Japanese selects, from signature rolls and nigiri to traditional starters, protein-heavy entrees, and soups and salads. 

In ~sweet~ news, Bittersweet and Johnson Street Yacht Club owners Kim Hammer and Lewis Norton’s Bitter Social is now open above Centro. Combining happy hour and social hour, the hot spot features cocktails and recurring events like Trashy Wine Club, DJ dance parties, smut poetry nights and more. It’s like Friends meets dive bar.

Oh, how sweet it is (to be loved by Tifa)! Tifa Chocolate & Gelato is now open in North Hills. A sweets lover’s dream, the shop offers chocolate, gelato, cookies, coffee and tea, and other treats.

Pour it up! DTR’s first ABC store in ~40 years has bowed with over 2,000 bottles (including NC products) in the former Kimbrell’s Furniture location next door to Deco on Salisbury Street. Downtown spirits—officially lifted.

It’s always Pretzel Day at Crofton’s Pretzels, now dishing out its cult-fave sweet and savory stuffed pretzels next to Riparian Provision Company and Earp’s Seafood Market just south of Downtown. 

A taste of Cabo is coming to Brier Creek Commons early this month via the local Torres family’s Cabo Mexican Cuisine feat. a Baja California-inspired menu with the likes of tacos, ceviche, and mezcal + tequila drinks. No sunscreen necessary. 

Pasta la vista! Smoky Hollow’s newest restaurant La Cucina Italiana is now slinging pasta, pizza, subs, salads and other Italian favorites alongside a full bar.

Set your alarms (snooze button optional) for not one, but three new brunch offerings around Raleigh: plant-based dishes at Fiction Kitchen, Mexican and Latin American fare at Mala Pata, and classic faves at The Crunkleton. 

Pho real? Following Mofu Shoppe’s closing this summer, new Vietnamese restaurant Saigon Kitchen is expected to fill the space at City Market. 

ISO NYC-style bagels right here in Raleigh? Check out V Pizza’s weekend pop-up From Queens With Love, feat. bagels mixed, mastered and kettle-boiled in NYC and finished in the Cary location’s wood-fired ovens.

Buzzy news in 3, 2, 1… 321 Coffee has moved into a larger roastery—its second roastery expansion in three years (!)—that will more than triple its current roasting capacity. Stay tuned for roastery tours and tasting experiences coming soon.

Cue the award-winning ’cue. Two local spots landed on Southern Living’s Top 50 BBQ Joints in the South list, including Prime Barbecue and Sam Jones BBQ. 

A farewell to inclusive venues The Wicked Witch and The Night Rider, both shuttering for good Nov. 2.

Fresh squeeze, who dis? Stirring up something new at North Hills, STIR has unveiled a revamped menu + bar program feat. in-house juices and dishes like bone-in ribeye, dover sole and shrimp scampi—NTM a signature housemade tonic syrup.

Have you herd? James Beard Award-nominated chef Preeti Waas is opening a second location of her boutique bodega Nanny Goat at the bottom floor of the GeerHouse apartment building in downtown Durham with a spotlight on grab-and-go prepared foods from local chefs.

Boulted Bread is, well, getting that bread, recently named the best bakery in the state by The Takeout. Rise and shine, indeed.

Japanese and Italian cuisine combine at recently bowed Shinmai Kumo in Cary—from the same team behind Shinmai Shokudo—with unique menu items such as wasabi fries, chicken curry flatbread and tonkatsu tagliatelle. Talk about an international crossover episode. 

Slice, slice, baby! Popular Raleigh pizza joint Timber Pizza Co. is headed to Durham in December with a new 2,000-square-foot space at The Shops at Wye Junction offering its signature pies, local brews and a “pizza party-meets-summer camp” vibe.

DTR nightclub Aura Lounge is back open with a reno’d exterior, plus new state-of-the-art DJ booth, lasers and CO2 cannons. Cue the confetti drop!

And we’ll all drift on, OK… The first Drift coffee shop + kitchen (as opposed to its restaurant-style “cafes”) is coming to Hub RTP in early November. 

West coast energy incoming at Oregon-founded coffee chain Dutch Bros, dropping its first NC location in Morrisville by the end of the year.

New name, same pour decisions. Fenton’s CRÚ Food & Wine Bar has entered a new era, rebranding to CRÚ Wine Bar and Bistro—plus launching a reimagined culinary and bev program featuring chef-driven dishes, an extensive wine list and a top-scale spirits selection.