Enter The Granite Grill, an upscale-casual concept from the brains behind Village District’s Tazza Kitchen. Now more than a decade deep in Raleigh, Big Kitchen Hospitality is doubling down on what works—polished but approachable neighborhood-first spots that feel as much trusty default as they do destination.
West Raleigh’s next dining play isn’t just another tasty opening—it’s a signal. On the heels of Crooked Hammock’s splashy debut, GlenLake’s momentum keeps building, with another anchor aimed squarely at turning this pocket (where Creedmoor becomes Edwards Mill) into a true work-stay-play zone.
Set just across from the Hammock, The Granite leans classic in both vibe and menu in a space big enough to signal scale: comfy booths, lively bar and a patio built for lingering over steaks, seafood and burgers—plus a cocktail list built on the OG hits (martinis, old-fashioneds and margs among them).
“We share in the continued interest and buzz around West Raleigh,” says partner John Davenport, pointing to neighbors like the Hammock, Wong’s Tacos and upcoming Jeff’s Bagel Run.
That buzz isn’t accidental. Highwoods Properties has been quietly stacking pieces here—and thinking bigger. “By intentionally crafting environments and experiences… we continue to build a truly commute-worthy destination,” says SVP and Raleigh Market Leader Skip Hill.
In other words, GlenLake isn’t just filling in—it’s taking shape. Zoom out and the play becomes even clearer. With the Blue Ridge Corridor’s long-term glow-up on deck and the upcoming Raleigh Sports and Entertainment District surrounding Lenovo and Carter-Finley, the swath of West Raleigh is gearing up for a full-on identity shift.
“This addition strengthens GlenLake, where dining, work and gathering spaces make us all better together,” says Hill. Call it curated, call it progress—the takeaway’s simple: This is how a district unfolds.
Your next backyard hang is about to get a whole lot cooler. You’ll have to actually leave your own backyard, but it promises to be so worth it. Enter Crooked Hammock’s upcoming West Raleigh location at mixed-use development GlenLake, which broke ground at the end of April. The Lewes, Delaware-founded brewery and restaurant (also with a nee-2021 buzzy locale in North Myrtle Beach) is set to deliver a vibrant eat, drink, lounge, play destination next year.
“I promise you’re going to love it,” says Highwoods Properties senior VP Skip Hill. “It’s gonna be really fun—the coolest brewery, restaurant and entertainment venue that Raleigh’s gonna see here in less than a year potentially.”
And it was a match made in heaven from the jump. The designated land was originally going to be an office building, but after the Highwoods team happened upon and fell in love with Crooked Hammock, they rezoned the site. “We struck gold when we met these guys,” recalls Hill. At the same time, Crooked Hammock was looking at Raleigh and stumbled across GlenLake, immediately setting their eyes on the prize.
Photo by Ian Weston, courtesy of Crooked Hammock
“We love Raleigh as a community—the size of it, the community nature of it, the outdoor environment nature of it is just such a perfect fit for Crooked Hammock,” emphasizes Managing Partner Josh Grapski. “Then as we found this office park and GlenLake, the surrounding community and the unbelievably positive demographics that fit who we are, we just knew we wanted to be here.”
Not only is Crooked Hammock a big win for Raleigh, it’s a gamechanger for the entire West Raleigh/Crabtree area, which currently lacks anything of this caliber. And Grapski says it could be the biggest and best Crooked Hammock yet.
At 8,600 square feet, the location will serve up the perf pours place to “live life in full swing,” as their motto goes. Of course, the backyard will be the star of the show—complete with hammocks (naturally), cornhole and other games—flowing seamlessly into the bar/dining room space via big open garage doors. “It’s like you’re having a cookout at your house and people are coming in and out,” teases founder Rich Garrahan.
On the beverage side, Crooked Hammock will have a craft brewery on-site churning up fresh permanent and seasonal beers, seltzers, and hard teas—with wine, creative cocktails and NA bevs also on offer.
Photo by Ian Weston, courtesy of Crooked Hammock
This isn’t just about what’s on tap—the food’s a major player too, with high-quality fare that rotates ~10 times throughout the year featuring popular ops like burgers, nachos, pretzels and dips (think spinach-artichoke, avocado and crab). “We’re really proud of our entire menu,” maintains Garrahan. “We think the community here is really gonna love it and embrace it and enjoy what we’ve been working so hard to create.”
Ultimately, the sky’s the limit at Crooked Hammock, offering a “place for anyone to just get away from the everyday,” adds Garrahan. “Whether it’s work stresses, family stresses or just your own personal stresses, coming to the Hammock and cracking open a cold beer and hanging out and laughing with friends and family is really the spirit of what we’re all about, the foundation of our brand and our culture.” In short, Crooked Hammock isn’t just bringing a brewery to town—it’s bringing a vibe and igniting the community… and West Raleigh is about to be better for it. crookedhammockbrewery.com
Developers craft a dynamic balance of tenants with intention.
“We’re trying to be intentional—instead of just leasing the space to the first person who shows up and says they’re interested.”
So says Highwoods SVP and Raleigh Market Leader Skip Hill of a new wave of competitive—and deliberate—placemaking to ignite energy and create spaces people want to frequent. So, in essence, ushering in a new era of developers shopping for specific concepts to fit the exact vibe they’re seeking, where the “play” component ensures people will want to live, work and hang there.
Local restaurateurs like Matt Bettinger, owner of Cary’s Hank’s Downtown Dive and SideBar, have seen this shift firsthand. “The larger developer scope seems to be more rigid in terms of expectations,” he says. “There’s a lot less flexibility. You’re seeing a lot more, ‘We want coffee service. Or ‘We want this to include cocktails.’”
That’s precisely how it played out for Highwoods’ Charter Square building, where they began scouting an all-day cafe for the former B.GOOD space to entice people back to the office. Enter popular Sir Walter Coffee’s vibey cafe-meets-cocktail bar with a second intentional interior entrance that flows into the lobby.
“It’s not just a one-off disconnected restaurant, it’s a part of the life of that building,” says Hill of the thoughtful approach. “And that building now becomes part of the life of Downtown—because Sir Walter brings community to the area there.” He adds the same goes for Birdie’s, which recently opened—and is already igniting—the opposite end of Fayetteville Street from its perch on the ground floor of Highwoods’ 150 Fayetteville.
Continuing that shift to evoke a specific ethos, the ground floor of Kane Realty Corp.’s highly anticipated Dix Park-proximal Rockway development blends amenities like BK Pilates and Benchwarmers Bagels’ expanded menu of pizzas, sandwiches and cocktails to yield an attractive destination.
Likewise deliberate in their approach, the development team behind DTR mixed-use 400H, including Raleigh’s own HM Partners, sees its ground floor as essential to its success. They passed on a sushi spot for sheer surrounding sushi density, determining Press Coffee, Crepes & Cocktails fit the vibe and operational model for the building, says HM Partners Managing Partner Gregg Sandreuter.
And uptown, Hill is looking to bring a similar curated cast to Crabtree Corridor’s GlenLake via upcoming Wong’s Tacos, Crooked Hammock Brewery and a coffee shop in the works. But “it has to fit,” he emphasizes.
GlenLake photo by Brian Mullins Photography, courtesy of GlenLake
It’s a tango felt on both sides of the concept curation. Bettinger himself got a taste of this approach when he pitched a concept for the former Ladyfingers location in Highpark Village. “We were kind of thinking on our feet. We saw the space and knew we liked it, so we put together what we thought would be a lot of fun,” he says.
But when the lease ultimately went to DC-based Michelin-lauded Timber, Bettinger wasn’t discouraged. “To be honest, it looks great—I think it’s going to be a nice addition,” he emphasizes. “I totally see how, if you own the property and you’ve got a couple people vying for it, you would pick the group saying, ‘We’ve got this system that’s worked up here, and we think it’ll work there.’”
But one rejection isn’t stopping Bettinger. He’s still keeping his ear to the ground waiting on his perfect match. “You’ve got to be OK with hearing ‘this doesn’t fit here’—even if you think it’s a great idea,” he maintains.
While competition is fiercer than ever, it also makes room for more creativity, says Bettinger. “I think it provides challenges,” he adds. “But hopefully it makes for healthy competition.”
