Michelin recs mean big numbers for local restaurants.
For 13 Raleigh restaurants, the relentless pursuit of plated perfection paid off in full with a nod from Michelin in the premiere Michelin Guide American South, and, in the culinary world, no accolade shines brighter. But beyond prestige—and the potential for stardom come next year—what does a Michelin recommendation actually mean for business?
At Mala Pata, co-owner Marshall Davis says reservations skyrocketed within a week of their Michelin name drop, and, within just 72 hours, the recently bowed eatery was 80% booked through the end of 2025.
“We’ve served nearly 1,000 first-time guests since the Michelin news,” remarks Davis. Sales are up 10–15%, and the restaurant is working to accommodate walk-ins as diners travel from across the state—from Charlotte to the coast. “November was the biggest month we’ve ever had because the news broke,” the restaurateur tells RM.
Over in North Hills, Tamasha co-owner Mike Kathrani says the Michelin status has driven a sharp rise in reservations, translating directly into a substantial increase in guest count and overall revenue—along with a significant visibility boost. “A growing percentage of our guests, particularly out-of-state travelers visiting for business or leisure, are discovering Tamasha through Google searches and the Michelin Guide website,” notes Kathrani.
Despite only receiving a rec for its DTR location, Brewery Bhavana is seeing similar increases in reservations, guests and sales at its Fenton outpost. Co-owner Patrick Woodson says just how long the uptick will last is the “golden question,” but he’s optimistic.
“Being on the Michelin app makes a huge difference,” he says. “There are so many people who travel through here, particularly because Raleigh has so much going on in terms of tech and universities. Yelp and OpenTable are helpful, but Michelin definitely seems to have an impact—and I think it’ll be sustainable.”
While the prestige of a Michelin nod is clear—only time will tell whether the business boom proves just as enduring.
Stretching its way across the Triangle, JETSET Pilates just opened a new studio in North Hills—and has another planned for Horseshoe at Hub RTP come spring. Jet over for full-body reformer classes set to DJ-curated jams. @jetsetpilates
Set to reform Raleigh fashion—and the convo around closet-conscious consumption—is sustainable womenswear brand Reformation, opening in North Hills in the first half of 2026 with trendy, eco-minded apparel. @reformation
Changing the tile game in Village District from the ground up, TileBar has officially bowed with a Gensler-designed showroom packed with interactive displays, design consultations and the latest product lines—promising to leave you absolutely floored. @tilebar
All that glitters is, in fact, in the display case. Sparkle on at Wilmington-founded REEDS Jewelers’ new Fenton locale, accessorizing the area with a 7,800-square-foot showroom feat. diamonds, fine jewelry and watches. @reedsjewelers
Get ready to serve face. Sephora’s North Hills outpost is set to open in February with its popular lineup of makeup, skincare, haircare and fragrances from a slew of fan-fave brands. @sephora
Things are heating up in Boylan Heights. … Enter mod Nordic spa Sauna House, whose second Triangle space is poised to redefine recovery with warm and cold pools, saunas, and massage services. Ready, set, steam! @saunahouseraleigh
Lace up for a race in the name of cystic fibrosis.
If you don’t know Raleigh philanthropist Pete Proimos personally, you definitely know someone who does—or someone who knows someone who does. That’s according to Lewis Lovell, a captain in the Raleigh Fire Department, and Nemanja Savic, former pro golfer turned teacher.
Come December, Lovell and Savic are showing up for Proimos in a big way, running 104.8 miles to raise awareness for cystic fibrosis, a disease Proimos both battles and raises awareness for.
Running four marathons in four days clearly isn’t for everyone, but the community can still support the cause by lacing up for the Lung Run, a fun run chasing a brighter future for CF patients Dec. 14 at Fenton.
Three years ago, Proimos took on a heartfelt venture and founded the Filotimo Foundation, a nonprofit raising awareness and providing resources for people with cystic fibrosis. Named after a kindness-forward Greek philosophy, the foundation revolves around an MO to do what is right, compassionate and generous—no strings attached. Proimos kept his CF diagnosis a secret for most of his life, but a few years into the project, he stopped hiding.
The day Proimos revealed his diagnosis, Savic said he knew something was up. “I don’t think he could have held it in any longer,” reminisces Savic. “We sat down and he said, ‘Okay, so, I’m sick.’”
Around the same time, Lovell and Savic were looking for their next physical challenge. They’d been running together for over a decade—first neighborhood jogs, then full-on marathons. With social media runners as their inspo, they landed on a bold idea: run 100 miles in marathon-sized chunks.
Enter the aforementioned Lung Run, the Filotimo Foundation’s second major event. From Dec. 10–14, Lovell and Savic will tackle a marathon a day, finishing strong with a fun run where locals can hop in for laps—and earn swag along the way. Afterward, the foundation is throwing down in Fenton, with food and drinks, vendors, and a meet-and-greet with Santa Claus and company.
While raising awareness remains top priority, Lovell has a more personal stake going into the Lung Run—to show support for his friend. “At the end of it, Proimos feels like we’re right behind him, that we’re fighting alongside him,” remarks Lovell. Even before race day, the Lung Run is making waves, as partners in Detroit and virtual teams across the country gear up for their own solidarity runs. So strap on your running shoes and gear up to take a lap for CF. filotimofoundation.org
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.
Bitter Social
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 storein ~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.
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.
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.
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.
Timber Pizza Co. | Photo courtesy of NiceDay
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 firstDrift 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.
Tinned fish is officially chic—and taking Raleigh by storm.
Hot take: Tinned fish is no longer just a can of StarKist tuna. Once a pantry staple, colorful artist-driven packaging has elevated the humble tin to a luxury snack taking over grocery store shelves, wine bars and restaurant menus across the U.S.
Long a foodie fixture in places like Portugal and Spain, European conservas—aka high-quality artisan-preserved seafood—first launched into the ether as the “it” appetizer in 2023, fueled in part by TikTok and a hashtag that racked up ~100 million views under “#tinnedfish.” Raleigh has only recently started catching up.
Co-owner Katie O’Kane of The Hippo links the rise to the city’s fast uncorking thirst for wine. “Raleigh is such a big beer town with so many incredible local breweries,” she says—“and tinned fish is usually associated with wine,” thanks to its natural acidity against the richness of tinned fish. “People are getting curious about it as it becomes more widely available and talked about.”
While sardines and anchovies remain go-tos, O’Kane recs mackerel and tuna for newbies. Sauces and spices—like mustard, tomato or fennel—soften that robust fishiness and make the snack more approachable. At The Hippo, you’ll find mackerel in mustard sauce, sardines in tomato sauce, and a lemon and fennel tuna. Dram Fenton dishes its artisan cans on charcuterie boards, complete with crackers, bread, dips, nuts and pickled accouterments. And State of Beer rotates Italian classics alongside innovative Fishwife recipes like smoked rainbow trout with red chimichurri, or albacore tuna in spicy olive oil.
“You bet we love tinned fish at SOB!” chimes co-owner Chris Powers. “We started carrying it to promote a more casual option.” So don’t be afraid to test the waters and crack open a can of something new—you may just find your new favorite snack.
