Raleigh’s newest restaurants and watering holes bring bold flavor.
The Cap City’s been on a six-month hot streak. From punchy handrolls at Daijobu to top-tier tapas at marian., the city’s latest openings are serving up major flavor. Whether you’re craving Indian street food, artisan pies or rooftop wine vibes, Raleigh’s newest restaurants and bars have your next reservation written all over them.
Glenwood South’s Italian food game is on the comeup.
Italian food is clearly having a moment—so much so that even Raleigh’s party district, long energized by bumping bars, has recently seen a handful of such concepts open.
In a matter of months—and within mere blocks—already popular Flour & Barrel, Anthony’s La Piazza and Pierro’s Italian Bistro have delivered gusto onto the Glenwood South scene, with yet another, La Cucina Italiana, on the way in Smoky Hollow. Not to mention recently bowed fast-casual Vic’s Pizzeria, dishing its family-famous New York-style pies a la its City Market Vic’s Italian Restaurant.
So why now? “Italian food is the most popular food in the U.S.,” maintains Pierro’s co-owner/executive chef Daniel Fair. “When you [think of what’s] going to be successful, Italian comes to the forefront.”
Fair notes they’ve been eyeing Raleigh for quite some time after realizing there “weren’t many Italian restaurants in the area.” Clearly, they weren’t the only savvy restaurateurs with a hunch. Fast-forward to a proliferation of pasta and pies extending delizioso concepts across DTR via the likes of 2024’s Figulina and La Terrazza.
But more Italian doesn’t dilute the dish, it drives it—and forces you to define your craving. “Competition is always a good thing because it pushes businesses to do better,” says Rome native and Rocco’s GM/co-owner Pietro Luca. “It’s just a matter of what people look for. But we have a specific niche type of cuisine—which is the original Italian cuisine.”
Photo courtesy of Pierro’s Italian Bistro
Leaning authentic in concept and conception, Rocco’s menu spotlights homecooked dishes straight from Luca and co-owner Gianni Cinelli’s nonna and madre, while neighbor Anthony’s La Piazza serves up a mom-and-pop vibe that’s at once “trendy and elegant,” says owner Anthony Scafidi, who also runs La Piazza JoCo locales.
Meanwhile, a few blocks away, Flour & Barrel has carved out a less traditional take on its chef-curated menu thanks to executive chef Katsuji Tanabe’s experimentation with such unorthodox ingredients as squid ink in spaghetti.
And offering a high-end take on classics, Fayetteville-founded and family-owned and -operated Pierro’s features upscale Italian in addition to chophouse selects like high-end steaks, apps, flatbreads, pizzas and the like—in addition to an extensive bar. Scafidi and Pierro’s co-owner Michael Laurenceau agree that with Raleigh’s explosion in growth—coupled with an ever-growing number of people moving here—the population will be able to support all these new concepts.
“We’re honored to be a part of the Italian food explosion in DTR and are excited to see where this leads,” emphasizes Flour & Barrel’s Anthony Rapillo. “Glenwood South is more than college bars. We knew that when we envisioned Flour & Barrel in early 2023, and we’re happy other business owners saw that too.” Buon appetito!
Hungry? Get a taste of Glenwood South through The Glenwood South Neighborhood Collaborative’s 2022 edition of Glenwood Faire, taking place at Smoky Hollow (the first major event in the hip new district!) on April 24. A ticket gets you delicious samples from 15 restaurants on Glenwood South (think Vidrio, Cortez, Plates Neighborhood Kitchen, Carolina Ale House and more)—with beer and wine available for purchase as well. While you nibble, treat yourself to some retail therapy by shopping from Glenwood South retail and service businesses, and enjoying live music and dog contests.
“The Glenwood Faire allows these [Glenwood South] restaurants to reach local residents—and guests from the greater Raleigh area—and introduce them to the great food available without the cost and formality of a visit to the restaurant,” says Larry Miller, president of the Glenwood South Neighborhood Collaborative (GSNC). “This also promotes a positive image of the neighborhood to counterbalance the negative publicity often generated by the exuberant Glenwood South weekend activity…” Proving Glenwood South is more than just bars and revelry.
And even if you’re just here for the food (no judgment) at least those bites are benevolent. Glenwood Faire is an annual fundraising event for St. Saviour’s Center‘s Diaper Train program, which provides diapers to low-income families in Wake County. Started in 2010 as the first diaper bank in the area, the program serves 1,000 individual children each month, with an average distribution of 500,000 diapers per year.
Indulging in fab local eats while supporting a good cause? It doesn’t get much more satisfying than that. gsncraleigh.com/glenwood-faire
