» WHERE WE DRINK NOW Country: Whiskey Rose, Tin Roof NCSU: The Village Brewery: Trophy Dive: The Cardinal Party place: Cornerstone Tavern Irish: Hibernian Neighborhood: The Blind Barbour Local live-music dive: Lincoln Theatre
Finch’s courtesy of the News & Observer, NC Archives
» PLACES WE EAT NOW
Diner: Mecca Oysters: St. Roch Pizza: Trophy Italian: Vic’s New American: Crawford and Son Burgers: MoJoe’s Nostalgic: Poole’s Breakfast: Big Ed’s Sushi: Sono Chinese: Five Star Not local but loved: Barcelona Wine Bar 24 hours: Waffle House
Image by Jessica Crawford, courtesy of Crawford and Son
The concepts we said hello and goodbye to last year—and the eats + drinks coming down the pipeline in 2024.
It’s no secret that Raleigh’s restaurant scene is constantly growing and evolving. Now that we’ve flipped the cal to 2024, we take a second to reflect on the bounty of new concepts our city welcomed—and bid adieu to—in 2023, and the ones we can’t wait to dig into as they open their doors in the year ahead. Here’s to a year chock-full of delish eats and drinks in the City of Oaks!
This past year was an interesting one for Raleigh’s food and bev scene. We saw many longtime faves shutter permanently (RIP Humble Pie and The Rockford, to name just a couple), making way for a bounty of new businesses to emerge (hey, Ajja, Madre and Peggy’s, among many others!). Plus, naturally, a cast of sup spots had us coming back again and again—namely our 25 Best Restaurants of 2023 (*wink wink*).
It’s safe to say the City of Oaks is a hotbed for hospitality covering all types of cuisine, budgets, trends, etc.—and we couldn’t have been more spoiled tasting and sipping our way through it all. Here, the bites and bevs that particularly wowed us this year.
“Lobster shumai at multicultural masterpieceM Test Kitchen—one of RM’s best burb restos of 2023 for a reason. The food that comes out of mastermind Michael Lee’s kitchens—never mind at the hands of master Michelin-pedigreed executive chef Connor Johnson—isn’t even food. It’s pure epicurean poetry. … For spirts, I’m a sucker for whatever marg spin Lily and company are concocting at Willco.” —Melissa Howsam, Editor-in-Chief, @mahowsam
“An octopus tostada dish from Stanbury was my fave dish from 2023—and hands-down the best octopus I’ve ever had! RM’s best resto of the year never disappoints. 😉 My fave drink probably came from Willco!” —Lauren Kruchten, Associate Editor, @laurenn_nicol
“The octopus from Madre is a clear winner for me!” —Anna Beth Adcock, Editorial Assistant, @_annabethadcock
“Rabbit ravioli this past spring at Cucciolo—and, to drink, the Adictivo tequila olive oil and rosemary margarita at RM’s The Cocktail Classic!” —Debby Serena, Account Executive
“Whipped sheep’s cheese from Barcelona Wine Bar! It’s so delicious with honey and nuts as a garnish.” —Cameron Rhinehardt, Account Executive, @camrht
“A Grandchamp Hospitality x Heights House dinner! Gorgeous setting, fascinating people and truly unbeatable food. I’ve had some great meals this year, but immediately point to this as my No. 1!” —Eric Ginsburg, Contributing Writer, @eric_ginsburg
“The burgers from Standard!” —Carlee Nilphai, Contributing Writer
“One of my favorite things I’ve drank this year has been the horchata at Chido Taco’s new location on Fayetteville Street! I live nearby, and it’s a delicious little afternoon treat.” —Rabekah Henderson, Contributing Writer
“East End Bistrot. My goodness, what incredible cuisine. So excited to have chef William & co. in Raleigh!” —Forrest Mason, Contributing Photographer, @fmasonmedia
“The gnocchi at Mulino! Best I’ve ever had.” —Sean Junqueira, Contributing Photographer
“(ish) Delicatessen’s Sloppy SPO is just killer. When it’s available, it’s not to be missed! And I love the familiar atmosphere there.” —Joshua Steadman, Contributing Photographer, Steady Film, @steadyfilm
Take everything you know about “traditional” pasta and throw it out the window. As you likely know, a refreshing new pasta concept is twirling into the former Humble Pie space in early 2024. Now, we have a first look at Figulina’s tasty menu and additional details on the restaurant, opening at the hands of former Poole’s Diner chef de cuisine David Ellis, along with his wife, Sam, and CDC Dylan Shook, who also worked with him at Poole’s.
While the menu will feature some of your classics—done really well, naturally—like a super-comforting Bolognese, the highlight of the menu will be less-common pasta types you may not have heard of. Think rotolo, in which the fillings are rolled up in pasta sheets and baked in the oven; and corzetti, which Ellis makes with a white wine-based dough flavored with pimentón (a type of paprika) and Old Bay—a nod to the South—that’s cut into circles and imprinted with different designs using a special stamp.
Local ingredients will be prominent throughout the entire menu, which, in addition to six or seven pastas, will also include lighter fare like crudos, charcuterie and salads. Because, you know, balance. A large full-service bar will serve up wine, beer and simple cocktails incorporating local elements as well.
Having worked at Poole’s for four years, Ellis is well-versed in cooking with local ingredients, and pasta will serve as the ultimate vessel for showcasing the state’s harvest. Before that, the Stoke-on-Trent, England-born chef proprietor also honed his pasta-making skills working in kitchens across the world—from England to France to New Zealand and Australia.
It wasn’t until the pandemic, however, that making pasta became a “new obsession,” says Ellis. And having always wanted to open a restaurant, going with a pasta concept just made sense at the time. “There is a small pasta scene in Raleigh, but I felt there was space for a fresh handmade pasta restaurant,” he adds. “There seems to be a little bit of a pasta buzz right now and we hope that people will be excited by what we bring to the table.”
But Figulina is guaranteed to stand out from the rest. In addition to an extraordinary menu, the restaurant will also feature an on-display pasta production room, where guests will be able to see the pasta being rolled and cut into shapes, and a provisions aspect that will start small and eventually grow to offer take-home pasta kits, dry and fresh pasta, sauces, and the like.
Additionally, Ellis and his team envision Figulina will grow and evolve as a whole over time. “We have so many ideas,” says Sam, who created the branding for the restaurant. “We look forward to growing into the space and bringing all those ideas to life.” In the meantime, prepare yourself for a world of new pasta-bilities (!). @figulina.raleigh
EXCLUSIVE:Poole’s Diner chef de cuisine David Ellis opening new restaurant in Humble Pie space
Following Humble Pie’s announcement that it’s closing its doors after 30 years of service, the first question on everyone’s minds was: What’s going to open in its place? Well, we have your answer. Figulina: Pasta and Provisions, a pastacentric restaurant by former Poole’s Diner chef de cuisine David Ellis, will be opening in the space in December/January. Finally, some good news for Downtown Raleigh.
Not your classic Italian concept (you won’t find any cacio e pepe here, says Ellis), Figulina will use pasta as a vessel to highlight North Carolina ingredients from local farming and fishing communities—with a touch of Southern flair, naturally. In turn, the menu will be created around the seasons. “We’re kind of just going to have a bit of fun with it,” says Ellis. “At the same time, you may see a tagliatelle Bolognese.”
Like a lot of people, Ellis especially got into making and eating pasta during the pandemic. He’s also worked with pasta over his years as a chef. The English Stoke-on-Trent native honed his culinary skills across the world before coming to the U.S. in 2019 and landing a job with Ashley Christensen shortly thereafter.
“As I was getting my concept together, [pasta] just felt right,” Ellis maintains. “This is what’s making me excited right now. … And I thought it would bring something different to the table. I’m still having a lot of fun making pasta.”
Ellis, who previously lived around the corner from Humble Pie and would walk there to eat with his wife on multiple occasions, realizes he has big shoes to fill. “The food was really approachable—we loved hanging out on the patio,” he muses. “We’re excited to go into the space now and do our own thing with it.”
Renovations will be very slight—think a new coat of paint and a freshening up of the existing furniture, with further upgrades over time. Additionally, Ellis will incorporate myriad pottery into the restaurant, a nod to his pottery-famed hometown and the name, which translates to “pottery work” and “to shape or form”—also relevant given the manipulation of pasta dough that will take place within the pasta production room and be visible to guests.
Figulina will also feature a small retail section with provisions like cookbooks, dry pasta and tinned fish, with plans to expand and include offerings like fresh pasta and sauces. Group classes and events are another goal for the future.
“I am so honored that [David] spent time with us growing and leading Poole’s kitchen,” says Christensen of Ellis opening his own restaurant, “and it has been a tremendous joy to witness his very thoughtful approach to Figulina. I am also beyond excited to see another independent restaurant set roots in Downtown Raleigh.” Forks up!
