It’s wine o’clock at St. Pierre! Oakwood Pizza Box’s Anthony Guerra teamed up with sommelier Scott Hardiman to open a new wine shop and bar at Raleigh Iron Works. The classy yet comfy space uncorks thoughtfully curated wines from under-the-radar makers, exceptional producers, and up-and-coming labels, plus craft beer and cider, with craft cocktails on deck (stay tuned).
Left Hook, right move? The Left Hook Coffee is leaving Gussie’s at the end of October to focus on its East Raleigh brick-and-mortar. Good news, Gussie’s will take over the coffee counter—and your fave brekkie items aren’t going anywhere.
New name, who dis? Foxcroft Wine Co. is now Foxcroft Food & Wine, highlighting a mod American menu with housemade pastas, steak frites and a bangin’ burger. Sips crafted with lauded Charlotte speakeasy Dot Dot Dot feat. batch ’tails and barrel-aged whiskeys arrive this fall alongside brunch. Cheers!
Foxcroft Food & Wine
It’s getting hot in here! Dave’s Hot Chicken is bringing tongue-tingling spice—and those addicting seasoned fries—to the former BB’s Crispy Chicken spot.
Bye, burgers—hello, hummus and pita. Urban Olive Mediterranean is replacing Transfer Co. Food Hall’s Mama Crow’s in November, serving fresh, made-from-scratch recipes that blend traditional and modern flavors.
Paris + Seoul = yum! French/Korean bakery Tous les Jours is opening a new Seaboard Station spot serving tasty pastries, sandwiches, cakes, bevs and more.
Saucy! Build-your-own taco spot Barrio is now open in Smoky Hollow, serving tacos, nachos, bowls, queso and handcrafted margs.
Horseshoe happens. Poole’siconic double horseshoe counter is back—red barstools and all.
Forrest Mason Media
Pour one out for Mandolin and Mofu Shoppe, both of which closed their doors for good this summer after 14 and eight years, respectively.
Encore! Five Points fave Ajjamakes Garden & Gun’s best new restaurants lists. Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors + groovy patio = no surprise there.
They’ve got buns, hun! Whataburger plans to open not one, but two Raleigh locations by 2026, plus a Wake Forest outpost in the works. Expect burgers, sandwiches, chicken strips, fries and bevs.
From dumplings to burgers—Barley and Burger is primed to flip gourmet burgers and beers by October at its fourth NC location in the former David’s Dumpling & Noodle Bar space.
Wings—brick-and-mortar style. Raleigh’s own “chicken wing guy”—of Da Bubs fame—is now at Le Dive, plating wings (naturally), focaccia pizzas, burgers and more.
Leo Velasquez
Get a taste of the Big Apple at H&H Bagels, setting up shop later this year in Chapel Hill’s University Place. The brand—cameoed in Sex and the City and Seinfeld (!)—also has plans to break onto the Raleigh and Durham scenes.
Same name, new owners? 42nd St. Oyster Bar may reopen as soon as this fall under property owner John Holmes and GM Hunter Correll.
Get back to your roots: Feel-good Roots Natural Kitchen expands to a second Triangle spot this spring in the former Gumby’s Pizza, serving salads and grain bowls ranging from Southwest spice to Asian ginger.
Now it really is 5 o’clock somewhere, as RDU removes alcohol time restrictions, serving spirits as early as 4am.
A new chapter is unfolding for Peregrine, what with Zack Thomas (formerly of Boatman Spirits Co.) joining the team as beverage director. The resto also launched brunch, feat. the likes of hot honey cured eggs and beef heart shawarma.
Also getting a recent brunch upgrade is East End Bistrot, which now serves French-inspired dishes like croque madame, steak frites and eggs, and quiche every Sunday.
A new garden just bloomed in DTR. Enter La Veladora’s back patio, blossoming with Latin spirit-inspired sips, agave, and a plethora of greenery in vibrant pots. Catch ya outside!
Get your fix at Boxyard RTP with new addition Baekho Coffee & Ice Cream from the Namu/Bulkogi/The Can Opener team, specializing in Korean-inspired handcrafted bevs and coffees.
Brunch is always the answer—even on weekdays (find the lie). Birdie’s now dishes weekday breakfast Mon.–Fri. with standard fare like biscuits, French toast, and shrimp and grits—plus coffee and other morning bevs.
Birdie’s Barrom & Kitchen
Wawa lands. The cult-fave Northeast chain opens its first Triangle locale in Garner—with its famed hoagies, breakfast sandos and coffee that make road trips all the more worth it.
Cary’s got the meats. New York Butcher Shoppe is now slicing beef, chicken, pork and fish, plus housemade entrees, sides and dips—not to mention a wine bar serving a full lunch/dinner menu + vino on tap.
Lunch is leveling up—La Terrazza and Figulina now serve elevated midday grab-and-go selects in DTR.
Vic’s Pizzeria is firing up at Wendell Falls—slated to slice on the scene in 2027 with a full bar feat. craft and bottled beer, wine, and liquor—plus the same menu as the DTR location, with expanded pasta selects.
Yeehaw meets howdy thanks to Tex-Mex chain Mezcalito, lassoing the former On the Border near downtown Cary with its bold dishes, from chimichangas and carnitas to quesadillas, tortas, burritos, fajitas and more.
All buzz, no hangover: Secret Garden’s THC-infused spirits hit Le Dive late August.
Arrivederci, Brio! The Italian spot at Crabtree Valley Mall shuttered post-bankruptcy filing—look for new owners to crop a fresh spot to feed the mall crowds.
Pizza for lunch? Say less. Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded Timber Pizza Co. now slices pie, empanadas and salads at lunchtime.
These Raleigh DJs are hitting all the right notes around town.
With just the drop of a beat, DJ Jermainia (aka Jermaine Landon) is able to get a whole crowd of people moving and grooving on the dance floor on any given night at his main “residencies”: Clockwork, Five Star and Neptunes.
The self-dubbed “vibe distributor” is just one of Raleigh’s several DJs bringing the high energy to local hot spots—and if these upbeat spinsters are making an appearance, you know it’s gonna be a party (!).
While Raleigh’s DJ scene is by no means new, it has had a sort of renaissance over the past couple years, due largely to the pandemic. Not only did many music lovers take up DJing during the shutdowns, but “bars realized, as they started to reopen, they needed entertainment all the time,” says DJ Jermainia.
DJ Miss Ashley (aka Ashley Dyson) was one of the people who took up DJing during the pandemic—and she maintains it’s no easy feat. “Some people say, ‘Everyone is a DJ’—and many people are or dabble in it—but not many can curate the party, vibe, or keep up the momentum of the DJ lifestyle. It takes a lot of work to find the space, promote, negotiate your terms with the spaces, build up the momentum for parties, put yourself out there, etc.” But, hey, if you can hit all the right beats…
Meanwhile, DJ Micky Slicks (aka Tu Micky Nguyen), who you’ll commonly find spinning tracks at Neptunes, Clockwork and Cuya, has been on the scene since 2015 and says the “DJ scene in Raleigh is always here going strong.” To wit, find DJs select nights at spots like Willco and La Veladora, Split, Tin Roof, and The Architect—to name but a few.
“DJs do a good job of setting the soundtrack for the night, setting the mood, bringing people in, providing energy,” adds DJ Jermainia. “So you can go out every day of the week now and see a DJ, from Monday to Sunday—and really good ones too.”
One particularly lit event to see a volume of Raleigh’s best spin masters is the monthly Day Party at Junction West running through October. Raleigh’s “feel-good party” gathers a host of local DJs to set the mood for a Sunday Funday like no other, complete with drinks, eats and vendors (be sure to mark your cals for the next installments, July 23 and Aug. 27!). … Bright lights, louder tunes and an overall immaculate vibe are just one spin away. Listen up!
The Ultimate Summer Playlist
We asked four of Raleigh’s resident DJs their top summer jams—making for an unbeatable summer playlist that’ll def get you the aux.
DJ Jermainia’s picks
“Regulate – Extended Mix” by Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and Redlight “SUMMER RENAISSANCE” by Beyoncé “Eat Your Man” by Dom Dolla (feat. Nelly Furtado)
DJ Micky Slicks’ picks
“Shay Lia” by TAKUTÁ “KAYTRAMINÉ” by Sossaup “Jarreau Vandal” by No More (feat. Gayance) “Mina Nawe” by Soa Mattrix and Mashudu (feat. Happy Jazzman & Emotionz DJ) “Jorja Smith” by Little Things
Miss Ashley’s picks
“Escapade Escapade” by Cascandy “Tzu-Mani” by Aldo Cadiz and Andre Butano “Femme” by Desiree “Trambolla” by Andre Galluzzi & Dana Ruh “Guaja” by LevyM (feat. Emmanuel Jal, Nyaruach & Benjy)
DJ k.ward
“Little Things” by Jorja Smith “Float (DJ MoMa Amapiano Remix)” by Janelle Monáe “Son Shine” by Sault “Dominoes” by Jungle “Sossaup” by KAYTRAMINÉ
Kenny Chesney said you and tequila make me crazy—run like poison in my blood. But swap in mezcal for me (hear me out). ICYMI mezcal is (not so) quietly becoming the top-selling spirit in the U.S.—as imbibers will spend more $ on the agave spirit (and its sister tequila) than whiskey this year, and, by 2023, the agave category is expected to surpass vodka as best-seller at a cool $13.3 billion.
So you’re expecting a rave? Think again. But, let me preface this by saying ranting about mezcal as an unconvinced fan is about as intimidating as writing about Kratom or Roe v. Wade. People are passionate about their potions—and this one is arguably divisive. Not because it isn’t good or doesn’t deserve all the hoopla. Bacon and pumpkin irrefutably have more than enough flavor to back the fandom.
The mania is not the problem—it’s the ubiquity of a market trying to feed the frenzy… often to the point that it can jump the shark (hey, pumpkin everything!). It’s everywhere and it’s not always in the right hands—read: misuse, low quality options, etc. Look, I’ve loved pumpkin since I was a little girl whose grandma made a famous pumpkin chiffon, and I’ve likewise hated bacon the same length of time (don’t @ me). The only benefit to the popularity of either was now I didn’t have to wait for Thanksgiving chiffon to get my pumpkin fix.
Mezcal is the new pumpkin. Socials are full of “reel” obsessions; the smoky spirit is making rounds (had to) on the national media circuit; and lovers are likely over the moon at the spirit’s now omnipresence on menus—from dives to high-end cocktail bars (and here I can’t get a vodka drink on a menu to save myself—but I digress). Honestly, I blame George Clooney for the cult status (his Casamigos brand was one of the top performing from 2016–21)… but with a face like that as your poster child you can hardly blame a soul.
As much as I want to love the trendy tipple, lately, there’s a (perceived) snobbery to it. A few years ago, as it emerged, a bartender would kindly sub the smoky spirit for tequila. Now, the request is met with a hard no. It’ll ruin the drink, they’ll tell you. While infuriating at first, that attitude was my aha moment. Maybe they’re right. As a former bartender, I have to admit craft cocktails devised with purpose are intended that way. And it’s only at top-notch bars where cocktailiers are doubling down on their mezcal mixology. They implement the mezcal purposefully—not as some thoughtless add to a random cocktail because trends. It has a time and place—like in mezcal maven Lily Ballance’s Willco or brand-new mezcaleria (see p. 48) or at Gallo—or in Oaxaca, Mexico, for that matter. And I believe it has a true audience with a primed palate—and I plan to learn to love it. Or at least appreciate it (s/o to Lily for the education).
Mezcalista and all-around bar badass Lily Ballance (of Willco fame) has opened La Veladora.
“Stay up all night and get lit.” That is what self-proclaimed “mezcal pusher” and William & Company owner Liliana Ballance (aka Willco + Lily to regulars) wants you to do at her new Willco back bar, La Veladora, whose name literally translates to the essence of that sentiment, she jokes.
La Veladora has three meanings, she tells Raleigh Mag in an exclusive interview. One, the Day of the Dead altar candle that burns through the night; two, a nightwatcher (“so kind of a night owl,” says Ballance); and, three, the traditional glass you use to drink mezcal in Oaxaca, Mexico (aka the birthplace of the agave spirit). Hence, “up all night lit,” she laughs. “It’s really the perfect name.” But beyond triple entendre, this longtime local hospitality vet—she co-owns uber-popular Five Star and is the former owner of now-defunct empanada/tequila hot spot Calavera—is responsible for putting Raleigh on the mezcal map… a buzz factor made only more buzzy by her new “agave Mexi cave.”
For its part, Willco splashed on the scene in 2015 and catapulted the Person Street District to the destination it is today—and, in that time, has become the No. 1 seller of Del Maguey artisanal mezcal in controlled states in the U.S. (In fact, the brand’s ambassador just made a house call to educate the Willco staff!) Not bad at all for a cozy 40-seat bar in Raleigh. “It’s awesome. It’s crazy. It’s really cool,” says the mezcalista… “And I’m so proud of it.”
Now, her brand-new back bar, which quietly and intentionally joined the scene in August by word of mouth only (think a select text invite to seven of her friends—aka some of Raleigh’s key players: Oscar Diaz, Ashley Christensen, Chris Powers, etc.), will serve over 80 impossible-to-find varietals of mezcal, rare small-batch tequilas and obscure agave spirits like Raicilla, Bacanora and Sotol (Ballance is an agave aficionado after all). Add to that a lot of education (“we’re bringing that to Raleigh so people know there’s more to agave than tequila and mezcal,” she says) and a solid dose of history.
For starters, the bona fide mezcal bar is adorned with authentic traditional relics that hail directly from Huatuclo Mexico en Oaxaca, handmade by local artisans specifically for La Veladora and shipped over by her cousin—think mezcal cups, pottery, blankets, masks… even local herbs and bitters. In essence: “everything that’s really traditional from that part of Mexico,” says Ballance. “I want it to have the Mexican/Latin vibe of Willco with a lot of art and culture—and just want it to look like a little cave.”
And it does. Moving from front to back is a transformative experience, where you enter to find a dark candlelit space with burning palo santo wafting through the air to a backdrop of Mexican music. And it just works. “It feels like you are in two places at once,” says the mezcal maven. “Completely different music, cocktails, vibe.” It’s the definition of cool.
Adding to the authenticity, the space itself is a local artifact. Walk in to see the awe-inducing craftsmanship of the original near-80-year-old copper ceilings now revealed after being covered by fire damage. Or the cool Mexican tile. Or the restored original worn, rustic walls where you can literally see the layers of paint and brick, whose tatter serves as poetic justice for the agave anthem Ballance is serving up. Or the bar built by longtime Willco barback and former PieBird executive chef Christian Rivera’s bare hands from the original cedar burnt wood floors—both for authenticity (and super-sleek look) and to ingeniously overcome the severe supply chain delays and costs. Fun fact: The crafty barman (aka the “wooden witch”) is also responsible for all the woodwork at Willco.
“He took every piece and every nail and everything out and made the bar,” says Ballance. “There was a lot of damage, but we were able to reconstruct the original space without adding anything—we just repurposed and enhanced what was there, which is really cool because that bar is one-of-a-kind in the world. Nobody’s gonna have this type of wood—and burnt design. I was very lucky to have very artistic and driven people who were willing to do that. … And it was so exciting to see what was in my head come to life for the first time ever.”
Now open four days a week with DJs spinning vinyls to bookend the weekend hours on Thursdays and Sundays, La Veladora is just getting started. Look for intimate monthly 10-seat agave dinners pairing top local chefs, rare primo mezcals and “the magic behind each bottle,” says Ballance. “I’ll tell you all about this bottle and the grandmother,” she adds. Literally—she’s known to travel to the Mexican villages, stay with the families, learn about the agave they use, how they make it, etc. “There’s a purist agave movement—no additives—and the people behind it are so talented. I’ve been nerding out about the movement and the brands that really shine—and just want to get them here.”
Just like Willco, La Veladora hasn’t—and won’t—need all the flashy marketing fanfare. Case in point, right now, at 11pm on a random rainy Wednesday, Willco is abuzz to the point you’d think it was Friday night. And not in an off-putting unapproachable way. But in an alive all-are-welcome energetic-yet-chill way. It’s all genuine. All authentic. And it’s a vibe. Just like Lily—which is likely why everything she touches turns to (agave) gold.@laveladorawilco; @willcobar
