It’s electric! Miami vibes hit Oak City with ’80s-themed pop-up bar Electric Flamingo in the space below The Merchant on South Salisbury Street. The fab collab between Anthony Rapillo of Layla’s Son Hospitality (Flour & Barrel and V Pizza—to name but a couple), Local Icon Hospitality’s Jon Seelbinder and social media influencer Magnolia Megan spins DJs, colorful cocktails, Cuban-inspired small plates by Local Icon chef Caleb Stewart—and nonstop electric vibes.
Mark your menus—the stars will descend on Greenville, SC’s Peace Center for the 2025 Michelin Guide American South ceremony Nov. 3. Until then, find us holding our breath (and our forks).
Boatman Spirits Co. photo by Forrest Mason, courtesy of Boatman
Row, row, row over to Boatman Spirits Co.—dropping at Seaboard Station with its combined distillery, cocktail bar, restaurant experience with Mediterranean fare and a bevy of bevs to boot.
Tropic like it’s hot at La Mala—bringing the heat and do-not-disturb vibes to West Street in the former Clouds Brewing space via fresh-squeezed fruits, premium tequilas and bold Mexican street eats.
It’s (almost) time to meet Mr. Henry. Local bar guru Matt Bettinger’s (of C. Grace and Hank’s Downtown Dive fame) so-named dedicated Village District bar is set to bow late July. Cheers to shaking things up!
Still big on the pig? Fear not: Clyde Cooper’s Barbeque sold its DTR location to Hibachi 88, but plans to stay open through the end of the year before moving to a new close-by joint.
Raleigh’s chocolatier royalty is rolling out as Escazu Chocolates packs up its Blount Street location for its new Gateway Plaza digs.
Fuel your pedal power or steps with stops at Raleigh’s Greenway Food VendorPilot—now serving Shelley Lake, Lake Johnson, Falls Lake Dam, Buffaloe Road Aquatics, Anderson Point, and Walnut Creek Wetlands Center.
Photo courtesy of Stellar
Cap City gets a cosmic upgrade with the opening of Stellar, Five Points’ vibey new resto and wine bar joining High Park Village’s already star-studded lineup. Think craveable shareables, large plates, desserts and brunch—best paired with a bevvy or two.
Ideal for night owls and early birds alike, Glenwood South’s Latin fusion eatery Cuya now boasts late-night grub and a brunch menu dishing the likes of tostones Benedict, huevos rancheros and mimosas, natch.
Pour one out for Giorgios Group’s North Hills tapas bar and restaurant Las Ramblas, which permanently shuttered its doors after an HVAC system failure in early June.
Sweet dreams are made of Tifa Chocolate & Gelato’s swoonworthy lineup of gelato, chocolates, cookies and coffees—set to unlock in the North Hills’s Captrust Tower late August.
Cary’s already seeing stars—The Bar & Lounge at The Umstead just earned Star Bar status from Forbes Travel Guide, adding to its six-year streak of Five-Star ratings.
Something fishy is afloat at Morgan Street Food Hall. The Crispy Cod is making waves with handbattered fish, crispy chips and sandos.
C’est la vie! Cult-fave French bakery La Farm is upping NC State’s food game this semester with its new Park Shops locale, along with soon-to-bow Mediterranean Deli in the Atrium.
No sticky sitch here—just pure Southern gold. Buzzy Local Hive Honey’s Southeast blend brings pure Southern sweetness straight from local beekeepers.
Butter chicken, pakora paneer and unapologetic Indian classics are serving serious heat at Amrut, just steps from 42 & Lawrence and Beasley’s.
The acai bowl craze continues as Everbowl stretches its Raleigh footprint, serving superfood blends in Brier Creek by year’s end.
Fast-casual chicken salad mainstay Chicken Salad Chick is now dishing out sammies, salads and sides—plus delivery and catering ops—to all the chicks (and dudes) in Smithfield.
Tacos and a patio—name a better duo, we’ll wait. Set to bow later this year at Kane mixed-use development Rockway is Campo Taco Co., a new family-owned authentic Mexican restaurant that will feature expansive outdoor seating and serve up flavor-packed tacos (natch), margs and other cocktails.
Photo courtesy of Red Phone Booth
Ring, ring! The 1920s are calling, and they want you to get excited for award-winning speakeasy-style cocktail lounge Red Phone Booth, which is anticipated to bow in downtown Durham by the end of this year.
Belly up. Blotto, by the same owners of Neuse River Brewing, has opened on New Bern Avenue with a casual neighborhood bar feel—plus a patio—offering eight brews on tap.
Another taco spot to, well, taco ’bout—nationally known Dallas-founded Velvet Taco is coming to North Hills with its eclectic menu (see: Nashville Hot Tofu, Spicy Tikka Chicken and Fish N’ Chip tacos) and late-night hours.
Bringing Asian street food to the Raleigh streets is just-opened Oh Mochi in Falls River Town Center, offering the likes of mochi doughnuts, Korean corn dogs and more.
Velvet Taco | Photo courtesy of Kane Realty
Hole-in-one news for Raleigh: Wake Forest’s locally ownedJeff’s Bagel Run is opening a new outpost just around the corner from Crabtree Mall, complete with all the same boiled bagels and unique housemade cream cheeses the Triangle knows and loves—and obsesses over.
Squeeze the day at just-bowed Village Juice & Kitchen at Glenwood Place, offering housemade clean eats that are “Mother Earth-approved”—from cold-pressed raw juices and smoothies to salads and grain bowls to wraps, toasts, and other sweet and savory brekkie ops.
“It’s a very cool project,” says Tanabe, who was brought on by local restaurant guru Anthony Rapillo. When it came to the chef’s vision, “the No. 1 thing I told Anthony was, ‘Hey, we need to make our own pasta from scratch,’” he shares. But not just any old pasta: Rather than churning out “traditional spaghetti or linguine,” Tanabe reveals, “we’re going to be making rooster combs and radiatori—different styles of pasta you don’t see that often here in Raleigh.”
Indeed, Flour & Barrel will flaunt Italian fare—Tanabe-style. “I’m not Italian, everybody knows,” says the culinary powerhouse. “What I’m doing, it’s my take on Italian food. If you ask me to come to your house and cook some Italian, well, I’m going to cook it, but I’m still going to use my flavor profile.” In fact, Tanabe wouldn’t even go as far as calling Flour & Barrel an “Italian” restaurant: “We are a place serving pasta—really good pasta,” he emphasizes.
To wit, Tanabe shares that 90% of the restaurant’s menu is cooked in a giant pizza oven, giving it that perfectly imperfect “rustic” flair. “We’re going to be roasting fish and chicken in there, and braising meatballs,” he explains. And don’t sleep on the cocktails: Tanabe took advantage of the craft brewery on-site to concoct several creative sips combining beer with spirits like gin and amaro.
Beyond his restaurant work, Tanabe is in the early stages of writing a cookbook. “It’s separated by moments in my life—like when you’re happy, when you want to entertain people… when you’re going through depression,” he explains. By showing “how different times in my life have affected my cooking style,” Tanabe hopes to create something that’s equal parts fun and relatable.
And, as if he wasn’t busy enough already, the celeb chef has a number of projects in the works in Chicago—from a partnership with iconic bakery Bittersweet to the Windy City debut of his fast-casual Mexican kosher eatery Mexikosher (also on the horizon: a Chinese kosher joint in Chi-town). He’s even got his sights set on Atlanta, which he’s currently eyeing as a potential destination to reopen High Horse, his first Downtown Raleigh venture that shuttered in 2020.
Despite all his jet-setting, Tanabe says Raleigh is home. “My wife and kids told me already, ‘We’re never moving out of Raleigh,’” he shares. “Moving [here] was probably one of the best things we’ve ever done.” … And we couldn’t agree more.
Tanabe answers our burning Qs.
Best local dish or resto you’ve tried lately? Boulted Bread. That bread is just the best bread I’ve ever had. We are lucky to have such a good bakery in Raleigh. The awful part is on Sundays, usually I wake up late and when I get to the bakery they’re almost out of everything.
Go-to summer cocktail? We have amazing watermelons, so I like to juice and cold-press them. … Imagine a whiskey sour, but with a sour watermelon. So, you put watermelon juice, American whiskey, sweet and sour, and a little egg white; shake it; and put it in a martini glass.
Favorite place to be when you’re not working? Believe it or not—cooking. Living in NC, especially in Raleigh, we have an amazing backyard. Living in LA, I didn’t have anything like that. I have seven different grills. I like to smoke; I like to braise—I like to do it all. We do a lot of nontraditional BBQ, so we’ll do a lot of Asian-inspired dishes. … We try to go quite often to the farmers market to see what’s available locally and then just go wild. My kids, my wife, we love doing that.
Dream chef collab? I was able to cook with Brother Luck, Brooke Williamson, Casey Thompson—all these people I see on TV and admire. So that’s a dream I’ve actually accomplished. … And the best thing is, cooking with friends you actually get to learn—you learn real techniques. All these guys on Top Chef are just amazing people to cook with.
One thing still on your bucket list? I want to open a very elegant Japanese restaurant. … I’m working on it.
After first dipping his toes into the Triangle food scene via successful Fenton spot Superica, the celeb chef is expanding his reach to Raleigh Iron Works and once again blessing us—this time with his already-thriving Tex-Mex concept. Centered around “al carbon” wood-roasted cooking, the highly anticipated spot will serve an array of droolworthy staples such as al carbon—naturally—plus traditional street-style tacos, fresh salsas and handmade tortillas to boot.
Ford says RIW is the perfect home for the popular restaurant, slated to bow in 2024. “The property is fresh, innovative and visionary—and well-positioned between several growing parts of the city,” he said in an exclusive chat with Raleigh Magazine this week. “Plus, we’re thrilled to be neighbors with talented friends like Brodeto, Eastcut Sandwiches and Andia’s Ice Cream, to name a few. We can’t wait for Little Rey to become part of the Triangle community.”
To complement the fiery menu, a variety of soft-serve ice cream flavors (tres leches! salty cajeta and fried peanuts!) await—or diners looking to sweeten the experience can also tuck into the concept’s cult-fave pancakes with buttermilk syrup.
Thirsty? Enter the impressive beverage program. Masterminded by beverage VP Eduardo Porto Carreiro, the drinks will pair perfectly with the flavors of the fare. Toast to the tantalizing Tex-Mex morsels with an on-the-rocks marg or crack open a Mexican beer from the scad of handselected local and regional craft ales a la the convenient reach-in cooler.
Impressive in both scope and scale, the expansive counter-service taco spot sprawls across 3,100 square feet via indoor and patio seating, with a walk-up to-go window affectionately dubbed Uno Mas. More casual than its Cary-based cousin, the resto exudes relaxation and zest via its rose pink, deep blue and sage color palette; old-fashioned handpainted signs; and Waylon & Willie songs on the queue. And be sure to peep vintage Mexican mementos and standout art compliments of a curated collection decorating the dining room.
“I’m excited about [Little Rey] because I eat it all the time,” said Ford on that prophetic podcast episode, hinting it would one day come to Raleigh. He adds now: “I love the Raleigh area and have wanted to introduce Little Rey here since we opened its big sis Superica in Cary last year. I think the city will enjoy our casual vibe, friendly service, street-style al carbon tacos and cold margs—and we can’t wait to serve them soon.” … We love a full-circle moment. Give us mas!
