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.
Indulge in a sweet treat on National Chocolate Day.
By Haley Connors & Heidi Reid
Let’s be honest: Every day is a good day for a sweet treat—but what better excuse than National Chocolate Day Oct. 28? Enter the perfect opportunity to satisfy your sweet tooth, whether you’re craving rich drinks or crunchy caramel-filled desserts. Lucky for us, Raleigh serves up plenty of irresistible picks. After all, life is like a box of chocolates…
42 & Lawrence | Moore Square District Rediscover the bottom of your Grandma’s purse with a York pattie cold brew, lean uber-trendy and sip on a Dubai chocolate latte, or savor the classic hot chocolate for sweet nostalgia sans the caffeine fix. Pro tip: Grab a chocolate croissant or chocolate chip cookie to pair with your bev—dunking optional. 42lawrence.com
Andia’s Ice Cream | Iron District Cue the Instagram feed: Andia’s picturesque shakes were made for the spotlight. If shaking things up isn’t the vibe, savor a double dark chocolate or Oreo cookies and cream scoop drizzled with hot fudge. andiasicecream.com
Bittersweet | Fayetteville Street District Chocolate and cocktails—name a better combo, we’ll wait. The s’mores sundae, Derby pie and salty chocolate chip ice cream sandwich are sure to hit the sweet spot. Pair with the 4am Pancake or Bad Bunny cocktails for a booze meets cocoa moment. bittersweetraleigh.com
Adrian Etheridge Photography
Champloo Desserts | North Raleigh At this North Raleigh chocolate stop, the world is your oyster. The create-your-own ice cream selects provide ample opportunity to pile on chocolate Pocky, sprinkles and chips, plus cocoa candies—think Kit Kats, M&M’s, Reese’s Cups and even Ferrero Rocher. Match with rocky road, s’mores or chocolate peanut butter ice cream flavors for the ultimate sweet venture. champlooraleigh.com
Videri Chocolate Factory | Warehouse District From bean to bar, Raleigh’s own award-winning chocolate factory turns out chocolate that would have Oompa-Loompas flocking. Get in the spooky spirit with the chocolate-covered marshmallow cat, or channel Forrest Gump via a classic box of bite-size sweets. If you want a peak at the process, leave time for a factory tour. viderichocolatefactory.com
Tifa Chocolate & Gelato | Midtown Raleigh’s newest chocolatier dishes out an array of artisanal chocolates—including bars boasting cacao from around the world, masterfully made bonbons, handmade gourmet truffles (unique flavors include lemon, banana, tiramisu and butter pecan), and malt balls—all promising an indulgent journey for your taste buds. tifachocolateandgelato.com
Escazú Chocolates | Midtown East New location, same beloved chocolate. The nee-2008 bean-to-bar sweet shop is a go-to for handmade micro-batch chocolate that’s been refined and perfected over the years—resulting in the kinds of confections one might dream of: chocolate bars, assorted truffles, ice cream and a handful of hot chocolates. Peanut butter hot cocoa? Yes, please. escazuchocolates.com
Sweets lovers, gear up for gelato, chocolate, pastries and more.
There’s people who like ice cream, and then there’s local Sean Dill, a bona fide ice cream lover who’s opening the first Raleigh locale of Tifa Chocolate & Gelato in the Captrust Tower in North Hills this August. After spending his childhood making homemade ice cream with his family using the old-school ice and salt bucket method, Dill always joked ice cream was going to be his retirement plan.
Now, after buying his own professional-grade ice cream maker during COVID and later leaving his job in health care occupational management, the frozen dessert connoisseur is making that dream a reality via Tifa.
When I was in grad school getting my MBA, I had a professor say, ‘If you want to make people happy you don’t go into management, you sell ice cream,’” recalls Dill. “That’s really stuck with me—and having spent seven years in operational management, I can confirm at least half of that statement.”
Dill and his wife were introduced to the Tifa family and immediately hit it off, eventually signing with the franchise in June of last year. He says the Raleigh locale—complete with indoor and outdoor seating on a loungey mezzanine—is one of multiple stores he plans to open in the greater Raleigh-Durham market. “I don’t think there’s any better place we could’ve picked for our first location than North Hills,” he emphasizes.
Like all Tifa establishments, the City of Oaks outpost will feature a dozen standard flavors of gelato—think your staples like vanilla, chocolate, and cookies & cream—plus 11 other rotating and seasonal ops churned out of a gelato machine built-to-order in Italy. Additionally, the menu will boast its own signature flavor, which Dill is still fine-tuning.
Photo courtesy of Tifa
Photo courtesy of Tifa
Photo courtesy of Tifa
Confections fans will also be able to relish in artisan chocolates, cookies, desserts and “any type of pastry you could think of when you sit down for coffee,” says Dill, who hopes to source those from as many local suppliers as possible. With rise, grind and unwind in mind (read: 10am to 7pm), locals, Captrust office regulars and North Hills neighbors can hit pause on the grind with espresso, tea—or a well-earned sugar fix.
Dill’s main mission, though? Crafting a community staple where all walks of life—friends, family, etc.—can gather, connect and vibe. “You never see anybody unhappy at an ice cream shop,” he says. “It’s just a place filled with joy and happiness—and the idea of being a real part of that is really exciting.” Naturally, Raleigh could not be more excited too. @tifaraleighnc
Fun fact: Gelato is whisked with less air, producing a smoother scoop than traditional ice cream. It also has fewer calories, less sugar and lower fat content.
