by Avery Williams | Aug 5, 2025 | Buzz, July/August 2025
A deep-dive into the hottest up-and-coming neighborhoods throughout the city
Whether you’ve been here a year or a lifetime, you’ve felt it: Raleigh isn’t just growing—it’s transforming. Across the city, familiar corners and fresh developments alike are evolving into distinct microclimates, each with its own notable flavor and momentum. Whether you’re setting out to explore or searching for the perfect place to plant your acorns, these are the neighborhoods amping up Raleigh’s cool factor.
Warehouse District
As Raleigh’s creative core, the Warehouse District is where the city dreams big. Behind iconic red-brick facades, former industrial spaces now house galleries, cocktail dens and curated vintage shops. Father and Son anchors the antique scene, while Morgan Street Food Hall dishes up both global and familiar flavors in a space as dynamic as the city itself. Grab a chocolate fix at Videri, then head to Boxcar for a round or two of Skee-Ball—and, suddenly, you’ll feel like a kid again.
Smoky Hollow
If the Warehouse District is eclectic, Smoky Hollow is its polished Downtown counterpart. The vertical district evokes a mini SoHo feel, with its glossy, walkable enclave defined by sleek high-rises, fitness outposts and vibrant night markets—plus a host of other recurring events. Start with Spanish small plates at Madre, then slip into The Crunkleton for a nightcap or Moon Room for cocktails and live jazz. With so much more to see and do, the Hollow feels anything but.
West End
Overlooked no longer, West End is quickly becoming one of Raleigh’s most vibrant corners. Just a short bike ride or stroll from Dix Park, it’s home to a mix of makers, breweries, bakeries and storefronts—plus a slew of additions slated to open soon (think Benchwarmers Bagels and Mexican restaurant Campo) in a delicious blend of old soul and new energy. Start your morning with a loaf and latte from Boulted Bread, then head to the park’s 300 acres for the perfect picnic under the oaks and pines. You’ll make it back in time for trivia at Vault Craft Beer.
Raleigh Iron Works
Built on Raleigh’s industrial bones, the Iron Works District is forging something entirely new. Anchored by the reimagined Raleigh Iron Works development, it blends bold design, local dining and creative enterprise in a space that’s both raw and refined. Warehouse spaces brim with character, hosting vintage and art markets, while lush landscaping and a playful plaza—complete with adult-sized swings and slides—invite you to unwind. And spots like Brodeto, Andia’s and Little Rey are there to keep you fed morning till night.
by Heidi Reid | Jun 3, 2025 | Eat, June 2025
If you’ve been California dreaming, your thirst for the Golden State is about to be quenched. Now uncorking in Glenwood Place is Napa Bistro & Wine Bar, bringing a taste of Cali to the Carolinas via myriad vinos and ’tails, “wine-country cuisine,” and an elevated ambiance to boot—perfect for your next date night, GNO or casual dinner. If you need us, we’ll be sipping on West Coast time. naparestaurantgroup.com
by Elliott Harrell | Apr 29, 2025 | Eat, May 2025
Hibernian on Glenwood South hits 25.
Like the SNL Five-Timers Club (IYKYK), the exclusive cast of Raleigh restaurants and bars claiming 25+ years of business is an elite one to which only few can claim membership. And, this May, Hibernian Irish Pub & Restaurant’s Glenwood South outpost will join the ranks as it celebrates 25 (!) years as one of the most popular pubs in town to put down a pint or a plate of bangers and mash.
“Raleigh has changed immensely in 25 years,” says owner Niall Hanley, nodding to a city with decidedly “nothing” at the turn of the millennium. “Glenwood has changed immensely in 25 years. We were very lucky and were received really well by the great people of Raleigh—and it worked.”
A lightning rod for the entertainment district, Hibernian bowed just months after—and across Glenwood South from—Sullivan’s Steakhouse, thanks to an ad that popped up on Hanley’s screen. “I said, ‘OK, well, if they’re spending money on steaks, they’re gonna spend money on pints,’” he recalls, betting Sullivan’s diners would swing by for a brew before or after dinner. The rest, as they say, is history.
Whether it was luck of the Irish or pure savvy—or even the Guinness talking—either way, Hanley was right on the money. “It was the first pub that was really in the Triangle,” he recounts. “There was nothing like it before—and people were enamored by it.”
Now, 25 years later, the sparks are still flying—after overcoming literal sparks from a devastating fire about a decade ago, not to mention surviving a pandemic—and have firmly cemented Hibernian’s (and Hanley’s) rising star in the Raleigh hospitality community.
But reaching this milestone channels elements of a leprechaun finding gold at the end of the rainbow, especially in a city where closures can feel a bit like a revolving door. Hanley credits his loyal staff and building ownership as the secret to the pub’s staying power. “A pub is a pub is a pub,” he surmises. “But it was always the staff and the hospitality that made Hibernian. I’m proud of [Hibernian],” he admits. “But, more so, it’s about the people who have worked there over the years.”
For Hanley, that hospitality started at the bar, where he himself spent five years early on. “That was the most enjoyable thing for me,” he emphasizes, “just meeting people, shooting the shit and having conversations, you know?”
It’s no surprise, then, that the Hibernian mastermind can rattle off a number of regulars who’ve been around as long as the woodwork, like the infamous Thursday night crew (you know who you are, he says) posting up since day one. And he’s quick to point out the countless couples who have met at Hibernian along the way.
As for the next 25 years? Hanley says he’s excited about where Raleigh and Glenwood South are headed—and has no plans on leaving anytime soon. “I think we’re very lucky to have a district like Glenwood,” he says, “and I think it’s only going to get better.”
In the meantime, prime your liver and stay tuned for a massive summer celebration like no other, with live music and, if we’re, ahem, lucky, a side-street closure for an Irish-worthy blowout. After all, a benchmark this huge calls for one hell of a party to match. hibernianpub.com
by Elliott Harrell | Feb 25, 2025 | Eat, March 2025
Beer drinking is down—so what’s brewing for local breweries?
In sobering news for local breweries, for the second year in a row, the North Carolina Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association reports beer drinking is down.
To wit, several Raleigh breweries tapped out: New Anthem Beer Project and Clouds Brewing Downtown abruptly shuttered—the former after less than a year of business—while Little City Brewing morphed into Flour & Barrel, with brewing operations continuing under a different name.
In spite of those closures, a recent wave of breweries has saturated the market—and Little City’s transition signifies a shifting demand. As such, local brewers are optimistic about craft beer’s future in Raleigh—even though the key to growth, they say, includes getting comfortable with not everyone wanting to drink their beer.
Sound counterintuitive? Maybe, but these brewers say appealing to as many people as they can will keep the good times—and beer—flowing.
Now, adds Adam Eckhardt, owner of community-embedded Crank Arm Brewing, “you need to have a wide variety of offerings to appeal to the non-beer drinkers in a group.” Accordingly, upon the passage of late 2023 legislation allowing breweries to sell mixed beverages, Eckhardt quickly added a cocktail program to its supplemental wine, seltzer and cider offerings to broaden its appeal.
While Clouds Brewing was initially reluctant to add hard liquor to taproom menus—because brewerygoers naturally drink beer, right?—the go-to now pours cocktails in its Durham and Chapel Hill locales, with plans to add spirits to its Raleigh taproom. “If you have a group of five people,” says co-owner Matt MacNeil, “one or two will drink beer the whole time, but the rest will want to move on to other options.”
Beyond spirits, MacNeil says he’s also seen more people gravitating toward THC beverages and exploring nonalcoholic options, both of which he’s added to the lineup, similar to Bond Brothers. And these strategies seem to be working.
Local breweries like Crank Arm are on the rebound, with a recently bowed Durham location joining Clouds’ Brightleaf Square locale. Clouds also has its eyes set on opening additional spots, while Bond Brothers continues to make progress on its latest addition, NoCo Beverage, slated to bow in
the Salvage Yard development across from Raleigh Iron Works.
Not to be left out, Voodoo Brewing is breaking onto the DTR scene; Raleigh heavy hitter Trophy Brewing expects to crack open its seventh location with Trophy Five Points in 2026, and newcomer Crooked Hammock is slated to soon tap in the Crabtree Corridor as well.
In essence, “beer is starting to bounce back,” says Standard Beer + Food brewmaster and co-owner Whit Baker, also of the popular Bond Brothers Beer Company in Cary. He adds the 3 to 4% dip made a huge impact for breweries that weren’t focused on giving customers what they want.
Ultimately, what it all comes down to is customer service, says Flour & Barrel’s Anthony Rapillo, and to ensure you can deliver a drink for the mood of the moment. “If people focus on that, new breweries can be successful,” he says. Looks like there’s a hoppy ending in store for local breweries after all.
by Lauren Kruchten | Jan 28, 2025 | Eat, February 2025
In search of a new ~space~ to kick back, relax and enjoy vibey tunes while sipping on stellar ’tails? Enter Moon Room, a revamp of popular Smoky Hollow Neighborhood bar. The celestial go-to kicked off 2025 with “new year, new me” jazz + vinyl vibes—thus filling the much decried gap left in the wake of C. Grace. Think Wednesday jazz jam sessions and weekend jazz, with vinyl DJs spinning throughout the week. “We tried a couple of jazz nights [at Neighborhood] and the community responded really well and wanted more,” says co-owner Tyler Helikson of the change. In addition to the stellar moniker and events, Moon Room’s spirits program supplements its signature draft cocktails with full-bar “shaken and stirred” sips that promise to launch you over the moon. @m_o_o_n_r_o_o_m
