Sushi O is now open in the 222 Glenwood building in the Glenwood South district. Sono, on Fayetteville Street, is my go to spot for sushi but as always I have to try the new places that come to downtown so I plan to visit sometime soon. The Vietnamese lunch specials are intriguing also.
Spotted this on First Friday. Benelux Cafe will be in the same City Market space that Metro Cafe was in before on Blake Street. From their website:
Benelux Café is a Grand Café in Raleigh, NC and the perfect place to enjoy handcrafted espresso drinks and delicious pastries. We offer a selection of sandwiches, wraps, salads and of course Belgian ales and Dutch lagers. A cozy atmosphere to sit back, relax and enjoy. The ultimate combination!
Benelux Café is a mix of European adventures and American experiences. We welcome you to come visit us and stay a while.
Its nice to see another coffee shop that will have longer hours, and especially decent hours on Sundays. Looking forward to it.
Alright people, we still have about two months before Fall starts and there’s bound to be some more hot weekends until then. Staying cool in the shade or in the air conditioning is a must but for those that still go out to enjoy downtown Raleigh during the warm nights and sunny days, ice cream makes a great treat. As a slight addict, I give you a list of some places in downtown to treat yourself.
Turkish Delights
Located in a purple house in Glenwood South, Turkish Delights serves a ton of flavors of ice cream. You can sit on the couches inside or the shaded tables in the front lawn. There are also many different types of Baklava here. The best part about Turkish Delights? They are open late.
Summer Business Hours
(April, 1st – October, 31 st.)
Sunday – Thursday: 10:00 am – 11:00 pm
Friday – Saturday: 10:00 am – 12:00 mid.
Hours change slightly in the winter.
Crema
Is Crema an ice cream or coffee shop? Who cares cause they have both. You’ll usually hear jazz playing over the satellite radio in this shop on Fayetteville Street. With lots of flavors of ice cream, Crema can make some wonderful combos for you to take on a walk through town.
Hours:
Mon-Thurs (7 am-7 pm)
Fri (7 am-10 pm)
Sat (10 am-10 pm)
Sun (11 am-5 pm)
Other places to get cold, awesome treats
The Diner has all kinds of shakes, floats, and sundaes. Enjoy them on their spacious outdoor patio.
Krispy Kreme has a doughnut/ice cream combo that looks very interesting. Anyone tried this?
Milkshakes from Char Grill is a tradition. Dipping fries into them is an experience,
I noticed the other day while walking down Hillsborough Street the “Coming Soon” sign in the building next to Second Empire. Don’t get excited about this if you are not already familiar with it, that sign has been there for over a year. Now I understand that the times are tough and the restaurant business is competitive but these “Coming Soon” signs have got to go.
Tyler’s Teaseroom
No one wants the Tyler’s Taproom rumor to die. It seems to pop up every now and then and any movement over at Seaboard Station has beer lover’s screaming for the taproom to finally open. First mentioned on the blog over two years ago, the Raleigh location tease is still up on their website with the “Coming Soon” details taunting you to keep believing.
Glenwood South Ale House
Mentioned in November of 2008, a new member to the rooftop drinking army of one was going to be Carolina Ale House at the corner of Tucker and Glenwood Ave. As of a few weeks ago, the “Coming Soon” sign was still up on the glass windows facing Glenwood. Reliable sources have told me that this Carolina Ale House is not happening so don’t let the sign fool you.
Signs from March 2009.
Of course, I would love to be wrong and for all these possibly great places to finally open up and contribute to downtown Raleigh. But after years of “Coming Soon”, the best the signs do is give the tourists something to look forward to on their next visit, or the one after that, or the one after that……
I went into Capital Club 16 on this recent First Friday and the place looks great. Only had drinks that night but I will make an attempt to try the food soon. The bar also has some nice history too it so look out for that when you make a visit.
See the menu (pdf)
In other restaurant news, The Rockford has now re-opened on Glenwood Ave.
Landmark Tavern is one of the coldest places during the summer and very generous with the AC. Keep that in mind while you are out in downtown and need a place to cool off.
Too bad. I always thought they were a pretty solid lunch option.
The Rockford on Glenwood Avenue will be re-opening soon after recently closing in April.