Category / Restaurants

by Leo Suarez

Battistellas Opens This Week In City Market

This weekend Battistella’s, the new Cajun and creole restaurant in City Market, was having a private party with quite a few patrons. According to the hostess I talked to on Sunday, they plan to open tomorrow.

The place looked great and big points to the new restaurant for throwing some tables out on the sidewalk. Bar hours are until 2am so if it proves popular Blount and Martin Street will see some late night activity.

by Leo Suarez

Big Support For Food Trucks In Raleigh By Area Residents

I have a new blog post up on the Raleigh Downtown Living Advocates’ (DLA) blog. The group has polled it’s membership, mostly residents of downtown Raleigh, and there is strong support for having food trucks here.

Strong Support For Food Trucks By DLA Membership via RaleighDLA.com

The attempts of this is to provide hard data to the city council that people support food trucks. Participants in the poll are registered members of the DLA.

The next move on the food truck issue could come on Tuesday, August 30th as the Law and Public Safety Committee has to come up with a recommendation to make for the city council. The committee is made of city councilors so e-mail them your thoughts on this matter so we can move forward.

by Leo Suarez

Shocking News, Raleigh Likes Beer at Tasty Beverage Soft Opening

On Monday evening, the depot saw a line through the parking lot for Tasty Beverage Company‘s soft opening. The soon to open beer store had free samples from the good people at Stone, Anderson Valley, Duck Rabbit Brewery and others. On top of selling beer, the store has a bar in the back with select drafts for tastings.

If you didn’t make it, put Tasty on your grocery list as the selection may be the best in town.

by Leo Suarez

2011 Summer Restaurant Roundup

Downtown Raleigh just keeps adding on to it’s long list of drinks and eats. This summer we have a few openings and more to look forward to as early as this Fall. The usual restaurant roundups are quick and easy so here’s the list.

  • Beasley’s, on the corner of Wilmington and Martin Street, had their soft opening this past weekend and the brown paper over the windows should come down sometime very soon. This is the first of three new places brought to this corner by Ashley Christensen, owner of the already popular Poole’s Diner.
  • The good fellas at Isaac Hunter’s Oak City Tavern have expanded over to Glenwood South. Joel Lane’s Public House is now open in the former space of the short lived restaurant The Artisan, located behind The Diner. I haven’t been but I better see some cherry bounce there.
  • According to their website, Calavera, an empanadas and tequila bar, will be open this month. This is the space previously occupied by 101 lounge at the corner of Davie and Blount Streets.

  • There are signs up in the corner space of the 222 Glenwood Building for an Indian place called Blue Mango. This brings the 222 Glenwood building one step closer to filling in all the retail space on the ground floor.
  • As mentioned very early this year, a Pan-Asian restaurant is being put together on the ground floor of the RBC Plaza tower. We’ll have to keep an eye on this as the last update was it opening “later this year”.
  • Battistella’s, on the corner of Martin and Blount Streets, is showing progress but still has not opened. The last update was a May opening and clearly that hasn’t happened. Unpredictable this restaurant business but their website claims a late August opening.


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  • And finally, from the owners of Mosaic, Babylon has opened in the old knitting factory on McDowell. I took the picture above when I walked over and this place has some very swanky outdoor space. A wide angle and a little less light could make for some great pictures. I’m looking forward to trying it and hanging near the pool on a cool night sometime soon.
by Leo Suarez

BeerCon: Tasty Beverage Company Coming To The Depot

The website for Tasty Beverage Co. says it all:

There is a lack of a dedicated beer store in Raleigh and we plan to fill that gap. We plan to offer an impressive selection of beers from the American craft beer industry as well as the world. Tasty Beverage Company will also feature a selection of wines, high quality sodas, local meats, and cheeses.

The new beer store will go in the space between Jibarra and Tuscan Blu in the historic depot building and the current outlook is for them to open their doors this summer.

by Leo Suarez

Spring Downtown Eats Update

Spring is in the air and so are restaurant openings. There are a handful of places that we are currently waiting on but here are some more to add to that list.

  • Wilmoore cafe will open very soon on Wilmington Street directly next to The Busy Bee. I’m very interested to hang out here as they have used the old shop front windows for seating. Those deep walk in entrances are nice and cozy, great for sitting outside but staying under some shelter.
  • The Astoria Cafe & Lounge will go in The Hue where White Rabbit Books used to be. It looks like this is the same place that previously went by Tribeca Cafe, as highlighted over on Goodnight, Raleigh. According to the Facebook page, there will be an opening date around early July.
  • Ruben’s Downtown may finally open soon, as highlighted by the Raleigh Philosophical Society.
  • Spy Raleigh is a new club on Davie Street that will also open soon. Any fans of the old Ess Lounge across the street should be right at home, as their description on their website is similar to what Ess Lounge used to bring to the warehouse district.
  • The Raleigh Wine shop will open at the corner of Glenwood and Jones Street.
by Leo Suarez

Battistella’s Coming Soon to City Market

The old Angelo’s space at the corner of Martin and Blount Streets will be home to Battistella’s, a New Orleans style restaurant. Opening in May, chef Brian Battistella brings his cooking experience straight from New Orleans to downtown Raleigh.

There are plans for outdoor seating and a full bar. If popular, this could bring more activity to a growing Martin Street scene. The sidewalks around Blount and Martin already get a little foot traffic so a place that is open at night will keep pushing the nightlife up a bit around Moore Square and City Market.