For a complete list of eats, drinks, and coffees in and around downtown, make sure to bookmark the DT Eats page. Try something new!

• We’ll start in Glenwood South where Lou Moshakos’s Mediterranean restaurant, called Vidrio, is still being worked on. I saw that they planned for an early 2016 opening so perhaps they will announce an opening soon. It’ll be located at the corner of Tucker Street and Glenwood, underneath the Carolina Ale House.
• Work continues on the brewery and market concept, called Little City Brewing and Provisions Company, coming to the West building. The new restaurant is located at the corner of West and Harrington and is being done by those behind The Level Up Kitchen and Linus and Pepper’s.
• more. kitchen & bar has now opened on West Street in the former Mantra location.
• The second location of My Way Tavern is now open where Ciago’s was formerly located on St. Mary’s Street.
• Crisp Bar and Restaurant is now open in the 222 Building. They took over the two spaces where Zaky and Tutti Frutti used to be.
• In the 510 building, Big Boom closed but quickly reopened as the 510 Tavern.
• Café Helios has reopened under new ownership and with new style. It’s located in the same building along Glenwood.
• Napper Tandy’s has changed over to Tremor Bar and Grill
• Babylon has sort of split inside of themselves between two new menus that is worth mentioning. Inside, there will be Moroccan style food and outside, a menu with more casual Mediterranean dishes will be served. Expect this to be official in the next month or two.
• Dram and Draught on Hillsborough Street got their permits recently to continue working on the new pub. You can follow their progress through their Facebook page.
• Jumping over to Fayetteville Street, there isn’t much work taking place for Haymaker, a bar in the Charter Square south tower.
• The other space inside Charter Square will be a B Good restaurant which looks to be in the middle of their construction phase.
• Plans for a taco shop called Virgil’s Original Taqueria will be coming to Salisbury Street in the building where The Level Up Kitchen and Linus and Pepper’s is located.
• ZPizza has added self-pour beer taps.
• Raleigh Raw wants to open up a cafe at 7 West Hargett Street and according to their recently completed Kickstarter they should open this month. (if on schedule) The new cafe will offer “healthy grab and go food, local organic coffee, kombucha and smoothies.”
• The Hive was closed but quickly turned over to become Mash and Lauter, a Belgian beer bar, that is now open.
• Pizza Guerra is planned for the space next to Fox Lounge. If you ever went to Bella Mia in Cary, this place is by the same folks.
• Near Moore Square, Provenance has removed the paper window coverings and could open very soon. They are located in the Skyhouse Apartments building.
• Nearby in the same building, the Larry’s Beans shop and Oak City Market, run by Taz, are still being worked on.
• Tir Na Nog has closed but out of it the folks behind Bida Manda plan to open Plenty. This will incorporate a mix of uses including a Brewery, Dim Sum, florist shop and bookstore. We hope to see some of the doors open this summer.
• I heard that Rum Runners serves food now. The menu was made by Brian Battistella whose restaurant nearby was closed recently.
• According to a line in the posted permit in the former Zydeco space, a bakery could be being worked on here. There’s still a lot of work to be done in this space.
• Over in the warehouse district, the art and wine bar called Vita Vite is now open.
• A night club called Venū has opened at the end of West Street.
• The Borough has closed and will become Hadley’s, a 1920s-inspired restaurant. This is by the same folks behind Dram and Draught.
• Heading north, a brewpub called Oak & Dagger Public House is planned to take over the former Tyler’s space in Seaboard Station. In addition to the pub, the bottle shop will also be reopened.
• Until then, you can go to Pelagic Beer and Wine for your bottle needs. They opened recently on Pace Street.

Before we dive into this season’s restaurant roundup, I just want to point out that this is my 1,000th blog post here on The Raleigh Connoisseur!

On towards post #2,000!

This Fall hasn’t seen as many openings but plans are in place for a big wave of new eats and drinks hopefully in the Spring. Lots of spaces in downtown are still in the early phases of renovation.

For a complete list of eats, drinks, and coffees in and around downtown, make sure to bookmark the DT Eats page. Try something new!

• The much-hyped restaurant Standard Foods, with chef Scott Crawford, is finally open in Person Street Plaza. The restaurant serves dinner with lunch hours coming soon. A grocery concept will also be included in the space but that is also still being worked.
• Nearby, a beer and wine shop with tasting bar is opening on Pace Street. You can follow their progress on their Instagram.
• Over near the warehouse district, Whiskey Kitchen looks just about the same as it did since the last update.
• Ashley Christensen’s pizza place, next door to Poole’s Diner, hasn’t seen much movement as the place on McDowell is still pretty bare.
• Heavy renovation is happening at 313 West Hargett Street for a new wine bar.
• Bouncing over to City Market, eatRaleigh pretty much updates us on the status, or lack of, of City Market Cafe. I can’t imagine it being to hard to take a space that once was a coffee shop and turning it into a coffee shop so things don’t look good here.
• Sometimes you can get a sense of a project just by peaking through the windows. The retail spaces at Skyhouse are paper-sealed tight. No big updates about Provenance, the Oak City Market, or the Larry’s Beans Shop.
• Holly’s on Hargett was bought out and has now been changed to Notte | Urbana. If you haven’t been following, this is the former Mo’s Diner spot.
• In Glenwood South, the Mediterranean restaurant planned for the ground floor of the Carolina Ale House building is called Vidrio. A few months ago, they said it would open in the Fall so perhaps it’s almost done or coming very soon.
• Jon Seelbinder, owner of Level Up Restaurant and Barcadium, was planning a boutique market and brewery in the West at North tower. The space on the corner of North and Harrington is being renovated for this and there’s still lots of work to be done here.
• The website for more., a restaurant from JMR Kitchens, says it plans to open late October. That could mean they are close to opening their doors on West Street.
• Ciago’s, located on St. Mary’s Street has closed. It will now be the second location for My Way Tavern.
• Zaky and Tutti Frutti have closed in the 222 Building. Renovations are underway though for a Crisp Salads franchise. I believe this is the same thing as the one at the Crabtree Mall food court.

• The “adventure lifestyle” shop Devolve Moto is now open and they have a coffee and beer bar.
• After being empty for quite a few years, the renovated gas station on the 600 block of Hillsborough Street, across the street from Char-Grill, will be a new tavern called Dram and Draught.
• The Bruegger’s Bagels in the 222 Glenwood building has closed but the owner of next door Sushi O is now working on the space for a new restaurant.
• Along Fayetteville Street, there hasn’t been much movement on the Eschelon Experiences restaurant planned for Charter Square.
• Within the same building, a B.good franchise is also planned. This would be the second Raleigh location after North Hills.
• What started as a pop-up shop, Linus and Pepper’s is now staying on Salisbury Street.
• Same block, a “trendy taco shop” is also being planned by the same owners.
• The people behind the dive bar Slim’s have opened another bar called Ruby Deluxe on the 400 block of Fayetteville Street.
• The lease has been pulled on The Square Rabbit on East Martin Street. Lou Moshakos, owner behind Carolina Ale House, is now working on bakery-concept for the space and something else for the space next door.

This summer, there have been some big time openings in the downtown Raleigh Eats scene. One of them even puts us in the Guinness Book of World Records.

For a complete list of eats, drinks, and coffees in and around downtown, make sure to bookmark the DT Eats page. Try something new!

First, here’s a flier for a new pop up sandwich shop, Linus and Pepper’s, that will be open for three weeks on Salisbury Street starting today. It’ll be student run and is backed by Jon Seelbinder (Level Up Kitchen and Barcadium, The Architect) who also is working on other projects in downtown. Read more about it in the N&O.

• Pictured above is the rooftop seating at the new location for Taverna Agora. The restaurant moved from North Raleigh to 326 Hillsborough Street and that empty, shell of a building is now more lively than ever.
• Ashley Christensen’s Death and Taxes has finally opened at the corner of Salisbury and Hargett Streets.
• Christensen has also announced that she is working on a pizza restaurant that will be located next door to Poole’s Diner.
• Now that the Charter Square south tower is complete, we’re waiting to see what Eschelon Experiences brings to one of the ground-floor spaces in the building.
• Construction fencing is up where Whiskey Kitchen will go at the corner of McDowell and Martin Streets.
• Near Person Street, Standard Foods may actually open. At least that’s what they say as they are now hiring.
• Person Street Pharmacy has finished their makeover with a new cafe.

• In Glenwood South, Niall Hanley and Cliff Bleszinski have set a Guinness World Record for most beer taps. The Raleigh Beer Garden is now open and has 366 beer taps spread across two floors. The place is huge and should be quite a draw within and outside the city.
• In 510 Glenwood, Big Boom is now open. The new restaurant is from Vincent Barresi, of Vincent’s Italian Cuisine fame in North Raleigh.
• JMR Kitchens (Taste, The Oak) is opening up more. on West Street in the former Mantra location. The new restaurant will serve “Italian-inspired small plates.”
• Near Moore Square, Treat is now open and serves Maple View Farm ice cream.
• I’m still keeping track of Provenance, planned to open in the Skyhouse Apartments building.
• The N&O reported that Larry’s Beans is opening up a retail shop in the same building.
• Still in Skyhouse, Taz is opening up a convenience store (as he does) called Oak City Market.
• A dive bar called Ruby Deluxe is opening on the 400 block of Fayetteville Street.
• Renovation work is taking place at 313 West Hargett Street. Twitter chatter says a wine bar is in the works.
• Zinda has dropped their restaurant concept and is focusing on being an event space and club.

Spring has been quiet, relatively anyway, in the downtown Raleigh restaurant scene. Lots of new places are working hard to open up and the ones that have open are offering something unique that we haven’t had before.

For a complete list of eats, drinks, and coffees in and around downtown, make sure to bookmark the DT Eats page. Try something new!

• In Glenwood South, the Raleigh Beer Garden looks close. You can follow the progress on their Facebook page. They keep saying that they will be open in the Spring.
• Pho Pho Pho, pictured above, is now open in the former Oryx space in the 510 Glenwood Building.
• Also in 510, here is a good blog post from the Raleigh DLA blog about the upcoming Italian restaurant, Big Boom.
• The building at 606 Glenwood that used to have the club named after it’s address is now a new club called Alchemy.
• Death and Taxes has had a packed house recently as the place is hosting some pop-up dinners through the end of this week. Maybe full opening soon??

• The Level Up Kitchen and Barcadium is now open on Salisbury Street. They have a mix of classic arcade games and a great selection of drinks and foods.
• I’m still keeping an eye out for major updates on Whiskey Kitchen. You can see some very cool murals that were done out front on their Facebook page.
• A few weeks ago, I posted a photo on Twitter of the future site of Taverna Agora on Hillsborough Street.
• Standard Foods, located over in Person Street Plaza, is….????
• A new bar named William and Company has opened next to PieBird.
• Circa 1888 has opened at the end of West Davie Street. The new spot has a big patio outside and pool tables inside.
• On Wilmington Street above Centro, you’ll find Gallo Pelón Mezcaleria, downtown’s (the Triangle’s?) first mezcal bar.
• Is the West at North tower getting a boutique market and brewery? Twitter seems to think so.
• An ice cream shop called Treat wants to open in May in City Market. It will be located along Blount, in those shops facing the Skyhouse Apartments.
• And finally, inside the Skyhouse Apartment building a restaurant called Provenance is planned. You can sign up for updates on their website or follow them on the Facebooks and Twitters.

Each year, downtown Raleigh seems to have a burst of new shops. 2013 was the year of the bottle shop. As we wrapped up last year, I think it’s safe to say that 2014 was the year of the bakery. 2015 could be the year the barcade but that’s still left to be seen. Here’s the list of Winter openings and coming soons for 2015.

For a complete list of eats, drinks, and coffees in and around downtown, make sure to bookmark the DT Eats page. Try something new!

• Pictured above, the Glenwood South Carolina Ale House is finally open after being announced years ago. On the top floor of the new 3-story building at the corner of Tucker Street and Glenwood Avenue, the flagship restaurant has some pretty nice views and plenty of space for large sports parties.
• For the rest of the building at 500 Glenwood Avenue, plans are in place to set up a Mediterranean restaurant and a banquet hall. When I asked, I was told that these were hoping to be ready by August of this year.
• The construction work on the Raleigh Beer Garden is really taking shape. The beer garden, with over 100 taps, should be open later this year.
• Pho Pho Pho Noodle Kitchen & Bar is now hiring for the restaurant going into the former Oryx space in the 510 Glenwood building. Owned by Quy Duong, who also owns Sushi Blues, the new spot will be “bringing authentic Vietnamese cuisine and crafty cocktails” to Glenwood South.
• Could this be a cannoli from the upcoming Italian restaurant Big Boom? (planned for the corner space in 510 Glenwood)

Cannoli !!!!!! #bigboomraleigh @BigBoomRaleigh #foodporn #foodphotography #TRW #j1sphotography #stillfocused ~j1s pic.twitter.com/IWNPW1iQOD

— J1s Photography (@j1sphotography) January 27, 2015

• The downtown bakery scene has really heated up with the opening of Lucettegrace on Salisbury Street. There are some very tasty pastries, almost works of art, here and I highly recommend.
• Rounding out the 2014 year of the bakery is Night Kitchen Bakehouse and Cafe in Seaboard Station. I’ve picked up some delicious breads here recently and is another recommendation.
• The Level Up, Kitchen and Barcadium, located at 126 South Salisbury Street, is opening very soon. The place wants to serve pub food and craft beer around classic arcade games.
• Still nothing new, of significance, on Ashley Christensen’s new place, Death and Taxes, planned for 200 South Salisbury Street.
• On Fayetteville Street, La Volta has closed but has quickly turned around to a new Caribbean concept called The Twisted Mango.
• The restaurant space in the Marriott Hotel is open again but this time as Rye Bar & Southern Kitchen.
• A small, cozy bar, called Anchor Bar, has opened on the 200 block of Fayetteville Street.
• WRAL reports of a new brewery coming to downtown Raleigh by the owners of Bida Manda. The article says that the location hasn’t been determined but I was at a Central CAC meeting about 2-3 months ago and the same owners were there presenting plans for a restaurant at 501 South Person Street. (The CAC didn’t vote for the needed rezoning) The renovated church at 501 South Person is probably not big enough for a brewery so either there are two projects going on by the Bida Manda folks or this is where the brewery is trying to go.
• Mo’s Diner has changed their name to Holly’s on Hargett.
• A Facebook page and website for a gastropub called Whiskey Kitchen has popped up. The maps show it going at 201 West Martin Street.
• The Boxcar Bar and Arcade has opened in the warehouse district on Davie Street. They are continuing to add more games and is a pretty fun place to visit if you’re into video games.
• A cockatil supply and tasting bar called ABV, run by Crude Bitters and Sodas and Eco-Tech Draft, is open at 517 West Cabarrus Street.
• The folks behind The Busy Bee Cafe and Trophy Brewing have opened a Bottle Shop, The State of Beer, at 401 Hillsborough Street. The new shop sells craft beer and tasty sandwiches.
• Highlighted on the blog last week, work continues on the new space for Taverna Agora on Hillsborough Street.
• A coffee, wine, and beer shop called Drink, Drank, Drunk has opened near the West Morgan Street and Hillsborough Street roundabout.
• Nearby, in the 927 Morgan Apartment building, P.G. Werth’s is now open.
• The highly anticipated opening of Standard Foods is coming soon as the restaurant, grocery store is now hiring.

The year of the bakery continues with some very delicious looking places that should be opening soon. Some new renovations are included in this season’s update including some activity on Hillsborough Street. This area primarily doesn’t see very many new shops and retail so perhaps this is the beginning of something.

For a complete list of eats, drinks, and coffees in and around downtown, make sure to bookmark the DT Eats page. Try something new!

• Tasty 8’s has opened on the 100 block of Fayetteville Street. (pictured above) They have really done a nice job with renovating the space and the gourmet hot dog menu looks, well, tasty!
• Across the street, Capital City Tavern has opened where Isaac Hunter’s Oak City Tavern used to be.
• We’re still waiting on the contemporary patisserie, Lucettegrace, to open, located at 235 South Salisbury Street. They are currently hiring so perhaps the opening is soon.
• Ashley Christensen’s latest, Death & Taxes, is still undergoing work at the corner of Salisbury and Hargett Street.
• Posta Tuscan Grill, the restaurant in the Marriott Hotel, has closed and is being redone into Rye Bar & Southern Kitchen. The new restaurant concept should be open this winter.
• Seaboard Station has landed a coffee shop. Brew is open along Seaboard Avenue serving coffee, tea, and beer ever day.
• Seaboard Station is also getting a bakery. Night Kitchen Bakery and Cafe is currently hiring and you might run into them at nearby events. Check their Facebook.
• Taverna Agora is moving from their location in North Raleigh to Hillsborough Street. Their space next to Second Empire is currently being renovated and you can see steel rising above the building. Rooftop seating perhaps?
• Nearby, a beer bottle shop is coming to 401 Hillsborough Street. The shop hopes to open this winter.
• Standard Foods still has their sign up for a “late Fall” opening.
• In Glenwood South, Clouds Brewing has opened up on West Street in the former Napper Tandy’s space.
• Work continues on the Raleigh Beer Garden, a 100-tap beer garden located at 614 Glenwood Avenue. Follow their Facebook page for updates.

• The building at the corner of Glenwood Avenue and Tucker Street is finishing up and the Carolina Ale House, planned for the top floor, should open sometime before the end of the year.
• In the 510 Glenwood building, a Vietnamese noodle shop is planned for the former Oryx space. It will be called Pho Pho Pho Noodle Kitchen & Bar and you can see work actively taking place.
• Same building, Vincent Barresi, owner of Vincent’s in North Raleigh, is opening an Italian restaurant at the corner space where Myst used to be. The new place will be called Big Boom.
• Shuckers Oyster Bar and Grill has opened in the rear space of the building where Bogart’s (and more recently Cantina South) used to be.
• Eden Ultra Lounge has opened at 3 Glenwood Avenue where the former Dive Bar used to be.
• Another bottle shop and beer drinking locale has opened, located in the former Amra’s space, called The Stag’s Head.
• After Benelux Cafe moved out of their space in City Market, plans for a new coffee shop quickly came out. Expect City Market Cafe to open soon.
• In the Warehouse District, it looks like Spy Lounge has closed at 330 West Davie. In the works is a bar and arcade called The Boxcar Bar. If you don’t check them out, at least play some Pacman on their website.