New Chapel Hill restaurant promises menu, vibes that 'make people feel good’
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- Postino will open a 6,373-square-foot restaurant and patio in Chapel Hill.
- Postino will serve lunch and dinner and offer a Monday-Tuesday Bottle & Board for $25.
- Postino is one of three new University Place tenants, with Barnes & Noble and Bliss Nail.
Postino restaurant and wine bar is bringing an intimate “third place” for date night, drinks and small plates to a corner storefront at University Place mall in Chapel Hill.
The restaurant, owned by hospitality company Upward Projects, calls itself “a must-try dining experience, and a welcoming gathering place” for friends and family.
Its name — Italian for “postman” — honors the original restaurant, which opened in a renovated, 1940s post office over 25 years ago in Phoenix, Arizona. The company has over 40 restaurants and five brands in seven states today, including in Raleigh and Charlotte.
“We Make People Feel Good,” according to a news release, which describes an evolving menu of over 20 artisanal wines, craft brews, cocktails, and shared plates, such as salads, panini, bruschetta and charcuterie.
The company has not announced an opening date yet for its 4,485-square-foot Chapel Hill restaurant with a 1,888-square-foot patio planned for Suite 302 at 201 S. Estes Drive.
What to expect
The interior will incorporate original artwork, a community-inspired mural, vintage bottle-cap art installations, custom liquor display and walnut wine walls, and roll-up garage doors, the release said. The booth seating and furnishings will be mid-century modern.
It’s rooted in “the character of Chapel Hill, and Postino’s focus on creating places where people feel at home,” the release said.
Postino will be open for lunch and dinner, with a weekly Bottle & Board special that prices a bottle of wine and a bruschetta board at $25 on Monday and Tuesday evenings, it said.
“From its vibrant local culture to its strong sense of community, Chapel Hill felt like a natural place for Postino to grow,” CEO and Co-Founder Lauren Bailey said in a statement. “We look forward to opening our doors and creating a space where guests can slow down, share a meal, and enjoy time together.”
Barnes & Noble, others filling redevelopment
The restaurant is one of three new tenants coming to the mall. The others were announced in February:
- Barnes & Noble is renovating a 19,734-square-foot former Planet Fitness space on the north side of the mall, across the parking lot from Harris Teeter. Planet Fitness moved to 257 S. Elliott Road in December.
- Bliss Nail Spa is the other new tenant, and will offer “elevated nail and self-care services in a 1,695-square-foot space on the mall’s eastern side, next to Postino.
University Place owner Ram Realty has been redefining the 1970s-era mall over the last several years, adding 900 Willow, its first mixed-use building and replacing the mall’s eastern end with outward-facing storefronts, new buildings, streets, and a green lawn.
A freestanding Chick-fil-A and two more buildings were added last year, and more offices and retail spaces are planned.
