Here are the Triangle’s 20 biggest restaurant openings of 2024
It was a big year for big restaurants in the Triangle. In 2024, our local dining scene added some of the most ambitious and glitzy restaurants in years, some in the works since before the pandemic.
Among the stand-outs, chef Ashley Christensen moved her flagship restaurant Poole’s Diner. Scott Crawford opened his largest and most elegant restaurants yet. It was a year for expanding and reinterpreting what it means to be a neighborhood restaurant.
As we look back on the seismic shifts in the Triangle dining scene, these are the restaurants we can’t stop thinking about.
Figulina
Raleigh
How do you follow a Raleigh legend? It helps to change the conversation. Figulina took over the former Humble Pie space in Raleigh and it may be a while before it loses the association to its much-loved predecessor, but it’s well on its way. British ex-pat and Poole’s Diner alum David Ellis has created in Figulina a love letter to one of the world’s most comforting foods — pasta. Each night Figulina serves a half-dozen freshly made pasta dishes and recently opened a market for take-home noodles.
Brodeto
Raleigh
For Scott Crawford’s third Raleigh restaurant, the acclaimed chef looked to the Adriatic sea, cooking the cuisines of Italy and Croatia. Brodeto opened as Crawford’s largest restaurant yet, with a glowing marble bar and a menu fueled by live-fire. The results are tremendous and dramatic, like whole grilled fish, squid ink pasta and a giant roasted pork chop.
Birdie’s Barroom and Kitchen
Raleigh
Part of the all-day trend sweeping through Raleigh, Birdie’s comes from Carolina Ale House owners LM Restaurants and revives the former Cafe Carolina space on Fayetteville Street. Birdie’s offers coffee and pastries in the morning and will be there for you after work with a classic cocktail menu.
Jaguar Bolera
Raleigh
The largest piece of Raleigh Iron Works is this “eater-tainment” complex. With a menu created by a Top Chef contestant and featuring self-serve beer, wine and cocktails, Jaguar Bolera is ready for its Instagram close-up. The massive space is vintage chic and filled with games like duckpin bowling and a karaoke room. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure restaurant giving amusement park vibes.
Ponysaurus Barrel Room & Restaurant
Raleigh
One of the big gets for Raleigh Iron Works is this expansion of the popular Durham brewery Ponysaurus. But this Pony isn’t just a carbon copy of its counterpart. The Raleigh Ponysaurus, helmed by former fine dining chef Jeff Seizer (Royale, Counting House) expands the pizza offerings and adds a burger, chicken sandwich and cheffy dishes like beer-steamed mussels and chicken schnitzel.
Patty Boy
Durham
From the geniuses at Ex-Voto, who make the world’s greatest crunchwrap, comes this nostalgia bomb of a burger joint. There are happy meals (for kids and adults), perfect smashburgers and chicken sandwiches. Every kids meal comes with a rubber duck.
Aaktun
Durham
If you walk in the front door of Aaktun it may not be obvious that you’re in the Triangle’s most beautiful new restaurant. But walk around the corner and the dining room will take your breath away, inspired by seaside caves in Tulum, Mexico. The menu, created by James Beard semifinalist Oscar Diaz, is bursting with fresh flavors, like a coconut-tinged ceviche, tuna crudo and fiery papaya salad. The cocktails are bright and boozy and lean towards tiki.
Brooklyn Pickle
Raleigh
When this New York-based sandwich shop expanded into the Triangle, fans went nuts. Inexpensive and overstuffed, the options at this new Lake Boone Trail shop span the full sandwich spectrum, from reubens to Italians to meatballs and BLTs.
Emmy Squared
Durham
This new Brightleaf spot took about three years to open, but it was worth the wait. With crispy cornered Detroit-style pizzas and a famous burger, Emmy’s has quickly become a hit with families.
Redstart Takeaway
Durham
This spinoff restaurant from the popular meal delivery brand Redstart Foods always seems to have the good light flooding in from its front windows. It also has a contender for breakfast sandwich of the year, and its mainstays include a corn dog and comforting red lentils.
Can Opener
Durham
A handful of popular Triangle food trucks teamed up best friends-style to create this perfect outdoor hang space. Named for an infamous truck-shearing bridge, the Can Opener is like an outdoor food hall and food truck rodeo all at once.
RH
Raleigh
If you thought you understood the idea of a retail restaurant, RH assures you that you didn’t. Can a luxury furniture store be a hot spot? Apparently, if you’re serving caviar topped lobster rolls on the Triangle’s most lavish rooftop.
Delafia
Durham
This sweet neighborhood wine bar expands the nightlife footprint of Downtown Durham and specializes in lively natural wines.
Poole’s Diner
Raleigh
Not exactly a new restaurant, but certainly a new era for one of the Triangle’s most important and beloved spots. After 17 years, chef Ashley Christensen moved her flagship restaurant next door into the former Poole’side Pies space. It’s a brighter, larger, quieter time for Poole’s, but the menu and identity remain the same. Don’t worry, the double horseshoe bar will return.
Daijobu
Raleigh
The owners of City Market Sushi took over the former Oak City Meatball space earlier this year and created Raleigh’s newest ramen spot. Serving authentic, porky bowls of tonkatsu and spicy miso ramen, Diajobu also plays on its expertise and serves sushi handrolls.
Próximo
Chapel Hill
Reviving the former Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe on Franklin Street, chef Brandon Sharp unveiled the Triangle’s newest tapas bar. In it, Sharp takes inspiration from classic tapas and makes them his own. He serves the world’s greatest ham with a warm version of cornbread, melting the pork fat for the perfect bite. The narrow restaurant feels miles away from Franklin Street, but you’ll feel at home.
Giorgios Epicurean Market
Raleigh
GEM, as it’s known, is more of a culinary wonderland than a restaurant. Opened as a sister space to East End Bistrot, Giorgios Bakatsias and chef William D’Auvray continue their partnership with GEM, operating as a cafe and gourmet food shop for all the fancy treats your heart could crave.
Atomic Clock Brewing
Durham
It was a quiet year for Triangle beer, but this new Durham brewery is perhaps the best new addition. Atomic Clock opened in April across the street from the old Durham Bulls stadium. Its beer lineup features crushable crispy pilsners and the requisite IPAs and a full menu of bar bites should be enough to convince you to stay for another round.
Tamasha
Raleigh
This new Indian restaurant in North Hills was named among the most beautiful dining rooms in the country by reservation site Open Table. Tamasha is owned by first-time restaurateurs and married couple Manoj “Mike” Kathrani and Tina Vora, with its menu led by chef Bhavin Chhatwani, serving an elegantly modern style of Indian cuisine.
La Terrazza
Raleigh
This Italian restaurant in the sky offers unmatched views of downtown Raleigh and beyond. But you can’t eat the view, so La Terrazza delivers with fresh pasta classics, bright crudo and indulgent desserts.
This story was originally published December 30, 2024 at 12:15 PM.
