An acclaimed Raleigh restaurant will close next month, making way for a ‘new concept’
The Cortez, vibrant and pioneering in its blend of coastal Mexican and Southern cuisines, will close next month.
The shock closing was announced Tuesday, Feb. 18 by owner Charlie Ibarra on the restaurant’s Instagram page. Ibarra signaled the closing of Cortez would make way for “a new concept” in the space at 413 Glenwood Ave. sometime in April.
The last day for Cortez will be Sunday, March 2.
“Cortez has been an absolutely wonderful experience for us as restaurateurs and I cannot express enough the gratitude I have for the staff, collaborators and guests that have made this place so special,” the Instagram post reads. “Alas, it is now time for us to sing to a new melody.”
Raleigh’s Cortez menu and history
Opened in 2017, Cortez was initially led by former chef Oscar Diaz, whose mastery of the menu offered a bold perspective on coastal Mexican dishes with North Carolina ingredients. When it opened, former food critic for The News & Observer, Greg Cox, awarded Cortez four stars and named it one of the Triangle’s best new restaurants for 2018.
“By ‘expertly prepared,’ I mean everything from the shucking of oysters (three varieties are typically offered raw, served with all the usual garnishes, plus — one of those ‘surprises at every turn’ — a miniature bottle of hot sauce) to the precise sear of N.C. bigeye tuna in a pitch-perfect presentation with a medley of sautéed potatoes, green beans and oyster mushrooms, glazed with sesame oil and garnished with pea shoots,” Cox wrote in his review.
Among the restaurant’s signatures were its use of seaweed, which it would whip into butter to spread on a baguette or roast on oysters. Other bites included grilled octopus and ceviche, plus unexpected favorites like Korean-inspired brussels sprouts and a popular double cheeseburger.
Cortez’s James Beard, Time Magazine attention
It was at Cortez that Diaz made a larger name for himself, earning a semifinalist mention for the James Beard Best Chef: Southeast category. Diaz left the restaurant as a partner in 2023.
A spotlight in Time Magazine used Cortez as one of the major example of an emerging dining trend in Southern food, of Mexican chefs incorporating more of their own personal heritage in menus.
“Cortez opened in July 2017 and has lived now eight years of business and a truly wonderful run as a local restaurant focused on bringing something new to the Downtown Raleigh scene,” Ibarra said in the Instagram post announcing the closure.
“Our goal has always been to provide a delectable experience provided by a team that is passionate for hospitality and quality. We are humbled by the support we have received throughout this experience during this time on Glenwood South. Raleigh is quickly evolving and we have made a decision to evolve as well in this space.”
Ibarra said the restaurant space will undergo a month-long renovation, eventually emerging as a new concept.
This story was originally published February 18, 2025 at 3:09 PM.
