Former ‘Top Chef’ star brings back a short-lived Raleigh restaurant. Here’s when
.png "Horseshoe at Hub RTP has announced a new tenant that may be familiar to Triangle foodies.")
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Celebrity chef Katsuji Tanabe will open High Horse at Horseshoe at Hub RTP in summer 2026.
- Tanabe partners with V Pizza owner Anthony Rapillo and revives a menu blending Mexican, American and Japanese flavors.
- Horseshoe at Hub RTP hosts tenants including Nanny Goat, Prime STQ and Di Fara Pizza.
A celebrity chef is bringing back a restaurant concept that had a short life in Raleigh several years ago.
Katsuji Tanabe, who was a contestant on three seasons of the hit series “Top Chef,” will open High Horse at Horseshoe at Hub RTP. The restaurant is scheduled for a summer 2026 opening.
In late 2019, Tanabe opened High Horse in downtown Raleigh’s City Market, but it closed a few months after opening when the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Tanabe told The News & Observer at the time that his then-business partner pulled the plug after months without revenue.
High Horse opening at RTP
The new High Horse at RTP will be in a stand-alone pavilion, and Tanabe has partnered with Anthony Rapillo, a co-owner of V Pizza.
Tanabe previously worked with Rapillo on their other RTP concept, La Taqueria, serving Mexico City-style tacos and mezcal-based cocktails.
The relaunched High Horse, fusing Mexican, American and Japanese flavors, will have elements of the Raleigh restaurant, such as the live-fire show kitchen, a cotton candy machine and the frozen shot glass bell.
It will also have new features, including an indoor-outdoor cocktail bar, a patio and a private dining room.
Other concepts at Horseshoe at Hub RTP
Several other restaurant and retail tenants have already been announced for Horseshoe at Hub RTP:
- Nanny Goat, a “boutique bodega” from the owner of the Durham restaurant Cheeni, opened earlier this year. A second Nanny Goat location is planned for Durham.
- Cheeni owner Preeti Waas is expanding the Indian restaurant to Horseshoe at Hub RTP.
- Chris Prieto, the owner of Prime BBQ in Knightdale, is opening a new steakhouse, Prime STQ. Prieto previously told The N&O that it will be “an elevated barbecue restaurant.”
- Drift Coffee + Kitchen is expected to open this year. The coffee shop has Triangle locations in Raleigh and Chapel Hill.
- Cary’s Di Fara Pizza Tavern, known for its authentic New York-style pizza, is expanding to the development. It is expected to open in late 2025.
This story was originally published October 2, 2025 at 4:06 PM.
