These 9 restaurants are opening in Raleigh, Chapel Hill & Durham
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- Whataburger opens in Wake Forest then Raleigh, marking Wake County debut this spring.
- Longleaf Swine expands to Carrboro and opens a second Raleigh spot this year.
- Jean’s, JP’s Pastry, Songbird, Standard and Benchwarmers are opening across the Triangle.
Several new restaurants are expected to open in coming months in the Triangle.
There’s a new brunch spot in Chapel Hill, a barbecue joint in Carrboro, a seafood place in Durham and an iconic Texas fast food chain in Raleigh.
Here are some Triangle restaurant openings to know about.
Whataburger opens soon in Raleigh
As Whataburger continues its eastward expansion, the Texas burger chain is making its Wake County debut.
It will first open in Wake Forest at the end of the month, and will soon after — Thursday, April 9, to be exact — begin serving Raleigh customers at its restaurant at the intersection of Six Forks and Wake Forest roads.
Locations: 489 Calvin Jones Highway (Wake Forest) and 501 E. Six Forks Road (Raleigh)
Longleaf Swine expands to Carrboro
A Raleigh barbecue restaurant is expanding not just to a second location in the city this year, but also to a new Triangle town.
Longleaf Swine is expected to move into the Luna Rotisserie & Taproom space later this year. Luna will serve its last customers Sunday, March 8.
Location: 307 E. Main St., Carrboro
Seafood restaurant opens in Durham
Jean’s By The Sea has opened in the former Wimpy’s Grill in Durham, serving Calabash-style platters, shrimp rolls, fried fish sandwiches and chilled raw offerings called “Tackle Boxes.”
Customers can also order cocktails including rum- and mezcal-based drinks, and beers.
Location: 617 Hicks St., Durham
Snooze reopens in Chapel Hill
Known for its pancakes, Snooze has reopened its Chapel Hill restaurant.
The breakfast and lunch spot has been closed since last summer, when it was damaged by flooding when the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal swept through the Triangle.
Location: 1800 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill
JP’s Pastry opens new Durham bakery
The gluten-free bakery JP’s Pastry has expanded into Durham, serving muffins, Hawaiian rolls, cinnamon rolls and other baked goods.
It is already welcoming customers, though a grand opening is scheduled for later this month. This is the fourth JP’s Pastry location, joining storefronts in Raleigh, Benson and Greenville.
Location: 7072 Highway 751, Suite 108, Durham
All-day bar & restaurant to open in Raleigh
The team behind Umbrella Dry Bar is opening a new “daylight-to-dusk” bar in Raleigh.
Songbird, expected to open in June, will offer coffee, tea, fresh juices and smoothies in the morning, and later in the day, alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.
Chef Dave Mitchell, formerly of Plates Kitchen and currently of Longleaf Swine BBQ, will be the chef-in-residency for the first few months after Songbird opens.
Location: 1020 E. Whitaker Mill Road, Raleigh
2 local favorites opening at North Hills
Updated opening dates have been shared for Standard Beer + Food and Benchwarmers Bagels, which are expanding to North Hills.
Both will open in the Innovation District in May.
The News & Observer’s Drew Jackson contributed reporting.
