First-to-NC coffee shops & burger joint among 7 new Triangle restaurants
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- Whataburger opened its first Raleigh restaurant on April 9 at 501 E. Six Forks Road.
- Jubala Coffee will open a second North Hills location in late 2026.
- Capital One Café opened its first North Carolina location at The Streets at Southpoint.
Triangle residents are getting access to new coffee shops and restaurants that don’t exist anywhere else in the state — or even the country.
They may have to wait a while for those new businesses, but a few spots just celebrated grand openings.
Here’s some recent restaurant news you may have missed.
Whataburger enters Raleigh
The Texas burger giant Whataburger opened its first Raleigh restaurant, and second in the Triangle, on Thursday, April 9 at 501 E. Six Forks Road. Expect to see more orange and white stripes as time goes on — at least two more locations are expected this year in Raleigh and Garner.
Triangle coffee shop favorite expands
One of the most popular coffee shops in the Triangle is opening a second North Hills location. Jubala Coffee’s new store in the Main District (4114 Center at North Hills St.) will be right across Six Forks Road from its existing shop in the Park District. The Main District location will open in late 2026, Jubala shared on social media.
Shake Shack opens new restaurant
Shake Shack is expanding its reach with a new location in Morrisville. Located in Park West Village, this will be the chain’s sixth restaurant in the Triangle.
It is expected to open in 2026 at 1600 Village Market Place.
Nash & Smashed expands to NC
Nash & Smashed, a chain offering Nashville hot chicken and smash burgers, is opening its first North Carolina location near Triangle Town Center.
The restaurant will be in the former Fat Tuesday at Poyner Village. No opening date has been announced, as construction is still underway in the 1,575-square-foot space.
Chicken Salad Chick plans first Durham restaurant
Chicken Salad Chick’s first Durham location is expected to open around mid-to-late July at Renaissance Center, across from The Streets at Southpoint.
Franchise owners John Schuster and Mike Saccone also own the Cary and Raleigh Chicken Salad Chick locations and plan to open another in Fuquay-Varina in 2027.
2 new coffee shops coming to Raleigh & Durham
Capital One Café, a combination coffee shop and bank, is now open at The Streets at Southpoint in Durham. This is the chain’s first location in North Carolina.
A Peter Millar Coffee Shop, a collaboration between Peter Millar and Omni Hotels & Resorts, is expected to open in late 2028 inside the forthcoming Omni Raleigh hotel downtown. This will be the first-ever coffee shop of its kind.
This story has been adjusted with an updated timeline for Peter Millar Coffee Shop’s Raleigh opening.
This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 8:24 AM.
