New Chapel Hill oyster bar serves a “special” burger and some NC classics
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- Geo’s Tavern and Oyster Bar opens in Chapel Hill’s East 54 on Monday, June 8.
- Chef Dan Jackson heads a menu of classic American dishes, including shrimp and grits.
- The opening menu features a raw bar with North Carolina oysters, Maine lobster, and clams.
A new neighborhood oyster bar will open this week in Chapel Hill, from one of the Triangle’s most legendary restaurateurs.
With veteran chef Dan Jackson at the helm, Geo’s Tavern and Oyster Bar will open in Chapel Hill’s East 54 shopping center. The new spot from prolific restaurant owner Giorgios Bakatsias opens Monday, June 8.
Geo’s Tavern is built around the timeless classics of American dining, using culinary milestones in Jackson’s life as the guide.
“The food is simply prepared, but building on the different adventures within a restaurant,” Jackson said in a phone interview. “It’s professional, friendly service, southern hospitality and is sort of a diary of my cooking life.”
Jackson grew up in Chapel Hill and remembers eating shrimp and grits at Crooks Corner as a 15 year old. He worked in famed New York kitchens, and Geo’s is inspired by those old school tavern restaurants. As such, Geo’s will serve a shrimp and grits, with local shrimp and artisan grits, and a hefty tavern style burger.
Geo’s menu
Geo’s aim is to make the classics taste timeless.
“For me, this started with growing up here and all my stops along the way,” Jackson said. “These are dishes that take me back to a place in time. ... While the game has changed, the dish remains the same.”
Geo’s is the second restaurant partnership between Bakatsias and Jackson, who is also the chef at Osteria Georgi in Chapel Hill, a neighborhood Italian restaurant that’s found legions of regulars and fans since it opened in 2021.
In Geo’s, diners will find an upscale tavern experience, with a raw bar and fresh takes on old school dishes.
On the opening menu, there’s a shellfish tower, built with a focus on North Carolina oysters, plus Maine lobster and New England clams. You’ll find classic dishes like crabmeat lettuce cups and shrimp cocktail and fun snacks like a phyllo-wrapped hot dog with giardiniera, a build your own biscuit and fried chicken drumsticks.
Larger dishes include crab-stuffed trout, steak au poivre and that shrimp and grits. There is a crispy shrimp platter you can order “Emerald Isle-style” and get it served as a shrimp burger, with your choice of ketchup or tartar sauce. The beef burger is inspired by the richness and flavor of French onion soup, Jackson said — noting it’s a banger.
“These days, if you put a burger on the menu it better be special or it better be $6,” Jackson said.
The Geo’s French Dip Burger is $24.
On the bar side, Jackson said the draft beer list will focus on North Carolina breweries, and the wines will pair well with seafood, so expect lots of crispness and bubbles. The cocktails will play up the classics.
“We’ll definitely have a great Martini,” Jackson said.
The dessert list will include Atlantic Beach Pie, born just down the road in the mind of chef Bill Smith, strawberry shortcake and someday soon, housemade sorbet.
There will be a back lounge with a pair of TV for diners looking to drop in for drinks and a snack. But be warned, the TVs are not democratic.
“NC State and Duke doesn’t get played unless they’re playing Carolina,” the Chapel Hill native said.
Geo’s Tavern & Oyster Bar is located at 1118 Environ Way in Chapel Hill. The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday, starting at 4 p.m.
