New Triangle restaurants of 2023: A much-hyped taco shop, cocktail bars & fine dining
So far, 2023 has given Triangle diners lots to explore. The newest local restaurants include multiple ramen shops, cozy cocktail bars and some of the year’s most anticipated openings.
Here is The News & Observer’s running list of new restaurants and bars to open in 2023.
▪ Bombolo — 764 MLK Jr. Boulevard, Chapel Hill. 919-914-6374 or bombolochapelhill.com
The brother and sister team behind the popular barbecue brand Big Belly Que opened this new Euro-centric Chapel Hill restaurant in February. At Garret Fleming and Eleanor Lacy’s Bombolo, the menu and vibe lean Italian, with fresh housemade pastas and grilled seafood. But the restaurant does not characterize itself as Italian and separates itself with a very serious plate of fried chicken and New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp.
▪ Corner Yaki — 530 Foster St., Suite 1D, Durham. 984-888-0048 or instagram.com/corneryaki
As the newest vendor at the Durham Food Hall, owner Jen Kremer and chef Ray Williams continue their partnership with their third spot. Tucked in the corner of the food hall, near their pizzeria and bagel shop, Corner Yaki specializes in dumplings, ramen and bao buns.
In creating this menu, Williams said he added the kinds of dishes he craves all the time. On the buns you’ll find pork belly, karaage and fake crab, in the dumplings you’ll likely want to try the mapo tofu or the short ribs with mustard greens or crisp and clean chicken and ginger. Ramen fans will find chicken-based broth with roasted pork, or a miso with mushrooms and crispy tofu.
Corner Yaki is likely the most unexpected spot for french fries, but you might find your new favorite snack here, dusted with dashi powder.
▪ East End Bistrot — 2020 Progress Court, Suite 110, Raleigh. 984-281-8869 or eastendbistrotraleigh.com
The latest restaurant from prolific restaurateur Giorgios Bakatsias suggests fine dining is alive and well in this reemerging world. East End Bistrot marks a return to Raleigh for former Fins chef and owner William D’Auvray and serves refined versions of the French classics, with an emphasis on traditional service. You’ll find buttery Dover sole de-boned tableside, a warm and intimate patio and perhaps the reminder of what dining out used to feel like.
▪ Gen Ramen — 2330 Bale St., Suite 112, Raleigh. 919-720-4058 or instagram.com/genramen_raleigh
Raleigh’s newest ramen shop, Gen Ramen opened in the former Hightop Burger and Bendito space in McNeill Pointe. Look for highly customizable bowls of noodles and a sushi menu.
▪ Giorgio Pizza Bar — 141 Park at North Hills St., Suite 112, Raleigh. 919-809-8000 or giorgiopizzabar.com
This new North Hills pizzeria from well-known restaurateur Giorgios Bakatsias is the prolific restaurant owner’s most casual spot in years. Look for charcuterie spreads, familiar pizzas and bowls of pasta.
▪ Glori — 101 W. Main St., Suite Lo2, Durham. gloribar.com
A cozy and intimate new cocktail bar opened at the end of winter in downtown Durham’s Kress building. The signature cocktail list includes an espresso martini, the hottest drink in the land at the moment.
▪ Las Ramblas — 141 Park at North Hills St., Suite 100, Raleigh. 919-322-4338 or lasramblasraleigh.com
The Triangle’s newest Spanish tapas bar, Las Ramblas is Giorgios Bakatsias ode to Barcelona, serving small bites like Bouillabaisse croquette, fresh raw oysters, burrata with figs and churros with chocolate dipping sauce.
▪ Leroy’s Taco Shop — 900 Park Offices Drive, Durham. instagram.com/leroystacoshop
It’s possible the most fun restaurant of 2023 has already opened. The new school smoked meats shop Lawrence Barbecue has launched a new taco concept built on its most popular special of all time: a plate of smoked brisket birria tacos. But Leroy’s is more than birria, it’s carne asada with a bright and chunky chimichuri sauce, a heart-achingly flavorful cornbread tres leches cake and the hottest new michelada bar in the Triangle.
▪ Mango Indian Grill — 530 Foster St., Suite 1, Durham. instagram.com/mangoindiangrill
One of the newest vendors at the Durham Food Hall, Mango is the sister concept of Chapel Hill’s Cholanad Restaurant & Bar, specializing in South Indian cuisine. There are curries like tikka masala, saag paneer and coconut marinated Chettinad curry. On the snack side, Mango serves tandoor-baked chicken wings and fried samosas and the incredibly popular chicken 65.
▪ Midwood Smokehouse — 409 W. Johnson St., Raleigh. 919-267-2666 or midwoodsmokehouse.com
One of North Carolina’s most popular barbecue brands, Midwood Smokehouse was the runner-up in The News & Observer’s Barbecue Bracket in 2022. Built in Charlotte, Midwood Smokehouse serves a consistently solid array of the barbecue hits, from NC pork to Texas Brisket. Early this year, Midwood Smokehouse opened in Raleigh’s Smoky Hollow development as the brand’s first location out of the Charlotte area.
▪ PBR Cowboy Bar — 301 Fenton Gateway Drive, Cary. 919-363-8888 or pbrcowboybar.com/cary
There’s a new mechanical bull in town. Fenton added the pro rodeo-themed Cowboy Bar, which wouldn’t be complete without a mechanical bull for visitors to try their hand.
▪ Premier Cakes Diner — 5 E. Edenton St., Raleigh, inside the North Carolina Museum of History
The latest addition to Raleigh’s General Assembly dining scene, the Premier Cakes Diner comes from Tracy and Bobby Outlaw who run the popular bakery of the same name. The diner branches out into savory dishes, so look for bags of fried chicken, Reubens, hot dogs and early morning breakfast sandwiches.
▪ Salty Turtle Beer Co. — 13100 Fall of Neuse Rd., Suite 130, Raleigh. 919-263-8880 or saltyturtleberr.com
This popular Surf City brewery opened a new Triangle taproom this year in North Raleigh. Situated in the Wakefield Crossings shopping center, the new beer bar offers 14 taps, including crispy drafts that might make you feel like the beach isn’t so far away.
▪ Sports & Social — 301 Fenton Gateway Drive, Cary. 919-363-8888 or sportsandsocial.com/cary
This new Fenton bar is without question the Triangle’s largest sports bar. You’ll find multiple bars and movie theater-sized screens showing the biggest national and local games.
▪ Tap Yard — 1610 Automotive Way, Raleigh. tapyardraleigh.com
Depending on how you measure it, Tap Yard might be Raleigh’s largest beer garden. Opened by Raleigh bar veteran Zack Medford, Tap Yard is an acre of beer garden bliss, offering two bars and a huge open backyard for frolicking and eventually live music.
▪ Urban Noodle — 4104 Surles Ct., Suite 4, Durham. 984-888-0348 or myurbannoodle.com
Suddenly, Research Triangle Park is booming with restaurants. The latest addition is a noodle shop. Urban Noodle serves nine different styles of ramen, plus udon bowls and steamed buns.
▪ The Waiting Room — 300 Blackwell St., Suite 100, Durham. thewaitingroomdurham.com
A new cocktail bar on the American Tobacco Campus opened at the very beginning of 2023, with a name suggesting it aims to be a spot to try and stop time for a while. From co-owner Nick Singh of The Nomad and beverage director Buddy Maynard, The Waiting Room combines classic and inventive cocktails plus small plates in a narrow bar across the street from DPAC.
▪ Weldon Mills Distillery — 300 E. Main St., Suite 001, Durham. 919-238-4413 or weldonmills.com
A major player in North Carolina’s burgeoning craft spirits scene, Weldon Mills just opened a new downtown Durham cocktail bar and distillery. The basement bar is a handsome spread of concrete beams, leather banquettes and velvet chairs, basically the perfect setting for sipping local whiskey.
▪ Yonderlust — 109 N. Gregson St., Durham. yonderlu.st
This new Durham adventure store is also a six-days-a-week cafe, serving a full espresso bar and fresh squeezed juices.
▪ Zweli’s Ehkaya — 406 Blackwell St., Suite 100, Durham. 919-381-4128 or zwelisekhaya.com
From the owners of Zweli’s Kitchen, this upscale tapas-style restaurant opened at the end of March in Durham’s American Tobacco Campus. Owners Zweli and Leonardo Williams describe the menu as modern Bantu and African street food, with small plates like a smoky Zimbabwean Scotch egg and entrees like whole roasted fish with plantain tortillas.
