The Best New Restaurants in Raleigh, 2026

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I wasn’t excited about Sunflower’s Cafe reopening. Happy, sure. A Raleigh icon coming back is always good news. But I’d already decided what it would be. Another cafe where I can’t eat much.

We popped not long after opening, in between events, needing something quick before an evening gala a block away. I ended up with one of the best sandwiches I’ve had in Raleigh, on gluten-free bread. I stopped to tell the chefs before we left, because gluten-free bread and a sandwich worth remembering don’t often turn up in the same building.

sunflowers cafe 1
My gluten-free sandwich at Sunflower’s Cafe

Then Campo Taco did it again a couple of weeks later. We sat on the patio, ate very good tacos at a price that didn’t sting, and I spent the whole time eyeing the margarita towers for next time. That’s twice in a month I was wrong about a place before I walked in. It’s the best part of this job.

Raleigh is opening restaurants faster than any of us can keep up with, and the ones worth your Friday night are buried in among the ones that aren’t. So, this is the running list. We update it every month, and every entry carries its (approx) opening date so you can see for yourself what’s actually new and what’s been quietly open since spring.

What are the newest restaurants in Raleigh right now? As of September 2026, the latest to open include IKÁ Nikkei Kitchen + Bar, Botiwalla by Chai Pani, Kokoro Ramen & Izakaya, Mikey’s Pizzeria, and Standard Beer + Food, all this summer. In Cary and Apex, Lloyd’s Full Service and K38 are the newest downtown arrivals. We update this list by hand every month, so what’s below is current.

Just opened: Summer 2026

Botiwalla by Chai Pani

Plate of Indian food
Chai Pani Asheville

Meherwan Irani won a James Beard award, and this is his group’s first Raleigh room. Indian street food, kebabs off the grill, the kind of place built around sharing rather than everyone guarding their own plate. It’s big. About 4,000 square feet, 80 seats inside and another 30 on the patio, which matters at Raleigh Iron Works where the good weather crowds spill everywhere.

We haven’t made it in yet. But we’ve eaten at Chai Pani in Asheville, the restaurant that made Irani’s name, and we loved it. That James Beard nod is not a fluke. Of everything that opened this summer, this is the one with the most pedigree walking in the door.

IKÁ Nikkei Kitchen + Bar

Nikkei is Japanese Peruvian, and there’s real history behind it. Japanese immigrants arrived in Peru in the 1890s, cooked what they knew with what Peru had, and the food that came out of that is now its own cuisine. Raw fish, citrus, and a lot of chili. Shareable plates, seafood, sushi-inspired dishes, and a cocktail list built for a long sit. It’s in the old Wonderland space on Glenwood Ave, which a lot of us will walk past on autopilot. Worth breaking the habit for.

Kokoro Ramen & Izakaya

Neti Promkhotwong built her name in the Sandhills, running Neko Thai & Sushi Bar in Pinehurst and a ramen shop in Southern Pines. Kokoro means “from the heart,” and the tagline is warm bowls, cold drinks, happy hearts. Broths simmer over 10 hours. Tonkotsu, spicy variations, a vegan bowl, grilled skewers, karaage, takoyaki, and bento lunch specials, with Thai street-food touches running through it from her background.

Here’s the part that got us. This space was Royale, the upscale French restaurant that closed early in the pandemic in 2020. It then sat empty for more than 6 years, looking out over Moore Square while the rest of downtown moved on around it. City Market has been through some quiet years. Two ramen places opening in Raleigh within a week of each other says something about where our appetite has gone.

Monya Ramen & Izakaya

  • 📍Glenwood Exchange, 3800 Glenwood Ave
  • 🌐ncmon.com

The other ramen opening, on the other side of town. Chef and co-owner Chris Lee also runs Sushi Mon, which has been one of the Triangle’s better sushi bars since 2018 and sits a few steps away in the same development. Three ramens at $18 each, tori, tonkotsu and vegetarian, plus karaage, gyoza, steamed pork buns and crispy shrimp. They sold 400 bowls at $1 each over the soft-opening weekend, which tells you how the Glenwood crowd felt about it.

Mikey’s Pizzeria

pesto burrata at mikey's pizzeria
with michael and mikey's special pizza at mikey's pizzeria

Michael Longo and his family know pizza. They own Vic’s Italian Restaurant downtown, one of our favorite Italian spots in Raleigh (and pizza places in Raleigh), and Michael went out on his own on Glenwood Ave. He made me a gluten-free breakfast pizza before the Christmas parade last year that was heavenly. So we were glad to see him keep going with Mikey’s, in the old Pizza & Pints space next door to Chido Taco, not far from the Costco on Wake Forest Rd.

Neapolitan-New York style pizzas out of a Neapolitan oven. By the slice or build your own. The burrata pesto starter is delicious, and his gluten-free pizzas are the real thing. They do ice cream too, and pastas are in the pipeline. The build-your-own thing sounds like a gimmick until you’ve taken children out to dinner. Then it sounds like mercy. As is the small patio with kid’s games!

Biddy Thomas Social Club

This one isn’t a bar with food attached. Margaret Rosemond Soler built it as a clubhouse, a place to sit down and stay a while, and she named it for her grandmother Marjorie “Biddy” Thomas. The idea started when her daughter drew a picture and labeled it “Little Biddy Boutique.” Her husband Ramón, a restaurant industry veteran, runs it with her.

There’s a horseshoe bar that doubles as a lunch counter, gaming tables, lounge seating, and a piano by the door for local players. The menu leans New Orleans. Red beans and rice, jambalaya, gumbo, po’boys, Friday fried fish, pralines, and shaved ice done snowball style. Then there’s the programming, which is the actual point. Bridge lessons. Mahjong. Spelling bees. Spades tournaments. Sing-alongs. Open Tuesday to Friday from around 10am, lunch from 11, and Sunday brunch 10am to 3pm.

Standard Beer + Food

standard food and beer in north hills

This is the second location for Standard, and it’s in a beautiful spot under a canopy of trees near the boardwalk in North Hill’s Innovation District. The menu is a step up from the original on N Person St, and pricier with it, and this one is full service.

When we finally get there, I’m torn between a lunch date, a dinner date, or just drinks and snacks on the patio. I’m also curious about the real story behind their $27 burger. The wine list looks strong, their cocktails are usually a highlight, and their tacos made our list of best tacos in Raleigh. We’ll share our visit first with our email community, then Instagram and Facebook! Let’s connect!

Benchwarmers Bagels

courtyard or benchwarmers bagels north hills
bagel and coffee benchwarmers north hils

This is Benchwarmer Bagels third Raleigh location (second this year), which tells you how that’s going. Making the list of Raleigh’s best bagels for a reason!

We love the outdoor vibe here, beside the boardwalk with those towering trees. Inside is a little smaller, but you don’t need it when the green space is right there. Same wood-fired bagels, same smears. Craig always goes for a bacon and egg. If I could eat them, and please get some gluten-free, I’d order the mole pasilla with chorizo, queso Oaxaca, queso fresco, runny egg and crema, hold the onion. What works for me is the coffee. Same owner as Jubala, so that’s a given it’s worth a cup while you sit and watch your friends eat bagels. #greenwithenvy

DRIFT Coffee & Kitchen

nutella french toast
Nutella French toast

Yes, it’s a coffee shop. It’s also a good place to eat, which is why it’s here. I cannot keep up with DRIFT’s expansion. We’ve been to most of their locations and love the coastal thing they do. The owner took the idea from time spent surfing in Australia, and it turns out North Carolina likes our coffee culture. This one is at The Weld, the new district down by Dix Park, and Raleigh Iron Works is next on their list.

Expect what you get everywhere else. Good coffee, that banana bread, grain bowls, smoothies, and avo toast. Another food trend that came out of Australia, as did the flat white. Proudly claimed by the Aussie American writing this post. They gave 100% of opening-day sales to Oaks & Spokes and ran a greenway bike ride from their Ridgewood shop to this one, which is a decent way to introduce yourself to a neighborhood.

Pranzo by Bongiorno & Son

Michael Bongiorno started Bongiorno & Son as an Italian deli and specialty market in Lafayette Village back in 2020, then added a spot at RDU. Pranzo is the family moving from counter to table, with chef AJ Papineau running the kitchen. There’s still a small market section inside selling imported Italian goods, so the deli hasn’t been left behind entirely.

The kitchen is doing Barolo-braised short rib with Parmigiano Reggiano polenta, smoked burrata with sweet-and-sour red onions and baked tomatoes, spicy prawns with pesto-marinated zucchini and saffron mayo, and a beef carpaccio with roasted red peppers and capers. The whole thing is built around aperitivo. That early-evening stretch where you have a drink and something small and decide about dinner later. It’s the most civilized hour of the day, Raleigh has been short on places that do it properly, and putting it on the ground floor of a 12-story office tower is a smart read of who walks out at 5pm.

The wine list is worth your attention too. Small producers, organic, a good number of women-owned vineyards, and bottles you won’t find elsewhere in Raleigh. I can’t wait to visit since I love anything Italian, especially Aperitivo hour, and organic wine. Open Monday to Thursday 11am to 9pm, Friday and Saturday until 10pm. Still settling in, so give it a little grace.

Cora Kitchen and Bar

Sarah Frey already had a following before this. She runs Mr. Burro, the breakfast and coffee truck with the cult breakfast burrito. She’s half-Honduran, half-Thai, a former bartender who set out to open a bar and pivoted to food when she got pregnant. Cora runs as two places in one day. Mexican breakfast and lunch, then Spanish tapas and cocktails at night. Her tagline is “all day, all corazón,” and the menu pulls from her Honduran and Thai roots plus a lot of time researching in Spain. Chilaquiles, chicken tortilla soup, croquetas, ceviche, mussels, tostadas, and the Mr. Burro breakfast burritos every day.

The space was previously The Station for over a decade, until it closed in March. Now it’s stone and warm earthy tones, with a redone patio full of tropical plants and salsa playing. Cora is part of Hibernian Company, which owns Raleigh establishments like Hibernian Pub, Watts & Ward, Raleigh Beer Garden, and Morgan Street Food Hall.

Person Street keeps quietly becoming one of the better eating streets in the city without making a fuss about it. Here is a guide to North Person Street.

Earlier in 2026

Big Cat at Brookside

Part market, part restaurant, and the names behind it are a who’s who of people who’ve shaped how Raleigh eats. Cheetie Kumar, Paul Siler, Angela Salamanca, Marshall Davis, Justin Pasfield. When those people go in on something together, you go. It’s already one of those Raleigh restaurants where it’s hard to land a reservation, let alone get your foot in the door.

On the menu I am intrigued by the grilled watermelon Som Tum, one of my favorite Thai dishes, which Thai style is made with green papaya. It was often on my lunch from the school cafeteria when we taught English in Bangkok. I feel I can trust this powerhouse team to give me a unique kind of wonderful spin on it. But I’m nervous.

Mezcalito

a man holding up a margarita
a burrito

We haven’t eaten at this one yet, but we have at the Mezcalito in Beaufort. Their mezcal margaritas are huge and look like a piece of art. The alambre ACP was delicious, and Craig raved about his King Burrito for days. Same development as Pranzo, and our other favorites, Peregrine and House of Capulet Cocktail Bar. The Exchange is turning into a proper cluster, which is good news if you like to decide once you’re already there.

Sunflower’s Cafe

sunflowers cafe 1 1
sunflowers cafe 2
Banh Mi / Cuban twist

The one from the top of this post. Quinn Ferebee is the son of the original owners, and he’s brought the sandwich and soup counter back, with cocktails this time. Revivals can go either way. This one has the right person doing it. The sandwich that changed my mind was the Banh Mi. Pork belly, pickled carrot, cucumber, daikon, spicy mayo and cilantro, on gluten-free bread that had no business being that good. I’m looking forward to round two! They’ve started running social nights too. Tinis and tarot, bingo, that sort of thing.

Campo Taco Co.

birria tacos from campo tacos
tacos on table from campo taco
  • 📍1001 S Saunders St. Rockway. Opened April.
  • 🌐 campotaco.co

The birria tacos are excellent and the servings are generous. The patio is great, and because it’s on a corner block the inside is light-filled, modern and bright in its design. And as I mentioned, those margarita towers look like the kind of long afternoon you want to spend with your besties!

I can see this becoming a regular for us, especially being so close to Dix Park. With Sunflower’s and Benchwarmers on the same stretch, that corner has gone from nothing to somewhere in a very short space of time.

Benchwarmers Bagels (Rockway)

benchwarmer bagels rockway raleigh 2
benchwarmer bagels rockway raleigh

This was the year of expansion for Benchwarmers, and Rockway in South Raleigh was the second of the three. It has the largest indoor seating of the lot. We popped in after a session at BK Pilates next door. It’s also right by Dix Park, so take your bagel for a walk. AND, if you’re gluten free and really want bagels, leave your companion to enjoy Benchwarmers and duck over to Willow House across the road, they have amazing gluten free bagels, provided by a local gluten free baker. They also have great coffee.

Clyde Cooper’s BBQ 2.0

BBQ chicken, pork, and sides.

Clyde Cooper’s has been feeding Raleigh since 1938. This is the second act, up in north Raleigh after relocating from downtown. Craig wrote this in our best BBQ in Raleigh post and it still stands. From the moment he walks in and takes in the old school decor and the memorabilia, he gets the feeling that this is Raleigh, that he’s in the South, in a state where barbecue is a tradition. Besides the atmosphere, the food is why it’s one of the longest-running barbecue joints in North Carolina. It’s hard to go past a plate of chopped barbecue and fried chicken with collards, or their Brunswick stew.

Nan Xiang Express

Soup dumplings near NC State University campus, and the pedigree is real. This is the sister operation to Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao, which opened in Flushing, New York in 2006 and has been Michelin Recommended for 9 years running. Handmade soup dumplings in traditional pork, crab, chicken and mala beef, plus spring noodles, potstickers and scallion pancakes. It’s paired with Tsaocaa for the tea program, so the bubble tea is a step above the usual.

Chains that landed here

We lead with the local places, always. But when a name arrives in Raleigh for the first time, people want to know, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.

Barking Dog

lady with omelet and coffee on barking dog patio
lady on patio of barking dog eating breakfast

Worth knowing the backstory. Barking Dog has been on the Upper East Side of Manhattan since 1991, and in 34 years it never opened anywhere outside New York City. Until Raleigh. It’s dog-friendly, properly so, with about 40 seats on the patio where your well-behaved one can sit with you. There’s a puppy menu.

We ordered the Southern Croque Madame, which is cheesy sourdough toast with sausage gravy, smoked ham, Dijon and fried eggs, and the Chef’s Special Omelet with goat cheese, spinach, mushrooms and chorizo. Both were excellent. The wider menu runs burgers, benedicts, sandwiches, pancakes, waffles and salads, so you can come back for any meal and find something new. Two small things made me smile. The doggie wallpaper in the bathrooms. The dog paintings scattered around the bar. The whole place commits to the theme without overdoing it.

Velvet Taco

velvet tacos 1
velvet tacos 2
  • 📍North Hills Park District, 4208 Six Forks Rd. Opened February 16.
  • 🌐 velvettaco.com

We had lunch here not long after it opened and enjoyed their unique creations. The popular ones are the Bacon Smash Burger, which tastes exactly like a burger, the slow-roasted Angus brisket, the grilled salmon, cooked perfectly, the chicken and waffle, and the quesabirria. There are gluten-free taco options.

We really liked the red curry coconut queso, which is also gluten-free. Definitely check that out. Not the cheapest tacos around, but they’re big. Two tacos plus queso and chips was more than enough. There are bowls and a kids menu too. Nice outdoor patio for warm weather, indoor seating as well, and yes, margaritas. A funky fast-casual setting overall. Here are more North Hills restaurants to enjoy.

Beignets & Brew

woman holding tray of beignets
beignets and brew raleigh 26
default

Fried-to-order beignets, powdered properly, plus chicory coffee. Sebastian and Johana Jaramillo run the Raleigh location, the first in North Carolina for a brand that started in Destin, Florida.

Our girls loved it, and we went back twice. They’d tell you the Nutella and the cinnamon swirl are the must-orders. I’d point you at the Turtle, going purely on the smell of the pecan. Gluten-free me could only judge it that way. The chicken and beignets is their answer to chicken and waffles. There are student, teacher, military and first-responder discounts, which near NC State is a smart read of the room. We wrote the full piece on Beignets & Brew here.

Roots Natural Kitchen

two roots natural bowls

We grabbed bowls from Roots on Hillsborough St recently and I was impressed. This is a chain I’m happy to order from. The bowls were delicious, healthy, quite affordable next to other places, and huge. Mine did me for lunch the next day as well. I’d recommend the sweet and smoky El Jefe with adobo chicken, corn and avocado. They also let me swap out the pita and onions for something else. I went sweet potato and chickpeas, and they didn’t blink.

Mission BBQ

  • 📍7400 Creedmoor Rd, Stonehenge Market. Opened April 14.
  • 🌐 mission-bbq.com

First one in the Triangle, and the fifth in North Carolina. I’m now on a mission to find out what it’s all about. The chain has a story worth knowing. Bill Kraus and Steve Newton opened the first one on September 11, 2011, deliberately, on the 10th anniversary, to honor veterans and first responders. Every location stops at noon each day and plays the National Anthem over the PA. The walls carry donated medals, photos, patches and helmets. They give away around $3 million a year to veteran and first-responder causes.

Whataburger

What a what burger? I claim no knowledge of this chain beyond the Facebook updates, which ran hot with people exclaiming “OMG Whataburger is coming to Raleigh,” followed by the “I was here” post with their order and the line they sat in to get it. Is there a burger on earth worth waiting in a long car line for? Tell me in the comments.

Raising Cane’s

exterior of raising canes on hillsborugh st raleigh

My daughter took me to the Chapel Hill Raising Canes location when it opened. I still don’t understand why it involved a very long line just to get chicken tenders and fries. Apparently, it’s the dipping sauce. I think you have to be a student to get it. NC State now has one on their Hillsborough St doorstep.

New Restaurants in Cary and Apex this year

Cary had a week in August worth writing home about with two new openings in a week.

Lloyd’s Full Service, Downtown Cary

gluten free fish and chips
mother and daughter llyods full service
lloyds full service

Stop the car! The fun retro vibe of Llyod’s Full Service in Downtown Cary is inviting you to park the car and fuel up! Located in a restored 1950s garage, and serving up cuisine to taste the modern American modern with international flavors twisted in.

I loved the classic, modern design on the inside – fingers crossed you get the table in the corner with the full window views – and the 1930s Divco delivery van parked on the patio. Next visit though, I do want to sit on the patio in the garage driveway!

What we ordered and enjoyed

  • The salt and pepper fish fry is the move, and I heard many others say so. It’s gluten free so you can imagine how happy my Australian self who’s lived in England and Ireland felt!
  • For mains, Craig loved the pork schnitzel, and we both felt the sides were extra tasty!
  • Savannah is voting for the Tres leches cake and I thought the ice cream sundae with cherry swirled through was a taste sensation.

The team behind it runs The Durham Hotel and The Mayton, and the chef, Dennis Bernard, came from Dove’s Luncheonette in Chicago. Mains sit around $20 to $22. Walk-in only.

K38, Downtown Cary

elote dip nachos
Elote Dip Nachos

K38 is Baja Grill number 7. Started in Wilmington in 1993 by a surfer, and now there’s one two doors down from a restored filling station in downtown Cary. Tacos, fajitas, house salsa and queso. We can’t wait to get to this one. We’ve eaten at the K38 in Wilmington during UNCW family week. Try the Baja chopped salad or the birria tacos. We’ve also been to Tower 57 at Wrightsville Beach a couple of times, where the whole thing began. Their nachos with the elote dip drizzled over were my favorite on our last visit. There’s a K38 at Seaboard Station in Raleigh too.

Downtown Cary has been threatening to become a destination for a few years. This is the week it stopped threatening. Here are more Downtown Cary restaurants and don’t skip the Downtown Cary Park.

Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café

The first North Carolina location for the Houston chain, brought in by Virentes Hospitality, who have a 15-unit agreement across NC, Florida and Tennessee. Crêpes both sweet and savory. Nutella, apple cinnamon crème brûlée and Dubai chocolate on one side, chicken carbonara, Philly cheesesteak and truffled caprese on the other. Also, salads, paninis, specialty lattes, matcha, frozen mimosas and French cocktails. Open daily 8am to 9pm. You’ll find it at Fenton.

Popovers Cafe

  • 📍 219 N Salem St, Suite 103, downtown Apex. Opened March 13.
  • 🌐popoverscafe.com

Juliette Ozturk grew up in upstate New York, where her grandmother Anna Clare made popovers on weekend mornings. The signature item on the menu is called the Anna Clare. Mustafa is from Turkey and put together the Turkish tea program, Rize tea and all. Between them they have 10 children, whose names are scattered through the menu, and their son Landon Vrooman runs the kitchen.

Try the Anna Clare, the bourbon caramel apple, or the spinach with sun-dried tomato and gruyère. The coffee is pour-over from Peak City Coffee Roasters. The space used to be a women’s boutique. The dressing room is now the kitchen, and they kept the exposed brick. Open daily 7am to 3pm. Downtown Apex keeps rewarding the trip.

Groovy Duck Bakery

JP and Laura Rivera didn’t start Groovy Duck. They bought it in 2022, from the original Raleigh bakery that opened over on Edwards Mill Rd in 2012 and have spent the time since modernizing the recipes without touching what made it work. They kept the name because, as JP puts it, it makes people smile.

The thing to order is a cookie. They’re chunky, 4 inches across, and come in flavors like chocolate chip pretzel, Biscoff and red velvet, some of them filled with dulce de leche, cookie butter or Nutella. Beyond that there are more than 50 muffin varieties in rotation, plus cupcakes, scones, pretzels, bars, bread loaves and duck-shaped shortbread. They do custom cakes as well, and there’s Brazilian cheese bread if you want something savory. Coffee is Joe Van Gogh.

It’s a walk-up counter with no indoor seating, so plan to take it with you. Look for the rubber duck installation. There are over 300 of them. Same street as Popovers, which makes for a decent morning. It’s been busy every time I’ve walked past, and the first 100 customers on opening day went home with a rubber duckie.

Pastrami Tom’s Deli and Grill

Tom Scheidler is a Cincinnati native who runs a catering business and has fed college and professional sports teams. He built this to fill what he saw as a gap for East Coast-style delis in the Triangle. His head chef, Eddie Passiglia, is from Long Island and rotates seasonal specials.

Reubens, Rachels, Boston-style roast beef, Cubans, Italian subs, lobster rolls and crab cake sandwiches. Sandwiches start around $10.50, burgers around $14.50. There’s Grandma Midge’s ice cream pie and Maine whoopie pies for after. This one’s on our list. Locals rave about the sandwiches, and they do gluten-free hoagies, so I think I should be trying the Philly cheese or a Reuben. Everyone raves about those two and I am none the wiser. Time to get wise.

Don’t overlook the rest of Wake County

We’re not going to cover every opening in every town. But a few are worth the drive.

Flying Biscuit Cafe, Holly Springs

bowl of shrimp and grits flying biscuit
Breakfast bowl with egg

The Atlanta breakfast and brunch chain turned 32 this year, and it’s finally landed in Holly Springs. Everything from scratch, French toast, eggs Benedict, a proper vegetarian and vegan section, and a full bar. If you already know us, you’ll know Flying Biscuit turns up in our best brunch in Raleigh, the best shrimp and grits in Raleigh, and the best breakfast in Raleigh lists. Now there’s one closer to the south side. While in Holy Springs pop into Tous les Jous Bakery!

Duke’s Kitchen and Taphouse, Fuquay-Varina

Paul Miller took over the space Vicious Fishes left behind and built a 300-seat bar and grill, named for his head chef Duke Elliott. They’ve been friends 20 years. It’s chef-driven pub food, wings, seasonal Carolina oysters, house-made soups, and the bar program has expanded well past the beer-only setup that came before. Lunch and dinner through the week, brunch at weekends. Miller is already talking about 2 or 3 more locations.

Lil Hombre, Wake Forest

Jason Howard is building a small downtown Wake Forest empire. He owns Cardinal Bar and The Cavalier, and Lil Hombre sits right beside Cardinal Bar at the same address. It’s the second Lil Hombre, after the original smoked taco joint down in Clayton. Everything comes off live fire, marinades are made in house, and the tortilla is the detail worth knowing about. It’s a corn and flour hybrid with cheese pressed into it, so you get a crisped, cheesy edge before the filling has done anything.

Three taco styles, all with your choice of protein. One lettuce-based with roasted salsa, cheddar and chipotle mayo. One traditional with cilantro, salsa and onion. One fajita-style with chipotle slaw and vegetables. Margaritas, frozen drinks and Mexican beer alongside. Open daily from 11am until the food runs out, which it does. This is the oldest entry on the page and still the best reason to eat in Wake Forest. Why not smash out those calories after at iSmash in Wake Forest – it’s loads of fun!

Coming soon

inside seating area in cafe royale
Cafe Royale

What we’re watching. Dates move, so treat these as intentions rather than promises.

  • Cafe Royale, The Exchange. Opening this September in the old Optimist coffee space, sharing a courtyard with Capulet. Same owner as Peregrine, Capulet, Watts & Ward and Rosebud, so you know there’ll be a creative flair on the classic Parisian cafe. Espresso, tea, champagne, dessert cocktails, pastries and cheese boards.
  • Pizzeria di Territorio, an elevated Italian restaurant across the road from Red Hat Amphitheatre and, Stacciagio, its attached Italian speakeasy!! Coming early 2026. We’re working with the team and will be sharing a lot of behind the scenes!!
  • 42nd Street Oyster Bar 2.0, 508 W Jones St. The reopening of a Raleigh institution that closed in March 2025.
  • Longleaf Swine, 7701 Lead Mine Rd, north Raleigh. A second location in the old Sawmill Tap Room, which closed in 2023 and has been sitting empty since. Fall.
  • Gallicchio’s Market and Eatery, 702 N Person St. October.
  • High Ground Lounge, Hotel Indigo, 320 Hillsborough St. October.
  • Wren Rooftop, atop the Oberlin Hotel in the Village District. Fall.
  • Basic Brewing Co., The Platform, 600 W Cabarrus St. Fall.
  • Lewis Barbecue, Salvage Yard. The Charleston pitmaster, recently Michelin-recognized.
  • Shinmai Moku, Quail Corners. Yakitori and izakaya, the third concept from the Shinmai group.
  • Fogo de Chão, Crabtree Valley Mall, in the old Uncle Julio’s.
  • Wake Forest Food Hall, corner of E Roosevelt Ave and N White St. A 20,000 square foot conversion of an 80-year-old Chevrolet dealership, with about 3 acres of green space alongside for concerts and community events. Vendors not announced yet.

Opening something? Tell us. We’d rather hear it from you than find out on Instagram three weeks late. As you can see, it’s a challenge to stay on top of every new restaurant opening in Raleigh and nearby. This place has changed since we moved over in 2004, when the options were slim and mostly chains. We’re all for it.

Common questions about new Raleigh restaurants

What new restaurants opened in Raleigh in 2026?

A strong run this year, from IKÁ Nikkei and Botiwalla to Kokoro Ramen and Mikey’s Pizzeria. The list above is sorted by when each one opened.

Are there new restaurants in Cary or Apex?

Yes. Lloyd’s Full Service and K38 in downtown Cary, plus Sweet Paris Crêperie, Groovy Duck Bakery, and Pastrami Tom’s nearby.

What restaurants are coming soon to Raleigh?

A few are close. We keep a running list at the bottom of this page and update it monthly. I am most excited about Cafe Royale and Pizzeria di Territorio.

How do you decide what counts as new?

Anything open in the last 90 days sits at the top. Older 2026 openings follow. Once a spot passes a year, it graduates to our must-try Raleigh restaurants guide.

How often is this updated?

Every month, by hand. Openings move fast and most search results and AI answers can’t keep up, so we do the work they won’t.

Tell us what we missed in the comments. We keep this list fresh every month, so bookmark it and check back.

The best thing you can do is subscribe to our email newsletter. That’s where we share all our new finds first, along with anything else you’d want to know before everyone else does.

For now, happy eating. We plan on it too. Come back and tell us your favorite dish from any of these.

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