Foodie News: Popular Raleigh restaurant to open third location
Looking for a new coffee hang-out in Clayton? Well, Triangle Business Journal reported this week that a concept called Ziggi’s will open this Friday, Dec. 29, at 1299 Mechanical Drive. Their offerings will include a variety of coffee drinks, such as lattes, and breakfast foods including breakfast burritos according to TBJ. And it doesn’t look like this will be the only Triangle-area location, with the owners hinting that Wendell is possibly in their future. Get familiar with them here.
Wake County Restaurant News
Wake Forest seems to be the hot corner of the Triangle this week. Driving down Main Street (right around the 2000 block where the Wendy’s is), I noticed signage for a new Alpaca Peruvian Charcoal Chicken. Apparently this is new construction in a brand new building. No word on an open date. This follows the news last week of the location opening soon on Raleigh’s Hillsborough Street. But also look for new locations in Durham (Miami Blvd.), Mebane and Holly Springs in the coming months. Visit Alpaca here.
Also up in Wake Forest, Jay North shared the news on the Wake Forest Real Community Information page that the Triangle’s newest location of Taza Grill Restaurant is coming to the former Poke Bowl spot at 1898 S. Franklin Street across from the Sheetz gas station and between The Butcher’s Market and Fortnight Brewing Company. Look for them to open soon after the new year. This will be their third location. Visit them here.
OK, I apologize for the vagueness of this post, and promise to do a better job next week. There is new life in the former Leli’s Italian Eatery, Market And Bakery spot at 3325 Rogers Road, Suite 109 in Wake Forest. As I drove by this week (in a hurry, but not speeding!), I noticed a new banner hanging up. I will have more details next week. #dobettersean
Out in Wendell, Triangle Business Journal shared that Wendell Falls has announced that two new restaurants, Chipotle and City Barbecue, will join the lineup in Treelight Square. Notably, the Chipotle will feature a drive-thru (for picking up online orders). According to TBJ, look for both restaurants to open sometime next summer. Visit Chipotle here and City Barbecue here.
Durham, Orange & Chatham Restaurant News
Travelers using Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU) in 2024 should plan on arriving 3 hours early. Not because of any TSA requirements, but simply to enjoy a good meal and a drink or two. Triangle Business Journal summarized the new concepts, although still technically in the design phase, looking to open in 2024. They include: Adios! By Oscar Diaz; Bobby’s Burgers; Bond Brothers Kitchen & Bar; Bongiorno & Son Italian Specialties; Conniption Gin Cocktails & Cuisine; Dunkin’; Guy’s Pizza Joint; and Raleigh Beer Garden. Coming in the spring are: Black & White Coffee Roasters, Carolina Craft and Crawford’s Genuine. Keep up with all the additions on their site here.
Closings
WCHL / Chapelboro was the first to report that Franklin Street’s Basecamp has decided to close. That is the bad news. The good news is you can still enjoy a very similar menu/cuisine at their sister restaurant, Momos Master, just around the corner on Columbia Street. Visit them here.
Reader Chris Creighton shared that the Pizza Hut on Main Street in Holly springs has closed its doors. No word yet on what might move into that space.
Food Trucks
Looking to find your favorite food truck (or stalking them and simply don’t want to have to admit it)? We understand. Find them on Street Food Finder here.
Events
This is a fun way to ring in the new year! The 321 Coffee downtown locations in Raleigh and Durham will host a noon-time New Year’s Eve Party. The events will feature a build your own delicious hot chocolate from their decadent bar of toppings enjoyed in a 321 Coffee mug that you get to take home. In addition to the hot chocolate bar, they’ll have cookies, coloring pages, 2024 headbands, and plenty of festive family fun as they all countdown to the New Year. The fun starts at 10:30 a.m. and concludes at noon. Tickets are $15, and can be purchased through their website here.
They are doing it again. Our friends over at Cape Fear Seafood Company (with three locations here in the Triangle) are bringing back their wildly successful wine pairing events. The first time they did this, all three locations sold out, and I’m already hearing that the Wake Forest location is sold out for the next one. So, it will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 9, at each of the Triangle locations (Wake Forest (sold out), Raleigh’s Village District and north Raleigh). This French Culinary Voyage will feature seafood and wine delights for $65 per person (+ tax and tip). They limit it to just 24 people per location, so call today to reserve your spot. Visit their site here for phone numbers of each location.
Hard to believe, but tickets went on sale this week for the 9th Annual Dinner in the Meadow which will take place on September 15, 2024 on a grassy knoll at Meadow Lane Farm, in bucolic Franklin County, offering beautiful pastoral views and clear, starry skies. Some of the region’s most sought-after chefs will be preparing delicious dishes using ingredients from local farms and food artisans. It is an annual fundraiser for the Leonard-Mobley Small Farm Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 2014 to support and cultivate small farms in our region of North Carolina. Get tickets and all the details here.
Food Bank Corner
This holiday season, families all over our community will be sitting down for delicious meals with their loved ones, enjoying good company, good food, and a good time. But for some, these meals may not be a given. Many of our friends and neighbors are having to decide between stocking their refrigerator and pantry or paying their bills. You can help bring comfort, joy, and hope by making a generous gift now to provide more holiday meals this year. Until Dec. 31, compassionate friends are matching all gifts to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina up to $378,500. Give $10 now and have double the impact, providing 100 meals.
