The loss of Garland certainly didn’t help… but with that particular loss means a new concept from the same team coming soon, so hopefully that’ll live up to the Garland standard and reignite some Triangle foodie passion!
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I agree with all of these recommendations! St. Roch’s is also one of my favorite places and has some really interesting dishes with fantastic cocktails. A bit pricier, but goodness it’s a treat.
As far as Mulino’s goes, it’s good quality food. There isn’t anything overly extravagant about it but isn’t that what the majority of Italian food is anyways? I’ve had one dinner at Mulino’s and I thought it was pretty good. It’s definitely on the go back to list for me.
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I like Vic’s. If I’m looking for Italian, I just want the basics with a vibe that I would get from an actual corner trattoria in Italy, and while Vic’s might be a little over the top, it gets the job done.
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I haven’t been there but have eyed it a couple of times… I’ll move it up on my list to try!
Don’t forget about Frank’s on New Bern! Best NY-style pizza in Raleigh
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I went to Gravy for Italian a few weeks ago and it was good.
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Nothing really pulls me to Mulino’s but the oyster shooters, no bullshit salad and everything else I eat at St. Roch definitely pulls me back!
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A few I haven’t seen listed:
Jolie
The Cardinal (Best Hotdog in Raleigh)
Clockwork
Death and Taxes
Second Empire
If people are curious why the restaurant scene has stalled at the moment, they’re being hit with two edged sword. Food costs and shitty labor make it risky to open a new restaurant especially one that’s not established already.
But beyond that, let’s say hypothetically a restaurateur spent their time and money to invest in a new location downtown, was really excited about their efforts and decided to sign on this forum and view what people thought of their risky venture “worst italian ever, big disappointment, boring menu” before they even cook one dish, how confident would you be to do the same?
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I forgot about Gocciolina! That place is very good as well so definitely agree.
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Also factor in crazy high retail rent prices
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Jolies definitely good. Not a fan of any of the AC restaurants.
At both Crawford & Sons and Jolie I’ve found the food excellent and the staff well-meaning and enthusiastic but not particularly knowledgeable or smooth, which I’ve mostly attributed to post-COVID hiring challenges.
St. Roch is my favorite downtown restaurant, and after Garland closed it’s not particularly close.
People seem to find themselves in one or the other opinion of her restaurants, which I understand. I really like Ashley, I met her almost a decade ago when I managed a company that sold all her restaurants produce. I now service that company, so indirectly I still sell them produce. Then my wife’s company, together with Goodnight, built the Death and Taxes upfit. As well as our wedding reception was on their 3rd floor event space at Bridge club, so we’ve had pleasant interactions. But others won’t even step foot in her stores.
There’s a couple restaurants that I’m sure people didn’t know were old employees of her:
Sunny at St. Roch was one of her chefs for years, and I can’t remember the financial set up they had with opening, but she was a huge help in that, considering that space was her coffee shop.
The brother and sister crew at Wilson’s in Dock 1053 were her head chefs at both Poole’s and Beasley’s for years.
I can understand the overhyped feeling of the poole’s, Beasley’s and poolside pies. But death and taxes is really high quality food in my opinion.
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Yeah, I’m on the side of having nothing but respect and appreciation for her, regardless of the waning quality of a few of her restaurants (I can’t speak about all of them as I’ve still yet to even try D&T and Poole’side Pies). She almost singlehandedly rocketed Raleigh’s food scene to national attention when she got started here, and is still a draw for tourists when they visit our city.
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Poole’s is still consistently good if not great, simple well executed seasonal fare.
The no menu, no reservations thing threw some folks off for some time - I still hear it from friends. I’ve enjoyed that space since before it was Poole’s. Ashley and crew took it to another level.
Always a good night out.
The hype around Beasley’s was unending and it didn’t initially live up to it, but it’s still got lines of folks for weekend brunch in my experience. Her foray into fast casual biz with the Chicken Sammy shops seems like a good play. Death and Taxes has really been outstanding the handful of times I’ve been there - sitting at the bar to watch the kitchen in action is a great time. Poole’side is a vibe - good drinks / bites - but dare I say the other things are just as impressive as the pizza but - that’s a choice from me of Oakwood’s NY vibe over PP’s Neopolitan vibe on the pies for the same $$…
Love what St Roch has going on. Sunny’s been even better since the reopening post-fire / pandummic…
Andrew over at Union Special used to work for AC and that place is a great little bakery / cafè (also a downtown location) as are their neighbors FineFolk - which I haven’t seen anyone mention above.
Hummingbird is also pretty dang good at Dock 1053.
I still hold out hope that after reconciling the closure of St James that Matt Kelly and or Josh deCarolis will roll out a Raleigh concept — those could be as simple as outposts of Mateo / Mother and Sons (as those are two spots that encourage my ventures to Durm) or new ventures in forthcoming developments - Those dreams and whatever Cheetie + Paul come up with in the future are things I’m hopeful to enjoy…
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I think the food scene stalled long before COVID hit. The Cortez, Brewery Bhavana, Crawford & Son, MOFU Shoppe and St. Roch’s all opened within a few months of each other back in 2017. I can’t think of anything that’s really excited me since, but I may be forgetting some.
It’s the same deal in Durham, by the way. We had a wave of new high-quality restaurants that fizzled out in the mid/late 2010s but very few noteworthy places since.
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I like Cucciolo in NH. But I hesitate to offer my opinion in this thread lol. Although my MIL was from
Italy and a great cook so I have some idea I reckon.
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Welp…next concept revealed. Sadly, still not in Raleigh…sorry in advance the news is from WRAL>
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Man, the Durham restaurant scene is gooood
Mulino was the best Italian in downtown Raleigh pre pandy. Wouldn’t be surprised if it fell off like a lot of other good places when that hit as I have not been back post covid. Great vibe though so I hope not.
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