Put a satellite pop-up on Faye St !!! 
Watermelon, corn and peaches, oh my!
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other half of madre here. we sincerely appreciate you guys checking us out and showing the support on DTR!
it’s been amazing to see the energy in our first week and we expect the hollow to continue to become the destination for those wanting a night out close but not too close to glenwood south.
let us know the next time you come in!!
brad
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Should we call you Padre? (Sorry, terrible jokes only)
You have a great looking space. I know my wife and I are looking forward to visiting, as well as many of us on here. Looks like the crowning jewel of Smoky Hollow. Best of luck to you all!
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Or put it in the old city market…
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Laughing when I remember what the old makert on Cap Blvd was like. I am glad it is so sucessful.
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This is tangentially related to downtown Raleigh, so I’m positing it here. The longtime chef at Bida Manda/Brewery Bhavana has a new restaurant coming to downtown Cary, at the base of the Walker apartments next to the new park. That’s been shared here previously, but after many months of no change, they’ve made a lot of progress. I’m excited to see how the food and ambiance compare to the original two.
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New bookstore and coffee shop opening Wednesday in City Market. My wife is excited about this one.
https://www.reddit.com/r/raleigh/comments/15037kw/blackbird_book_store_and_coffee_shop_is/
The spot next to the Cookout on New Bern also has a sign up, although I’ve blanked on what the name was. Progress seems to have been made there lately. (Edit: sign says “Roo’s Chicken” - slight rebrand from Taco Roo’s?)
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Videri Chocolate Factory, located in Raleigh’s Warehouse District, has made 10best.com’s list of the top chocolate shops in the U.S. The artisan chocolatier comes in at No. 9 on the 2023 rankings.
The site mentions the factory tours, both guided and self-guided, offered by Videri to show the public their chocolate-making process. It also mentions signature chocolate bars, single-origin bars and bonbons as some of the shop’s standouts.
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Not sure if it’s already been mentioned, but a new bookshop/coffee shop, Blackbird Books and Coffee, is open on Blake St in City Market. Their grand opening is this Friday. I’m glad to see some new life going in here!
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Saw on TBJ that Ko-an in Cary has closed permanently. I guess that marks the end of that restaurant empire. I don’t know what they were doing wrong, but Bu-ku downtown and So-ca in Cameron Village were 2 of the best restaurants in Raleigh. First they tried to expand to a Wake Forest strip mall (instead of downtown), which seemed poorly thought out. Then they closed Bu-ku so Red Hat could add more office space (how did that decision work out Red Hat?) Instead of reopening elsewhere downtown, they did Ko-an in a fairly isolated area of Cary, again, not downtown. They stopped doing their awesome brunch that was always packed at So-ca, and then closed the restaurant entirely.
I just don’t get their management decisions. I feel like all 3 concepts were, and could remain, viable businesses. But instead it just seems like they kept walking away from good opportunities. Very frustrating.
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YO yeah this actually kinda pisses me off now that you bring it up again. Kinda sorta F*** Red Hat for that. If you need more office space, lease a bigger building you asshats!!! Glad they’re failing now lmao
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I remember eating at Bu-Ku. Great restaurant. I’ve heard from some employees at Red Hat that they’re looking to scale down the number of floors they’re using. Hopefully it includes that space so we can get another restaurant in there.
Kinda sorta F*** Red Hat for that. If you need more office space, lease a bigger building you asshats!!! Glad they’re failing now lmao
Red Hat, based on what I’ve been told, is one of the major things keeping IBM afloat right now. IBM as a whole isn’t doing great. There’s a lot of pressure on Red Hat to perform, but that’s only because they’re already performing.
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Ahh, I assumed because of IBM’s slow decline, that might’ve indicated the same for R.H.
Also that was mostly in jest, as I wouldn’t wish one of Raleigh’s larger homegrown companies to fail. But still. F them for turning a corner retail space into more useless office space they don’t even need. That does absolutely nothing for the city.
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Well, they needed it at the time. And they do have their name on the building. Pandemic messed with a lot of commercial real estate plans.
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Well 3/4 of it. While we’re dumping on Red Hat, it’s bothered me since day one of them in the old Progress Energy building that their red “hat” on top of the building doesn’t go all the way around.
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Seriously makes zero sense. It has always just looked unfinished. WHY
That can’t be possible, look at all that free surface parking they have directly in front of the restaurant. Because we all know that is the single greatest determinate in the restaurant’s success, not the quality of food, service, or any other variable that restaurants face. It’s mainly the parking. If only we had someone to remind us of this hurdle on a constant basis.
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No drive thru. That’s the issue. Popeyes or bojangles would kill it there .
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Cafe Carolina couldn’t make it in that location either! It was up in the front facing Harrison Avenue.