Downtown Raleigh’s lunch landscape looks different now. What’s changed, new and gone
After more than a year without the bulk of its workforce, downtown Raleigh is beginning to snap back to life. The COVID-19 pandemic kept many workers at home for the past year and a half, but offices are increasingly inviting back employees as vaccinations increase.
The return of downtown workers also means the return of the lunch-hour, that sacred mid-day scarf.
The lunch landscape has changed in downtown Raleigh, with the pandemic closing some old favorites, but some new additions arriving. Some popular restaurants haven’t resumed lunch service yet, but we’ll update our list when they do.
Here’s our guide to the downtown Raleigh lunch scene.
Old favorites
A Place at the Table
300 W. Hargett St., Suite 50, Raleigh. 919-307-8914 or tableraleigh.org
Raleigh’s famous pay-what-you-can restaurant expanded during the pandemic and now has a full-service kitchen, meaning more menu options.
Beasley’s Chicken+Honey
237 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh. 919-322-0127 or ac-restaurants.com/beasleys
Ashley Christensen’s fried chicken restaurant serves up several chicken sandwiches, including a searing “hot chicken” with Carolina reaper oil. It has recently added a smashburger.
Benny Capitale’s
121 Fayettevile St., Suite 110, Raleigh. 919-239-4173 or bennysva.com/locations/benny-capitales
Easily the largest pizza slices in Raleigh, if not in all of North Carolina.
Carroll’s Kitchen
19 E. Martin St., Raleigh. 919-670-3622 or carrollskitchen.org
This non-profit lunch spot is a reliable option for classic sandwiches and salads and the only place in Raleigh to find kolaches.
Cheeni Chai+Coffee+Tiffin
227 Fayetteville St., Raleigh. 919-421-1774 or cheeniraleigh.com
Situated in the YMCA on Fayetteville Street, head here for a toast bar and coffee.
Clyde Cooper’s Barbecue
327 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh. 919-832-7614 or clydecoopersbbq.com
As old school as it gets, this whole hog barbecue restaurant started taking credit cards for the first time not too long ago. Think about a bag of cracklings for the office.
Crema
421 Fayetteville St., Raleigh. 919-834-7279 or cremaandmore.com
Kind of hidden in plain sight, this decade-old cafe serves up some of the most exciting sandwich specials in the city, including Cuban Reubens and Jamaican Jerk chicken.
El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant
329 S. Blount St., Raleigh. 919-829-0777 or elrodeonc.com/downtown-raleigh/locations
The dream group lunch spot with tacos, enchiladas, burritos and fajitas.
Heirloom Brewshop
219 S. West St., Raleigh. 919-297-8299 or heirloombrewshop.com
More than a coffee shop and tea house, Heirloom serves pan-Asian dishes like chilled noodle salad, Taiwanese fried chicken sandwich and a Mapo tofu rice bowl.
Manhattan Cafe
320 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh. 919-833-6105 or manhattancafenc.com
Tried and true lunch option to tote to a park or back to the office, specializing in sandwiches and salads.
Morgan Street Food Hall
411 W. Morgan St., Raleigh. 919-307-4481 or morganfoodhall.com
The first food hall to open in downtown Raleigh features Bella’s Wood Fired Pizza & Tapas, Buena Papa Fry Bar, Cowbar Burger & Fries, Iyla’s Southern Kitchen, Makus Empanadas, Curry in a Hurry, Bad Cat Coffee, Crepes & Bagels, Opa! Raleigh, Wicked Taco, Primal Cuts, Cousins Maine Lobster, The Bowls, YoHo Hibachi & Sushi Burrito, The Katsu and Oak City Fish & Chips.
The Pit Authentic Barbecue
328 W. Davie St., Raleigh. 919-890-4500 or thepit-raleigh.com
One of Raleigh’s best-known restaurants and a popular spot for those looking for an introduction to North Carolina barbecue, as the Pit serves Lexington shoulders and Eastern style whole hog.
Pizza Times
210 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh. 919-832-4411 or raleightimespizza.com
A by-the-slice joint from the Raleigh Times folks, often rotating in creative toppings.
Plaza Cafe
411 Fayetteville St., Suite 109, Raleigh. 919-758-8759 or facebook.com/plazacaferaleigh
There’s a set menu of burgers and sandwiches, but the standouts are the daily specials of Indian street food.
Raleigh Times and Morning Times
14 E. Hargett St., Raleigh. 919-833-0999 or raleightimesbar.com
One of the cornerstones of downtown Raleigh’s dining scene, where you might consider a plate of nachos for one.
Raleigh Raw Juice Bar & Cafe
7 W. Hargett St., Raleigh. 919-400-0944 or raleighraw.com
This Raleigh juice bar has built a loyal following for those eating healthy, specializing in poke bowls, salads and sushi burritos wrapped in seaweed.
The Roast Grill
7 S. West St., Raleigh. 919-832-8292 or roastgrill.com
A true Raleigh institution that’s only open for lunch, serving griddled hot dogs best consumed from one of the handfuls of bar stools at the counter.
Side Street Restaurant
225 N. Bloodworth St., Raleigh. 919-828-4927 or sidestreetrestaurantraleigh.com
Side Street serves a sandwich for every whim and will likely convince you that your life needs a slice of pie.
Sosta Cafe
130 E. Davie St., Suite 1806, Raleigh. 919-833-1006 or sostacafe.com
This European-style cafe has a loyal group of fans and boasts the ultimate grilled cheese, made with five different types of cheese, tomato and arugula.
Square Burger
225 E. Martin St., Raleigh. 919-896-6600 or squareburger-raleigh.com
This burger joint is situated at the corner of the renovated Moore Square, serving up burgers that are, you guessed it, square, plus classic milkshakes.
Transfer Co. Food Hall
500 E. Davie St., Raleigh. 984-232-8122 or transfercofoodhall.com
This popular collection of food vendors includes Benchwarmers Bagels, Bul-Box, Dank Burritos, Alimentari at Left Bank, Locals Oyster Bar, Chhote’s Indian Street Food, Mama Crow’s Burger & Salads and Che Empanadas.
Pandemic closings
Chuck’s
One of the earliest downtown Raleigh closings was this popular burger bar from Christensen. While it’s a real loss for fry lovers, it means a larger Beasley’s, where a burger lives on.
Linus & Pepper’s
For years, this was one of Raleigh’s lunch standouts with little touches like house-made potato chips. Lots of folks are missing the pork belly banh mi.
Oakwood Cafe
Beloved for more than 20 years, this Argentinian restaurant closed last year, but is still offering its empanadas for catering.
Reuben’s New York Deli
In a short amount of time, this New York-style deli collected a lot of fans with its piled-high sandwiches, but couldn’t survive the exodus of downtown workers.
Trophy Tap & Table
The two-story space that was once Busy Bee Cafe lived on as Trophy Tap & Table. This year, it will morph into something new as Trophy adds a distillery called Young Hearts.
Virgil’s Taqueria
The sister space to Linus & Pepper’s closed last year, but has reopened with a new focus on dinner, called Virgil’s Cocktails & Cocina.
What’s new and on the way
Element Plant-Based Gastropub
421 Fayetteville St., Suite 103, Raleigh. 919-703-6538 or elementgastropub.com
Inheriting a large draft beer system, Element serves up familiar pub fare, but using plant-based products and vegetable substitutions. How about a Carolina-style double burger and loaded totchos? Or a bright summer ceviche made with marinated trumpet mushrooms?
Flying Mayan
319 Fayetteville St., Raleigh. 919-615-1574 or flyingmayan.com
This new sister restaurant of the Flying Burrito moved into the former Wahlburgers space in downtown Raleigh and serves 30 different kinds of tacos.
Sam Jones BBQ
502 W. Lenoir St., Raleigh. 984-206-2555 or samjonesbbq.com.
One of North Carolina’s biggest barbecue evangelists opened a new downtown Raleigh location, complete with a modern smokehouse in the middle of a city.
Sweet Tea & Cornbread
5 E. Edenton St., Raleigh. 919-814-6980 or ncmuseumofhistory.org/sweet-tea-and-cornbread
The North Carolina Museum of History landed a major restaurant project with homegrown roots. This Southern cafe is owned by Tonya Council, granddaughter of Mildred “Mama Dip” Council and serves up everything from chicken salad to chicken fried steak sandwiches, plus fried okra and lots of Southern desserts.
Union Special Bread
401 Fayetteville St., Raleigh. unionspecialbread.com
This popular bakery, breakfast and lunch spot will open a new downtown Raleigh location this year in the former Tama Tea.
This story was originally published July 26, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Downtown Raleigh’s lunch landscape looks different now. What’s changed, new and gone."
