We picked the 20 best new Triangle restaurants of 2022
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The Triangle’s Best Restaurants
From pizza and doughnuts to wings and ice cream, these are the restaurants that readers of The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun voted as the best at what they offer.
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A lovely French bistro or a new kind of barbecue spot devoted to slow roasted pork — those are the readers’ top picks for the best new Triangle restaurants in 2022.
Bluebird, the follow-up bistro to chef Brandon Sharp’s acclaimed Hawthorne & Wood, will square off against Lechon Latin BBQ Joint, a North Raleigh spot focused on the Puerto Rican side of barbecue.
The News & Observer named the 20 best new restaurants in the Triangle in 2022 and voters are picking their favorite.
In the Final Round, voters will have only two options, with voting ending at noon on Friday, Dec. 23. The winner will be announced Wednesday, Dec. 28 in print and online.
Our full list of the Top 20 new restaurants can be found just below the ballot box.
A’Verde Cocina + Tequila Library
2300 Walnut St., Cary. 984-200-3469 or averdecary.com
“Top Chef” alum Katsuji Tanabe opened one of his most personal restaurants in years, pairing with Carolina Ale House owners LM Restaurants. A’Verde Cocina offers a fresh perspective on Mexican cuisine, where you’ll find octopus tacos and cauliflower al pastor, plus a deep and extensive lineup of tequila and mezcal.
Bluebird
601 Meadowmont Village Circle, Chapel Hill. 919-213-9882 or bluebirdnc.com
The pandemic steered the dining trends towards the comfort and classics. Bluebird makes the case that nothing is more classic or comforting than a familiar French bistro. From acclaimed chef Brandon Sharp of Hawthorne and Wood, Bluebird is stuffed with richness and pleasure, like duck liver pate, or roasted chicken with black truffles.
Bright Spot Donuts
1501 Sunrise Ave., Suite 180, Raleigh. brightspotdonuts.com
Is there anything better than a fresh Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut? Apparently yes. From the carb wizards of Boulted Bread and Benchwarmers Bagels, this doughnut shop is an ode to sweet nostalgia, playing off the glazed classics, but updating filled options with seasonal jams.
Cheeni Indian Food Emporium
1141 Falls River Ave., Suite 124, Raleigh. 919-438-1468 or cheeniraleigh.com
Expanding on the chai and bakery counter she launched in downtown Raleigh, Preeti Waas opened this all-day cafe, restaurant and market in North Raleigh, offering new perspectives on Indian cuisine in the Triangle. The result is one of the most exciting new restaurants to open in Raleigh last year, with deeply flavored and spicy dishes coming from the tandoor oven, satisfying pastries and snacks and something new to find in every corner.
Colletta
1 Fenton Main St., Suite 170, Cary. 919-766-0062 or collettarestaurant.com
Colletta, the newest Triangle offering from restaurateur Steve Palmer, is a sprawling Italian restaurant where the spritzes flow and the layers on the lasagna never seem to end.
Craften
706 Money Court, Knightdale. 919-373-8118 or craftenfood.com
The first of two planned Craften locations opened this year in Knightdale. Craften evolves the food hall model, with diners ordering from their tables, but able to choose among four different vendors. You’ll find seafood, arepas, pizza and burgers, without the hassle of standing in line.
Cugino Forno
800 Taylor St., Durham. 919-908-0122 or cuginoforno.com
The pies are baked in moments at this authentic Neapolitan style pizzeria in Durham’s Golden Belt development. Blistered, chewy crusts star alongside fresh, tangy tomato sauce at this Triangle outpost of a popular Greensboro pizza brand.
Fine Folk
2409 Crabtree Blvd., Suite 100, Raleigh. 919-338-2066 or finefolkraleigh.com
Born as a burger with a dream, Christopher Lopez launched this much anticipated restaurant earlier this year in Raleigh’s Gateway Plaza. What you’ll find are playful and soulful takes on comfort food classics and a wine menu full of vibrant picks.
Glasshouse Kitchen
5 Laboratory Drive, Durham. 919-241-3039 or glasshousekitchennc.com
This stunning new restaurant in Research Triangle Park has given a new platform to chef Savannah Miller, who steered the kitchen of Michael Lee’s M Tempura in Durham, The News & Observer’s restaurant of the year in 2020. Here, Wye Hill owners Sara Abernathy and Chris Borreson expand their restaurant ambitions with a hyper seasonal menu where special care is taken to make just about everything in-house.
Gym Tacos
3701 Hillsborough St., Raleigh. 919-615-1366 or instagram.com/gymtacos
One of the Triangle’s most popular taco trucks launched a Hillsborough Street brick and mortar this year, serving a similar menu of taqueria favorites, but expanding with nachos and beverages.
J Betski’s
1916 Bernard St., Raleigh. 919-803-0008 or jbetskis.com
This longtime Raleigh restaurant closed its popular Seaboard Station dining room last year, but vowed to rebrand and return. That rebrand is here, offering a counter service version of the old J. Betski’s, with fun new dishes like a perogi burger amid old favorites like the chicken stew.
Krill Restaurant
506 Ramseur St., Durham. 984-257-3165 or krillrestaurant.com
This new Durham restaurant from prolific dream machine Giorgios Bakatsias serves the flavors of Southeast Asia, based on trips to Thailand and Taiwan. The menu is filled with shareable snacks and small plates and larger noodle dishes, like Krill’s take on ramen and a mussels dish with rich uni butter.
La Buena Vida
4516 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh. 919-301-8014 or buenavida.art
This North Raleigh Mexican restaurant is in the family of Sanford’s acclaimed Fonda Lupita. The good life at La Buena Vida seems to be a boisterous party, both on the plate and in the dining room.
Lechon Latin BBQ Joint
5959 Triangle Town Blvd., Raleigh. 919-793-9913 or lechonlatinbbq.com
As North Carolina’s barbecue landscape evolves, this Puerto Rican take offers crispy skin and tender fresh roasted pork. Built in a former California Pizza Kitchen, this restaurant space is living its best life.
Longleaf Swine
300 E. Edenton St., Raleigh. 984-200-9649 or longleafswine.com
After years of pop-ups, this long-awaited New School barbecue brand debuted its downtown Raleigh restaurant. Longleaf Swine is a market-style barbecue shop by day, with lines of diners ordering smoked brisket and whole hog by the pound. Then in the evenings it becomes the Swiner Diner, specializing in smashburgers served on the city’s best new patio.
Old North State Food Hall
67 JR Road, Suite 300, Selma. 984-263-0577 or onsfh.com
In an old JR Cigars warehouse off of Interstate 95, the Triangle’s food hall trend live on. Billed as the first interstate food hall, this Johnston County project launched 10 new vendors and built a bar in an old humidor.
QueenBurger
325 Blackwell St., Suite 125, Durham. eatqueenburger.com
This pandemic pop-up from the owners of Kingfisher expanded into a brick-and-mortar this fall on Durham’s American Tobacco Campus. The burgers are still smashed to crispy, gooey perfection, but fries and frozen drinks have been added.
Rainbow Luncheonette
911 N. West St., Raleigh. instagram.com/therainbowluncheonette
Announced more than four years ago, this is Cardinal owner Jason Howard’s version of the classic diner. A line of stools are the best seats in the house, hovering over a vibrant rainbow striped floor, and probably a plate of corned beef hash or biscuits and gravy. Some nights of the week, the Rainbow turns into a simple steakhouse the likes of Wilson’s Beefmastor Inn.
Soul Taco
927 W. Morgan St., Raleigh. 919-322-4144 or soultacorva.com/raleigh
This Raleigh outpost from a popular taco shop in Richmond, Va., combines classic tacos and Southern soul food. It’s fusion that will satisfy the deepest cravings of any taco lover, with options like Nashville Hot Chicken tacos and a country-fried carne asada.
Superica
25 Fenton Main St., Suite 110, Cary. 919-443-0746 or superica.com/cary
One of the Triangle’s high profile openings this year, Ford Fry’s Tex-Mex brand opened a new location in Cary’s growing Fenton development. Look for Tex-Mex classics like enchiladas, chile rellenos and fajitas, but given the celebrity chef treatment, paired with a refreshing marg menu.
This story was originally published December 14, 2022 at 4:13 PM with the headline "We picked the 20 best new Triangle restaurants of 2022."
