New all-day bar in Raleigh will pour drinks morning & evening. What to expect
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Songbird opens in June at East End Market in Raleigh, serving morning and evening crowds.
- Menu emphasizes seasonal ingredients and uses fermentation, preservation and extraction.
- At least one-third of drinks will be nonalcoholic; many items sourced from NC suppliers.
A new “daylight-to-dusk” bar offering alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages with food to complement them is opening soon in Raleigh.
From the team behind Umbrella Dry Bar, Songbird will welcome guests throughout the day — whether they’re ordering a pick-me-up from the walk-up window in the morning or sitting down for a drink and bite in the evenings.
In the morning, guests will find coffee, tea, fresh juices and smoothies. The concept will close in the afternoons but reopen in the evenings for drinks, shareable plates, larger dishes and desserts. Chef Dave Mitchell, formerly of Plates Kitchen and currently of Longleaf Swine BBQ, will be chef-in-residency for the first few months after Songbird opens.
Across the menu, the focus will be on seasonality of ingredients. Even the plants in the outdoor garden will be native varieties from Piedmont nurseries, maintained with regenerative practices including rainwater reuse.
“We wanted Songbird to reflect the place we live, starting with what’s growing nearby,” co-owner Meg Paradise, founder of Umbrella Dry Bar, said in a news release. “When you work this closely with ingredients and the people behind them, you develop a responsibility to do them justice. Our job is simply to honor that, and to share it.”
Paradise co-owns Songbird with Charlie Blue Arm, creative director of the new concept.
“We use techniques like fermentation, preservation and extraction to extend ingredients at their peak and carry them forward,” Blue Arm said in a news release. “It allows the menu to evolve naturally while staying rooted in what’s actually growing here.”
Songbird food and drinks
Along with the focus on in-season, locally grown ingredients, Songbird is paying attention to each beverage, prepared behind the bar in full view of guests.
Non-alcoholic and low-ABV drinks are not treated as an afterthought, but are given as much care as alcoholic cocktails.
At any given time, at least one-third of the drinks will be non-alcoholic.
Partnerships with NC businesses
Songbird will source many ingredients and equipment from North Carolina businesses.
Coffee drinks will be made with a 27-year-old espresso machine brought to life by the local repair company Steam Punks and calibrated in partnership with Raleigh’s Willow House Coffee. Teas are developed with Village District’s Tin Roof Teas. Edible flowers and produce are from suppliers including Goodness Grove.
Glassware is from Asheville’s Small Batch Glass, and pottery is from Durham-based Piedmont ClayWorks.
A custom sign was designed by Raleigh’s Lightship Neon.
Songbird opening in Raleigh
Songbird is expected to open in June at 1020 E. Whitaker Mill Road at East End Market, a development that also hosts East End Bistrot, Giorgios Epicurean Market and East Bower Cider Co.
The new concept plans to host ticketed seasonal pairing dinners within the first few months after it opens.
This story was originally published February 25, 2026 at 12:14 PM with the headline "New all-day bar in Raleigh will pour drinks morning & evening. What to expect."
