Raleigh: Great food, better spaces

It's not a secret that the City of Oaks is booming, and its food scene only keeps getting better and more diverse. The market has grown non-stop since 2012, with an impressive 52% total increase.

When we look at the numbers, we see that The National Restaurant Association revealed that the annual sales for 2017 in the restaurant industry earned $799 billion, and that there are more than one million restaurant locations in the U.S. This growth was particularly good for the North Carolinian capital, which the same year made $223 million in food and beverage sales.

Brewery Bhavana, 218 S Blount St — **Brewery Bhavana**, 218 S Blount St

A competitive, healthy food scene

In the best of cases, more restaurants opening means more competition, which leads to better service and experiences, beautifully curated spaces and, of course, delicious food. On that note, many new and old restaurants in Raleigh had made their spaces unforgettable—places that elevate the food experience because of their exquisite decoration, design and furniture.

Brewery Bhavana: A pioneering, ambitious multi-concept space

A great example of this is Brewery Bhavana, which opened in March of 2017 in the heart of downtown Raleigh offering a dim sum restaurant, a flower shop, a book store and a large assortment of delicious beers. The industrial space used to be a dark Irish pub that closed after 11 years in business.

With the help of the local architecture studio Clearscapes, Bhavana was able to incorporate a big skylight in the heart of the space, illuminating the multiple indoor plants and trees and integrating new patterns, materials and colors. As a result, this "community living room" is not only filled with beautiful light and delicious smells, but it also combines industrial elements like concrete floors, exposed brick and beams, with warm, earthy, modern furniture and decoration.

After only nine months in business, Brewery Bhavana was included in "The 10 Coolest Places to Eat in 2018" by Forbes, and it also made it to the top 10 new restaurants in the country by Bon Appetit. The food magazine highlighted the delicious rice congee, vegetable dumplings, bone marrow, scallion pancakes, pork bao, and nasi goring crab fried rice from the restaurant's dim sum menu.

Whiskey Kitchen: An industrial, sophisticated space for whiskey lovers

Whiskey Kitchen is also a great example of a restaurant taking advantage of a industrial space and maximizing its use. In a prime location —201 W Martin St— and offering over 200 different whiskeys, Whiskey Kitchen is also an architectural attraction.

Whiskey Kitchen, 201 W Martin St — **Whiskey Kitchen**, 201 W Martin St

The restaurant opened in August of 2016 and features a bold, light-filled space where we find crafted wooden tables and chairs, metal elements, immaculate original brick walls, dark polished concrete floors and a graffiti wall by the bar that celebrates and accentuates the industrial—yet sophisticated—vibe of the space.

Their menu offers high quality, well executed pub-style food with a twist, and has one of the bests patios in Raleigh, situated on a big corner with plenty of seats facing the giant oaks of Nash Square Park.

Written as a cocktail recipe on one of the brick walls of the patio, reads:

"One part neighborhood bar. One part southern kitchen. A dash of wood smoke. Muddle with a no-bullsh*t attitude. Shake like hell. Strain over sweet patio."

ORA Architecture, a local firm driven by innovation and sustainability, renovated the space for Whiskey Kitchen and exposed the beautiful bones of the building for everybody to enjoy. Outside, the wooden elements, modern picnic tables and string lights make the space warm, inviting, and convivial —a great recipe for a whiskey tasting.

With a long list of locally sourced ingredients, Whiskey Kitchen's menu changes depending on the season. Don't miss the chicken pot pie, their house-smoked fish dip, their bright, fresh seasonal salads or the decadent candied yam with pecan butter and marshmallows.

Royale: French intimacy, American soul

There's a French-American bistro in the heart of Raleigh where you can have bottomless moules frites, seared foie or oysters and caviar to satisfy your inner Parisian, but also eat modern comfort food like trout deviled eggs, Old Milburnie fried chicken or the juicy, scrumptious Royale burger (aioli, gruyere, gravy, english muffin).

Royale, 200 E Martin St — **Royale**, 200 E Martin St

Steps away from the historic City Market, Royale is a romantic enclave, a machine of sensorial experiences. With generous sized windows lining the exterior façade, salvaged brick walls that divide the interior space with style, the restaurant opens up to the city scene from the intimacy of its seats. Textured floors, leather benches and raw materials complement the delicate glass mirrors and chandeliers, antique furniture and the beautiful, delectable dishes that Royale offers.

The perfect way to enjoy an evening at Royale? Order oysters and wine and watch the sunset, start dinner with one of the Petits plats like bibb & beets or baked brie and then indulge in a Grand plat such as the roasted duck breast à l’orange or the Royale burger, and finish with the luscious crème brûlée or the butter chocolate pie... at that point you'll be saying je suis rassasié (I'm satisfied!).