2020, a year that most will try their very best to forget. The uncertainty that swept across America and the entire globe for that matter was that like we haven’t seen prior in our lifetimes. Masks being worn, “stay-at-home” orders, and a truly difficult stretch for many business owners. But, when things are difficult, some good things can still emerge. Locally here in the immediate surrounding area from your new home in Knightdale, some of these “good things” were new places to eat, which not only survived but thrived during these hard times. Thus, in this two-post series, we will look at the Best New Raleigh Restaurants that opened their doors for the first time in the year 2020.
Just to be clear, when we say the Best New Raleigh Restaurants, we are not just talking within city limits. as with many of our blog posts, we actually mean the surrounding Raleigh and Triangle area, which includes many beautiful small towns and suburbs. Being that you just made the move to the Knightdale Station neighborhood, you call one of the fastest-growing Raleigh suburbs home. Likewise, so does the first entry on our list. Consequently, several others just outside of Raleigh were also worthy of recognition for a great 2020 debut.
Best New Raleigh Restaurants: The Surrounding Area
To reiterate what we were saying in the previous paragraph, we represent the Raleigh area as a whole in our listings. Thus, the first four of our Best New Raleigh Restaurants that opened their doors in 2020 are outside of the state capital. However, regardless of their physical address, these are all worthy of a visit to support new local businesses and of course to enjoy their amazing food.
Prime BBQ, 403 Knightdale Station Run, Knightdale
Hey, we might as well start as close to home as possible, right? After a delayed opening due to the announcement of the entire COVID situation, Prime BBQ and its owner, champion BBQ pitmaster, Christopher Prieto finally were able to give area residents a taste of their award-winning eats. With restrictions and limits, not to mention social distancing Prime BBQ faced any hurdle in its way and overcame them. A blend of Texas, Kansas City, and North Carolina BBQ, once the doors opened, there was no doubt this was one of the Best New Raleigh Restaurants in 2020. Take your pick, brisket, ribs, pulled pork, or sausages. Any way you choose, Prime will surely deliver the goods.
Daybreak, 154 East Chatham Street, Cary
Equally, as much as Raleigh has earned countless accolades in the past decade or so, the town of Cary has been honored. No question a huge landing spot and a huge factor in making the Raleigh area one of the country’s fastest rising, Cary is filled with many great, unique dining establishments. The next of our Best New Raleigh Restaurants is in downtown Cary and offers a great breakfast and more. Daybreak specializes in made to order omelets, fluffy and delicious pancakes, and made from scratch biscuits. However, Daybreak isn’t just there for the breakfast though. They also offer one of the area’s most extensive “taco menus” for lunchtime, as well as many gluten-free and vegetarian options.
Local Breweries Earn Spot Among Best New Raleigh Restaurants
Continuing to keep our Best New Raleigh Restaurants listing “outside” of Raleigh, we next look at two amazing breweries that opened during the tumulus times that were 2020. Keeping with our first two entrants, these two establishments both are located just to the East of Raleigh in two more of the area’s fast-rising towns.
Norse Brewing Company, 203 Brooks Street, Wake Forest
Not only does Norse Brewing Company feature a great selection of the newest craft beer releases, but they also offer a menu like no other in the area. The food at this entry in our Best New Raleigh Restaurants is best described as Scandinavian with a southern twist! Of course, they do have an incredible burger and sandwich menu, but they also urge customers to “tap into their inner-Viking” with entries such as pork tenderloin, pub steak, and cedar plank salmon. A few Norse craft brews, cider, mead, or a variety of Valhalla cocktails are sure to help you bring out the Viking, too.
Bearded Bee Brewing, 20 East Campen Street, Wendell
The last of our Best New Raleigh Restaurants we will cover in this post is the Bearded Bee Brewing Company. Another town “on the rise” in Eastern NC, Wendell is the neighboring town to your new hometown, Knightdale. The name is more than just catchy at this brewery though, as brewing Bee owners support honeybees and local beekeepers. While the “restaurant” portion of this entrant is its revolving door of food trucks, the beauty of this restored, classic building in downtown Wendell is something to be seen. Add in a few seasons or a nice IPA and you have a recipe for success for a long time to come.
Up Next: Into the Big City!!!
So, we have our first four Best New Raleigh Restaurants for 2020 in the books. None of the four listed actually have a Raleigh address, but in our follow up, “part two” post, that will all change. Regardless, as we showed in this post, there are plenty of “area” establishments that opened their doors this past year. Likewise, despite of all obstacles before them, each of these restaurants rose above and beyond in their “rookie” season. We honestly can’t wait to see where they go as they get in a year.
For more information on the Knightdale Station new home neighborhood, visit knightdalestation.com.
