15 Most Anticipated Restaurants Across the Carolinas for Fall, 2022

Chefs, restaurateurs, and investors in North and South Carolina continue to open restaurants and bars at an increasing pace. As always, Eater is obsessively tracking the progression of all the premiers — from menu releases to newly installed signage, come here for the latest updates. This list encapsulates the places garnering excitement this fall.

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ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

Gemelli

GEMELLI

Location: 70 Westgate Parkway
Key Players: Chef Anthony Cerrato
Projected Opening: September 12, 2022
Chef Anthony Cerrato of Asheville’s Strada Italiano and Social Lounge opens his next project Gemelli very soon. The space serves as an Italian coffee shop (complete with baked goods like cannolis) during the day and turns into a wine bar at night with Sicilian pizzas, antipasti, and more Italian favorites.

Also, keep an eye on:
• Areta’s (Mission Hospital Area)
• Good Hot Fish (Unknown)
• Taco Boy (West Asheville)
• Native Prime Provisions’ Chef’s Counter (Cashiers)

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CARY, NORTH CAROLINA

SUPERICA

Location: 855 Cary Towne Boulevard
Key Players: Chef Ford Fry
Projected Opening: Fall 2022
Texas native chef Ford Fry continues to expand his Tex-Mex empire with the Triangle’s first location of Superica. Expect taco, fajitas, enchiladas, margaritas, and much more.

Also, keep an eye on:
• Crawford Brothers Steakhouse (Fenton)
• M Sushi (Fenton)

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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA

Pod Architecture + Design of Chapel Hill

ROCKS + ACID

Location: 712 Market Street in Southern Village
Key Players: Advanced sommelier Paula de Pano
Projected Opening: Fall 2022
Paula de Pano wants to open her shop and bar to challenge the notion of “wine bros” and the gatekeeping of wine culture. She plans on sourcing wines from wineries and winemakers that adhere to the same values she holds, namely sustainability, integrity, and, especially given today’s social climate, a commitment to diversity and equity. Customers can visit for a bottle or a glass with charcuterie and cheeses also available.

Also, keep an eye on:
• NoDa Brewing

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CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

The Beach Company

COSTA

Location: 310 Broad Street, Downtown
Key Players: Easton Porter Group, the Beach Company, and chef Vinson Petrillo
Projected Opening: Late 2022
Costa, located in multi-use complex the Jasper, will feature coastal Italian cuisine from Zero Restaurant + Bar chef Vinson Petrillo (also the culinary director for the Easton Porter Group). The restaurant will have views of the waterfront and those famous Lowcountry sunsets.

Ma’am Saab

MA’AM SAAB

Location: 251 Meeting Street, Downtown
Key Players: Chef/owner Maryam Ghaznavi and husband Raheel Gauba
Projected Opening: Late 2022
Pakistani restaurant Ma’am Saab started as a pop-up, went into a food stall at Workshop, and will now set up residence in the former Jestine’s Kitchen space on Meeting Street. Ma’am Saab serves comfort food from Pakistan, like kababs, pakoras, and more.

NOVANON

Location: 638 King Street, Downtown
Key Players: D’Allesandro’s co-owners Nick and Ben D’Allesandro
Projected Opening: October 2022
The co-owners of popular pizza place D’Allesandro’s have a new establishment on the way that has nothing to do with baking pizzas. According to Ben, they are “zeroing in on the exact concept,” but plan to open the 328-square-foot space this fall.

UNNAMED PROJECT FROM ALWAYS AWKWARD HOSPITALITY GROUP

Location: 128 Columbus Street, Downtown
Key Players: Restaurateurs David Schuttenberg and Tina Heath-Schuttenberg
Projected Opening: Late 2022
The owners of Sichuan restaurant Kwei Fei planned to open up Cantonese spot Lady Xian in downtown Charleston this year, but say they are retooling the concept. The details are thin, but they are building out their new hospitality group, Always Awkward, and say they will give us more in October.

Also, keep an eye on:
• Azul Mexicano Restaurante (Downtown)
• Chameleon Club (Downtown)
• Clarence Foster’s Cookery & Saloon (Downtown)
• Cleats (The Neck)
• Garco Mill (Park Circle)
• King BBQ (North Charleston)
• Konnichiwa (West Ashley)
• Lacey’s Takeaway (Mount Pleasant)
• Matador (Downtown)
• Mix (Mount Pleasant)
• Millers All Day Second Location (James Island)
• The Natural (Johns Island)
• The Pickle Bar (Summerville)
• The Quinte Oyster Bar (Downtown)

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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

COUNTER- REOPENING AND BIBLIO

Location: 2001 West Morehead Street
Key Players: Chef/owner Sam Hart
Projected Opening: October 2022
Tasting menu restaurant Counter- closed its original location to expand the dining room and add a second space in the form of a small plates spot/wine bar named Biblio. Counter- is unique because the kitchen pairs each course with different music — it is meant to be an immersive experience. Biblio which claimed in a recent Instagram post, “Here’s your sign to stop drinking Caymus,” will be just as subversive stating it will match “food with wine rather than the habitual pairing of wine with food”

JIMMY PEARLS REOPENING

Location: 224 East 7th Street
Key Players: Chefs Oscar Johnson and Daryl Cooper
Projected Opening: September 13, 2022
Building on the tradition of Virginia’s Black heritage, Oscar Johnson and Daryl Cooper opened Jimmy Pearls in 2020, but went on to pursue the food truck life in 2021. Now they are settling back down at Uptown’s Market at 7th Street to bring their famous Uncle Gene’s fish sandwich and other Virginia tidewater cuisine to the masses.

RESTAURANT CONSTANCE

Location: 2200 Thrift Street Road
Key Players: Chef Sam Diminich
Projected Opening: December 2022
Chef Sam Diminich, owner of meal delivery service Your Farms Your Table, opens his first sit-down establishment Restaurant Constance with the same dedication to local produce and seasonality of the food. Diminich who has spoken about his past struggles with addiction worked his way up through the culinary world from homelessness to arrive at his own restaurant named after his daughter.

Also, keep an eye on:
• Maíz, Agua, Sal (West Charlotte)
• Uptown Yolk (South End)

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DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA

Ekhaya

EKHAYA

Location: 300 Blackwell Street, in the American Tobacco Campus
Key Players: Restaurateurs Zweli and Leonardo Williams
Projected Opening: Fall 2022
Restaurateurs Zweli and Leonardo Williams opened Zimbabwean restaurant Zweli’s in 2018, and now they will expand with a second establishment named Ekhaya. Located in Durham’s American Tobacco Campus, in the former Saladelia space, Ekhaya will focus on cuisine from Bantu communities from across Africa, served tapas-style, in a high-end setting.

Queen Burger

QUEEN BURGER

Location: 359 Blackwell Street, in the American Tobacco Campus
Key Players: Kingfisher cocktail bar co-owners Sean Umstead and Michelle Vanderwalker
Projected Opening: Fall 2022
The co-owners of Durham’s Kingfisher cocktail bar, Sean Umstead and Michelle Vanderwalker, started outdoor burger bar Queen Burger during the pandemic because North Carolina didn’t allow bars to reopen. The smash burger was such a hit that they decided to turn it into a standalone restaurant in the American Tobacco Campus. Look for burgers, french fries, and amazing cocktails.

Also, keep an eye on:
• Emmy Squared (Downtown)
• Seraphine (American Tobacco Campus)

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GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA

Bill Addison

LEWIS BARBECUE

Location: 214 Rutherford Street
Key Players: Pitmaster John Lewis
Projected Opening: Soon
Pitmaster John Lewis brings his Texas-style brisket to Greenville. Residents will no longer have to drive to Charleston to try Lewis’s pulled pork, smoked turkey, hot guts sausages, or green chile corn pudding.

SCOUNDREL

Location: 18 North Main Street
Key Players: Chef Joe Cash
Projected Opening: October 2022
Greenville native Joe Cash returns home after working with Major Food Group in New York. His idea for Scoundrel is a high-end French bistro with impeccable fare, like loup de mer a la vongole, omelette de riz au crabe, and canard Japonaise. The space will be seductive and lively.

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RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA

JewFro

JEWFRO

Location: 927 W. Morgan Street (Downtown)
Key Players: Virginia-based restaurateurs Trey Owens, Ari Augenbaum, Nar Hovnanian
Projected Opening: Fall 2022
The trio from Richmond’s popular Soul Taco, Trey Owens, Ari Augenbaum, and Nar Hovnanian, will soon bring their new concept JewFro to downtown Raleigh. The idea started as a pop-up in Virginia blending African and Jewish flavors, the culinary and cultural backgrounds of Owens and Augenbaum, respectively. Examples of the cuisine include a doro wat turkey sandwich on fresh baked challah or bagels with smoked salmon and a harissa cream cheese. Owens told Raleigh Magazine that he wants JewFro to create a conversation on representations of different cultures.

Also, keep an eye on:
• East End Bistrot (East End)
• Leroy’s Tacos n Beers (RTP)
• Longleaf Swine (Downtown)
• The Preserve (Unknown)
• Village Tavern (North Hills)

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