Crooked Hammock Brewery opens April 20 in Raleigh, more Wake County restaurants follow

Crooked Hammock Brewery will open its first North Carolina location at GlenLake in Raleigh on Monday, adding a backyard-cookout-themed brewpub just up from Crabtree Valley Mall as Wake County restaurant growth keeps shifting toward west Raleigh and the suburbs. The chain says the site will feature in-house brewed craft beers, lounge space and the casual, yard-game atmosphere that has made it a four-location brand overall.

The Raleigh opening comes as other chains have already started filling in the map. MISSION BBQ opened April 14 at 7520 Creedmoor Rd. in Stonehenge Market, giving the Triangle its first location and adding a fifth North Carolina outpost for the barbecue chain. The company’s Raleigh restaurant is open for dine-in and catering, putting another lunch and dinner option on Creedmoor Road, one of the county’s busiest commercial corridors.

West Raleigh also picked up another chicken option with the opening of Zaxby’s at 4112 Lake Boone Trail, next to City Barbeque. A prior site plan said the store would be about 2,300 square feet and include 23 parking spaces, a sign that the Lake Boone corridor continues to absorb fast-casual and drive-to traffic near some of the city’s most established retail centers.

More growth is lined up beyond Raleigh. Meat & Bite is preparing a second location at 3608 Davis Drive in Morrisville, taking over the former Jersey Mike’s space. The original restaurant remains on Hillsborough Street near NC State University, so the expansion pushes the brand into a fast-growing suburban market with different customer traffic and daytime demand. Super Chix is also planning a Morrisville location at 1125 Hatches Pond Lane, where the local franchisee had targeted a spring 2026 opening. The planned corner unit and large patio point to a format designed for lingering, not just takeout.

Apex is getting a piece of the action too. Grain & Berry is planned for 2017 Creekside Landing Dr., with franchisee Sudarshan Krishnamurthi targeting a mid-July to early August opening. Taken together, the openings show where Wake County dining dollars are moving now: west Raleigh for immediate retail momentum, then Morrisville and Apex for the next wave of suburban spending and food-and-drink development.