Six New Restaurants Opening Across Wake County This Spring and Summer

Reserve: Elevated Indian Dining at 137 Weston Parkway, Cary

The team behind Durham's Urban Turban Indian Grill and Bar is opening Reserve, elevated Indian dining, in the former Cafe Carolina and Bakery space at 137 Weston Parkway in the Arboretum, at the intersection with Harrison Avenue. At an estimated 5,200 square feet with indoor seating for up to 220 guests plus a patio, Reserve is positioned as the biggest dining footprint among the six newcomers and a potential anchor draw for the Weston Parkway corridor. What to expect: upscale Indian dining with a wellness-driven concept, with menu highlights including traditional curries, modern Indian dishes, cocktails, and mocktails. Reserve is targeting an early April opening. For a shopping node surrounded by Cary's dense office and residential base, a 220-seat full-service Indian restaurant with a bar program represents a meaningful commercial upgrade over the bakery it replaces.

Unhinged Coffee & Co. at 319 N First Ave, Knightdale

Unhinged Coffee Co., a mobile cart turned pop-up that has been fueling the Triangle for more than a year, is settling into a permanent spot on First Avenue and is targeting an early April opening. The concept earns its share of attention by blending formats that rarely coexist under one roof: the cafe plans to pour lattes, drip coffee, and cold brew throughout the day, with baked goods and a small selection of warm dishes on the food side, while evenings will bring a shift to wine, beer, and THC drinks. That two-shift model extends the revenue window well past the typical morning coffee rush and gives Knightdale a neighborhood social spot that can attract both a 7 a.m. commuter and a 7 p.m. after-dinner crowd. The cafe is described as Knightdale's first homegrown coffee shop, with a soft opening underway and a grand opening targeted for early May. The address at 319 N First Ave puts it inside Knightdale's downtown walkable core, where foot traffic from nearby apartments and the growing residential population along the US 64 corridor should feed steady demand from the start.

Gym Tacos at 216 E Roosevelt Ave, Wake Forest

Gym Tacos, a popular Mexican brand, is preparing to open in Wake Forest, taking over a former freestanding Hardee's location at 216 E Roosevelt Ave. This will be the chain's seventh location, and the choice of a standalone fast-food building in downtown Wake Forest rather than a new pad site along Rogers Road signals confidence in where foot traffic is headed in this rapidly growing town. Co-owner Jorge Perez confirmed the brand will serve a menu of Mexican dishes including burritos, tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, tortas, and sopas, alongside margaritas and beer, with hours running 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until midnight on weekends. That late-night window on Fridays and Saturdays is an underserved slot in downtown Wake Forest and positions Gym Tacos to capture both the lunch crowd from nearby offices and the evening crowd from the growing residential density just north of the Roosevelt corridor. The brand is targeting an April opening.

Shine & Dine Cafe at 1318 S Main St, Wake Forest

Two miles south down Main Street from the Gym Tacos site, a second Wake Forest opening is taking shape at a different pace. Shine & Dine Cafe is targeting a June 1 opening at 1318 S Main St Unit 108. Co-owner Mina Luka, alongside partner Wael Feloboss, told Business Debut they are awaiting final health department permits as construction and equipment installation are already complete. The restaurant will operate as a full-service concept offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a menu focused on American cuisine with a Southern influence. The Unit 108 address places it inside a retail strip that draws from South Wake Forest's growing residential neighborhoods, and a full all-day service model from breakfast through dinner fills a format gap that fast-casual neighbors cannot. The permit hold is the only variable between a finished buildout and an open dining room, making early June a realistic window if approvals move on schedule.

Grain & Berry at 2017 Creekside Landing Dr, Apex

The county's most patient opening belongs to Grain & Berry, which is planting a flag in Apex's Creekside Landing corridor and targeting a mid-July to early August debut. The Creekside Landing Drive address drops the concept into one of the fastest-growing residential and retail pockets in western Wake County, where new apartment communities and townhome developments have added thousands of potential daily customers within a short drive. The longer runway to opening likely reflects buildout complexity rather than lack of demand, and the summer timing puts the launch squarely inside Apex's peak-traffic season. Wake County residents tracking this one should watch the brand's social channels for soft-opening news as the summer progresses.

The Pub Hub at 811 S Main Street, Rolesville

Rolesville, one of Wake County's smaller but steadily growing towns, is set to gain a dedicated pub concept at 811 S Main Street. The Pub Hub is targeting a late spring to early summer opening, making it one of two new concepts in the county expected to open by June. The S Main Street address anchors it to Rolesville's main commercial spine, where limited dining options have historically sent residents driving toward Raleigh or Wake Forest for evening outings. A neighborhood pub filling that gap can generate outsized foot traffic relative to its size, particularly as Rolesville's population has climbed with broader Wake County growth.

Wake County issued restaurant permits at a pace that kept retail corridors from Cary to Rolesville active through the first quarter of 2026, and this spring-summer crop of six concepts reflects that momentum. Two of them open in Wake Forest alone, giving that downtown a rare moment of simultaneous restaurant growth that could meaningfully shift its dining identity before fall. The shortest wait is Reserve in Cary, where a Durham-proven team is stepping into a 5,200-square-foot former bakery with a full bar program and a 220-seat dining room ready for service.