Charlotte Gets a New Cocktail Bar With No Cocktail Menu

Don’t miss this new membership-based cocktail bar, cat cafe and more.

CHARLOTTE

Idlewild, a new cocktail bar in NoDa with a $1 membership fee, is now open. Self-described as “a casual and relaxed environment well suited for a bit of escapism,” the bar will serve a small-bites menu and a limited selection of beers and wines from 5 p.m.-2 a.m. daily. Cocktails will also be served for $12, but with no menu for guidance. Rather, each order will come custom-made, inspired by each guest’s preferences.

The Dunavant is now open in South End with a $25 set menu. The menu features a starter (mixed organic greens or roasted red pepper and tomato bisque), bottomless truffle fries with parmesan cheese, and Black Angus top sirloin steak with a choice of sauce ranging from Café de Paris, to gorgonzola créma, to mushroom and veal demi-glace. Shareable sides are available as well.

CHAPEL HILL

The Triangle area’s first cat cafe, Cat Tales, just opened in Chapel Hill. The two-story cafe on Franklin Street houses 12 adoptable cats, with whom guests can mingle in a cage-free lounge while enjoying food and drinks for purchase. While the cats are sourced through a partnership with The Goathouse Refuge of Pittsboro, the cafe is rolling out coffee, beer, wine, and simple snacks. The full menu has not yet been made public.

RALEIGH

The founders of Gonza Tacos y Tequila announced the opening of a new Latin American concept Macondo Latin Cuisine. The doors are expected to open in fall 2019 with a seasonally rotating menu featuring traditional Latin flavors. According to a Facebook post by Gonza, “the vision is a straightforward simple culinary driven menu, but with highly complex flavors.”