“Glori to Durham” reads the neon sign inside Glori, the latest project from industry veteran John Deberry, Jr., located in the basement of the Kress Building in downtown Durham. Named after John’s aunt Gloria, Glori aims to reintroduce a certain level of glamour back into Durham’s more laid-back nightlife scene. Speakeasy vibes and classic American cocktails set the scene, and the suggested attire urges guests to dress “Upscale, Neat, Clean, & Trendy.”

A combo of small plates and craft cocktails is the name of the game at the Waiting Room, one of the many new spots coming to American Tobacco Campus in the next few months. The project is co-owned by Nick Singh (of Hillsborough’s the Nomad) and Buddy Maynard. The Waiting Room is designed to be just that — a spot to grab a drink and perhaps a small bite before moving on to dinner reservations or a show at DPAC. The cocktails range from classics to rotating seasonal creations, and food offerings include a charcuterie plate and caviar deviled eggs.

Lula and Sadie’s recently relocated from a spot inside the Durham Food Hall to an address all their own in Lakewood. Now inside the historic Davis Baking Co. building, it serves lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. The menu is pure Southern soul comfort food, with dishes like Louisiana red beans and rice, fried chicken and red velvet waffles, and a pimento cheese bacon burger. For brunch try the Bull, a flight of favorite brunch dishes with your choice of mimosa, bloody mary, or beer.

Chapel Hill’s newest restaurant defies definition. The menu at Bombolo is Italian, sure, but also a bit Southern with some Asian and a dash of New England thrown in there. Oh, and the must-order lamb manti send you to Turkey. Other standout dishes include the halibut khao soi, the mafalde pasta with turkey neck ragu, and the beef cheek rendang. The wine list from co-owner and sommelier Eleanor Lacy (who co-owns Bombolo with her brother, chef Garret Fleming) complements the experience, and Lacy’s signature chocolate Bombolo dessert is the perfect way to end the meal.

What do you when a menu item is so popular that keeping up with demand completely overwhelms your kitchen? Well, if you’re Jake Lawrence of Lawrence Barbecue, and that item is your smoked brisket birria tacos, you open up an entirely new restaurant focused on that item. Leroy’s Taco Shop opened up just two doors down from Lawrence, with guests lining up to get their hands on those birria tacos alongside queso dip, pork carnitas, stewed hominy, fish tacos, and more. Refreshing domestic and Mexican beers as well as a monster of a michelada are available to wash it all down.

The latest addition to the Urban Food Group family, the Mill is a mashup of wood-fired Americana and classic steakhouse. Expect grilled bone-in pork chops, sides like creamed spinach and mac and cheese, and steak frites. The menu takes some slight detours towards Asia with nori-crusted tuna, honey-hoisin glazed chicken, and a spicy Thai chicken salad. In a nod to the surrounding neighborhood (and the building’s past as a beloved neighborhood dive), there’s a kid-friendly menu available, and the refreshed interior offers diners a more formal dining room experience or a relaxed bar setting.

Anyone who has declared fine dining to be dead might do well to book a table at East End Bistrot and see if their mind is changed. The latest offering from prolific restaurateur Giorgios Bakatsias and chef William D’Auvray brings back all the glitz and glamor of fine dining with a French-focused menu with hints of Asian influences. There’s carpaccio, sushi, filet mignon, and lamb dumplings. There is an entire pommes menu (frites, Dauphinois, etc.) and an extensive wine menu. It’s got big anniversary dinner vibes, and anyone looking to celebrate (or just to ball out on a steak dinner) will find what they need at East End Bistrot.

Charlotte-based Midwood Smokehouse has brought its wood-smoked barbecue with Tex-Mex flavors to the Triangle. Smoked meats like chopped pork, brisket, and chicken are available as traditional barbecue platters or in tacos like the Hot Lips (choice of smoked meat with salsa verde, hot sauce, and avocado pico de gallo). Appetizers also trend Mexican, with nachos, queso dip, and guacamole alongside pimento cheese fries and wings. Plenty of sandwiches as well as beer, wine, and cocktails are also available.