Charlotte’s beloved neighborhood grill and market has expanded to the Triangle for the first time with a brand new location off 9th Street in Durham. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the menu is similar to Common Market’s other spots, with some tweaks to account for Bull City tastes. There’s an independently operated coffee bar, a walk-up ice cream window run by the team at the Parlour, and a full basement bar (wine and beer retail) pulled together by longtime Durham restaurant industry veteran Aubrey Zinaich.

Chef Oscar Diaz (Raleigh’s Cortez Seafood + Cocktails) has planted his flag in Durham with the opening of Little Bull — a restaurant that combines Asian and Mexican cuisines with a nod towards American comfort food. Think birria dumplings, a ribeye steak with nom tok, and La Nalgona, accurately described as “a big ass Caesar salad.” Clever cocktails complete the vibe inside the sleek space in the historic Five Points neighborhood, just north of downtown.

Prolific restaurateur Giorgios Bakatsias has brought Greek cuisine back to Brightleaf Square with Nikos, the newest addition to his restaurant group. Bright flavors of the Greek Isles reign supreme here, with waitstaff dressed as if they just got off the ferry from Santorini. Creamy cod fritters, a bracing pickled beet salad, and whole roasted branzino are just some of the menu highlights. The space is loud and energetic, reminiscent of a dinner party gone slightly off the rails, so don’t be surprised when the whole staff yells out “Opa!” every time someone breaks a wine glass.

Ever since opening Cheeni Indian Food Emporium in North Raleigh (and becoming a James Beard semi-finalist), chef/owner Preeti Waas would hear from customers asking when she was going to open a spot in Durham. This month she did just that, taking over the former Jack Tar space right on CCB Plaza in the heart of downtown Durham. The new location and bigger kitchen allows Waas and her team to expand the menu. Customers can expect many of the favorites from the Raleigh location, like the uber-popular fish curry, as well as whatever tickles Waas’s fancy on a particular day. Right now Cheeni’s Durham location is only open for dinner, but it will eventually expand to include lunch and breakfast hours as well.

The Velvet Hippo occupies the entire third floor of a building on iconic Orange Street in downtown Durham. There’s a bi-level rooftop patio and cozy interior, along with creative cocktails and a small food menu. Recent offerings include a Glinda the Good Witch cocktail in a nod to the Broadway show Wicked, playing nearby at the Durham Performing Arts Center. There’s a small plates menu, beer, wine, occasional queer dance parties, and a regular Yappy Hour on the patio where dogs are welcome between noon and 6 p.m. on weekends.

Award-winning pitmaster Mike De Los Santos has swapped out his retail-only shop in East Durham for a combination retail/restaurant space just a short walk down the same street. Serving smoked pork, chicken, ribs, and brisket along with a variety of sides, the restaurant is the anchor tenant in a new warehouse revitalization project. The smoked beans are a standout side, as are the smoked corn and coleslaw. In a nod to changing tastes, all sides are meatless.

Another edition to the growing F&B scene in East Durham, Congress is a cocktail bar from one half of the duo behind (the temporarily closed) Rofhiwa Book Cafe. With regularly scheduled live music, beer from Black brewers, and affordable cocktails, Congress aims to be East Durham’s neighborhood bar. They’ve partnered with Meat & Graze to offer charcuterie boards, and occasional pop-ups with Oyster Dumpling Bar offer other food options as well. Right next door to Mike D’s, the patio in between the two offers a great chance to enjoy the fall weather with a cocktail and some barbecue.

Carrboro’s newest restaurant fuses Latin and Asian flavors for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a side of high-end, tequila-focused cocktails. Think sashimi with Eastern flavors, lemongrass chicken, tapas, and more. On the cocktail side, the staff is happy to educate those unfamiliar with tequila, and virtually all cocktails can be made as mocktails as well.

Chef Lon Bounsanga, formerly of Raleigh’s Bida Manda and Brewery Bhavana, has struck out on his own with Saap. In this new space, Bounsanga focuses on the dishes and flavors of his hometown of Vientiane, Laos. There are smoky grilled meats reminiscent of the street foods found throughout the city, a housemade herby Lao sausage, tom khem (braised pork belly ribs), and pho Lao, a Laotian take on the famous Vietnamese soup that is served with oxtail, thinly sliced brisket, beef meatballs, and rice noodles in a bone broth.