Over the past year or two, the Warehouse District has been popping! With the new Union Station and Dillon building opening up, there’s an expectation for a lot of future growth in this neighborhood. And along with living quarters and transportation, you’re going to need some restaurants to feed all these people, eh? Well out at the Dillon building, we’re starting to see some new restaurants come to life and Heirloom Brewshop is one of the more recent additions. Offering up coffee, tea, sake and some snacks, this hip and modern space will give you some ideas on where the Raleigh food scene is headed towards. Step on inside and let’s go check it out!
From the outside, Heirloom looks pretty simple with gold, gilt lettering out front and a large glass face for maximum visibility. Walking by, you can see the milieu of young hipsters chatting away and working on their MacBooks. Inside you’ll find a modern but organic feel to the space. Primarily light woods and whites, there’s a trellis of sinuous wood slats overhead, highlighting the space. It all feels a lot like if Bida Manda and Brewery Bhavana got together and had a baby coffee shop! But it all works quite well, it’s a very clean space from an interior design perspective. Conceptually, I think Heirloom mimics a modern Asian tea shop in terms of esthetics and design.
At the counter order area, you’ll spy an interesting array of brewing equipment. From a wild-looking cold drip coffee distiller to modern, fusion tea brewers, they definitely spared no expense when it comes to brewing equipment here at Heirloom. Everything is displayed out in the open for your viewing pleasure. To the left of the counter is a retail space showing off a variety of tea products along with a selection of sake cans. Peruse through Heirloom’s menu and you’ll find a nice range of teas, coffees, sakes, cocktails and small plates to choose from. There’s also a display case of pastries to snack on, up front! Heirloom is open from 7am to 10pm (11pm on Friday and Saturday) making for easy access.
After you order, grab one of the small two-tops or hang out at the counter stools up front. Heirloom Brewshop provides a power-strip up by the front windows if you need to charge up your MacBook or laptop. The space is built for comfort, conversation and a lingering visit. Acoustics are decent here and it’s a good spot to have a quiet conversation. It all feels very comfortable and organic, Heirloom Brewshop provides a Zen-like feel to your visit.
Heirloom offers a great variety of brewed coffee, pour overs, cortados along with Asian oolong, jasmine tea and more. Check out the menus below for details. And while I’m certainly a fan of Heirloom’s teas and coffees, explore the small plates menu! With very Asian options such as fried Lotus root, chilled noodles and Taiwanese chicken, you can enjoy a snack with your drink. I also tried a really unique strawberry sakura crepe cake. A thinly layered (25+) stack of thin crepes with alternating buttercream frosting. Not super-sweet but the texture of this Sakura cake was really interesting.
All in all, it’s hard to really describe Heirloom Brewshop but I think it’s ahead of its time here in Raleigh. Part coffee shop, part lounge, part eatery, there’s a little bit for everybody here! They are pushing the envelope when it comes to hot-brewed drinks and certainly taking some chances with their in-house pastries. Just enjoy it for what it is, a relaxing garden setting for hot drinks, snacks and conversation!
Heirloom Brewshop
219 S West Street
Raleigh, NC 27603
Heirloom Brewshop tea menu, coffee menu, sake menu, cocktail menu, small plates menu