NC Triangle Dining

The Best Restaurants and Bars in Raleigh, Durham, Cary & Chapel Hill

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First Take: Gussy’s Place in RTP, Offering Up Good Greek Food!

Front of Gussy's Place in RTP-Durham- NC Triangle Dining
Front of Gussy’s Place in RTP-Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Out in RTP you’ll find a small cluster of restaurants and businesses off of TW Alexander that is probably a hot-spot for local office workers looking for lunch. At least, that’s the way it’s been for me! With favorites such as Jersey Mike’s, Sheetz, Spicy Green Gourmet and Pho 9n9, I often find myself here to grab a quick bite to re-fuel. One newer entry to the plaza is Gussy’s Place, a food truck gone bricks n mortar. Known for its Greek and Mediterranean fare, I finally worked myself away from Pho 9n9 to give it a whirl…

Counter at Gussy's Place in RTP-Durham- NC Triangle Dining
Counter at Gussy’s Place in RTP-Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Out front, Gussy’s Place doesn’t look like much. Plain white signage, glazed windows hiding what lies inside Gussy’s! The dining room at Gussy’s is bright, light and fun with plenty of cafe type seating splayed about. A small line up front at the counter along with two display cases of goodies gives you a hint that the food is good here! It’s a small menu with plates, pitas and soups, I go with a gyro pita done Greek style (fries inside). I grab a number and self-serve my drink and head out to the sidewalk tables to enjoy a beautiful afternoon.

Dining area at Gussy's Place in RTP-Durham- NC Triangle Dining
Dining area at Gussy’s Place in RTP-Durham- NC Triangle Dining
Display case at Gussy's Place in RTP-Durham- NC Triangle Dining
Display case at Gussy’s Place in RTP-Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Service at Gussy’s Place is pretty quick, it takes 5 – 10 minutes for my pita sammich  and it’s a tasty looking bite. Lots of gyro meat slathered with creamy tzatziki along with a bit of chopped tomato and onion. The fries used are skin-on and lightly seasoned, good stuff! I wolf the gyro pita down and it’s definitely above average and nicely done. Nice job, Gussy’s!

Gyro pita at Gussy's Place in RTP-Durham- NC Triangle Dining
Gyro pita at Gussy’s Place in RTP-Durham- NC Triangle Dining

I drop my plate off inside and head out of Gussy’s happily satisfied. Apparently they are still doing their food truck in addition to this store-front and I can see why they are popular. Solid Greek eats served with a smile works pretty well for me. While I’ll need to dig in a bit deeper on the menu, I was pleased with my pita and hope to get back soon…

 

Gussy’s Place

2945 S. Miami Blvd, Suite 121

Durham, NC 27703

984.439.8455

 

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Taverna Agora, Raleigh: Bringing Beautiful Greek Eats Downtown

Taverna Agora, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Taverna Agora, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

First Take: In the world of Mediterranean eats, you’ve got a variety of countries to choose from. But for many of us when you think Mediterranean, you think Greek. And thankfully, long-time Greek restaurant favorite Taverna Agora, recently moved to downtown Raleigh bringing excellent Medi fare to the area. Plus a lot more, read on my friend!

Front patio at Taverna Agora, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Front patio at Taverna Agora, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

Located right next to Second Empire, the first thing you’ll notice about the new Taverna Agora is the space. Covered patio up front, large bar area, two main dining rooms and then stairs leading up to a beautiful roof-top patio! There’s tons of room to stretch out here even if the place doesn’t look that big from the front. The place is bustling since they just opened up and are still in the process of training staff for the front of the house.

Dining room at Taverna Agora, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Dining room at Taverna Agora, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

I grab a seat at the bar and hang loose, Taverna Agora has a small list of NC beers so I order up a Deep River watermelon ale. The menu at Taverna Agora is medium sized with the usual Greek favorites: salads, grape leaves, gyros, tzatziki sauce and more.

Pork souvlaki pita at Taverna Agora, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Pork souvlaki pita at Taverna Agora, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

I go with a pork souvlaki pita with fries at a very reasonable $9. And the sandwich is great, charred pork cubes in a nicely toasted pita with plenty of fresh veggies and sauce! The fries are also fantastic, well fried with skin-on and a slight spicy rub.

Greek greetings at Taverna Agora's patio door, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Greek greetings at Taverna Agora’s patio door, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

After lunch I pop up the stairs to check out Taverna Agora’s amazing patio! Turquoise and white motif, hanging flower baskets and ceiling fans, it’s got a great, bright feel. And perfect for a leisurely lunch or quick drink. They’ve done a fantastic job here with the design and decor for their large space.

Beautiful garden patio at Taverna Agora, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Beautiful garden patio at Taverna Agora, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

So so far, so good Taverna Agora! I never made it to your N. Glenwood location but I’m pretty certain I’ll be popping in from time to time into this lovely spot. Because you can’t go wrong with deliciously healthy Greek fare with cool ambiance. Definitely check out the new Taverna Agora on Hillsborough Street, I’m pretty sure you’ll love it.

 

Taverna Agora

310 Hillsborough Street

Raleigh, NC 27603

919.881.8333

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Good Greek! Taziki’s in Waverly Place, Cary

Front of Taziki's in Cary - NC Triangle Dining
Front of Taziki’s in Cary – NC Triangle Dining

Located in the recently renovated Waverly Place, Taziki’s dishes out wonderful Greek eats in a quick-serve environment that’s SUPER-busy for lunch!  While I’m not a huge salad fan, I still enjoy Medi cuisine quite a bit so I was glad to hear that Taziki’s had opened up right around the corner from work.  A group of us from the office headed on over and showed up at about 12:15 on a Wednesday afternoon.  And was there a line!  About 25 or so people, single file in front of the kitchen area to a single cash register up front.  While I waited, a scan of the menu showed your usual Greek favorites: salads, wraps, gyros and kabob platters.  Thankfully the cashier was super-fast and it only seemed to take about 15 minutes to reach the front.  I order up a chicken gyro, roasted potatoes and a fountain drink for about $10.

Dining area at Taziki's in Cary - NC Triangle Dining
Dining area at Taziki’s in Cary – NC Triangle Dining
Dining area at Taziki's in Cary - NC Triangle Dining
Dining area at Taziki’s in Cary – NC Triangle Dining

Our table gets a number, we get served soft drinks and it’s off to snag an empty table!  Taziki’s has a large concrete patio out front but it’s too hot for there today.  A table eventually opens up, somebody comes by to bus it and we hang loose.  Fresh flowers on the table, silverware wrapped in a high-quality napkin, Taziki’s is counter-order, table-serve but feels a touch nicer than most casual places.  Our lunches arrive all together in about five minutes, my co-workers salad and plates all look super-fresh and substantial.  I’ve got a tightly wrapped gyro with a large cup of roasted taters.  The gyro is dense with long strips of grilled white, breast and plenty of veggies.  It’s a bit wet but very tasty with tender chicken, a thumbs up here.  The potatoes were hewn, chunks of red skin, roasted with olive oil and rosemary (I think).  Fork-tender and tasty, a solid and filling side and nice change from fries, eh?

Chicken gyro at Taziki's, Cary- NC Triangle Dining
Chicken gyro at Taziki’s, Cary- NC Triangle Dining
Chicken salad plate at Taziki's, Cary- NC Triangle Dining
Chicken salad plate at Taziki’s, Cary- NC Triangle Dining

And as we ate, the staff came by to see if we needed drink refills or anything else for the table.  So definitely a solid choice, Taziki’s is a popular place so you may want to come early for your meal.  With all these well-prepared wraps and salads along with large portions and decent prices, I understand why this place is busy and I’ll back soon to try more off the menu.  Awesome job, Taziki’s.  Even though you may be a chain you’re doing a great job, bon appetit!

 

Taziki’s

302 Colonades Way, Ste 201

Cary, NC 27518

919.415.0447

 

Taziki’s menu

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