A crew of big-name Triangle chefs is joining forces on Big Cat, a multi-concept restaurant, full bar and market posted up at the corner of Brookside Drive and Glascock Street in Raleigh’s East Mordecai neighborhood. The collaboration pulls together the teams behind Ajja, Mala Pata, Locals Seafood, Garland, Neptunes and Kings into one all-day space that will serve lunch, retail essentials and year-round soft-serve. The group is hosting a community event this Saturday and will start taking reservations next Wednesday.
Who’s behind Big Cat
The lineup features Cheetie Kumar, Paul Siler, Angela Salamanca, Marshall Davis and Justin Pasfield, familiar names from Raleigh staples like Ajja, Garland, Neptunes and Mala Pata. According to WRAL, the partners plan to operate separate shifts in the same footprint, with a daytime market and cafe setup that transitions into a full dinner and bar service at night.
What to expect
On the menu board: approachable lunch options, rotating dinner offerings and a retail section stocked with pantry basics and small gifts, plus soft-serve ice cream ready to go on the patio. ralToday reports that Cheetie Kumar will lead the dinner program and that Mala Pata and Locals Seafood will be among the first pop-ups to hit the patio.
Opening timeline and first events
Big Cat will start accepting reservations next Wednesday and is throwing a free public “Pop Cat” party this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., where guests can sample pop-up food and drinks on the patio. Per WRAL, the concept is built to handle both casual daytime bites and a more formal dinner setup in the evenings.
For Raleigh diners, Big Cat’s hybrid market-plus-restaurant setup is poised to become a new neighborhood anchor for East Mordecai and nearby Oakwood, designed to stay useful from morning through night instead of being a single-meal stop. The shared ownership roster and rolling pop-up schedule keep the focus squarely on local talent, a mix that could keep the corner buzzing on both weekends and weeknights.
