Figulina, the handmade-pasta destination tucked into downtown Raleigh's Warehouse District, has been named Southern Living's Restaurant of the Month for October 2026. The News & Observer had previously described chef-owner David Ellis's restaurant as fairly traditional Italian with a distinct Southern accent; Southern Living highlighted its Southern touches and British staples in its report published earlier this month.
Southern Living spotlights one standout restaurant from across the South each month throughout 2026, and its report on Figulina went up on October 9, as reported by the News & Observer. Figulina announced the honor itself that same month. The restaurant sits at 317 S. Harrington St., a building with its own local history: it previously housed Humble Pie for 33 years before that institution closed in September 2023 when its longtime owners chose to retire, according to INDY Week.
A British Chef's Southern Pasta Shop
Ellis, a British expat chef, opened Figulina in 2024 after a cross-country road trip landed him at Poole's Diner, per the News & Observer's account. Before striking out on his own, Ellis worked as chef de cuisine at Poole's Diner for James Beard Award-winning chef Ashley Christensen, INDY Week reports.
The menu changes regularly but leans on dishes like country ham carbonara, a Scotch egg, and rotolo filled with Stilton cheese and other ingredients. Ellis has said Stilton mattered to him personally because he grew up with it in England, where it carries protected status similar to Parmigiano Reggiano, according to the News & Observer. The restaurant's name itself nods to his roots: Ellis grew up in Stoke-on-Trent, a region historically known as The Potteries, which inspired Figulina, a Latin term referencing a potter's workshop, as Wake Living Magazine has explained.
Nods From Critics, Lists, and the Times
The Southern Living nod joins a run of recognition that's piled up fast for a restaurant about two years and eight months old. Figulina was a James Beard Award semifinalist in the nation's best new restaurant category, an honor the James Beard Foundation announced in January 2025, less than a year after the restaurant's February 2024 debut. Yelp also named Figulina one of the top new places to eat in the South, per the News & Observer.
Resy published its 2025 Resy 100 post on September 18, 2025, and Figulina received recognition from the platform that year. In March 2026, The New York Times included Figulina as a recommended dining stop in its 36 Hours in Raleigh travel itinerary, positioning it alongside the city's established landmarks, per the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau. Closer to home, Figulina has appeared on the News & Observer's Top 50 Restaurants in the Triangle list and was voted one of the area's most-loved Italian restaurants in a reader poll.
Checkered Floors and Growing Revenue
Much of Figulina's charm comes from what it kept rather than what it changed. The restaurant preserved key architectural and interior elements from Humble Pie, including the green-and-white checkered floor tiles, custom triangular barstools built 30 years earlier by woodworker Derek Hennigar, and a community dining table repurposed from the former kitchen, according to WALTER Magazine. Hennigar had originally launched his woodworking business inside the building's corner space.
Behind the scenes, Figulina's business has grown fast. Annual revenue climbed from $1.9 million in 2024 to $2.5 million in 2025, which allowed Ellis to invest $20,000 in January 2026 kitchen additions, including a grill and fryer, to expand the menu beyond pasta and accommodate gluten-free guests, per the Triangle Business Journal.
For diners looking to catch Figulina on a quieter night, the restaurant runs a weekday Aperitivo Hour from Tuesday through Thursday, featuring spritzes, amaro-focused cocktails, and light bites rooted in Italian pre-dinner tradition, according to the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau. Aperitivo is a pre-dinner drink or occasion, and the program brings that tradition to the heart of the Warehouse District.
