Fiction Kitchen, the all-vegan Raleigh restaurant that turned plant-based pulled “pork” into a citywide sensation, plans to close its doors for good on Saturday, Nov. 14, after 13 years in business. The restaurant will serve its final Sunday brunch on Nov. 8, just days before the closure takes effect.
Owners Caroline Morrison and Siobhan Southern announced the decision, saying “we feel the time has come for us to sunset Fiction Kitchen,” according to the Raleigh News & Observer. The pair said the restaurant's more recent business move did not give them enough time to recover from the COVID-era downturn, telling the paper “we have not been able to get ahead.”
Fiction Kitchen opened in 2013 on Davie Street in downtown Raleigh, per the News & Observer's closure report, though earlier coverage from Indy Week described the restaurant's longtime downtown home as being on Dawson Street. The News & Observer's report also says the restaurant closed its original downtown Raleigh location in 2024 and relocated to the Gateway Plaza shopping center, while a separate 2023 News & Observer report had said Fiction Kitchen closed its original location at 428 S. Dawson St. the previous month — a discrepancy the available record does not resolve.
From Pop-Up to Permanent Home
At Gateway Plaza, Fiction Kitchen operated as a pop-up before opening a permanent space there in 2025, the closure article states. Indy Week's report on the shopping center's revival noted that Fiction Kitchen was among several local businesses drawn to the commercial district, and that it shared facilities there with fellow tenant Mala Pata, including restrooms, a dishwashing station and a walk-in cooler.
The restaurant built its reputation on an entirely vegan menu of comforting and seasonal favorites, becoming a destination for vegetarians and omnivores alike and, as the News & Observer put it, a signature Raleigh restaurant. Its vegan pulled “pork” became especially well known, drawing national attention from The Washington Post over the years, per the same report.
A Fundraiser to Save Jobs
Before the closure announcement, Fiction Kitchen suspended its lunch service and, in September 2026, organized a crowdfunding campaign aimed at avoiding employee layoffs. The GoFundMe, organized by Mary Morrison, ultimately collected more than $25,000, according to the News & Observer's reporting.
Morrison wrote on the fundraising page, hosted at GoFundMe, that “a recent business move, a slower economy, and the weight of several loans have made it increasingly difficult to keep up with payroll.” Despite the fundraiser's success, the owners ultimately decided to close the restaurant rather than continue operating.
Remembering a Raleigh Institution
Chef Cheetie Kumar said Fiction Kitchen made an enduring impact on Raleigh, according to the closure article. Over its run across two locations, the restaurant created a welcoming space for vegans and vegetarians, and its owners said they valued the memories guests shared within its walls.
Fiction Kitchen's rise also reflected a broader shift in the city's dining scene; a 2018 WALTER Magazine article pointed to a larger trend of growing vegetarian food availability in Raleigh, noting that the restaurant's founders opened it in January 2013 with the help of $37,423 raised on Kickstarter. With the closure now set, the owners are encouraging fans to visit during the restaurant's final 10 days of service and to use any remaining gift cards before Nov. 14.
