Calavera Empanadas Bar to Replace 101 Lounge on Blount Street

Leland Witter
05/05 09:19 AM

I’ll be interested to see what the do with the space.  It always seemed a little awkward to me.

Looking forward to a new spot and empanadas would be great for lunch.

Behki
05/05 10:00 AM

Are there going to be any retail spaces added to dt ever? This is great, but good grief there needs to be more to do downtown than eat.

Jeff
05/05 10:34 AM

Needs to be more people first.
What is 101 Lounge?  I moved here 2 years ago.  Did it close shortly after it opened or did I just never hear of it and it closed recently?

EMG
05/05 11:32 AM

101 had an identity crisis from day 1. I wanted it to succeed as I live right across the street but they just couldn’t ever figure themselves out and the downstairs portion was exactly as noted above…awkward.
I HOPE this will be great and last.
Love empanadas!!

Cali
05/05 12:13 PM

Good luck Calavera! Look forward to the opening!

Will you continue to host private parties upstairs? We loved 101 for private events.

Another super story NR! ... why not just post the Calavera facebook link and leave it at that if your reports are going to be so pathetic? I am starting to agree with other recent posts that your articles and influence are going down hill. Instead of making “yawn” comments or something negative with every article(huh?), how about talking to the new owners or giving more feedback than what we can read on their fb posts!

Joe
05/05 12:49 PM

where will the kitchen go?  that place is tiny.

Brian
05/05 01:49 PM

Curious about this as well.  The upstairs is wonderful but the downstairs is bland and tiny and the place lacked any charm or personality as the actual business went.  Corpse paint isn’t my thing, but at least it’s something.

frank
05/05 04:12 PM

101 looked like an airport lounge and had about the same appeal.  Hoping that they gut it and put in something with some personality.

@call, I hear NR has been understaffed lately and that the man behind it has been going through some family issues.  So that could explain why it has been lackluster lately.  Of course, it’s been lackluster for a long time. 

But I still read it!  Glutton for punishment I guess.

wg
05/05 04:27 PM

bet el rodeo across the street is thrilled about this.

WILLNCSU
05/05 05:20 PM

Hope they are as good as Sarah’s Empanadas in RTP.  Love me some empanadas.

OldeSchool
05/05 07:17 PM

Wish it was a barbecue joint. DT is sorely lacking.

steve
05/05 08:22 PM

i love empanadas! (the place in RTP is good) so i think calavera will be a unique addition to the downtown restaurant scene (which gets better all the time)

also i always liked the cafe 101/calavera space. ive been to a few events upstairs

i hear the new place will also offer churros (spanish pastries) for dessert & high end cocktails/martinis

since i live in the neighborhood, i hope the new restaurant turns out to be as good as i hear so i have a(nother) cool local place to hang out at

miss k.c.
05/06 08:01 AM

It sounds like I will want to eat the food there, but I never want to see that skull lady image ever again.

howdie
05/06 09:03 AM

Empanadas are yum.  RIP 101.  You were a few years ahead of Raleigh.

Phillo
05/10 02:26 PM

@howdie: Is that why it was so hard to figure out what their hours were?  My space-time context was wrong?

Little Timmy
05/11 11:37 AM

Always the self-fulfilling, self-contradictory prophecy: DTR will never attract retailers until there are more shoppers downtown; DTR will never achieve a critical mass of people until there are more interesting retail spaces there.

Marky Mark
05/11 08:01 PM

RIP 101. In a few years, all the cool bars in Raleigh will only be open on random days, with random hours each day.

Pete2
05/17 01:11 PM

Hope they bring back the cabaret guys. Had my xmas party here and have seen the singers a few times over the past 3 years.  Looking forward to seeing the changes and trying some empandas.

Another crap article by NR.  RIP New Raleigh.