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One of the Triangle’s biggest restaurant openings of the year just earned a spot on one of the most coveted dining lists in the country.
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Big Cat, the Raleigh restaurant owned by some of the Triangle’s top chefs, has been named one of the 50 best restaurants in the country by The New York Times. This is the sixth year The New York Times has published its national best restaurants list and the first time a Triangle spot has been included. Big Cat is the only North Carolina restaurant on the list this year.
Big Cat is owned by a collection of acclaimed Triangle chefs and food pros, including Cheetie Kumar and Paul Siler, who own Ajja, Angela Salamanca and Marshall Davis, who are owners in Mala Pata, and Justin Pasfield, a co-owner in Locals Seafood.
Kumar leads the menu at Big Cat, which touches on Indian, Mexican and Mediterranean flavors.
Big Cat opened at the end of March at 1000 Brookside Drive, debuting with an infectious blend of swank and funk and featuring one of the city’s best new patios.
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Of Big Cat’s many charms, Times writer Kim Severson notes that its sum is somehow greater than its many parts.
“Never underestimate the power of the supergroup,” Severson writes. “Five of the city’s best chefs, restaurateurs and bar owners came together and created a sly, inviting neighborhood restaurant and bodega complete with cat kitsch and a deceptively familiar menu.”
On the menu, Severson praises the jolt Big Cat gives to the humble cabbage, cornbread and soft serve.
“Caramelized wedges of charred cabbage in lime leaf and ginger dressing are set over tofu pesto with a drift of candied peanuts and herbs you might find next to a bowl of pho,” Severson writes. “A steaming-hot personal pan of cornbread with curry leaf butter will change everything you ever thought about that Southern staple. And don’t leave without a velvety serving of coconut-milk soft serve with toasted coconut and fresh lime zest.”
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This story was originally published September 15, 2026 at 12:52 PM.