The address at 525 East Broad Street used to mean Aviation Smokehouse. Now it means grilled, steamed or fried seafood. TrY Seafood Grill opened in that space in downtown Varina. It's family-owned, with dine-in, patio seating, takeout, delivery and catering, according to Suburban Living Magazine's September 2026 update.
That swap is the pattern for downtown this year. Most of the 2026 openings landed in addresses locals already have stories about. The menu inside is what changed. The fall calendar from the Fuquay-Varina Downtown Association and the Town makes it easy to try them, because nearly every big date between now and Thanksgiving puts you on the same sidewalks.
The 2026 openings, by address
Picture downtown in early 2025 and you'd recognize almost every door on this list.
Address | What it was | What it is now |
|---|---|---|
525 East Broad Street | Aviation Smokehouse | TrY Seafood Grill, coastal and Southern-inspired seafood |
132 S. Fuquay Avenue | Vicious Fishes | Duke's Kitchen and Taphouse, burgers, brunch, cocktails |
330 S. Main Street | Fainting Goat | The Rican Lab, coming soon |
213 Fayetteville Street, Suite 1B | Inside The Brick, a bar | Sully's Misfits Kitchen, Massachusetts bar food |
405 East Broad Street, Suite 249 | Inside Quaint Plaza | Momo Station, Nepalese dumplings |
Three of the five took over a former restaurant space. The other two are kitchens inside places that already existed: a bar and a shopping plaza. Over the last few months the food scene grew mostly by refilling existing spaces.
TrY Seafood Grill had its ribbon-cutting on September 29, 2026, after it had already opened. The Fuquay-Varina Chamber listed that ceremony on its events calendar.
Duke's Kitchen and Taphouse showed up in Suburban Living's June 17, 2026 roundup in the old Vicious Fishes space. The menu covers burgers, chicken sandwiches, soups, salads and brunch, plus beer, wine and cocktails. It's worth calling ahead before you plan a night around it.
Sully's Misfits Kitchen was reported open by WRAL in mid-July. It brings Massachusetts dive-bar comfort food inside The Brick. Suburban Living lists Boston-style roast beef sandwiches, personal-size tavern pies, smash burgers, skewers and loaded fries. The New England-Portuguese dishes include grilled linguica and pulled pork. Sully's website lists hours of 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Friday through Sunday. That's the latest kitchen on this list.
Momo Station serves handmade dumplings five ways: steamed, pan-fried kothey, fried, tossed in spicy chili sauce, or in a warm tomato-sesame broth called jhol. Fillings are chicken, vegetable or paneer, and the menu adds Himalayan street snacks and chowmein. Momo Station's site says it's closed Mondays. It opens at noon every other day and closes at 9 p.m., or 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Rican Lab is the one still in progress. The Puerto Rican food truck is moving into the former Fainting Goat space on Main Street. As of Suburban Living's September report, no opening date had been announced.
Friday, October 23: Trick-or-Treat Downtown
The first good chance to see the refreshed downtown is Friday, October 23, from 2 to 5 p.m. FVDA's free Trick-or-Treat Downtown runs through both downtown districts. Nearly 100 participating businesses put a "We're Participating" poster in the window. FVDA's events page says the Friday-before-Halloween timing lets the largest number of merchants take part. The event is rain or shine, and the Fuquay-Varina Police Department helps keep the route safe.
Since the route covers both districts, it takes you past TrY Seafood and Momo Station on East Broad Street and down to Fayetteville Street and S. Fuquay Avenue. Trick-or-treating ends at 5. Momo Station has been open since noon, and Sully's kitchen runs late on Fridays, so dinner is easy to find right after.
Halloween week has two more downtown dates:
- Friday, October 30, 7:30 p.m. Magician Jeki Yoo plays the Fuquay-Varina Arts Center at 123 E. Vance Street, per the Town calendar.
- Saturday, October 31, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Fuquay-Varina Fire Department holds its annual open house at Fire Station No. 1, 301 S. Fuquay Avenue. That's on the same avenue as Duke's.
November 6 and 7: the big downtown weekend
The first weekend of November puts FVDA's two biggest fall events back to back. FVDA bills Friday as "First Friday Meets BBQ Blues & Brews."
- Friday, November 6, 5 to 9 p.m.: First Friday. Businesses across both districts stay open late for shopping, dining and entertainment. Revelry Barber & Shave Shop is the sponsor, and FVDA says program details are still to come.
- Friday, November 6, 7:30 p.m.: Icons of Jazz. "The Sister Moon Project ft. Grace Kelly & Chrissi Poland" plays the Arts Center that night.
- Saturday, November 7, noon to 4 p.m.: BBQ, Blues & Brews. The festival is in its 11th year at the Varina Parking Lot, 801 Durham Street. Expect competing BBQ cook teams, locally brewed beer, live blues, a makers' market and community groups.
- Saturday, November 7, 7:30 p.m.: Noche Flamenca at the Arts Center.
FVDA calls BBQ, Blues & Brews southwestern Wake County's biggest BBQ, blues and brews festival of the year. Tasting tickets are sold online through the FVDA events page. The event is rain or shine. FVDA asks that pets stay home because of the crowds and loud music.
The festival sets up in the Varina district. TrY Seafood Grill and Momo Station are both on East Broad Street there, so they're close by when the tasting ends at 4 p.m. and the flamenco starts at 7:30.
The social district on a First Friday
FVDA's First Friday description invites people to use the Downtown Social District to "shop, sip, stroll & dine." The Town's adopted social district ordinance was approved December 17, 2024, replacing a March 2024 version. It allows the district to operate daily from noon to 10 p.m., subject to Town restrictions and special events. Under the ordinance, drinks have to come in a cup that:
- is not glass and holds no more than 16 fluid ounces
- identifies the business that sold it and shows a mark unique to the district
- displays "Drink Responsibly - Be 21" in at least 12-point type
The ordinance also limits district drinks to purchases from qualifying permittees in or next to the district. A drink has to be thrown away before you leave the district, unless you're heading back to the business that sold it. This is general information, not legal advice. The ordinance text and the Town have the final word on boundaries and any changes.
The rest of November downtown
Around the festival weekend, the calendar stays full through Thanksgiving week, with most of the dates at the Arts Center on 123 E. Vance Street, according to the Town's November calendar.
- Wednesday, November 4, 9 to 10 a.m. Coffee with a Cop at Lucci Blue's Social Cafe & Deli, 209 Fayetteville Street, a few doors from The Brick.
- Friday, November 13, 6 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, November 14, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Fuquay Film Festival at the Arts Center.
- Wednesday, November 25, 7:30 p.m. The Embers Christmas at the Arts Center, the night before Thanksgiving.
The film festival runs until 8 p.m. that Saturday. Sully's kitchen stays open until 1:30 a.m. on weekends, so you can still get a late roast beef sandwich after the last screening.
Then there's the Fainting Goat address at 330 S. Main. When The Rican Lab opens there, it will be the third former restaurant space on this list to get a new kitchen.
If you're getting to know downtown Fuquay-Varina one address at a time, I'd like to hear which of these new spots you try first and what you'd add to the list. Marko Sun follows how these streets change, and if one of these addresses has you curious about the homes nearby, Let's Talk.
