Big Cat didn’t have to advertise its pending opening to generate excitement bordering on hysteria. When you assemble a super group of star chefs and restaurant industry all-stars to launch a new concept, the community is bound to notice. In this case, the players are lauded enough that national media took note, with Bon Appétit dubbing Big Cat one of its “most anticipated restaurant openings of 2026.”

It makes sense. The partners involved have run some of Raleigh’s most popular restaurants, past and present. Cheetie Kumar, Big Cat’s executive chef, has seven James Beard nominations to her name, including a Best Chef: Southeast nod this year thanks to the eccentric west Asian restaurant Ajja she runs with Paul Siler. The duo linked up with Angela Salamanca and Marshall Davis, whose Latin American restaurant Mala Pata landed on the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list before it had been open for a full year. Salamanca and Davis first started working together at downtown Mexican restaurant Centro, an institution Salamanca has run for more than a decade, and they operate two relentlessly popular spots in the Durham Food Hall, just outside of Raleigh.

^{Left to right: Justin Pasfield, Paul Siler, Cheetie Kumar, Marshall Davis, Angela Salamanca. Photo by Monarch & Oak}.

Add to the mix Justin Pasfield—a partner at Person Street Bar, Locals Seafood and Natural Science Bar who pulled together a group of neighborhood backers to invest in Big Cat—and you’ve got the makings of an instant classic.

The menu at Big Cat is designed to be approachable-yet-elevated, Kumar explains, meaning that you’ll find dishes like chicken wings, steak, waffle fries and a Caesar salad. Yet there’s nothing generic about anything coming out of this kitchen.

“They’re all things you’d expect to find in a neighborhood spot, but instead of it being Euro-centric, we draw influences from the Global South,” Kumar explains.

^{Photo by Baxter Miller}

That’s why the wings come with harissa and sumac, or cotija ranch, or Szechuan pepper and creamy chili crisp. The poulet rouge half chicken arrives with citrus marinade and chimichurri. The smoked trout dip—made with house-smoked North Carolina mountain trout—is punched up with sofrito, and the fries are topped with za’atar seasoning and dipped in thoum, a Lebanese garlic sauce.

Think of it as creative comfort food, or your classic favorites with a makeover.

^{Photos by Baxter Miller}

“The fun of it is that it’s broad,” Kumar says. “I think the ingredients are so local, seasonal and focused on North Carolina, it still makes sense and is a cohesive menu.”

So far, the wagyu bavette steak is the top seller, and while the menu rotates, Kumar plans to keep some iteration of it available, likely altering the sauce seasonally. The mezze platter with a rotating lineup of dips and snacks is rising in popularity, and Kumar is excited about the textures and balanced flavors of the new Seeded Caesar salad with piparra pepper and a crunchy seed medley that includes chia seeds and flaxseed.

^{Photo by Baxter Miller}

Plus, the drinks menu has something for everyone, from nonalcoholic cocktails to affordably priced glasses of wine and local beer on draft.

Big Cat’s Brookside neighborhood location has long been some sort of market and continuing that tradition is an important part of the concept. Almost all the partners live within walking distance and know the value of somewhere to quickly grab a missing kitchen staple or a last-minute appetizer for guests. The market will grow over time, Kumar says, and Big Cat will also offer daytime coffee and sandwiches—the restaurant is only open for dinner and it’s best to make a reservation.

^{Photos by Baxter Miller}

One of the most memorable parts of Big Cat is its kitschy kitty theme. Credit Siler with much of Big Cat’s aesthetic, his eclectic, old-is-new-again eye giving the restaurant and market a vintage vibe that’s personal and fun. The team invited locals to donate cat-themed paraphernalia that now decorates the space, like an army of felines led by the massive cat head peering out, wide-eyed from above the bar.

Combined with a menu that’s equally playful, Big Cat comes across as your best friend’s cool and confident older sibling—one who’s friendly enough to invite you along and who introduces you to your new favorite band whose lyrics just seem to know you. It’s new yet familiar, hip but inviting from its breezy covered patio to its luxe back corner banquette.

Big Cat is located at 1000 Brookside Dr., Ste. 119, Raleigh 27604. The restaurant is open Wed.-Sun., 5-9:30pm. You can make a reservation here.