New flavors, new faces on Morganton's menu

Earlier this month, empty cars filled the parking lot of the new 7 Brew Coffee at 918 Burkemont Ave. Around the side of the yet-to-open coffee chain, a group of new hires stood in a circle, cheering and training for the grand opening on Monday, Nov. 23.

The shelves are stocked with flavors and coffee beans. The parking lot is so fresh, it still smells like recently poured concrete.

While 7 Brew doesn’t officially open for a few weeks, the new coffee shop will partner with the Burke County United Way (BCUW), serving free drinks — one per present customer in each carload — Nov. 20-22.

Visitors on those days can donate, if they wish, and all the proceeds will go to BCUW.

Never tasted anything from the chain and not certain whether to go?

Throughout the opening week, from 8-9 a.m., noon to 1 p.m., and 5-6 p.m. each day, “we do what’s called community hours,” said Director of Training Tanner James. “During those hours, that’s another opportunity to pull through and get a free small (drink), per present customer.”

7 Brew will be open seven days a week: 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 5:30 a.m. through 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

The most popular drinks trace back to the “seven originals,” including the Blondie (vanilla and caramel coffee) and the Brunette (hazelnut and caramel coffee).

If it’s anything like Lenoir and Hickory’s recent grand openings, expect traffic, long lines, a lot of buzz, and special giveaways on the seventh day of each month.

RASA INDIAN RESTAURANT & SMOKEHOUSE

The days of driving outside of Morganton for good Indian food might be over.

Rasa Indian Restaurant & Smokehouse should be open by mid- to late-November, filling the shell of the former Boulevard Barbeque at 810 S. College St. — just above the new location of Stidham’s Lounge, which recently moved a few blocks over from its previous location at 420 W. Fleming Drive.

Rasa’s owners, brothers Vikram and Sandeep Sangh, already operate two other Indian restaurants in Western North Carolina: Indian Aroma Bistro in Hendersonville, which opened in 2023, and Mela Indian Restaurant in Asheville, which opened in 2005.

On top of the traditional Indian cuisine, Rasa will also offer smoked meats flavored with Indian spices, Vikram said.

Once open, Rasa will serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. each day, reopening from 5-9 p.m. for dinner. On weekends, the restaurant will stay open until 9:30 p.m. in the dinner block.

THE UNION GRILL

Passersby on West Union Street may have noticed that The Union Grill at 112 W. Union St. just got a fresh white-and-blue paint job.

“We’ve been working hard on the interior bringing our vision to life, but you may have finally noticed exterior progress with painting the outside this past week,” said Zack Cranford, a partner at Cranford Hospitality, which operates City Walk Brewing and Cranford Brothers BBQ in Hickory, as well as Granny’s Country Kitchen and Standard Oyster Company.

“We’re right on schedule and targeted to complete our build out by year end,” he continued. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to join Morganton’s culinary community.”

The Cranford Brothers’ agreement with The City of Morganton was that renovation must be substantially completed by the end of 2026, and open for business by March 1, 2027.

The Union will be hiring soon, and Cranford suggested anyone interested in applying go to cranfordhospitality.com/careers.

LOTUS KITCHEN

The Burke County Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on Nov. 3 for Lotus Kitchen, an American and Asian restaurant now open in the Quality Inn at 2400 S. Sterling St. in Morganton.

The entrees range from $9-$17 and cover a variety of cuisines — from chicken wings to fried calamari and American hamburgers to pork tonkotsu ramen.

The new food joint is open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

As one of their Facebook posts says, “Come hungry, leave happy!”

THE NIGHT GRIND

The Night Grind, upstairs from The Grind (136 W. Union St.), celebrated its soft opening on Friday, Nov. 6, with “cocktails, coffee, and good vibes. There is no cover charge.

Live music and performances will also be a part of the new scene. Regular hours are Wednesday-Saturday, 5-10 p.m.

Every Wednesday is expected to focus on acoustic performances, jazz, soul, blues, and intimate vocal sets. Thursday are being called Collective Artistry featuring poetry, spoken word, open mic, comedy, and showcasing local artists. Fridays and Saturdays will bring curated playlists, throwback listening sessions, guest DJs, and music-focused evenings.

The Saturday, Nov. 21, concert will feature Tom Cole from 6-9 p.m.