How rare is a place that is a bar, book shop, flower shop and restaurant all in one? When we heard that Brewery Bhavana had been named one of the best new restaurants in America for 2017, we weren't surprised! This restaurant is all of those things and more. We have been fortunate enough to eat at the restaurant a few times and we always look forward to going back. If you haven't been yet, it's completely worth the wait! We definitely recommend booking a reservation prior to going but you will not regret checking this place out.
We had friends come in from out of town and wanted to show off how Raleigh’s restaurant scene is getting national attention so Brewery Bhavana was the perfect choice. As we waited for our table to be ready, we ordered some of the restaurant’s very own, tasty craft been at the bar. Just looking at the bar is impressive as it is a massive piece of white marble. ‘Glean’ is our favorite beer, which is a mango peppercorn saison. Every one of the beers is very unique. They also have plenty of craft cocktails that look great.
Once you are seated and greeted at your table, you will be delightfully surprised how quickly appetizers can arrive. For first time visitors, do yourself a favor and get the Seafood Dumplings as an appetizer. They are filled with lobster, shrimp, scallops and cabbage then covered with a mushroom sauce. You can see a picture of them at the top of this blog. I can only think of one word to describe them…’heavenly.’ We also shared the two types of egg rolls, vegetable and pork. It was our first time getting those. They were cooked perfectly crispy and also served with excellent sauces. We would order them again!
For Entrees, Heather ordered the Shrimp Lo Mein Noodles which have a very nice flavor. I ordered the Lap Cheung Fried Rice which is fried rice with Chinese sausage, asparagus, egg and crispy lotus roots. It was my first time ordering this dish (I usually get the General Tso Chicken - which is also excellent) and it did not disappoint! I don’t think my plate required dishwashing afterwards as I left it squeaky clean.
The only thing we wish the restaurant would offer is a dessert menu. They usually have one dessert you can order but it would be nice to have a few choices. If their desserts are half as good as their food, they would be amazing!
The next time you are planning a special night out, you can’t go wrong considering Brewery Bhavana! We also highly recommend that you go to the website and read the story of the Owners of Brewery Bhavana (and Bida Mida - which is next door) before heading over. Everything has a personal touch. It is an amazing and a true American story, not to mention some of the owners have NC State ties! We are so very lucky to have a place like this in our backyard. Cheers!