Gene Galin of the Chatham Journal sat outside 39 West St. with broker Eric Andrews in early September and asked the question downtown had been asking since December. What was going into the old Havoc Brewing building? Andrews kept it short. "We signed a lease," he said.
He said several applicants had wanted the curved-front building across from the historic Chatham County Courthouse. The winning tenants stood out partly because their plan paired food with the social feel the site already had. The other part was that they could start operating sooner than the rest. That second reason explains how Pittsboro's restaurant scene is changing this fall. Downtown, the room reopens first and the kitchen comes later. Out at MOSAIC at Chatham Park, the new Italian restaurant is waiting until it can open with everything in place.
Downtown Is Opening the Room Before the Kitchen
Havoc Brewing opened in 2023 in a renovated part of the former Justice Motor Company property. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier in 2025 and closed on Dec. 14, 2025, after about two years of business. For more than eight months the building, with its patio, rows of outdoor chairs and stage area, sat empty on one of the most visible corners in town.
Its replacement goes by La Cucina della Nonna, and owners Dana and Jim Rumbold are opening it in phases. Phase one is Nonna's Cafe, which held its grand opening on September 20. Mornings run on espresso, cappuccino and café-style pastries. In the afternoon and evening, the same room turns into a wine bar pouring Italian selections. According to Andrews, coffee and wine are served in the front of the building. The larger side will eventually serve Italian lunch and dinner, and the shared patio, fire pit and live music are expected to stay central to the property.
The full restaurant can't open until a commercial kitchen is designed, installed, inspected and permitted. Andrews put the full-service opening in the first quarter of 2027 "if all the stars align." The café is still in soft-open mode, and its hours are still settling. The Raleigh Local suggests checking the café's Instagram, @nonnascafe, before you head over.
So the Italian spot you can walk into downtown this October is a coffee bar and wine bar. Dinner comes later.
At MOSAIC, the Full Menu Comes First
On the Chatham Park side, a Tavolo Italian Eatery is taking the reverse approach. Greg and Maria Lewis, who own The Sycamore, 39 West Catering and Forest Hall, are building it at 367 Freedom Parkway, Suite 130. The published concept includes wood-fired pizza, house-made pasta and a full bar. Chatham Magazine's description adds small plates, seafood and Italian entrées.
Its opening date has moved more than once. The June 26 tenant announcement said August. Chatham Magazine's September 4 roundup said September. As of September 25, MOSAIC's tenant page read "Coming Soon - October 2026." October is a target, so watch the restaurant's own channels for a firm date.
The Chatham Journal noticed the same split and set the two projects side by side. One moves into newer commercial space and plans to open with a complete menu. The other adapts a historic downtown building and introduces itself first as a café, with the restaurant following months later.
Nonna's Cafe / La Cucina della Nonna | a Tavolo Italian Eatery | |
|---|---|---|
Address | 39 West St., SoCo, facing the courthouse circle | 367 Freedom Parkway, Suite 130, MOSAIC |
Owners | Dana and Jim Rumbold | Greg and Maria Lewis |
Open now | Coffee and pastries in the morning, Italian wine later in the day | Not yet open as of late September |
Full menu | Italian lunch and dinner, targeted for Q1 2027 | Pizza, pasta and full bar from opening day |
Current target | Kitchen depends on permitting | October 2026 |
If you're picking a place to eat at MOSAIC before a Tavolo opens, Greek Kouzina is already serving pitas, kebab platters and salads in the same building, at 367 Freedom Parkway #100. Across the center, Hops & Berry Taproom at 120 Mosaic Blvd., Suite 100 has 80 self-pour taps and a food menu. People's Coffee at 60 Mosaic Blvd., Suite 100 covers breakfast and lunch. In the Journal's view, MOSAIC draws people toward Chatham Park's commercial gateway, while SoCo belongs to the courthouse circle, downtown events, independent shops and the historic street grid.
One Kitchen Closed the Day Before the Other Opened
The sharpest sign of the shift came in one weekend. Café Root Cellar on Suttles Road in Chatham Park had its last day of regular restaurant service on September 19. Nonna's Cafe held its grand opening downtown the next day.
Café Root Cellar opened its Pittsboro café in 2017. It served its last lunch on August 28. Chef Sera Cuni and her wife, Susan White, are closing it to put more time into Feed-Well Fridges. They started the nonprofit in 2023 to stock free community fridges with rescued food. Chapelboro reports that it has saved and redistributed more than 350,000 pounds of food and prepared more than 90,000 meals since then. The goal now is to grow meal production from about 3,000 a month to 5,000. Feed-Well's fridges are currently in Pittsboro, Siler City, Goldston and Chapel Hill.
The kitchen hasn't gone dark. The couple's statement said the Pittsboro space would temporarily cook for Feed-Well, and the Root Cellar's sister operations in Chapel Hill aren't affected. No long-term plan for the café space had been reported as of the end of September.
The net change in Chatham Park this fall is one fewer sit-down restaurant, with a Tavolo's arrival still ahead. Downtown gained a room and a patio, with a kitchen on the way.
Downtown Has Been Refilling One Small Room at a Time
Nonna's Cafe follows a pattern downtown Pittsboro has repeated all year. The new places are small, they keep limited hours, and they work out of buildings that were already there.
- The Quiltmaker Cafe opened May 4 at 75 W. Salisbury St. It's a nonprofit, pay-what-you-can counter-service restaurant serving sandwiches, deli staples, soups and brunch options. Hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and it's closed Wednesdays and Thursdays. Co-founder Jennie Knowlton told The News & Observer, "I really wanted to be in a downtown where people could walk to us, and Pittsboro was just very accepting of this idea."
- Aromatic Roasters has moved into the refreshed West End Emporium at 23 Rectory St., keeping the same menu and hours.
- Cosette, a coffee, horticulture and folk craft shop, is listed as coming soon to 115 Hillsboro St.
Add those to Nonna's and downtown's fall additions come to three new coffee options and a weekday lunch counter, each within a short walk of the courthouse circle. The Raleigh Local describes SoCo as walkable in about ten minutes.
The Journal also raised a fair question about the Havoc building. A brewery fills a patio with long, casual visits and repeat rounds. A restaurant runs on reservations, table turnover and coordinated service. Andrews said the new operators have been attending stakeholder meetings and meeting other business owners. "All ships rise with the tide," he said. "They just want to be part of what is Pittsboro."
The Calendar Between Now and 2027
Here's what's open, what's announced and what's still waiting on construction, in order:
- Now: Nonna's Cafe at 39 West St. for coffee and Italian wine, with hours posted on Instagram. The Quiltmaker Cafe for lunch Friday through Tuesday. Aromatic Roasters inside West End Emporium.
- October 2026, target: a Tavolo Italian Eatery at 367 Freedom Parkway, Suite 130.
- Late 2026: Pecan Jacks Ice Cream · Candy Kitchen at 60 Mosaic Blvd., Suite 120, with small-batch ice cream, pralines, brittles and chocolates.
- Q1 2027, if permitting cooperates: the full Italian restaurant at La Cucina della Nonna.
- Fall 2027: The Flying Biscuit Cafe at MOSAIC for all-day breakfast, brunch and lunch.
- No date yet: Cosette at 115 Hillsboro St.
By spring, Pittsboro could have two full-service Italian kitchens, one facing the courthouse and one on Freedom Parkway. Until then, the new Italian place you can actually walk into is downtown, and it serves espresso.
If you live near the courthouse circle or out by MOSAIC and you've wondered how all these openings figure into what your home is worth, Kelly Shields keeps up with Pittsboro block by block. You can start with a free home valuation and we'll talk through what's changing near you.
