Standard opened a second location in the North Hills Innovation District with an expanded menu and . 
By Catherine Currin | photography by Forrest Mason

Rain or shine, Raleighites flock to the Standard Beer + Food on E. Franklin Street for frozen cocktails, cold beer and, of course, smashburgers. Standard opened in late 2020 and the indoor-outdoor, fast-casual bar and restaurant quickly became a go-to watering hole for its neighbors in Mordecai and Oakwood.

Now there’s a new iteration of the popular spot rounding out the North Hills Innovation District (NHID). “Mary Ehrenberger at Kane Realty approached us and we liked their vision,” says Cov DeRamus, a co-owner of Standard along with John Holmes and Blake Thompson. The new location, which opened in July, seats more than 150 people inside and has an outdoor patio for dining or stopping by to grab a drink.

For folks used to the pub tables and benches at the downtown Standard, the NHID location will feel like its more polished sibling. The industrial-style dining room boasts cozy round tables, booths and long tables for large groups. The furnishings are done in muted, light wood tones and upholstered in mauves, toasty reds and caramel leather. The whole space is flooded with natural light from floor-to-ceiling windows and a skylight — all the better for the smattering of plants throughout and the giant potted tree anchoring the middle of the space.

The service model in North Hills may surprise longtime guests of Standard, too: there’s no QR code, but classic table service. (You can even make a reservation, though walk-ins are encouraged.) This is by design, says executive chef Andrea Cardella. “We want guests to have options of what type of experience they can have with Standard,” she says. “The QR codes at Franklin Street are fast and convenient, while at North Hills, we wanted to provide a space for folks to sit back and be taken care of in a more personal way.”

The kitchen at the North Hills location is also more than double the size of the one downtown and includes an open grill. “Since we were able to design a bigger kitchen in NHID, we can offer more menu items,” says DeRamus.

Along with her team, Cardella, a former sous chef in Ashley Christensen’s restaurant group, uses the larger kitchen to her advantage. “The goal of the menu at North Hills was to keep true to our style while flexing our culinary muscles a little more,” she says. Take, for example, the expansive raw bar featuring crudos, ceviches and tartare. “We’ve always wanted to offer a raw bar at Franklin Street, so building it into this space was a no-brainer,” says Cardella. “We have rotating styles of mignonettes, French oysters with crème fraîche and smoked trout roe, and much more to come as we grow.” In addition to the raw bar, there are new menu items like a steak salad with charred cabbage and Fresno peppers, a half chicken with potatoes and lemon aioli, clams frites and mussels with grilled bread.

But don’t worry, says Standard’s general manager Natalie Rich — the new locale will include favorite menu items from Franklin Street, as well. “Of course we had to keep the smashburger around, and if you know about truffle tots and fries, we’re happy to offer those as well, despite not being listed on the menu,” she says. There’s also an array of the classic frozen cocktails like the crowd-favorite Painkiller, plus house beer selections and a robust wine list.

Just across the bridge from Standard, you can find stores like A Lil R+R, Bofémme, Green Rabbit Plants and Unlikely Professionals, as well as other hospitality folks like Benchwarmers Bagels, Dose Yoga and Good Graces. “I love our corner in the Innovation District because it has all the smaller, locally-owned shops,” says Cardella. “We have big plans for our patio area — we want our guests to come over, get their frozen cocktails to sip and stroll over the bridge to shop.

“We’ve always prided ourselves on being a neighborhood bar and restaurant,” she continues. “That hasn’t changed — but we’re in a new neighborhood, so it’s a new vibe over here in North Hills.”  

This article originally appeared in the October 2026 issue of WALTER Magazine.