Sadly the General Store went out of business recently but the store is now open by a new owner and similar format. The new site will be reviewed here when we have time to visit it.
The General Store Cafe' - a local dining experience to remember!
In our travels around the triangle area we recently ventured over to
Pittsboro, NC, to try the expanded
General Store cafe'. The short trip was rewarded with great food, excellent service and a chance to look around at local art in a restaurant located in one of the town's preserved historical structures - an old Chevrolet auto dealership building.
The General Store Cafe' is located at 39 West Street, adjacent to the downtown round-a-bout in the center of town. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, the store is open six days a week and can be reached by telephone at 919 542-2432.
Our first dining experience at The General Store allowed us to try the shrimp and grits (a local favorite) and grilled chicken over rice, both served with fresh grilled seasonal vegetables. Both were excellent and portions were more than adequate for hungry customers! Dining for two with these choices and cold beer and wine totaled to $47.00 - not bad for great food and the experience of looking around at the art and craft displays.
The restaurant began operation in 1979 as a natural foods grocery a few blocks from its present location. As it evolved into a natural foods grocery and consignment shop it was relocated in 1981 to a space in the Blair Hotel Building at the downtown traffic circle. The store evolved again to include a kitchen and dining room and in 1994 was moved to its present location in the old Chevrolet dealership building. In 1999 the original owner retired and the store evolved again under new management and the natural foods and consignment shop offerings were phased out, allowing the store to focus on becoming a fine dining establishment. In 2002 the establishment was purchased by a small group that currently owns and operates it. The restaurant continues to grow and now serves as a community center featuring local artists, musicians and non-profit organizations. A variety of community activities are held in the restaurant.
The restaurants large space is divided into two main areas - the "front" (the original auto showroom), and the "back" (the large rear space that previously served as an auto repair and service area). While the front offers mostly small tables for breakfast and lunch, the rear (a recent expansion of the restaurant) has a large number of two and four person tables, a few 5-6 person round tables for medium sized groups and space to pull tables together for large groups and parties. The rear section also includes a stage for performances by local bands and musical groups. Thursday through Saturday after 8:00 PM you can dine
and enjoy local folk and other styles of music.
The entire restaurant displays regional art, crafts and various items that make the experience visually exciting and the items are available for purchase.
As we were leaving on Thursday night, the musical entertainment was about to begin and the crowd was growing. As the small local trio prepared to play, we thought it would top off a great evening to stay and enjoy the music but decided to save that for another night. We will definitely return soon for that and more great dining.
The BBQ is great and both chicken and pork are available. You can also get ribs, sliced brisket and wings! There are lots of fixin's to choose from - mixed greens, fried okra, green beans, potato salad, mac-n-cheese, slaw, baked beans and the ever present hush puppies to go with the meal. You can also get Brunswick stew.
