"Many restaurants in downtown Southern Pines stop serving food around 9 p.m." Rec Room owner Heather Dyer said that to The Pilot this fall. She was explaining why she is building a kitchen in the back corner of her arcade bar at 750 SW Broad St. and why she wants it to stay open late.
Her point holds up when you check the hours downtown restaurants post on their own websites. Most dinner service downtown ends around 9 p.m. The kitchens that run later are mostly behind a bar, and a couple of restaurants stay open an extra hour on weekends. If you're leaving the Sunrise Theater on a weeknight and want something to eat, plan on a pub, a wine bar, or a grill.
Where the 9 p.m. Line Falls
These are the dinner hours downtown's sit-down restaurants list on their websites. None of the pages show when the hours were last updated, so treat this as a starting point and call ahead before you count on a table.
| Restaurant | Address | Posted dinner hours |
|---|---|---|
| Chef Warren's | 215 NE Broad St. | Tue–Sat, 5–9 p.m. |
| The Sly Fox Pub | Downtown Southern Pines | Mon–Sat dinner 4–9 p.m.; Sun 4–8 p.m. |
| Ashten's Restaurant and Bar | 140 E New Hampshire Ave. | Wed–Thu and Sun 5–9 p.m.; Fri–Sat 5–10 p.m.; closed Mon–Tue |
| Chapman's Food & Spirits | 157 E New Hampshire Ave. | Sun–Thu until 9 p.m.; Fri–Sat until 10 p.m. |
| 195 American Fusion | 195 Bell Ave. | Wed–Sat, 5:30–9:30 p.m. |
| Southern Prime Steakhouse | 270 SW Broad St. | Daily from 5 p.m. until close |
Of the restaurants with a posted closing time, 195 American Fusion goes past 9 p.m. on a weeknight, and only by half an hour. On Friday and Saturday, Chapman's and Ashten's both stay open until 10. Southern Prime lists "until close" with no time, so call the steakhouse if you're counting on it after a show.
A restaurant that wraps up dinner by 9 is serving the early-evening crowd. That timing becomes a problem when your evening starts with a 7:30 p.m. show at the Sunrise.
The Bars Hold the Late Kitchens
Head toward the bars on Broad Street and the hours run later.
715 Bar & Grill, 715 SW Broad St. has the most clearly stated late kitchen downtown. The bar is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, and noon to 11 p.m. Sunday. Its site says the kitchen closes one hour before the bar does. That means food until 10 p.m. most nights and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, seven days a week. No other downtown spot posts a kitchen cutoff that late on a Monday.
The Bell Tree Tavern, 155 NE Broad St., an Irish pub, posts a Late Night Menu with pub staples like mozzarella sticks. Next to the menu it lists "MON-TUE: 9PM | WED-SAT: 10PM | SUN: 8PM." The page doesn't say whether those times are when the late menu starts or when it ends. The tavern itself stays open until 10 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, midnight Wednesday and Thursday, 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 9 p.m. Sunday. Either way, the pub has set up a separate menu for late-night food, which most downtown kitchens haven't done. Call to confirm the cutoff on the night you go.
CORK Wine and Cocktails, 143 NE Broad St., Suite C, serves gourmet charcuterie boxes and salty snacks. It's open until 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and until 8 p.m. Sunday, and it's closed Monday. CORK doesn't post a separate kitchen cutoff, but a charcuterie box doesn't need a line cook, so food generally follows the door hours. It's a lighter option than a plate of wings and a good fit after a concert.
Railhouse Brewery: Penn Station, 205 W Pennsylvania Ave., takes a different approach. When the taproom opened in May 2026, the Sandhills Sentinel reported that it encouraged guests to bring takeout from nearby businesses and stayed open until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Railhouse is a taproom, not a kitchen, but it gives you a late place to sit with food you picked up somewhere else.
The Next Late Kitchen Is Also at a Bar
That brings things back to Dyer. Rec Room Bar & Arcade opened in February 2023 with retro arcade games, video games, a full bar, a patio, and a party room. Since then it has added events and DJ nights. The new kitchen will serve hand-tossed pizza, whole or by the slice, plus wings. Dyer said the kitchen "was actually in the original plans" and that keeping it open late matters to her. The Pilot reported that it could open "as early as November." As of early October, no report confirms that it has opened, so check before you plan a night around it.
Once it opens, the 700 block of SW Broad will have two late kitchens, 715 Bar & Grill at No. 715 and Rec Room at No. 750. That part of Broad Street is on track to be downtown's most dependable place for food after 9 p.m.
At the other end of downtown, the former Doug's Auto lot at NW Broad St. and W Connecticut Ave. is getting new restaurant space. The Historic District Commission approved developer Andy Bleggi's revised three-building plan. It includes restaurants, office space, a hair salon, a food service business offering ice cream and baked goods, and a wellness center concept with studio space above. Planning Director BJ Grieve said the streetscape design "gives you a reason to go across the street." The Pilot's coverage of the approval names no tenants and no opening date, so it's too early to say what hours any of those restaurants will keep.
Matching the Fall Calendar to an Open Kitchen
Downtown's fall calendar has plenty of nights out, and the day of the week determines your late-food options.
- Saturday, Oct. 10, and Sunday, Oct. 11: Somewhat Petty at the Sunrise. On Saturday, 715 serves until 11 p.m. and CORK is open until 11. On Sunday, 715's kitchen runs until 10 p.m., CORK closes at 8, and Ashten's and Chapman's both finish at 9.
- Saturday, Oct. 17: WANNABE! at the Sunrise. It's a Saturday, so you get the widest set of options, including Chapman's and Ashten's until 10 p.m.
- Friday, Oct. 23: Downtown BooFest. It starts at 5 p.m. with trick-or-treating at Broad Street businesses, followed by games and crafts in Downtown Park. A library Halloween Costume Party runs earlier, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. This is an early-evening event, so most dinner kitchens will still be open afterward.
- Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31: FLOYD Live! at the Sunrise. Both nights are weekends, so 715 serves food until 11 p.m. and the Bell Tree is open until 1 a.m.
- Friday, Nov. 6: First Friday with Fireside Collective. The free show runs 5 to 9 p.m. on the Sunrise Lawn and First Bank Stage. It ends right when most dinner kitchens close, so plan to eat before the music or go straight to the bars afterward.
- Friday, Nov. 13: Chatham Rabbits with Murphy Campbell, 7:30 p.m. The listing gives a 7:30 p.m. start and no end time. If the show runs past 9, the Friday options are 715 until 11 p.m., CORK until 11, the Bell Tree's late menu, and Chapman's and Ashten's until 10. If the Rec Room kitchen has opened by then, it's another option.
- Wednesday, Nov. 18: Baxter Clement Variety Show at the Sunrise, 250 NW Broad St. The Sandhills Boys & Girls Club event page lists a 6:30 p.m. start with a VIP cocktail hour at 5:30, while the Sunrise ticketing page lists the session at 7 p.m., so check your ticket. On a Wednesday, 715's kitchen runs until 10 p.m., CORK is open until 10, and 195 American Fusion serves until 9:30.
The Veterans Parade on Saturday, Nov. 7, is a morning event, with a 9:30 a.m. opening ceremony and the parade stepping off on Broad Street at 10. Late food won't come into it.
Monday and Tuesday have the fewest options. Chef Warren's doesn't post Monday dinner hours, Ashten's is closed both nights, and CORK is closed Monday. Early in the week, 715 Bar & Grill is the one downtown spot that posts a kitchen open until 10 p.m.
At Meese Property Group, we track downtown Southern Pines block by block, and that includes which corners stay busy after a Sunrise show ends. If walking home from a late table is part of how you picture life here, or you're weighing how close to Broad Street you want to be, Request a Personalized Consultation and we'll walk through those blocks with you.
