Tucked on a small side street in downtown Raleigh, the exterior of A Place at the Table makes it seem like any other of the city’s casual eateries.
But the warm welcome from smiling volunteers greeting those at the front door of the brightly colored cafe is reminiscent of visiting an old friend — and that’s one of the many reasons the restaurant got a rave review this week from social media star Keith Lee.
When the former MMA fighter turned “food critic” announced he was coming to North Carolina, the restaurant recs poured into the comments of his Instagram and TikTok posts.
Many of his local foodie fans beamed with city pride watching the video of his first stop in Raleigh: A Place at the Table, the city’s first pay-what-you-can cafe.
The nonprofit cafe, run by N.C. State graduate Maggie Kane, opened in the former Cafe de los Muertos spot about seven years ago. But for years before then, it had been a staple of the community with monthly pop-up brunches and outreach events, The News & Observer previously reported…