Fiction Kitchen and Mala Pata opening in Raleigh's Gateway Plaza

A longtime vegan eatery and a new restaurant and market are coming to Gateway Plaza, a recently renovated shopping center near downtown Raleigh.

Driving the news: Fiction Kitchen, one of the area's premier vegan restaurants, said Wednesday it will move from its location in downtown Raleigh to Gateway Plaza later this year.

It will be joined by a collaboration between three of the Triangle's most creative restaurants: Raleigh's Centro and Locals Seafood and Durham's Ex-Voto.

• Called Mala Pata, that restaurant will center around the use of fresh masa — a dough made from corn — in Latin American dishes.
• Mala Pata will be accompanied by a sidebar and market called Peyote, which will serve late night to-go drinks and some food in a shared alleyway.

Flashback: Loden Properties, one of the most active developers in the city, began redeveloping the aging Gateway Plaza in 2018. The shopping center is located just off Capital Boulevard at 2409 Crabtree Blvd.

• Since then, the shopping center has landed several restaurants and a Raleigh Founded coworking space.

What we're watching: Construction begins on both restaurants this month. Look out for openings in the summer.