North Hills set for its 1st standalone cocktail bar with Little Saint

Driving the news: Little Saint will open on the ground floor of the St. Albans Lofts building at 600 St. Albans Dr.

• The apartment building is located across from Standard's newest location in North Hills and will feature an outdoor patio.

State of play: Shanahan, who previously co-owned Watts & Ward in downtown Raleigh, has been on a roll since helping open the restaurant Peregrine in the Midtown Exchange development in 2025.

• Since then he has opened the Italian-inspired Capulet Cocktail Bar, the hi-fi bar Rosebud Cocktail Lounge in downtown and the soon-to-open Cafe Royale.
• He has opened his last four projects with his business partner and longtime collaborator Robby Opperman.

What they're saying: Shanahan told Axios he was surprised to see the space in the St. Albans Lofts available, given its location near a growing number of other restaurants and businesses, like Standard, Good Graces and Benchwarmers Bagels.

• He believes people out for dinner in North Hills are looking for more places to extend their evenings.

• A menu and design for the bar have not yet been chosen but Shanahan said it will be inspired by his Irish heritage.
• "It will be more personal than anything I have done before," he said. "It will tie into my Irish roots and my time in New York City when I fell in love with cocktails."