North Durham's Guess Road Corner Is Getting Its Own Gathering Place. Here's What's Open And What's Coming.

The corner of Guess Road and Latta Road has spent 2026 turning into a destination of its own. Publix opened there in April. A family-run pasta and pizza restaurant is aiming to open in December. A burger place with a beer-garden patio and a turf lawn for yard games follows in early 2027. A 1.6-acre park with a 12-foot steel heron is almost finished. So far the corner has been a place to run errands. The openings coming between now and early 2027 are the ones that make it a place to stay a while, and they arrive while the area's best-known park is closed.

Errands Came First

The development is called Latta Park, and the order it has opened in looks planned. The developer, Raleigh-based Crosland Southeast, bought the land in 2022 for $1.2 million and started clearing the site about two years ago, the News & Observer reported. The full plan calls for a 10-acre retail center and 176 townhomes in a mostly residential part of the county, about eight miles from downtown Durham.

The anchor came first. Publix opened its store at 4628 Guess Rd. on April 11, 2026. Chipotle is also open, and Ideal Dental is under construction, according to Crosland Southeast's October update. That's groceries, a quick lunch and a dentist: places you visit and leave.

Errand traffic in this part of Durham was picking up even before the restaurants signed on. On July 14, Pet Supplies Plus opened at 5108 North Roxboro St., about two miles from the new Publix, per the N&O.

The next tenants have a different job. Crosland's own description of the project has been about lingering from the start. The Latta Park FAQ calls the plan "pedestrian-friendly" and says its natural-surface paths will run through the preserved tree canopy at the corner to shared green spaces "where local restaurants will provide generous outdoor seating in a parkside setting." The two restaurants coming next are the first tenants that fit that description.

December: A Pasta Place From The Pomodoro Family

Compa Pizza & Pasta is a new concept from Carlo and Josephine Finazzo, who own Pomodoro Italian Kitchen on Hillandale Road. The N&O reports that Compa will take 2,640 square feet and serve handmade pasta and pizza. Josephine Finazzo told the paper that "compa" is the Sicilian word for brotherhood or best friend.

The target is a soft opening the first week of December, according to the N&O and Hey Durham. That is about five weeks from now. Crosland's update says only "December 2026," so the date may move a little, as restaurant openings often do.

The owners already have a following. N&O readers recently named Pomodoro the best Italian restaurant in the Triangle. For people who live near Guess Road, Compa means that kitchen's food without the drive to Hillandale.

Early 2027: An Outpost Built For Staying

Bull City Burger & Brewery has been on East Parrish Street downtown for 15 years. The N&O's story on the expansion reports that Bull City Burger Outpost #1 at Latta Park is the restaurant's first expansion in that time.

The building says a lot about what the corner is becoming. Plans call for about 2,700 square feet, with 65 seats in the dining room and 12 at the bar. Outside there will be a beer-garden-style patio, a turf lawn for yard games and a play area. The menu covers more of the day than the downtown original. The grass-fed burgers and duck fat fries stay, and breakfast biscuit sandwiches and a coffee bar are new.

Owner Seth Gross told the N&O that people in northern Durham have been asking him to expand there for years. His statement describes what he has in mind:

"I'm excited to bring a family gathering place, and we want the Outpost to make everyone comfortable, whether that's a burger and a beer on the patio or soft serve after the kids wear themselves out in the play area."

The Outpost is expected in the first quarter of 2027. Crosland and the N&O's latest coverage both say "early 2027" and give no specific day. Crosland partner Austin Williams told the N&O that the firm welcomes restaurateurs with proven track records in Durham. That shows in who signed first: two owners who already run well-known Durham restaurants.

The Park Comes With A Heron

The restaurants are built around a 1.6-acre neighborhood park, and Crosland's October 14 update describes it as "nearing completion." No opening date has been announced, but some of the park is already up.

• Enoe, a 12-foot stainless steel great blue heron by WallerFoushee Studios and Cricket Forge, stands near Latta Road facing the Eno River. The design draws on the river and its watershed.
• The gazebo at the center of the pollinator garden was designed by artist Holly Felice. Its stainless steel azalea leaves are colored with heat instead of paint or pigment.
• Walking paths will run toward the woods along the roads, and the pollinator garden will be planted with native species to support local wildlife.

The heron's placement matters. Enoe faces the river, and the river is the reason this part of Durham has always had a place to go outside.

Why The Timing Lands This Winter

That place is West Point on the Eno, a 404-acre natural and historic park along two miles of the river at 5101 North Roxboro Street. Right now it is closed for construction. Durham Parks and Recreation's page says there is no public pedestrian or vehicle access during the work, though the environmental education pavilion stays open. The page gives more than one timeframe for the closure, so check it before planning a visit.

West Point's Eagle Trail follows the north bank of the Eno and reaches Guess Road, according to the city's trail map. So the city's park and Crosland's new green space sit along the same stretch of road. Nothing published describes a trail between them, and they are run separately. But for this winter, the area's big river park is closed while a small new park with paths, a garden and public art is almost ready a short drive up Guess Road.

Put the dates side by side and the timing is clear. Compa's soft opening is aimed at the first week of December. The park is close to done. The Outpost, with its patio, lawn and play area, is due by spring. The corner's outdoor seating and walking paths will arrive while West Point's trails are closed.

What's Where, And When

Over the next few months, Guess Road is getting places to sit down, eat and stay a while, and it's happening close to home. At The Cedeno Group, we follow these openings because they change what a regular weeknight looks like in each part of Durham. If you have questions about north Durham, from new restaurants to what's planned along Guess Road, we're glad to talk in English or Spanish. Habla con Nosotros.