Hungry Palate owners are going for a classic bar

The owners of the Hungry Palate are excited to bring a "true bar and grill" to downtown Winston-Salem.

The Hungry Palate opened Feb. 1 at 239 W. Fourth St., in the space formerly occupied by King's Crab Shack. Eric Zyglis and Crystal Kinney are the owners. "I felt like we really didn't have a true bar and grill in Winston-Salem," Zyglis said.

Zyglis also owns the nearby Thirsty Pallet, a bar he opened four years ago at 249 W. Fourth.

Eric Zyglis and Crystal Kinney are co-owners of Hungry Palate at 239 W. Fourth St. in Winston-Salem.

Kinney is a former restaurant manager who worked for many years at Mellow Mushroom and more recently at Quiet Pint.

Address: 239 W. Fourth St., Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101

Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily

Phone: 336-293-8857

Facebook: Hungry Palate

Instagram: hungrypalate_ws

Website: hungrypalatews.com (under construction)

About 15 years ago, Zyglis managed Recreation Billiards. In recent years, he has worked with Wise Man Brewing.

"I actually met Eric at Mellow Mushroom when he came in to sell us beer," Kinney said.

The two have set out to create an All-American bar and grill with classic bar noshes and plenty of beverages to help wash it all down.

"We wanted to have great beer, wine and cocktails, and also approachable food – at a reasonable price," Zyglis said.

"We also decided we wanted to be kid-friendly," Kinney said, partly because of the new Kaleideum children's museum being built less than a block away.

Lighting inside of Hungry Palate.

Hungry Palate not only has a kid's menu but also has baby-changing stations in both the men's and women's restrooms.

Tasyre Hoover, 3, munches on fries and a quesadilla while having lunch with his mother, Tashona Hickman, at Hungry Palate in Winston-Salem.

Zyglis and Kinney have redecorated the former King's Crab Shack. The restaurant now features a lot of red accents – including red painted shelves behind the bar and six-by-four-foot letters hung along one wall that spell out "HUNGRY." Those are commissioned by local artist Caleb "Dumptruck" Williams. They weren't all finished for opening week, but each letter incorporates Winston-Salem landmarks, and when complete, all of them will be backlit.

The beer selection leans heavily toward local. "Every Winston-Salem brewery (that distributes) has a handle," Zyglis said, referring to beer on tap.

Cocktails available at Hungry Palate in Winston-Salem.

Most of those other 25 taps are devoted to such N.C. breweries as Wicked Weed, Sycamore, Catawba, Birdsong and Lone Rider. There also are a couple ciders – from Bull City in Durham and Bold Rock in Asheville.

Hungry Palate's signature cocktails include the Palate Punch with Bumbu rum, orange and pineapple juice, club soda and mint; and the Tito's Sparkling Grapefruit with Tito's vodka, grapefruit juice, Q sparkling grapefruit soda, simple syrup and mint.

The kitchen, run by Kinney's husband, Cody, offers a lot of classic bar food.

"We wanted to have a lot of shareables because we want this to be a gathering spot," Zyglis said.

Palate nachos (left) and buffalo chicken flatbread at Hungry Palate.

Starters ($6 to $12) include a long list of old favorites, including onion rings, mozzarella sticks, fried pickles, and loaded fries or tots. There also are some nonfried, slightly lighter options, such as bruschetta, stuffed portobello mushrooms and caprese salad. Other salads include Caesar, spinach and chef's – available in two sizes with optional protein add-ons.

Eight plain jumbo wings and eight Korean BBQ jumbo wings with four sauces at Hungry Palate in Winston-Salem.

Wings hold a prominent spot on the menu, available on plates of eight or 16 ($13 or $25). "I’m from Buffalo, so wings are my thing," Zyglis said. Wings are available with not only Buffalo sauce and ranch and blue-cheese dressings, but also BBQ, Korean BBQ, teriyaki, Parmesan garlic and sweet Thai chili. Zyglis also offers his own hot sauce. Eric's hot sauce is tangy and packs a decent kick.

There also are nachos, quesadillas and mac ’n’ cheese – the latter has a build-your-own option with choices of various proteins and veggies.

Hungry Palate has a handful of flatbreads, plus burgers, hot dogs and sandwiches. Flatbreads—$12 to $15 with choice of wheat or cauliflower crust, and regular or vegan cheese – include Buffalo or BBQ chicken, margarita and meat combo (ham, bacon, beef and pepperoni).

Zyglis and Kinney said they purposely included a lot of vegetarian items and such kid-friendly choices as hot dogs, cheese pizza and mac’n’ cheese.

"We want to be all-inclusive," Kinney said. "We want to have something for everybody."

A pedestrian walks past Hungry Palate.

[email protected]

@mhastingswsj

(336) 727-7394

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