Owners: Brooke and Mike Lynch
By Ann Marie Byrd, Feature Writer
Cork Wine Bar and Bistro, a newly opened restaurant located at 319 Bern Street near the Country Biscuit, is offering a artisanal taste of Italy with finely curated food and wine.
Owners Mike and Brooke Lynch moved to New Bern six years ago from the Philadelphia suburbs, and Mike was the former executive chef at Taberna County Club. During covid, Mike and Brooke started dreaming of opening a wine and cheese shop, but what they imagined has blossomed into a full-scale, cultivated dining experience.
“My Grandmother’s family had a butcher shop and they lived above it. In Norristown, PA, there is a deli and bakery on every other block and a strong feeling of community in each neighborhood. I want to bring that feeling to New Bern, by making the food I grew up with—family-style Italian food from our heart and our home, using recipes that have been passed down in my family for generations.”
The restaurant is open for both lunch and dinner, as well as Sunday brunch. Lunch includes sandwiches, salads and artisan grilled cheese. Dinner includes appetizers from their Chicchetti menu, charcuterie boards, antipasti, salads, and light meals with choices such as the veal cutlet, petite filet, lollipop lamb chops, scallops, mussels and of course, pasta. The Sunday brunch features a crabcake benedict, croque madame, shakshouka, lobster mac and cheese, wings and waffles and an enticing angus burger.
Mike and Brooke take special care in gathering the highest possible quality ingredients in their offerings, highlighting North Carolina cheeses like Chapel Hill Creamery and the Goat Lady, as well as cheeses and meats from the Tuscan region—that means REAL buffalo milk mozzarella. The meats are extraordinarily well-crafted and cured. The wines come from around the world but are based in Italy; the beer is both European and locally brewed.
The atmosphere has a cool, moody vibe, with a midnight blue ceiling, vintage style light fixtures, wine barrel tables and leather seating. It’s the perfect environment for a romantic date night, or a relaxing lunch with friends in an environment that is specifically designed to be enjoyed at your leisure.