Capital Club 16
passion history culture
Our Story
Raleigh is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, perennial best place to live, and home to a revolving door of new culinary ventures. But for the last 15 years, one restaurant, a favorite of locals, artists, travelers, and more, has held down a historic corner on Martin Street in Downtown. Delivering the best German-American food in the region, Capital Club 16 and its locally-sourced ingredients, scratch-made recipes, and curation of flavors both traditional and new, has become a Raleigh institution.
Meet the Owners
Jake Wolf grew up in Connecticut, working in his family's restaurant, Lobos, then in North Carolina at the Pinehurst Members Club before attending the Culinary Institute of America. His first job out of school was out West in Telluride where he enjoyed the slopes and elevated his cooking. Since, he has worked in beloved restaurants around the world, including a hotel in Germany where he trained in both fine dining and local fare, and a Bavarian beer garden in New York—all the while developing a talent for German-American cuisine and a passion for keeping traditional recipes alive.
At Capital Club 16, his partner is his wife Shannon Wolf. Shannon works in television and production, with networks including Oxygen, Discovery, CBS, and community based projects. Shanon and Jake enjoy traveling with their son, a competitive tennis player.
Chef Wolf
Chef and owner Jake Wolf came back to North Carolina from New York City to open a place with the charm and decor of an upscale urban eatery and the comfortable nostalgia of that good dining room mom used each holiday. From the historic art deco setting, to the bar reclaimed from Luchow's hundred-year-old restaurant in Manhattan, to the tables milled from old Neuse River docks, to dad’s tennis rackets on the walls and the skate pictures in the men’s bathroom, Capital Club 16 has carved out a place where the avant-garde of the city feels at home. An eclectic setting for exceptional food.
Jake, like most reliable cooks, remembers his grandmother teaching him the ways, how to avoid shortcuts, how to let things simmer. He remembers the hustle of the family restaurant, Lobos, where the value of service was instilled. It was at the family’s place and an early job at the Pinehurst Members Club that inspired him to attend the Culinary Institute of America. After school, he set out on his own. First to Telluride, to snowboard by day and cook by night. Then to Germany and New York, where he learned of hand-cut spätzle and Rahmschnitzel—all of these experiences now inform Jake’s unique cooking style. From Grandma Bonny’s traditional Sausage Gravy to the six dollar burger night, the foundations are all traditional, old-time fare.
As a maker of fine German-American food, naturally, Capital Club 16 became homebase for Raleigh’s German-inspired subculture. Home to Oktoberfest, Holiday Goose Roast, Wild Game Week, and, an ode to the bar’s origin, World Famous Luchow’s Holiday Sunday Supper. The restaurant and its event calendar were so popular Jake took the show on the road, launching the Wandering Wolf food truck, which you can find at a local street fair or meetup for vintage BMW motorbikes.
At Capital Club 16 it all comes together. At times for a workday lunch spot, for others it's a late night bite. This mix of people and flavors has turned this spot into Raleigh’s own little cultural hub—where the comfortable can feel artsy and the arty are comforted. A place where tradition meets new wave and the lessons of Grandma Bonnie share the air with the record playing in back.
