Ash Aziz’s Perla Raw Bar eyes soft opening next week

A rendering reveals what Perla Raw Bar at The Renaissance, an oyster bar focusing on fresh seafood, is expected to look like. (Courtesy of Thomas Construction Group)

Longtime Wilmington-area restaurateur Ash Aziz is set to open his latest venture this month.
 
Perla Raw Bar will be a modern take on an oyster bar and is located at 1039 Ashes Drive at The Renaissance, a mixed-use development off of Military Cutoff Road. Aziz calls the location, “a little gem in a great neighborhood.”
 
The restaurant will focus on fresh, locally sourced ingredients, with a heavy emphasis on seafood.
 
“The menu will feature raw bar items such as crudo, tartare and ceviche, as well as steamed mussels, clams and shrimp,” Aziz said. “The menu is designed for sharing. We will have small plates, handhelds and entrees – lots of fresh seafood.”
 
Heading up operations in the kitchen is North Carolina native Jonathan Mitchell. Mitchell has previously worked in kitchens in Key West, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; and Shelter Island, New York.
 
Perla Raw Bar is slated to open its doors on Oct. 10 for an event to benefit NourishNC, and a soft opening will follow on Oct. 12. 
 
The restaurant will seat 70 at tables inside and another 60 on its large outdoor patio. The bar provides seating for 36 people both inside and outside. 
 
Aziz has owned and operated some of Wilmington’s best-known restaurants for more than 25 years, including Circa 1922 downtown. Most recently, he opened Origins at Autumn Hall in 2022. 
 
In 2019, Aziz hinted at retirement when he sold three of his best-known restaurants – Brasserie du Soleil, Boca Bay and Osteria Cicchetti – to Urban Food Group, as well as Junction 421 to Jonathan and Shirena O’Donnell. Last year, he sold Il Forno Pizzeria at The Point at Barclay after five years in operation.
 
“Fully retired is overrated, but I am planning to slow down my openings,” Aziz said. “I want to continue to do the job as long as I am enjoying it, and I feel that focusing on great quality in the restaurants I do have and working with great teams keeps me going.”
 
Perla Raw Bar’s website, perlarawbar.com, is under construction, and the restaurant will also have a presence on Facebook and Instagram.