Eric and I have a lot of feelings about downtown Greensboro. We live here, we walk here, we ebike here, and when we send guests out to explore the neighborhood, we want them to experience the businesses that make this city feel like itself. The Bodega is one of those places. And the story behind it is worth telling.
This is the first in what we are planning as a running series: spotlights on the downtown business owners we genuinely love. Not a paid feature, not a sponsored post. Just two people who live around the corner saying: these folks are the real thing, and you should know their names.
Eric and I send every guest who stays with us at Your Mom's Place, the Library of Ivy and Ellie, or Hunsucker's Place a welcome guide of local spots we actually visit ourselves. The Bodega has been on that list from nearly the beginning. So has the live music scene that makes downtown worth walking into on any given night. These are the things that make Greensboro feel like a place worth staying in, buying into, and coming back to.
The Bodega: Greensboro's Corner Store, Grown Up
At 313 S. Greene Street, right across from the Carolina Theatre, The Bodega does something that sounds simple but is actually hard to pull off: it is genuinely useful and genuinely fun at the same time. Fresh pressed sandwiches, grab and go snacks, drinks, everyday essentials, consignment goods, apparel, and a shaded patio that invites you to slow down for a minute. It opened in February 2020, which is an almost absurdly difficult moment to launch anything, and it has only grown since.
Part of what keeps us recommending The Bodega to every single guest is the staff. Every person behind that counter seems genuinely happy to be there. They greet you like you are expected. They make you feel like your order matters, your question is welcome, and your return visit would be a treat for them too. That quality of hospitality is harder to manufacture than a great menu. You cannot hire your way into it unless the ownership has set the tone from the very beginning.
The Bodega sits in the heart of what we would call the walkable core of downtown, the same corridor that connects the Carolina Theatre, the Hampton Inn, and the kind of small business density that makes a neighborhood feel alive rather than managed. If you want the full picture of what is happening downtown and who has been shaping it, our Greensboro downtown leadership timeline covers that story from 2013 through 2026.
The Sandwiches: Where the Creativity Shows
Nick's food instincts are all over the sandwich menu, and the names alone tell you something about the personality of this place. Every sandwich is built on an 8-inch roll with fresh ingredients daily. A few favorites worth knowing before you walk in:
Grilled chicken, pesto, marinara, provolone, fresh mozzarella, parmesan, roasted red peppers, banana peppers, Italian seasoning and EVOO, toasted to perfection
Salami, mortadella, capicola, ham, provolone, fresh mozzarella, giardiniera spread, lettuce, tomato, mayo, onion, oregano, oil and vinegar
Ham, hot capicola, chorizo, strawberry jam brie, pepper relish, arugula: sweet, savory, and a little unpredictable in the best way
Ham, turkey, hot capicola, sharp cheddar, habanero jack, swiss, pesto mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion: the Bob's Burgers fans in the crowd will appreciate the name
Mortadella, turkey, cheddar, Lays potato chips, bodega chipotle mayo, French's yellow mustard, bodega pickle relish, romaine, tomato and onion
Roasted turkey, tzatziki, pepperoncini, marinated tomato cucumber, pickle, feta, oil and vinegar, Greek seasoning
Pepperoni, salami, mortadella, soppressata, prosciutto, chorizo, ham, provolone, fresh mozzarella, arugula, tomato, onion, mayo and EVOO: built for the serious
Hummus, artichoke, roasted vegetables, and fresh ingredients: the vegetarian anchor of the menu done with the same care as everything else
The sides deserve a mention too: red skin potato salad, macaroni salad, and Bo 'Mento Cheese round out the menu in a way that feels intentional rather than obligatory. If you are feeding a group, the Lunch Box deal (sandwich, chips, and a pickle) is the move. They also do catering through their outdoor patio event space if you are planning something in the heart of downtown.
Bo Soda: From Corner Store to Statewide Shelves
In 2024, Daniel and Nick launched Bo Soda (short for Bodega Soda), a line of hemp-derived, delta-9 THC-infused beverages developed right out of The Bodega. These are not novelty products. They are well-crafted, thoughtfully branded, and the distribution growth tells the story: Bo Soda is now available at more than 100 locations across the Triad and beyond in North Carolina. That kind of traction does not happen by accident. It happens when you have the right combination of product quality, industry relationships, and local trust already built.
Two People, Decades of Groundwork
The Bodega did not appear out of nowhere. It is the current chapter of two long entrepreneurial journeys that, when you lay them side by side, explain exactly why the place works.
- Bandito Burrito Truck (2012): American Baja-style burritos and tacos with a loyal following, built while Nick was already an experienced chef de cuisine at Josephine's Bistro
- Bandito Bodega (2017): Brick and mortar at 1609 W. Friendly Ave., expanding into Mexican, Asian, and American fusion. The food press called him one of Greensboro's most underrated chefs. They were not wrong.
- The Bodega (2020 to present): Where his eye for flavor and his instinct for hospitality anchor the whole operation
- Gate City Growlers (2015): Co-founded the craft beer bottle shop and taproom at 1724 Battleground Ave., still open and focused on small NC breweries and rare beers from across the state
- River Club Concern: Operating partner in a brewery in Madison, NC, his third venture in the beverage industry
- Bo Soda (2024 to present): Leads the THC-infused soda brand out of The Bodega into statewide distribution across more than 100 locations
Nick brings the food and the feeling. Daniel brings the beverage expertise and the brand instincts. Those are not the same skill sets, and having both under one roof is exactly why The Bodega does not feel like anything else downtown.
Their Current Portfolio at a Glance
| Business | Year | What It Is | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Bodega | 2020 | Corner store, sandwiches, and patio at 313 S. Greene St., downtown Greensboro | Open |
| Gate City Growlers | 2015 | Craft beer bottle shop and taproom, 1724 Battleground Ave., Greensboro | Open |
| Bo Soda | 2024 | Delta-9 THC hemp-derived sodas, 100+ NC locations | Growing |
| River Club Concern | 2022 | Brewery in Madison, NC (Daniel, operating partner) | Open |
Why We Keep Sending People Here
When guests book a stay with us, we send them a welcome guide full of places we actually go. The Bodega is on that list because it is the kind of place that makes guests feel like they stumbled onto something, not like they followed a tourist tip. It is a neighborhood business in the best sense: functional, personal, and a little bit surprising.
The staff culture is real. Everyone who works there seems to genuinely appreciate you coming in. There is no performance of friendliness, no scripted cheerfulness. It reads more like a team that respects the people who walk through the door and wants them to come back. When your first-time guests come home and tell you the people at that sandwich spot were so nice, that is not an accident. That is tone set from the top.
The fact that it was launched at the start of a pandemic, survived, and then helped birth a product line now available across the state is not a small thing. It is the kind of story that reminds us why downtown Greensboro keeps drawing people in and keeps them here. If you want context on how downtown got to where it is today, the people who shaped it and the decisions that built the current landscape, our downtown leadership timeline is a good read. And if you want to understand what makes the neighborhoods just off downtown so distinct from each other, the Fisher Park neighborhood guide and the Idlewood neighborhood guide are where to start.
Greensboro's small business culture did not emerge in a vacuum. It grew out of a city with deep roots in labor, craft, and community investment: the same story we trace in our textile history post. The entrepreneurs who build things here tend to build them with intention. Daniel and Nick are a good example of that pattern.
And while you are out on S. Greene Street, check what is on at the Carolina Theatre that evening. Or see what is happening at one of the dozen venues within walking distance. Our complete guide to live music in Greensboro has every venue, every calendar link, and the festivals worth planning around. Eric even has a page on the site for his own piano work if you want to hear live piano locally: Hunsucker Piano is where to find him.
Next time you are downtown, go get a sandwich. The Chicken Donatella is a good starting point, the Ham and Jam will surprise you, and the Tony Soprano is there when you mean business. Grab a Bo Soda if they have a flavor that calls to you. Sit on the patio if the weather cooperates.
Then walk two blocks and see what else is happening on S. Greene Street. That is the whole point of a neighborhood like this one.
The Bodega: 313 S. Greene Street, Greensboro, NC 27401 | (336) 808-5340
Gate City Growlers: 1724 Battleground Ave., Greensboro, NC 27408 | (336) 763-9746
Shop local. Eat local. Drink local. Love local.
Joy Watson, Realtor® | Joy Watson Real Estate
Serving Greensboro, NC & the Piedmont Triad
(928) 699-8883 | joy@joywatsonrealestate.com
License #307423 | Firm License #C37131
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What is your favorite item at The Bodega, or a memory from any of their spots? Drop it in the comments. We would genuinely love to hear your stories.