The Chelsea

For one of the most historically rich and culinarily rewarding dining stops in New Bern, NC, The Chelsea is a real treasure. Set in the iconic Stanly Building at the corner of Middle and Broad Streets in Craven County’s county seat, this beloved fine dining restaurant occupies one of the most storied buildings in all of historic downtown — a 1913 structure that once housed Caleb Bradham’s second pharmacy, the Bradham Drug Company Broad Street Store, where the inventor of Pepsi-Cola continued building his iconic beverage empire. With new American cuisine, craft cocktails, fine wines, and a layered history that touches on the Bradham legacy, the Atlantic Fire Company, and even Nicholas Sparks, The Chelsea is far more than a restaurant — it’s a living connection to more than a century of North Carolina heritage. Click on the pictures below to get a feel for The Chelsea before you go — or to relive the visit after.

A Landmark with a Layered History — The Stanly Building

The Chelsea occupies one of the most historically significant buildings in downtown New Bern: the Stanly Building, completed in 1913. The building was commissioned by Lucinda Stanly, the presumed daughter of John C. Stanly (also known as “Barber Jack“), who was the son of influential New Bern merchant John Wright Stanly (whose name graces the historic Stanly House on the Tryon Palace grounds, with its associated Stanly House Garden). Lucinda Stanly tasked her son, architect George C. Eubanks, with the design and build.

Many of the building’s original interior features have stood the test of time, including the stunning mosaic tile floors, multi-paned transoms, and pressed-tin ceilings that still grace the dining room today. The Stanly Building remains a tangible link to the New Bern of more than a century ago.

Caleb Bradham and the “Handsomest in the South” Soda Fountain

Upon completion in 1913, the very first tenant of the Stanly Building was none other than Caleb D. Bradham, the inventor of Pepsi-Cola. Bradham’s Bradham Drug Company established its second pharmacy — known as the “Broad Street Store” — within the Stanly Building, just a block from the corner of Middle and Pollock Streets, where Bradham had launched his iconic beverage venture a decade earlier (and where the Birthplace of Pepsi now stands).

A 1914 directory lauded the new store’s modern design and sanitary equipment, highlighting its beautiful soda fountain as “the Handsomest in the South.” The Stanly Building is now one of only two remaining structures directly connected to Caleb Bradham’s legacy — the other being the Charles Slover House, a few blocks away, which Bradham purchased in 1908 at the height of his Pepsi expansion.

The decor inside The Chelsea pays loving tribute to that history, with Pepsi-themed touches throughout including signature menu items like the Caleb Bradham’s Old Fashioned cocktail and Pepsi BBQ ribs that connect today’s diners directly to the building’s iconic past.

William’s Restaurant and “Known from Maine to Florida”

After the closure of Bradham’s pharmacy, the Stanly Building became home to William’s Restaurant — a beloved New Bern institution that operated from 1930 to 1981 under owners Tommy and Mary Leris. The restaurant marketed itself as “Known from Maine to Florida,” and for more than five decades, it was a fixture of the New Bern dining scene.

After William’s closed in the early 1980s, Russell and Ruby Lawrence opened The Corner Grill in the building, serving New Bern for eight years.

The Chelsea and the Atlantic Fire Company Expansion

In 1991, Dr. Harry and Linda MacDonald opened The Chelsea Restaurant in the Stanly Building, beginning the next chapter in the building’s remarkable history. Five years later, in 1996, McDonald’s expanded by acquiring the building directly behind The Stanly Building at 405 Broad Street — a structure with its own fascinating layered past.

405 Broad Street was built between 1888 and 1893 and went through several remarkable uses:

1898: The Hotel Neuse
1904: The Elks Lodge
1913 to 1928: The Atlantic Fire Company — one of North Carolina’s oldest and most historic fire departments, also celebrated at the New Bern Firemen’s Museum just a short walk away

The most remarkable detail: the Atlantic Fire Company’s horse stables now house The Chelsea’s kitchen. During the late-1990s renovation, many original relics were discovered — including the historic fireman’s pole that remains a beloved part of the building’s character today.

New American Cuisine and Craft Cocktails

The menu at The Chelsea is built around new American cuisine with creative Southern influences. Standout menu items include:

Fresh seafood — Carolina coastal classics elevated with thoughtful modern techniques
Center-cut beef — quality cuts prepared with care
Shrimp and grits — a Southern signature done exceptionally well
Osso Bucco — slow-braised veal shank, a longtime customer favorite
Chicken breast in brown butter sauce — served over stone-ground grits
Pepsi BBQ ribs — a creative tribute to the building’s Bradham heritage
Pepsi-themed dishes that weave the building’s history into the dining experience

The bar program is equally thoughtful, with:

Caleb Bradham’s Old Fashioned — the signature cocktail honoring the building’s most famous early occupant
A full lineup of craft cocktails, fine wines, and local beers

The dining experience extends across two floors — the casually upscale main level and an upstairs dining room that overlooks the bustling streets of historic downtown New Bern.

Nicholas Sparks, Elvis, and a New Mural

The Chelsea’s cultural legacy goes well beyond architecture and cuisine. The restaurant was featured in Nicholas Sparks’ 2003 novel “The Wedding,” giving it a place in one of the most beloved romance writers’ best-known works.

And the building’s reach is even broader than that — Elvis Presley once ate at William’s Restaurant in this very building during its earlier era, a detail commemorated in the brand new five-panel mural painted on the Broad Street side of The Chelsea in April 2026. Designed by Craven Arts Council Executive Director Jon Berger and painted with the help of community members, the mural is titled “The Stanly Building from Fire House to Landmark” and explores the building’s full history from firehouse to pharmacy to longtime restaurant.

Good to Know

Address: 335 Middle Street, New Bern, NC 28560 (corner of Middle and Broad Streets)
Building history: The Stanly Building, completed in 1913, was originally designed for Lucinda Stanly by her son, architect George C. Eubanks
First tenant: Caleb Bradham’s Bradham Drug Company “Broad Street Store” — the inventor of Pepsi-Cola’s second pharmacy
Famed soda fountain: Called “the Handsomest in the South” in a 1914 directory
Original interior features: Mosaic tile floors, multi-paned transoms, pressed-tin ceilings — all preserved
Restaurant history: William’s Restaurant (1930-1981, Tommy and Mary Leris), then The Corner Grill (~1980s, Russell and Ruby Lawrence), then The Chelsea (1991-present, Dr. Harry and Linda MacDonald)
Atlantic Fire Company connection: The building at 405 Broad Street housed the Atlantic Fire Company (1913-1928); its former horse stables now serve as The Chelsea’s kitchen, and original relics, including the fireman’s pole, remain
Style: Casually upscale fine dining bistro with new American cuisine and Southern influences
Menu highlights: Fresh seafood, center-cut beef, shrimp and grits, Osso Bucco, chicken breast in brown butter sauce over stone-ground grits, Pepsi BBQ ribs
Signature cocktail: Caleb Bradham’s Old Fashioned
Bar program: Craft cocktails, fine wines, local beers
Dining floors: Two — including an upstairs dining room overlooking historic downtown streets
Cultural notes: Featured in Nicholas Sparks’ 2003 novel “The Wedding”; Elvis Presley once dined in the building during the William’s Restaurant era; a five-panel 2026 mural by Craven Arts Council Executive Director Jon Berger now graces the Broad Street side
Best for: History enthusiasts, fine dining seekers, Pepsi heritage buffs, romantics, and visitors looking for one of New Bern’s most meaningful dining experiences
Pair with: A visit to the Birthplace of Pepsi just a block away, a stop at the New Bern Firemen’s Museum, a tour of Tryon Palace, or a stroll through historic downtown New Bern
Located at the corner of Middle and Broad Streets in downtown New Bern, NC

A New Bern Highlight

The Chelsea is the kind of stop that genuinely transports you across more than a century of New Bern’s most fascinating history. The remarkable 1913 Stanly Building with its preserved mosaic tile floors and pressed-tin ceilings, the meaningful connection to Caleb Bradham and the “Handsomest in the South” soda fountain, the William’s Restaurant era that brought decades of community gathering, the Atlantic Fire Company horse stables that now house the kitchen, the Pepsi-themed menu touches like the Caleb Bradham’s Old Fashioned and the Pepsi BBQ ribs, the new American cuisine done thoughtfully, the Nicholas Sparks and Elvis cultural connections, and the brand new five-panel community mural that captures it all add up to one of the most genuinely meaningful dining experiences anywhere in Craven County. Whether you’re settling in for shrimp and grits and an old-fashioned in the heart of Bradham’s old pharmacy, ordering Pepsi BBQ ribs in the very space where Pepsi’s inventor once worked, or just savoring a fine dinner with a layer of history at every turn, this is one of the most rewarding stops you can make in eastern New Bern.