About
This historic hidden gem in the heart of Downtown Raleigh accommodates up to 120 seated guests for indoor/outdoor celebrations. Inside, the Jiddi (meaning "grandfather" in Lebanese) is a fully enclosed space that seats up to 100 guests, with market lighting, exposed brick, and high ceilings. In the Courtyard, there is a marble-top outdoor bar, lounge seating, and a stage area, perfect for live music and ceremonies. The Courtyard offers an enchanting atmosphere with our house market lights, and is equally romantic under a clear-top tent rental from a third party vendor! This urban oasis is tucked behind two street-facing restaurants: Sitti Authentic Lebanese and Gravy Italian Kitchen, both serving as exclusive caterers to the venue. At the Jiddi Space & Courtyard, we are committed to excellent hospitality and crafting an experience as special as the occasion!
Wedding/Getting-Ready Suite
Get ready for your Big Day in our beautiful suite that overlooks the Courtyard! This space is included with the Jiddi Space & Courtyard. Light bites, lunch, and refreshments are also available.
Services
Our friendly staff members are ready to help assist with your big day. The venue provides a range of services, including:
In-house catering and bar, from Sitti or Gravy
Market Lights (indoors and outdoors)
Setup/Cleanup of all house items
Wifi, sound system, microphone
Banquet-ware
Linens and tea light candles
Tables/Chairs
Cake Cutting
Food Services/Cuisine
The Jiddi Space & Courtyard is catered exclusively by Sitti or Gravy, and our private dining menus reflect the food you know and love from these two award-winning restaurants. Our food and beverage offerings include:
In-house service staff and bar staff
Tastings
Champagne toast
Signature drink
Cash bar or Open bar
Third-party cake allowed
Other Services
The Jiddi Space & Courtyard is a popular venue for a wide variety of wedding-related celebrations as well:
Elopement
Bridal shower
Engagement party
Rehearsal dinner and/or welcome party
Ceremony
Reception
Post wedding brunch
History
As part of the Heilig Levine complex on the corner of Wilmington and Hargett streets, the Jiddi Space & Courtyard share a rich history. Now occupied by Sitti Authentic Lebanese restaurant, the Heilig Levine building proper was home to 2 hotels, a furniture store, and a grocery store before W. A. Heilig and Albert L. Levine's furniture business came to the space in 1936.
The Jiddi Space & Courtyard were used as storage for the businesses around it – for carriages in the late 1800s to early 1900s, then for furniture and other goods in the mid-1900s. When Empire Properties bought and restored the Heilig Levine complex in 2005, the Jiddi Space & Courtyard were used as a workshop during the renovation.
Location
Nestled in the heart of downtown Raleigh, blocks from Marbles Museum, North Carolina State Capitol, and the North Carolina Museum of Science. 23 minute drive from RD
Civil Union, Commitment Ceremony, Elopement, Interfaith Ceremony, Non-Religious Ceremony, Religious Ceremony, Second Wedding, Vow Renewal Ceremony
Venue Service Offerings
Bar & Drinks, Cakes & Desserts, Other Desserts, Food & Catering, Rentals & Equipment, Service Staff
Settings
Garden, Historic Venue, Industrial & Warehouse, Restaurant, Trees
Business Attributes
Pricing for Jiddi Space & Courtyard
Option
Value
Starting Cost
Moderate
Cost Starting
Price Range
$8,400 - $11,100+
Couples Usually Spend
$9,750
Peak Season Months
April-May, September-December
Peak Season Cost
$8,400 - $11,100+
Peak Season Reception Cost
$500
Peak Season Ceremony Cost
$500
Peak Season Bar Service Cost
$30
OffSeason Months
January-March, June-August
OffSeason Cost
$8,400 - $11,100+
OffSeason Reception Cost
$5,500
OffSeason Ceremony Cost
$500
OffSeason BarService Cost
$30
Jiddi Space & Courtyard Reviews
Heather Tabor(bride)5 out of 5 Rating
Beautiful venue hidden in the heart of downtown Raleigh. While the venue was gorgeous the team is what made us thrilled with our selection. Would highly recommend! Reviewed on 24-10-2023
Elisha Kelly(bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 28-05-2022 My husband and I had our rehearsal dinner and our \"welcome drinks\" at the Jiddi Space and it was AMAZING. This is such a beautiful space, especially at night under the string lights. We loved the industrial aesthetic and the history behind the the building and space itself. We loved that they had the indoor space for dinner and the outdoor space... we had 45 for our dinner and then around 120 for the welcome drinks portion. We had a band come and it was truly magical and the best way to kick off our wedding weekend.Kat was the manager we worked with and she is honestly the most kind, fun, helpful person and you can tell how much she loves her job. We felt so lucky to work with her! She made everything go so smoothly for us. Also, the food from Gravy was sooo good! Our guests were raving about it and just the whole night in general.We honestly can't recommend this venue enough!! Reviewed on 14-06-2022
Stephany LaFlamme(bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 01-11-2021 A great space for a wedding with an amazing staff. We had a 20 person wedding and held the ceremony and reception inside. Coming from out of state, we were unable to visit the space in person or sample the food prior to the event. But the Empire Eats event coordinators Amy and Kat made booking the Jiddi space and all the planning very easy. They were very helpful in answering all of our questions. The food from Gravy was amazing and the staff took great care of all our guests. Arancini, chicken marsala, braised beef, and tiramisu were all delicious. There wasn’t a single item we picked out that we didn’t love! The space looked amazing and everyone had a great experience. We are very thankful to everyone at Gravy and Jiddi that helped make our wedding go so smoothly and a truly memorable day. Reviewed on 13-11-2021
Becca Bender(bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 02-10-2021 Our 10-2-21 wedding was at the Jiddi Space and it was absolutely amazing. Devan was amazing to work with and helped answer all our questions and made helpful suggestions. This venue was a great value and the catering from Gravy cannot be beat. They also accommodated our live band and helped field questions from the booking company. Everyone raved about our food all night, as well as the attentiveness and professionalism of the staff. We had around 100 people and it felt comfortable but we nicely filled up the venue. I would also recommend the bridal suite for getting ready! Can't recommend enough. This is definitely a hidden gem in Raleigh. Reviewed on 11-10-2021
Ann Robinson(parent)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 29-02-2020 We had our daughter's wedding reception at Sitti and it was one of the best decisions we made! Devan and Jessica were fabulous and the entire evening went without a hitch! The staff was incredible and I can't say enough good things about the entire event. From the moment we sat down with Devan to plan the evening, we knew we were in good hands! A shout out to Johnny Knight the photographer (another recommendation from Devan) who was fabulous! He was a joy to work with and really connected with the bride and groom and everyone who attended. . .his photos were amazing! Thank you again for wonderful memories!!! Reviewed on 07-04-2020
Heather Johnson(bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 01-11-2019 Raleigh’s Hidden Gem indeed!! Literally can’t rave enough about our experience with Devan and the Jiddi Space for our wedding!! From planning to the day of everything was absolutely perfect!! Highly recommend to everyone!! Reviewed on 10-11-2019
Amy McDowell(bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 26-10-2019 We were married at Jiddi in October and could not be more thrilled with the entire experience. Devan was so easy to work and she was always so quick to get back to me via e-mail or phone, even when I sent her a dozen questions! She reassured me throughout the entire process and made sure that our actual event was nothing short of perfect. She even got back to me via e-mail on her day off when I realized the next day that I had left our leftover cupcakes in the space!And as for the space - you could not ask for a prettier venue in downtown Raleigh. We had so many guests come up to tell us that they couldn't believe how beautiful it was and that they'd never known the courtyard was there, despite eating at Gravy and/or Sitti for years. We used Sitti for our wedding food (and Gravy's Wine Cellar for our rehearsal dinner) and we had so many people tell us that the food from Sitti was the best wedding food they'd ever eaten. I am a vegetarian and my fellow vegetarian/vegan friends could not believe how many options they had throughout the night. We could not have asked for a better experience! Reviewed on 30-10-2019
Sales ManagerOriginally from Chicago, bringing a blend of energetic hospitality to our couples . With 20 years experience in the food, beverage, and service industry I take pride in making events memorable for every guest. Building relationships while making the planning process less stressful is my passion. I focus on our teams delivery of food & beverage service and hospitality within our venues. My job is rewarding to see a vision come full circle, whether watching couples tie the knot, helping them throw a surprise party, or just celebrating life! Let's connect and make your event great.