Hillsborough St?

Some good info getting posted! Nice to know where I might wanna go next time I come into town, which has become far and few between.

12/15/2015 12:04:36 PM

Glenwood South (trying to start at the top and go down)
Stag's Head - one of my favorite beer bars. used to be Amra's. they get some hard to find stuff on draft and they also have a bottle selection but it's more bar than bottle shop. they recently added a pool table and are adding a nice darts section. also have foosball. usually a college to young professional crowd.
Eden - "ultra lounge" whatever that means. Haven't been in there but have seen people on my FB saying they had a great time there.
Tobacco Road - one of the only true sports bars downtown. they are trying to go for an "upscale" approach but fall very short on their food. we go weekly for trivia and it's more about trying not to get burned by the menu than it is worrying about 1-2 bad items. seriously, get your food game in check and this would be a better spot. they're soon to move to the old Natty Green's location. diverse crowd.
Clockwork - douchey cocktail bar. girls dressed to the nines.
Mosaic - wine bar. pretty cool atmosphere. haven't been in a while.
Napper Tandy's - what used to be Stool Pigeons and Downtown Sports Bar hasn't changed at all. It's the same shit with a different name but not as popular unless it's after a kickball game (they sponsor the leagues).
Carolina Ale House - new sports bar with roof patio. pretty cool venue but for any decent game there is a long wait. diverse age groups.
Noir - another wine bar. haven't been but girls seem to like it a lot.
Rockford - small-ish bar that's a walk up. haven't been.
C Grace - I really like this bar but wouldn't go there without a date, or a crowd that includes women. Jazz bar, good cocktails, speakeasy feel.
Lucky B's - very college aged bar. Beer pong. All that stuff. Can be very crowded.
Hibernian - really like what they did with the space. Rooftop patio, good food, can be dead on weeknights but packed on weekends. diverse crowd from college to older folks.
Brooklyn Heights - used to be 25 and up but that isn't enforced since they've lost a lot of customers to Cornerstone right next door, which is pretty much the same bar but on a bigger scale. Renovated historic house. Shitty beer selection. nice outdoor firepit area. college to middle age crowd.
Cornerstone - the scourge of the earth as far as I'm concerned. total loud, crowded, place-to-be-seen college bar. I'm too old to wait 15 minutes while getting bumped by a million people to get a beer.
Raleigh Beer Garden - awesome interior and outdoor space. Rooftop. largest draft selection anywhere (or at least will be), great food. can be very crowded or not crowded at all - even on weekends. I can't seem to figure that out. college to young professional crowd.
Solas - the club to end all clubs in Raleigh. where people of all ages go to be seen. very expensive. roof top. glass dance floors, food on the first floor. whole nine yards.
Mojoe's - not sure anyone drinks here but it's a good place to get a burger late night.
Black Flower - not sure what the crowd is like now but in college it was pretty trashy.
Sullivan's - can't remember the name of the bar attached to Sullivan's Steakhouse so I'm just going with that. definitely a place for girls looking for wealthy sugar daddies. basic crowd is older men and younger women.
The Porch - I think this went out of business but I'm not sure.
Mirage - a nightclub that wishes it was Solas.

Does the Bass-ment still exist? Also not sure that that bar above C-Grace is. Glenwood is not my favorite area to go out.

12/15/2015 12:21:41 PM

the building that housed the Porch and The Basement now houses C Grace and whatever is above C Grace

and The Rockford is much more than a small bar. it's one of the best Raleigh restaurants.

[Edited on December 15, 2015 at 12:33 PM. Reason : .]

12/15/2015 12:31:43 PM

Hillsborough St. - not quite the same as when we were kids. I'll do my best here but there's not much.

Player's Retreat - the tried, the true, the classic. very eclectic crowd - can be anything from sorority girls to bums and everything in between. great food with a huge menu. large scotch selection and good beer selection. good place to watch sports outdoors - they can get you a table with your own tv if you call ahead. fire heating in the winter. they have a great upscale menu on Friday nights. a gem that has lasted the test of time.
Mitch's Tavern - another NCSU gem. humble food at humble prices. decent beer selection, really cool atmosphere. student and alumni crowd going up through all ages.
McDaid's Irish Pub - pretty much the main bar for NCSU students now. pretty good food, but small portions and expensive. can be packed to the walls. nice atmosphere.
The Loft - didn't know this existed until I googled it.
The Alley - same old Alley with shitty lanes and score yourself bowling. Melvin's burgers moved up into the top part and they have a full bar. not sure how popular it is. definitely for students though.
The Brickhouse - probably the best sports bar in the downtown area. 21-30 year old crowd. Meredith girls on some nights. They have trivia on Mondays. pretty good bar food. free pool tables. I think they have corn hole too.
Raleigh Brewing Company - an ok brewery. I don't think their beers are anything to write home about and the venue is large and without much character. They'll have different events and food trucks out there. can be pretty crowded. Diverse age groups.
PB's Pool Hall - one of the best pool halls around. full liquor and beer bar. good selection of beers and good prices for pool. one of the best darts leagues in Raleigh. college kids all the way up to old people go here. This is a real deal pool hall.
East Village - used to be frat-tastic but is now pretty much a dive bar. older crowd with some young people peppered in from time to time. same old decent food.

And I think that's about it for Hillsborough St. All of the old watering holes are pretty much long gone, so most kids find their way to Glenwood or Fayetteville St. now.

12/15/2015 12:33:09 PM

Other Stuff Inside the Beltline

The Station - I have not been here but it's at the top of my list of place to try. Have heard great things about the crowd, food, and venue. Supposedly very chill. Used to be a gas station
Person St. Bar - same as above.
The Bison - formerly owned by the same folks as the Goat. this is a party bar. cheap ass drinks and a super diverse crowd. pretty trashy crowd most of the time but it's fun. they also have a pool table you have to beat whoever is on the table to pay, which I like. and a punching bag machine.
Sub Noir - this is a nano brewery that's hidden. They have some pretty good beers but they're only open on odd hours so check ahead. they also have a SNES / NES emulator with a bunch of games. very very small.
Nickel Point - I went to this brewery when they opened and was not at all impressed. they had a really shitty "band" playing that shouldn't have ever been on stage anywhere, and the beer sucked. However, I think a lot of this was just opening week jitters and I've heard they've improved their beer quality so I'll give it another shot.
Neuse River Brewing - have not had a chance to try. have heard it's a cool atmosphere and kid friendly.
The Point - this is the mainstay in Five Points beside the Rialto. Younger fratty type crowd every time I've been.
The Medlin - this is owned by the people that own the Goat. I haven't been but it's supposed to have a great beer selection. College aged crowd.
The Goat - the end all, be all, original party bar. you never know what you're going to get at this place, except for very, very drunk. they also have cornhole.
Big Boss Brewing - the original brewery in Raleigh. the beers they distribute kinda suck but their one-off's are pretty good. they have a lot of events here and usually have food trucks on the weekends. I've heard they've installed a second bar downstairs with more barrel aged stuff regularly. diverse age crowd.
High Park Bar and Grill - I guess they serve the neighborhood around them and kickball/other recreational adult leagues. Huge space, lots of college games (beer pong, pool tables, ping pong, darts, etc.). I've only ever been here after kick ball. It's a bit dingy but the food is good.
Village Draft House - Cameron Village bar. Sports bar but not really a great spot to watch the game unless you're at the bar. Decent food. Young professional crowd.

[Edited on December 15, 2015 at 12:52 PM. Reason : added village draft house]

12/15/2015 12:43:40 PM

Is village draft house still there?

12/15/2015 12:48:52 PM

North Raleigh and Midtown I'll try to keep this brief.
The Pickled Onion - one of my favorite bars of all time. best sports bar in Raleigh in my opinion. Hands down the best bar food with a big menu. Lot's of outdoor TVs and it's covered so you can watch outside year round (they have heaters too). This is very much a neighborhood bar and regulars get service first, but come a few times and you're golden. Usually a middle aged crowd but younger people come in sometimes. They have events pretty much nightly (Tuesday open mic, Wednesday trivia, Friday is a super popular karaoke night).
Hibernian North - really nice Hibernian. Good food, cool atmosphere. live music on weekends. gets packed for World Cup stuff. older crowd with some younger.
Vinos Finos - Wine bar at LaFayette Village. Has some great charcuterie and specializes in South American and Spanish wines.
Yard House - sports bar at North Hills with awesome food and huge draft selection. upscale. yuppie crowd.
Fox and Hound - sports bar with more blue collar crowd - for North Hills at least. decent corporate food and a corporate bar feel. mixed crowd. good place to grab a beer before or after a movie.
Sawmill Taproom - neighborhood sports bar with decent food. Middle aged crowd typically.
Lincoln - bottle shop owned by Camos Brothers Pizza. You can grab a slice and have some drafts and then browse the bottle selection.
World of Beer - preppier bar with the youngest crowd you'll find outside the beltline. tons of beers. can get food delivered there.

12/15/2015 12:51:19 PM

annddd my lunch break is over. time well spent. now meetings for three straight hours.

12/15/2015 12:53:01 PM

great list! i'll add one you left off

Gallo Pelon - above Centro on Wilmington Street. Small, quaint, cocktail bar specializing in Mezcal. quiet atmosphere, great cocktails, limited seating but usually not very crowded.

12/15/2015 1:25:51 PM

In North Raleigh there's also Bottlemix and I think a new Bottle Revolution in Greystone shopping center.

[Edited on December 15, 2015 at 2:12 PM. Reason : Chow probably makes the list too with their beer selection]

12/15/2015 2:09:25 PM

^there is - and also Crafty in LaFayette.

12/15/2015 3:07:20 PM

Chow is good but almost every beer is over 7 dollars. which i think is a bit excessive for coors

12/15/2015 3:09:55 PM

Quote :

"Let's make a definitive list of the bars in DTR, what they specialize in, and what their clientele is (bros, old people, beer nerds, college kids, etc etc.) Because honestly i'm kind of lost on where to go these days. There are more places to avoid than there are to seek out."

Box Car and Level Up are both arcade bars for adults.

[Edited on December 15, 2015 at 3:18 PM. Reason : .]

12/15/2015 3:17:54 PM

^This

Please stop bringing your kids to bars. If I want to see your kids I will just hang out with them while they're at school.

[Edited on December 15, 2015 at 3:27 PM. Reason : Can't you just leave them at home with the TV like our parents did?]

12/15/2015 3:26:58 PM

Quote :

"Chow is good but almost every beer is over 7 dollars. which i think is a bit excessive for coors "

Their prices are a little high, but that applies to their nicer beers. Coors/cheap bear isn't too bad...obviously not Hillsborough St cheap though. They also have pitcher specials certain days of the week.

[Edited on December 15, 2015 at 3:55 PM. Reason : Good trivia and cheap pitchers on Wednesday nights]

12/15/2015 3:29:53 PM

Boxcar is an arcade that has a bar.
Level Up is a bar that has a few arcade games.

Both are cool, but if you're looking for variety go to Boxcar.

12/15/2015 3:45:39 PM

Level up also has dank food.

12/15/2015 3:49:19 PM

Quote :

"Their prices are a little high, but that applies to their nicer beers."

agreed, they also have a Beer & Burger special for 10 bucks on one night a week. i cant remember which day tho

12/15/2015 3:51:12 PM

Chow does that bullshit where it's either $7 for a 20oz. or $4 for like 10oz. I just want a $5 16oz pint.

12/15/2015 3:55:53 PM

Quote :

"Anchor Bar - pretty much the Greek Life hangout in downtown. Mostly liquor with some beers."

so this is universally known as the frat bar these days? A friend of mine has wanted to get drinks there several times i've been in town and each time it's packed with this type of crowd. He swears it's not usually that way, but i think he's just not getting out enough.

12/15/2015 3:56:11 PM

I go by it all the time and go in with friends occasionally. I have never not seen a total Greek life type of crowd in there. Interestingly enough, I walked around downtown with my cousins on Thanksgiving night and it was the only thing open that we passed by.

12/15/2015 4:07:10 PM

I kinda like Neuse River Brewing and Nicklepoint, and usually having a selection of two food trucks. However, the last time I was at Nicklepoint it was a little earlier, and there were kids EVERYWHERE, running around, zipping around on the scooters, screaming. It's cool that the parents have a place to go to bring their children, but it was really annoying.

There's also the Lynnwood Grill Brewing just down the street at the corner of Whikater Mill and Atlantic, just across the road from Big Boss (and also down the road from Sub Noir), but I haven't been there since it changed over from Blackjack Brewing.

12/16/2015 11:25:52 AM

^do they have a taproom? I thought it was just their commercial brewing facility. I need to get down there and check out all of the breweries in that area one weekend.

I forgot to add Lynwood's main bar to my list. Their IPA is pretty damn good.

[Edited on December 16, 2015 at 12:19 PM. Reason : .]

12/16/2015 12:18:35 PM

Yeah, there's a taproom, and they usually have food trucks too.

12/16/2015 12:52:06 PM

I'm a fan of Lynnwood's beer. Haven't been down to their ITB spot yet, but their restaurant is one of my normal haunts.

I'm also a fan of Trali up in Brier Creek. Smallish place with a core of regulars. Live music on the weekends. Good food and decent beer selection.

12/16/2015 1:05:13 PM

Nice summaries, ncsuallday. Another bar to mention (that I rarely go to due to location) is Lynnwood Grille on Glenwood Ave north of Crabtree. Probably the origin of over 50% of the North Raleigh DUIs

Jesse, knowing your preferences I'd say to stay away from:

-Oxford after 11
-Coglins, always
-Big Easy, after 11
-Capital City Tavern, after 10
-Common 414, maybe? I've never been. It was opened by the owners of Isaac Hunter's so that leads me to believe it's just as obnoxious as IH's was in the last few years it was open.

Anchor Bar , I've always had a good time there. Clientele can be a little douchy but if you're with a good group shouldn't matter.

I have mixed feelings about Cornerstone. Personally I've never had a hard time getting a drink...from the outside bar. Fuck that inside bar. In fact, fuck everything inside that place. It's a good place to go and hang out in the outdoor area. That's about it. Good place to meet girls, or meet up with girls. I think 75% of the time I've gone there was to meet up with girls.

[Edited on December 16, 2015 at 1:09 PM. Reason : ]

12/16/2015 1:07:36 PM

Quote :

"Chow does that bullshit where it's either $7 for a 20oz. or $4 for like 10oz. I just want a $5 16oz pint."

On Mondays, Chow does a $10 burger and 20 oz beer deal.

12/16/2015 1:51:11 PM

I honestly now prefer Fuquay and the South Side of Wake County over the other night life spots. Google map says I'm 23 minutes from Aviator and 22 minutes from Moore Square. Broad Street > Moore Square/Glenwood South/North Hills.

12/18/2015 10:27:06 PM

[Edited on December 18, 2015 at 11:15 PM. Reason : wrong thread]

12/18/2015 11:14:49 PM

^^keep on trollin'!

12/22/2015 9:26:57 AM

I checked out the Station and Person St. Bar last weekend. Station was cool - I'm sure it's even better in the summer. Good food, wasn't impressed with the beer selection. Mixed crowd of younger and older folks but I went around dinner time. Walked over to Person St. Bar and really liked that place. It has pretty good drafts (Wicked Weed) and a pool table, which is always a plus for me. Definitely more of an artsy/indie vibe than the Station. Will go back for sure.

12/22/2015 10:14:11 AM

I was at Person St. bar for the first time Saturday night. In contrast to your opinion, I wasn't impressed with the draft selection. Was pretty weak for someone that hates hoppy beers (like this guy!). Was already drunk when I arrived (God bless you St. Bernardus Christmas Ale @ State of Beer) and I just settled on whatever brown ale was on tap.

Trophy Brewing's new brewing location opened up last night. South of downtown off of Maywood Avenue. I'm looking forward to checking it out (no food served there - beer only for now).

[Edited on December 22, 2015 at 1:50 PM. Reason : k]

12/22/2015 1:46:56 PM

So I just saw that Lincoln Brew Company Closed their location on TW Alexander Drive and moved to Highway 401 in Fuquay. Damn there are a lot of breweries in South Wake County now and that is absolutely wonderful for me.

1/4/2016 11:02:27 AM

And just like that the Golden Age of micro brewing in Fuquay has come to an end. Draft Line closed last month and Lincoln Brewery is moving to a new location near Capital and 540 in North Raleigh and opening a second location near PNC Arena. It's only a matter of time before Fainting Goat will be gone too.

5/27/2017 10:38:53 AM

Looks like I was wrong about Fuquay! Fainting Goat is expanding, Oaklyn Springs took over the old Lincoln location, Mason Jar took over the old Draftline location, Aviator is still around, Vicious Fishes added a second location in Fuquay, and 3rd Degree Brew House is looking for a new locaton in Fuquay. I went bar hopping in Fuquay with a friend tonight and had a blast! I didn't have to pay to park either.

2/3/2019 12:43:40 AM

fuquay is a shithole

[Edited on February 3, 2019 at 12:51 PM. Reason : i'm glad i'm not poor]

2/3/2019 12:50:27 PM

^I don't live there, but Broad Street in Fuquay and Moore Square in Raleigh are the same distance for me. I'll take Fuquay over Downtown Raleigh any night when going out. It's easier to find free parking and I enjoy the micro brewery scene in the Triangle. Btw, I discovered last night that there is another bar on Broad Street called "Pints Beer & Ice Cream" that serves milk shakes with alcohol in them and has beer on tap. I'll have to check that out next time I go down there.

2/3/2019 12:57:56 PM

There is loads of parking in downtown Raleigh

2/3/2019 4:25:13 PM

^&^^ Yeah plenty of parking, and if you have to pay it's usually $5. Seriously, it's just $5 man...

2/4/2019 8:58:24 AM

I've taken to going out in downtown Cary and Durham more. Raleigh is too crowded on Friday and Saturday night for this grumpy old man. When I do drink in Raleigh it's usually at the breweries off Whitaker, or at the bars around Person St.

2/4/2019 11:16:00 AM

I'll come to the defense of Fuquay. The Mill, Vicious Fishes Pub, Fainting Goat Brewery, Aviator, Mason Jar Tavern, Mason Jar Lager Co, Oaklyn Springs Brewery, Pints, Abbey Road, Cellar 55.... most within walking distance of one another and constant flow of food trucks make the downtown a great place. Plenty of street festivals and events throughout the year as well.


Plus a Cookout for those late night sessions.

2/5/2019 12:42:16 PM

^this!

2/6/2019 7:25:50 PM

^^I'll have to check out Oaklyn Springs. I don't particularly care for the beer from Aviator or Fainting Goat, but Vicious Fishes and Mason Jar are both solid.

2/6/2019 8:15:00 PM

I like fuquay just fine.

2/6/2019 8:40:56 PM

^^There beer isn't bad. I like some of the other Fuquay breweries more.

[Edited on February 7, 2019 at 8:25 PM. Reason : .]

2/7/2019 8:24:52 PM

Is Bada bar still a thing? I used to love that place. That fry wrap was awesome for a hangover.

2/8/2019 5:10:07 PM