A Three Bar Night + 1

Adventures in the bar scene in Raleigh: 2 from downtown Raleigh and 2 from the Glenwood South area. Three of them I hit in one night . . .what was I thinking? Oh wait . . .nothing in Raleigh is that far from my house!

Downtown Raleigh Bars:

First, a general comment on the downtown Raleigh bar scene. It's not that big. Like many of the other activities in the city, things tend to clump. All of the "hip" downtown areas are within a 6 block square. Street parking is problematic, but garage parking is not bad. The Blount street garage raises the bar after midnight, so if you stay a little later downtown after parking there it is effectively free.

TirNaNog: Lovely, without a shred of air conditioning to its name. Oh, they promise air conditioning, but what they deliver is cold drinks, plenty of tables, and good live music. It's like air conditioning, but different somehow . . . . ladies note that the bathroom was not intelligently designed. Also on busy night don't look right as you walk to the ladies room--any open door into the men's room gives a full view!

Rum Runners: Bonus is that it is a piano bar. Unbonus? Watching the staff dance, my date remarked that he felt like he should have brought dollars with him to tip. The atmosphere is lively with a heavy sprinkling of risque humor. Good for birthdays, bachelor/bachelorette bashes and debauched night out. Not so good for family outings!

Glenwood South:

This is the newest, hottest area of Raleigh. It's a veritable legend . . . in its own mind. True, there are a lot of crowds and several solid choices for bars. Don't think for a second you will find on-street parking here. However, there are a few sorts who are trying too hard, and I will be curious to see if all of the high-end places make it to the fall. The Ruropean Coffee house only made it about a month before they shut down again . . .funding issues or business, the doors were firmly shut.

Solas: I will recommend the rooftop at Solas as an excellent happy hour destination. Good space, lovely snacks (truffle fries, quesadillas, cheese platters) and yummy sangrias. There is an oddity with plastic glasses caused by the second floor. They have a glass dance floor, and shortly after they opened someone dropped a glass glass on it and cracked it. So the whole place switched over to plastic. Very tasteful plastic, however . . . .it took the 6 of us several minutes to notice!

Office Tavern: As the bartender says, "That and $2.75 will get you a beer." Dry humor, darts and dive bar fashion make this a fun getaway from the preppies on Glenwood main. This bar sits a block back from the main strip of Glenwood. They have the oldest beer license in Raleigh.

They also have the honky-tonk ambience that takes years of regulars bellying up to the bar to create. The new bars on Glenwood South may get more novelty foot traffic, but if you want a real bar this is where you should go. Don't forget dollars for the jukebox--this bar lets you have a soundtrack all your own.