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The 15 Best Bars in Raleigh

15 bars, chosen on the record: two James Beard nominees.

Browse every Raleigh barBest cocktail bars in RaleighBest speakeasies in Raleigh
  1. Bittersweet
    Cocktail Bar

    Bittersweet

    Bittersweet is a cocktail, dessert and coffee lounge on East Martin Street in downtown Raleigh, with a gin-heavy back bar, a menu that changes four times a year, espresso from Counter Culture and desserts baked in house from chef-owner Kim Hammer's recipes. It takes no reservations and turns 21 and over after eight, and the James Beard Foundation named it an Outstanding Bar semifinalist in 2024.

    16 E Martin St, Raleigh, NC 27601Wed-Thu 5pm-11pm; Fri-Sat 5pm-12am; Sun 5pm-10pm; Mon-Tue closed
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  2. Kingfisher
    Cocktail Bar

    Kingfisher

    Kingfisher serves ground-to-glass cocktails in an artful basement on East Chapel Hill Street in downtown Durham, with original artwork built into the space and a spirits list that leans on North Carolina producers, Conniption gin, Cooks Mill bourbon and 1000 Piers rum among them. From April to September the Roadrunner, a retro camper bar, opens in the patio garden. The James Beard Foundation named it an Outstanding Bar semifinalist in 2023.

    321 E Chapel Hill St, Durham, NC 27701Mon, Sun 5pm-11pm; Tue-Thu 5pm-12am; Fri-Sat 5pm-1am
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  3. Conniption Bar & Lounge
    Cocktail Bar

    Conniption Bar & Lounge

    Conniption Bar & Lounge is the cocktail bar of Durham Distillery, on the lower level of the distillery building on Washington Street, founded by Melissa and Lee Katrincic. It opened in October 2020 as Corpse Reviver, a name that now returns each autumn as a Halloween pop-up. The menu is built on the house Conniption gins and Damn Fine spirits, with martinis poured from the freezer, house-made tonics and syrups, a seasonal cocktail list and spirit-free drinks. Entry is 21 and over, since the bar sits inside a working distillery.

    715 Washington St, Suite B, Durham, NC 27701, United StatesWed-Sat 4pm-11pm, Sun 3pm-9pm, closed Mon-Tue
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  4. The Velvet Hippo
    Rooftop Bar

    The Velvet Hippo

    The Velvet Hippo opened in August 2023 on the third floor of 119 Orange Street, owned by five women including general manager Leslie Matista, and takes its name from a nickname for pit bull type dogs. An indoor and outdoor bar links a colorful tropical-themed room to a roof deck, where dogs are welcome on weekend afternoons. The seasonal cocktail list credits each drink to the bartender who created it, and a separate alcohol-free section sits beside draft beer, wine and a kitchen that serves late.

    119 Orange St, 3rd Floor, Durham, NC 27701, United StatesMon-Thu 4pm-12am, Fri 4pm-2am, Sat 12pm-2am, Sun 12pm-12am
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  5. Alley Twenty Six
    Cocktail Bar

    Alley Twenty Six

    Alley Twenty Six describes itself as upscale cocktails and food in Durham, and has grown a retail store, cocktail syrups, classes on and off site and a YouTube channel out of the bar on East Chapel Hill Street. Its signature address is fine drinking. It opens at four every day but Monday and runs until two on Friday and Saturday.

    320 E Chapel Hill Street, Durham, NC 27701Sun and Tue-Thu 4pm-12am, Fri-Sat 4pm-2am
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Flavour Blaster
  1. Arcana
    Cocktail Bar

    Arcana

    Arcana is a bar and lounge in the historic Snow Building on West Main Street, entered from the rear of the building off the surface lot, with tarot readings bookable alongside the drinks and a story page that explains the name. It opens at six on Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday, at five on Friday and Saturday, and closes at midnight.

    331 W Main Street, Durham, NC 27701Tue-Thu and Sun 6pm-12am, Fri-Sat 5pm-12am
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  2. Delafia
    Wine Bar

    Delafia

    Delafia is a natural wine bar and bottle shop on South Roxboro Street, opened in July 2024 by Jesse Gerstl, who earlier ran Bar Lusconi in Durham and Peccadillo in Carrboro. The white brick building, once a barber shop, is split between an L-shaped bar with a small fenced patio and a retail shop. The by-the-glass list rotates constantly through low-intervention wines from small producers, alongside beer, non-alcoholic drinks and small plates such as tinned fish, olives and cheese.

    1103 S Roxboro St, Durham, NC 27707, United StatesSun-Wed 4pm-10pm, Thu-Sat 4pm-12am
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  3. Foundation
    Speakeasy

    Foundation

    Foundation is a basement bar on Fayetteville Street that describes its work as serving up handcrafted libations from the region and beyond, which in practice means a list leaning on North Carolina spirits. It opens at four every day and runs until two, and the reservation is the door itself.

    213 Fayetteville Street, Suite 010, Raleigh, NC 27601Daily 4pm-2am
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  4. Killjoy
    Cocktail Bar

    Killjoy

    Killjoy describes itself as a colourful, comfortable cocktail bar where all drinks are treated with the same exquisite respect, posh meets eccentric with an envy-worthy playlist. The mixologist builds each drink to the guest's taste, there is an innovative spirit-free menu and a create-your-own option, and small plates come from the kitchen. Open Tuesday to Sunday, with a hands-on cocktail class on Wednesday evenings.

    116 N West Street, Suite 100, Raleigh, NC 27603Tue-Sun, Mon closed
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  5. Primrose Bar & Lounge
    Cocktail Bar

    Primrose Bar & Lounge

    Primrose Bar & Lounge opened on West Main Street in April 2025, owned by Mike Douglass and Darryl Coleman, who began by making daiquiris for friends from a family recipe. The room is maximalist, with floral wallpapers, fringed lampshades, hanging flowers and parody portraits on the walls. The cocktails lean sweet and playful, and Violets for Aunt Flossie (gin, creme de violette and lemon) honors the great-aunt whose recipe started the project. Weekly events include music bingo, karaoke and an R&B night.

    111 W Main St, Suite 100, Durham, NC 27701, United StatesTue-Wed 5pm-12am, Thu 5pm-1am, Fri 5pm-2am, Sat 3pm-2am, Sun 3pm-12am, closed Mon
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  6. The Bar Beej
    Speakeasy

    The Bar Beej

    The Bar Beej is the cocktail bar attached to Cheeni, Preeti Waas's Indian restaurant on North Corcoran Street, and is run by her daughter Amy Waas as beverage manager. It is a small Bollywood-themed speakeasy that takes walk-ins only, and every cocktail draws on the Cheeni kitchen: ghee-washed whiskey with salted jaggery, a chai martini, a mango and gin highball. A fixed list of house drinks sits beside rotating seasonals, with wines from women producers and a short beer list.

    202 N Corcoran St, Suite 100, Durham, NC 27701, United StatesMon-Thu 5pm-9pm, Fri-Sat 4pm-11pm, closed Sun
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  7. The Blind Barbour
    Speakeasy

    The Blind Barbour

    The Blind Barbour calls itself Raleigh's intimate craft cocktail and whiskey bar, with a drink menu, a whiskey list and a shelf of antique spirits posted online, and tastings and live music on its events page. It opens at five, Monday to Saturday, closing at midnight or one.

    3055 Medlin Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607Mon-Thu 5pm-12am, Fri-Sat 5pm-1am
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  8. The Roof at The Durham
    Rooftop Bar

    The Roof at The Durham

    The Roof at The Durham Hotel describes itself as a rooftop patio and year-round gathering spot with panoramic views of downtown Durham, the bar of the mid-century hotel on East Chapel Hill Street. Its kitchen runs until half past nine, the bar until eleven or midnight, and it is closed on Monday.

    315 E Chapel Hill Street, Durham, NC 27701Tue-Thu 5pm-11pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-12am, Sun 5pm-10pm
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  9. Watts & Ward
    Speakeasy

    Watts & Ward

    Watts & Ward calls itself a hidden cocktail lounge in downtown Raleigh: handcrafted cocktails in an intimate speakeasy atmosphere, walk-ins welcome and private events available. It opens at four from Tuesday to Saturday and at two on Sunday, running until two in the morning most nights.

    200 S Blount Street, Raleigh, NC 27601Tue-Sat 4pm-2am, Sun 2pm-12am, Mon closed
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  10. William & Company
    Cocktail Bar

    William & Company

    William & Company keeps what it calls one of the state's most impressive Latin American spirits lists, mezcal, pisco, cachaça and Venezuelan rum among them, on Person Street in Raleigh, with a second room, La Veladora, in the same building on weekend nights. It opens at five on weekdays and at two on the weekend, and runs until two every night.

    616 N Person Street, Raleigh, NC 27604Mon-Fri 5pm-2am, Sat-Sun 2pm-2am
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These 15 are the starting point. The full BarMagazine directory covers every listed bar in Raleigh, with a map, filters by bar type, and new openings as we verify them.

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