Five bars, chosen on the record: one James Beard nominee.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
These 5 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.
All bars in Raleigh