Speakeasies in Raleigh
Raleigh's speakeasies are mostly underground. Foundation, open since 2009, sits fifteen stairs below a neon sign on Fayetteville Street in a former crawlspace, and pours North Carolina spirits, beers and wines. Watts & Ward, in a 6,000-square-foot basement at Blount and Hargett streets, takes its name from the state's temperance laws of 1903 and 1905. The Blind Barbour on Medlin Drive nods to the blind pig tickets of that era and keeps more than 200 whiskeys. In Durham, The Bar Beej, a Bollywood-themed bar from the Indian restaurant Cheeni, was a 2025 James Beard semifinalist for Best New Bar. Watts & Ward and The Bar Beej are walk-in only. These are the bars we would start with.
- FoundationSpeakeasy
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-2amFull profile - The Bar BeejSpeakeasy
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 SunFull profile - The Blind BarbourSpeakeasy
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-1amFull profile - Watts & WardSpeakeasy
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 closedFull profile
More of Raleigh
These are the speakeasies specifically. The full Raleigh guide ranks the best bars of every style, and the directory lists all 16 with a map and filters.
