I love this place - the wine, food, art, and service. It is my wine shop go to for an outing with…read moregirlfriends. The location near the movie theater and NOCO art gallery makes it in especially great place to visit.

Beautiful restaurant. The most amazing food. Our service was a little off however I enjoyed the…read moreexperience. I am assuming with the crowd, might have been a little to navigate with the wine tasting. Etc. When I say the best goat dip cheese ever!!!!

Cute little wine shop. Friendly employees. Nice wine selection. We went on taco Tuesday, was worth…read morethe 6 bucks. Specials on other nights too. We will go back

My friends and I stopped here for a random drink. We had some time to use and stumbled upon this…read moredraft house. It was interesting because we found out that the name recently changed and there was a membership fee. I never knew that places like this existed in Hickory. We weren't charged for the membership fee since we were just passing through for a drink. The bartender was kind and made us feel at home. I live in the city so I've seen this concept many times before -- walk up, scan your bracelet and drink to your hearts desire. It was quite affordable! We didn't drink much but the tab came up to be about $20 for 3-light drinkers. I loved the local beers and variety! I look forward to coming back again in the near future.

I am excited by the concept: Help yourself and pay for what you pour. Yummy yummy choices make it…read morefun to sample little shots of lots of flavors. Jalapeno Lager, German Chocolate Stout, or Strawberry Cider, where do you start! There are a few wine choices too if the beers and ciders don't do it for you.

My co-worker and I were in Wilkesboro for the week and we stumbled upon this wine bar online and I…read morecan't say enough great things. We instantly felt so welcomed by Paula, the owner, and it felt so homey. Paula has such an incredible knowledge of all the wines she sells, and it was so great to get to hear all about them! Aside from the atmosphere, the wine was also fantastic of course, and the recommendations were great! Would consider traveling all the way back to Wilkesboro just to visit again, this is truly one of the best places I've been to.

Stumbled upon this place on a date night and was pleasantly surprised! I am pregnant and can't…read moredrink alcohol but they offer several non-alcoholic options that are still fun! Staff is friendly and so are the patrons, has a small town feel while not feeling dive-y, but upscale and chic. They do not offer traditional food, but do have bar snacks and are okay with you bringing your own food in if you'd like.

Merle's is an absolute delight! I haven't live in Wilkes in decades but I do visit family from time…read moreto time. When I am in town I always check to see if Merle's is open and try to make it there for a cocktail. Not feeling cocktails they have a section of the menu dedicated to mocktails. Not just a juice or mixer with a dash of bitters either, they've put the same care into developing them that seems to go into the alcoholic cocktails. More of a beer person? Great! Merle's has a handful of NC drafts as well. My first visit to Merle's was in 2023 in April. The cocktails consumed were balanced and well concocted. The use of the space, which I remember visiting when it was an antiques shop 'back in the day', was well used and the patio area quite niece. Every time after when we would visit town my wife and I would try to make it to Merle's, unfortunately we kept lucking out! Recently I was down to help clean out my childhood home and the last day of my visit overlapped with Merle's first day open for the weekend. I decided to swing by and am so glad that I did! Not only were the cocktails wonderful but so was the conversation and camaraderie As an out of town local I was welcomed in and found plenty of conversations to be a part of. I live in Columbus Ohio, where we have a lot of places to get cocktails and the sorts but I will tell you what, Merle's is such an absolutely welcoming gem that I think about visiting even 6.5 hours north! There aren't may things that make me excited to visit or do when I am back home but visiting Merle's sure is one of them! You're guaranteed to find friendly folks, a great drink, and a lovely place to relax.

First time here, sat at the bar. great time, amazing food, great service! all around an amazing…read moredinner! our bartender was very informative, he recommended a pumpkin spice espresso martini, which was literally the best one I've ever had in my life!!!! the we split a bottle of mascato (so reasonably priced, $22). The vibe was a guy playing piano who sang so well! we enjoyed the dimmed lights and the lowkey vibe atmosphere with it being classy. overall great dinner!

Disorganized and Disappointing…read more We had high hopes for Duke's, especially with its upscale vibe and menu, but the reality fell far short. From the moment we sat down, things started going sideways. First red flag? The water left on our table had bugs floating in it. Not a great start. The waitress, while friendly, seemed completely overwhelmed--she forgot our orders multiple times, asked the same questions repeatedly, and left us waiting far too long between check-ins. It took 40 minutes just to get our soups, and the entrees didn't arrive until over an hour after we ordered. The entire experience felt chaotic. At one point, another server brought two dishes and a drink to our table that weren't even ours. Total confusion. Now let's talk about pricing--specifically, a $12 charge to split a 24 oz ribeye. How does that make sense when one person might not even be able to finish it? It felt like a greedy upcharge for no real reason. Menu clarity was another issue. The sides weren't listed clearly, and no one explained that the "loaded potato" option was actually a soup--not an actual potato. The clam chowder? It's a tomato-based red soup, which is definitely not what most people would expect when ordering chowder. A simple explanation from the staff would've gone a long way. The duck was actually fantastic, the crab cakes not so much. Dessert was also oddly handled. They offer a brownie, but ask, "Is that okay?" as if there are other options (there aren't). Then they bring one brownie split four ways--literally bite-sized portions on a single plate for a group of four. It felt more like a sampler than a real dessert. When it came time to pay, we were asked if we were ready for the check, but then they came back later and had to double-check everyone's order just to get the bill right. And instead of bringing the check, you're told to scan a QR code to pay--likely a move to avoid credit card processing fees, though it puts the burden on the customer to complete the transaction. Overall, Duke's tries to present itself as upscale, but the execution just isn't there. Sloppy service, confusing policies, and unnecessary upcharges make it hard to justify a return visit. Definitely not the dining experience we were hoping for.

Great local hang out. Super comfortable. Friendly staff. Nice selection of beer and wine. They even…read morehave options there to take home! My husband tried a beer flight and I had some wine. We went home with a mix-6 pack of beer. Food truck was on site and had several choices too Definitely recommend!

The coolest find! I wish we lived closer! It's a bottle shop that carries a huge variety of drink…read moreoptions as well as local vendor items. The inside was decorated beautifully for Christmas. It was a nice low key spot to grab a beverage!

Great service! Meredith is an awesome bartender! Vibe is great! Check out the live music!read more

As the lighting designer and stage tech for the band that performed here, this was one of the most…read moredifficult live production environments I've worked in. From load-in onward, management seemed far more concerned with monitoring and restricting the performance than supporting live entertainment. Before the show even began, there were already complaints about potential volume levels simply from seeing the sound equipment and production setup. The band and crew made extensive efforts to accommodate every concern throughout the night. The drummer used hot rods instead of regular sticks, the FOH engineer kept the band under very controlled volume levels, and even the lighting setup was intentionally kept minimal and non-intrusive out of respect for the venue. Despite all of those accommodations, management continued hovering throughout the evening and interrupting over very minor issues. It created an unnecessarily tense atmosphere for both the performers and production crew. Live music requires a certain level of comfort and trust between the venue and the people running the show, and unfortunately that never existed here. In addition, one of the bartenders consistently came across as dismissive and talked down to members of the band and crew during the night. At one point, they stated that this was "a bar that happens to have music," and proceeded to lecture me on how sound works and how customers would not be able to hear each other if the band was too loud. This was particularly frustrating considering the extensive efforts already being made by both the band and audio crew to keep levels controlled and respectful for the room. Everyone involved on the production side remained professional and cooperative throughout the evening, but the overall attitude toward live music and production made the experience unnecessarily stressful. As someone who works behind the scenes to help create a professional live experience, it was disappointing to feel like every aspect of the production was treated as a problem rather than part of the entertainment guests came to see. If a venue only wants extremely quiet background music with little to no production presence, they would likely be better suited booking solo acoustic performers instead of full live bands with sound and lighting support.

During a Pandemic, they have re-opened their business without requiring masks as State mandated…read more They offer multiple arts and craft classes where everyone is sitting at tables close to each other and they do not wear masks, thereby possibly being a part of community spread. When I simply asked whether they participate in mask wearing, Laura, the manager, responded to me in anger and belligerence instead of speaking to me in a professional tone. As a business who wants their business to thrive, they do not seem concerned about their customers' safety. She also retaliated against me within the community and continues to harass me - just because I asked about masks. I have been nothing but a paying patron in their business and do not deserve to be harrassed politically. On the same public forum where I placed my one question, another person who had visited here from out of town asked the same question. Laura's response to her was "mind your own business."

This place is so unique! Not only can you shop in this beautifully renovated historic building for…read moregreat local gifts, clothing, home accessories, pottery, art and more, you can buy local wine to go! Plus, they make specialty coffee drinks and wine cocktails that are very yummy! This year they started offering all kinds of art classes, line dancing classes, spa nights for the ladies, and so much more. Best variety in a retail shop on Main Street...

2nd visit and it didn't disappoint. Grace was a fantastic server and made sure we had everything we…read moreneeded. The food and drinks were fantastic! Visit this charming, local restaurant for fresh food and great service!

Great atmosphere, service and food. Limited menu, but every item was excellent... will return often.read more