We went back with fresh eyes! 4 stars were for service, venue & kitchen. The rest leaves a little to long for. Pros- Great building & vibes. Nice viewing area & brewing room potential to rent sq footage for an event. Dynamite smiling face behind the bar. Happy, pleasant, engaging, knowledgeable. A kitchen that's being rented to a mixed variety food menu. We had Gyros. Great quality & great size. Ordering was seamless. They had a little something for everyone. Think food truck without the wheels! Love that they offer 2 on tap ciders (guest taps) and 2 NA options. Things to improve- All breweries do trivia, bingo & karaoke. What's something that is identifying to CRB? Just seems a bit stale to be polite. Loved their live music and guest monthly schedule. Several of the beer (specifically the coffee porter & honey wheat) were high IBU in turn being very bitter. We wanted to love the wheat and the coffee porter but both left us longing for better. So if we are a brewery... be great at that. Why are we a full service liquor bar too? A few options to appease everyone but we were surprised at the bourbon choices. Not only does it look cluttered, it clearly was selected by someone who has a preference for liquor/bourbon vs. a brew master. Maybe do a rotating cocktail list or 4-6 out of this world drinks and cut the rest. Drink prices at this price should not have pre done sour mix in them. Quality liquor should mean quality ingredients too. Big thumbs down on that. We did love the mimosa cocktail idea and the beer-rita with the use of CBR beer. Sames from 6 years ago- Chairs still suck. Parking is a little bit of an adventure but not sure there is a solution but rather just something to plan ahead for. No niche beer... still. We had their newish beers in each category. Overall... Scottish is still a solid choice. Lack of identity/theme/flagship beer (although we were told their IPA was?) Overall this place could be rocking 7 days a week! It's a good place to run by after work or gather a group and play card games, have access to a nibble & drink. read more

See all

I found Compass Rose on Google when looking for a brewery. I would have never known this place existed if it weren't for Google. It's tucked away in an industrial area. Parking is okay, spots are a tad bit limited but we found a spot just fine mid-day. Outside, there is a play area for kids across from the bar. We wanted to sit outside but it was pretty busy with families so we opted for indoor seating. The inside is pretty open and spacious with plenty of seating. I ordered a flight which was a great way to sample some of the selection. Overall, the beers were good, but not memorable. There was karaoke when we went. It was quite loud and we ended up having to shout at each other to hear one another. Again, this was mid-day, so it was odd to have karaoke going. There were quite a few kids running around, too. One of my biggest complaints about bars in this area is that too many allow kids. My husband and I are DINKS and would love to find a place that's adults-only but it's kind of hard to come by these days. I also personally think it's safer to just leave the kids at home if you're under the influence but that's just my two cents. If you are the type to bring the whole family to the bar for day drinking, you'll enjoy Compass Rose. I think I'll try them again but I'm still on the search for an authentic no-kids allowed bar. Maybe next time, I'll sit in the actual brewery section and see how that goes. read more

Always a good spot to grab a beer or mixed drink. Good for meeting up with large parties as well because they have big tables and serve food. The food is decent! read more

Kid and dog friendly. Casual outdoor seating area. Haven't tried to food but have a beer or cocktail for everyone's liking

Large indoor space, never too crowded. Kid and dog friendly, plenty of options on tap.

Great drinks, friendly staff, fun events! The vibes are immaculate, we love coming here (and bringing our dog!) read more

Compass Rose Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

Been here a few times for different events and have always enjoyed their menu of beers. Great selection - my personal favorite having been the Car Hop. I've also gotten to enjoy their nachos and loaded fries, which are your standard delicious bar staples. Large and spacious with outside seating, it's a great place for group events. Also right beside Durant Nature Preserve, a great place to grab a pint and a bite after a hike or a run. read more

Always a great place to see live music. Families enjoying themselves while playing card games too. Wonderful place for a lazy Sunday afternoon! read more

Compass Rose Brewery - Live music - Breweries Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I'm not sure how I've never reviewed Compass Rose because I've been going there for years. What I love most about it is there's so much space inside. I've never felt cramped or that I'm being forced to listen to the conversation at the table next to me because they're so close. Even before COVID, there were plenty of tables to choose from. They also have a large outdoor patio with canvas covers overhead and large picnic tables. They used to do fire pits on the weekends. If you like IPAs you'll find something you like as they typically make up half their beer menu. For the rest of us, there are typically 1-2 sours, a stout, cider, and other ales. They do offer flights and half pours, plus you can bring your own food in. There is always a food truck set up outside. Lo and behold, the gods smiled upon me last night and my favorite food truck, Arepa Culture, was there! It was a good night. read more

Compass Rose Brewery - It was fate. My favorite food truck at one of my favorite breweries. - Breweries Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

Josh is great and he makes a great old fashion the beer is good as well. I will definitely be back and recommend this brewery to people

We love going to compass rose and especially on Thursdays for trivia. The food is decent for bar food but do not get anything fried because the grease is old and overused. I do recommend the charcuterie board. Most of my friends can find a beer here when they join in which is a plus with such a large group. I recommend ordering food at the counter vs online because the service agreement hasn't been settled with online ordering and although it will allow you to get all the way to the payment section, they do not honor it at the counter and you will have to order there again. The good thing is that they don't charge your card for the online "order". We have been going for a few years and plan on continuing. read more

Visited for the first time for a friend's birthday. They had reserved a few tables and brought in some outside food for the party. The place is very large with lots of seating, and was the perfect spot for a birthday gathering! Beers were awesome! They had sooo many different options, and if I had not been the DD I would have liked to try more of them! I tasted the Sashay sour, PangoMapaya Sour, Rosalie Farmhouse Ale Saison, and BBA Ready About Brown Ale. My favorites were the sours, but all of them were good! They have a bunch of games inside including giant jenga and darts. We will definitely return to try more of their beers on a future visit to Raleigh...I wish we lived a little closer to enjoy it on a regular basis! read more

See all

The brewery is great. Lots of space and seating. Things for kids to do. We had a birthday next door and took my other 2 kids here for dinner and boy was it bad!! That kitchen should be closed immediately. Do to the beer, it's a good pint, anything special, no. Back to the food. We ordered the chicken fingers for the kids and they were inedible. My little one wanted them smaller chunks, I couldn't even tear them apart. So overcooked and nasty. I ordered an arepa and pretty sure it was frozen straight out of a box. Not good either. Won't be revisiting this place again. read more

Nothing fancy here. It is not my type of brewery where everything is IPA. Would be great if they can offer some Sour options read more

Compass Rose Brewery - two glasses of beer on a wooden table - Breweries Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

We loved this place! We had an event there for a surprise party, Planning this was a breeze with their planning coordinator, Tanner! Shw responded very quickly and was very attentive. The atmosphere was great including the live music while we were there. The beer and drinks were very good and made quickly. Along with the food! Hope you go out and enjoy! read more

Went on a Sunday afternoon. They only had one bartender working the entire bar, getting a drink was a needlessly long process. Think 20-25 minutes to get to the bar to order and the bartender wasn't a very chipper guy, in fact, he did not seem happy to serve us or anyone for that matter. Plus there was a kid's birthday party at the brewery the day we went. Yes, child's birthday party at a brewery... what's that about? I think I would understand a bar and grill where food is served but perhaps not a straight brewery. The mickey mouse balloons did not go well with the brewery scene in my opinion. I like the indoor space, minus the kids running around, and I like the outdoor seating area, away from the kids. Don't get me wrong I like kids but not exactly when I'm trying to relax and drink a beer on a Sunday afternoon. I would go back to this brewery though because of The Cow and the Oak food truck but that would be my only reason to do so. read more

Compass Rose Brewery - Flights - Breweries Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

wow! this place is so great! The beer, customer service, it's all amazing! 21+ on the weekends, cute bartenders, what more can you ask for!? read more

Absolutely loved my visit to Compass Rose. They are the whole package - great variety of beers on tap, beautiful indoor and outdoor seating, food trucks to satisfy your hunger and an incredible staff that explains everything you need to know about their beers. We loved trying a variety of beers and they've got a great flight option you should check out. I had several beers that were ones I would buy again, but Queens Harvest was definitely my jam. It's a wheat ale with a honey flavor that just rocks your world. Also, their Up and At 'Em Coffee Stout is something I could drink in the morning. It was the perfect addition to my Saturday day drinking routine. Don't miss out on visiting this gem, seriously. read more

Compass Rose Brewery - Breweries Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

Always a great choice . Friendly atmosphere, variety of great tasting beers! Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.

Good indoor and outdoor space. The bartender was all by herself on a busy Saturday so service was a little slow.

My husband and I went to this brewery for the 2nd or 3rd time a couple weekends ago to try out their new food menu. This is a great place and we enjoyed our food, but there were TONS of kids there running around. If you're a parent who wants to bring the kiddos, it seems like the place to go if you want a brewery environment. If you want a bit more of a relaxing vibe, it might not be the place--at least on a weekend afternoon like when we were there. Maybe the family crowd dies down as the evening approaches. read more

Beer: excellent. One of my favorite places to come at night for a beer. Food: painfully expensive. This is *brewery* food. Meaning, it needs to taste good, but this is not a fine dining experience. $14 for a Caesar salad (no protein included) is just asinine. $12 for a burger isn't bad until you consider that it's an extra $4 (!) if you want fries. Ambiance: I only come here later in the evening to avoid feeing like I'm drinking at a daycare center. Nothing like having to dodge kids playing tag indoors while carrying an IPA read more

Actually really impressed with this brewery. Good beer and a nice space. No food, so you can eat chips or do Door Dash. I don't know why other reviews say they are mainly IPAs. I thought they had a good variety. read more

Compass Rose Brewery has a beautiful and spacious tasting room. This Saturday evening, they had a party taking place in one corner of the room and it barely made a dent in the space. They had a really good band and a food truck. The beers we tried here were delicious. The Smoke'em if you Gourd'em is as a really different version of a pumpkin beer, not very pumpkin flavored but a nice smoky spiced beer. Man-of-War (Belgium strong ale -12.9%ABV) is seriously one of the best NC beers. Makes for a cheap date with high ABV but yummy none the less. read more

Chill, spacious, super kid-friendly. Lots of parking too. I ding them a star only because like many smaller-scale operations, their beers aren't quite there yet. I like the West Coast-style IPA, but their other options are not consistently good like Aviator, White Street, and some others with wider distribution. My sample size? I used to be the Duke, so I've been here plenty since they opened. They are a great place to take kids: they have space, chalk walls, Giant Jenga, an arcade machine, and allow outside food, so we had our son's 3rd birthday party with pizza. Compass Rose also has food trucks every weekend day after 5pm, so there's options. read more

Compass Rose Brewery - Big indoor space. Corn-hole. Huge concrete bar. Kid-friendly. Bring everyone. - Breweries Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I still love that we have this brewery in North Raleigh, and I think it's great that they're addressing the concerns that people have regarding children. While it's great to have a place to go have a brew where you can take the kids, there's a fine line where it becomes intrusive to others just wanting a bar experience. Our latest visit here was on a Sunday afternoon. We saw right away they are addressing those kid concerns. There was a sign at the bar that Friday and Saturday nights are kid-free after a certain time. And there's a sign on the wall promising to feed unattended kids coffee and a free puppy on trivia night. They've also removed the board/card games from tables but they might have them for the asking behind the counter. We didn't ask. There was a giant Jenga, cornhole and darts still in sight. Most importantly, they now have their own brew. Yet, I'll be honest, the "Sweet" Stout I had was okay, but left a bitter taste. A couple family members went another night and tried a few other CR brews and were less than impressed. So we still love having this brewery close to home, but would love to see the quality of their brews upped. read more

Compass Rose Brewery - CR "Sweet" Stout - Breweries Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

We decided to visit Compass Rose after a soccer game so we could watch the Panthers vs Colts game, Go Panthers. Likes: Huge Space Tap Handles, they spin! TV's are everywhere Tons of games, Jenga is available in a small, medium and large size Good selection Dislikes: Location Compass Rose beer was mediocre (I did enjoy the IPA though) Summed up: beautiful! Why can't you be closer?! Next time that I am around the area, I will be back! read more

See all

Don't tell me when I call that you can put on a football game and then tell me you can't after I get there and order a beer.

So the late afternoon I went here they were hosting a princess birthday party for little girls and also just a ton of youngsters were sweeping up the floor and playing while I suppose their hipster parents were swilling beer. My how times have changed! I don't want to party down with little kids and it pisses me off when I see people dragging their babies around to drinking establishments. Seriously it seems to be a thing now with the baby bearing crowd and I just cannot get behind the trend. I went outside to enjoy my beverages and thankfully all adults out there. Had a fun and festive game of bags with some other folks I just met. Inexpensive place to hang. read more

I don't drink beer came here with my husband to meet a friend. He said the beer is ok, we know of better breweries to go to. But to me the amount of kids running around and I mean running around and taking over tables is uncalled for, Just so parents can drink. One group has now taken it ver 4 tables. There are kids screaming and running around dropping things on the ground. I will not be coming here again, if I want to visit a day care or rumpus room I will. But NOT in a brewery. read more

Compass Rose Brewery - people sitting at tables eating - Breweries Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

I've been coming here semi annually for a few years. When the place first opened it was a great spot to come drink beer and hang out. Then the dark times came where all the amenities that made it nice to hang out like giant jenga or corn hole and free popcorn disappeared and the staff just stood there and glared at you if you drank a beer slower than a chug. Recently I'm guessing the owner changed hands as we are back to the original atmosphere. Good selection of beers, water and popcorn are free and easily accessable and a number of games like large sized checkers and 2x4 jenga are back and a food truck nearby with great eats to soak up the alcohol. Looking forward to coming back more frequently. read more

This is a great place to chill, however, I feel that the turn over here has been ridiculous. Recently, seeing a great bartender who has been a staple to this organization fired...is heartbreaking. The new Taproom Manager is frequently seen drunk on the floor and has been accused of smoking meth with her "friend" by the dumpster on more than one occasion. Seeing Cece FIRED is preposterous and unacceptable when she clearly continues to offer the best customer service. I've been a regular at this establishment since 2019, but I'm not sure if I will continue to support this place with these new changes. read more

This place is a gem. Came on a Wednesday which, apparently is BINGO night! Husband won a round of bingo and we were able to cash the prize right away. But that's not what makes this place fantastic. Good beer, good selection of beer, plenty of space for games and (this is bad mama speaking) plenty of running space for the four year old. The staff are friendly, the crowd is chill, and the location is not too crowded. Plus they had a food truck nearby for munchies as well as their own snackies. 10/10 would come back. read more

Food is amazing and the owners are super kind. Pulled in with our Ferrari and the owners wanted to take pictures and bought us a round of drinks. We had the arepa and hands down one of the best I have ever had! Nice job guys! We will be back and will bring our friends!!! Ambiance is an A+! read more

I stopped by here tonight for a beer before a late Friday dinner with a few friends. We were looking for a brewery nearby the restaurant we'd selected, and this was pretty much the only one in the area! The building is in a sort of strange spot, but it seems like a lot of breweries have this characteristic. The space, itself, is great though. It has high ceilings and a good number of tables so it feels like there is plenty of room to hang out. The lighting is very cool, as is the view of the brewing area through the interior glass panels. The parking lot was completely full even though the brewery wasn't, so I'd be worried about parking if it were a busier night. Luckily for us, we found parking spots just fine after all. Each of us in my group tried and ordered different beers. I ended up getting the Rue de American Saison, though I tried the Wheelhouse IPA and the Endless Voyage Pale Ale before making a decision. I generally love IPAs and pale ales, but the ones I tried were just alright. Both had a bite, which is to be expected, but neither had the flavorful background to balance it out. The saison however was delicious -- I recommend it for all types of beer drinkers. Outside was a food truck and we saw a few people bring their orders inside (which seemed like a fully acceptable practice based on the waitstaff's indifference). The food looked and smelled great! I probably would've tried something if my group weren't going to dinner shortly thereafter. A band started playing close to the time when we left (8:00pm) and I'm genuinely glad it hadn't started any sooner. I absolutely love live music except for when it prevents you from being able to hold a conversation (assuming you're not at a concert). In a restaurant/brewery, I don't want the live band to be so overpowering that you are battling the sound in order to speak to someone 2 feet from you. This band was just way too loud. The interior of this place is relatively large, but not large enough that the sound would be dispersed. Plus, there's not much in the way of outdoor seating. I hope the management hosts quieter bands (or just turns the volume down)! When we left and went to close out our tabs, I realized I'd been charged for a different (and more expensive) beer. The difference was only $0.75 ($5.50 versus $6.25), which isn't a huge deal, but it could've been a bigger deal had I ordered multiple beers rather than just one. Luckily, the female bartender (who wasn't the one who opened my tab, I should note) was able to refund me the difference. I'm going to assume this was a simple clerical error by the guy bartender who rang in my tab, but I'll also keep it in mind next time I'm there to make sure it doesn't happen again. Overall, I had a great time at this place. It's a little out of my way since I live in Five Points, but I will definitely stop by if I'm looking to grab a beer around North Raleigh. read more

Compass Rose Brewery - Beer selection tonight! - Breweries Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Love the in-house brew. Love the building and aesthetics. Staff were incredible!! Only fall back was how the place was OVER RUN with parents who do not watch their children!! And the children OUT NUMBER the adults! I appreciate the numerous signs that request 'adults only' after 8pm and for events. And people that 'balk' at that need to have their kids IN BED anyway.....smh. read more

Compass Rose Brewery - typical - Breweries Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I have been here quite a few times and love it! Sometimes there is live music. There are corn hole boards inside as well. The space is pretty big and there are tables for many people. I don't drink beer (yes, you read that right), but they do have wine selection so that is always nice! I do wish they had food but what is nice is that they often have food trucks outside! read more

4.5 Stars. Compass Rose is an awesome brewery space in Raleigh. The space is huge. It has high ceilings and long wooden tables as well as some smaller two top tables. The bartenders and owners are very nice and accommodating. I spoke with one of the owners for a little while and you could tell that he took pride in his work. They have plenty of things to occupy you. Jenga, darts, games, etc... This is also a great place to watch a game. They have a big projector on one side of the brewery. The beer here was good and they have a number of offerings. The standout to me was the Rue De American a Saison/Farmhouse Ale. This brewery is a little bit out of the way, but it is worth the drive. Very cool spot. read more

See all

Compass Rose seems like a cool brewery but the night we went, the band was terribly loud. This was a huge drawback. The brewery is large so it is great for a huge group but there was no outdoor seating so there was no escaping the music. The band played the whole time so we were unable to have a conversation with our friends the entire night. However, the night was not at a total loss. The beer selection was great and we were able to entertain ourselves with minimal talking playing games the brewery had available: jenga (from mini to jumbo), mini shuffle board, and cards against humanity. My friend did mention that in her last experience, the band was different and not as loud. On another note, at least the band playing this night was good. Having a band at the brewery is a wonderful attribute and I am hoping the extreme loudness was a one-off. I look forward to my next visit to see what this place really has to offer. read more

See all

So one of my friends is a regular at Compass Rose Brewery, and she has been inviting me to join her for months now. They were having their first ever open mic comedy night on a Sunday at 7, so I decided to check it out. You can see the building from the main road, Gresham Lake, but the entrance is somewhat hidden and you have to turn onto Northside to get to the Brewery's entrance. There's plenty of parking and they have a great outdoor seating area with lights. The inside is huge, such a great space. There's lots of seating, tables, high tops and at the bar. They have an awesome throwback arcade machine with all the good games on it, and foosball. They have a huge screen tv, great for watching games. They sell their beer, a small selection of wine and I believe they have soft drinks. Food wise, they only have snacks like popcorn, peanuts, pretzels and other snacks, but you can bring in your own food, and food trucks are stationed outside on certain days. They have Bingo on Wednesday nights and Trivia on Thursday's. It's a great place and the staff is super friendly. You can host events there too. read more

See all