I have to say I did not eat here but I would have! The ladies at the bar were so nice and welcoming! The food smelled amazing. I will be back next time I am in town such a cute place located right behind Chipotle. read more

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Cute, cozy and great drinks. Was in town visiting and was happy to find this place! Went during the day and it was quiet which was perfect.

This place is conveniently located on Franklin St right by Chipotle and has great outdoor seating. I can't speak to their food, but their alcoholic beverages were hard to stomach for me personally. Just very heavy handed in the alcohol that I was hard to taste any of the syrups or other flavors. I enjoyed the non-alcoholic beverage I purchased though! The bartenders were nice and efficient, and it's definitely a fun place to watch a sports game or hang out with friends. read more

Best bar in chapel hill by far!! Everyone who comes in is so kind and the vibes are great. Perfect place to come for a cocktail/beer and listen to music or catch up with friends :) Also the bartenders/food staff are lovely and just what you would expect of a small town bar! read more

Dead Mule Club - Bars Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Fun place to catch a drink and watch a game. Bartender was nice. A good time all around. We ordered some apps for the table and pretty good. read more

Dead Mule Club - Bars Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Very popular place for drinks, beer and appetizers. We love the fresh cut French fries without salt and some catsup/ketchup. Nice seating outdoors. Very crowded some times of the day and under staffed at times but that's business. Definitely try it out. read more

Since I was staying at The Franklin Hotel next door, I couldn't help but mosey on over to this little establishment that is tucked away. You might mistake it for someone's house if you didn't know what you were looking for. It was a rainy night before my graduation and I was in need of a celebratory drink with my wife! We stopped in, had a few, played Operation, chatted with the friendly bartender, and had a chill time. We learned that drinking establishments in Chapel Hill (and I'm guessing the whole state) must be classified as a club so we were asked to put our names on a sign-in sheet. Weird. Either way, the bar was quaint, intimate, there's awesome wall decor, and there were board games to pass the time. The bartender had mentioned that it's not really where the young college students go, but older (more refined) folks. Great place for a drink as you hobble along Franklin St.! read more

Dead Mule Club - bottles of alcohol on a shelf above a window - Bars Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Sunday Brunch at the Dead Mule is really good. Poached eggs to perfection, a real biscuits and gravy, all looked and tasted like the best fine dining restaurants. But it's not a stuffy fine dining restaurant it's a cool bar right in the middle of Chapel Hill. There so much love and history in the bar, and despite the chain restaurants and apartment building that have sprung up around it, it's retained it's home town character. The bar and wait staff are friendly and laid back but very professional and efficient. This little house bar in the middle of Chapel Hill is a treasure, I knew that, but it's a pretty good restaurant sometimes, too. I definitely recommend the Sunday brunch. read more

Dead Mule Club - Eggs florentine - Bars Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

This is a nice little bar set back off Franklin street so it's a calmer atmosphere. They have a big patio as well as a small indoor space. It's not an undergrad hangout so it is a relaxed vibe. We went here during a home football game for UNC and it was very quiet - besides our group there were two other small groups. The bartenders were very nice and the drinks reasonably priced - I got a white claw selt but my friends enjoyed their cocktails too! Definitely a good place to check out for a causal night, they show games and have some board games too if you aren't into sports! Will be going back on a nice evening to enjoy their patio! read more

Awesome spot for coctails when you want to get out of the busy-ness of the more popular bars on Franklin. Quaint seating area with good vibes. Bartenders were friendly and service was fast. Didn't try the food but menu looked good! Wish I would've snapped pics but we enjoyed the Tom Collins, Dark & Stormy, and bottled beer. Only downfall was draft beer was not working! read more

Guy told me "can't be sleeping bro." Well I'm obviously a awake, and could have asked. So I wrote this review. Environment is definitely for older folks and the wood stairs are dangerous especially if you're drunk and elderly. I saw makers mark on the shelf, otherwise, their whiskey selection is relatively limited. I ended up going to a Marriott for some Macallan. read more

This is one of my favorite bars in Chapel Hill. The bar staff is amazing and all of their cocktails are great. My group got Moscow Mules and a few of the blood Orange ciders on draft. Definitely recommend for anyone who wants to get away from the college bar lines. read more

Dead Mule Club - Part time lover - Bars Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

terrible service and no kid-friendly at all. The current bartender was rude and I missed the old vibe. Plenty of other bars to spend my money. I called the owner to explain my bad experience and no reply. #notworthit #nobueno. read more

Oh wow. What a fantastic atmosphere. This place is a winner. Wonderful staff. Friendly locals here. We will definitely be back. We ate their pork & collard egg rolls, a Bbq chicken burger and the most delicious home-made Madelyn's peach cobbler. Great food. Well priced. Drinks well priced. Nice deck to sit out front plus parking what a bonus. read more

Dead Mule Club - Menu - Bars Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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One of my new favorite bars. I love chapel hill and this is my new go-to bar when I'm avoiding the undergrad scene. Of course the youngins still stroll through but the overall vibe is great. Outdoor and indoor area. Great patio area --definitely has the occasional smoker which is a downside but is not constant. Games - jenga, cards against humanity, operation, cornhole Bartender always friendly--good liquor variety for mixed drinks. Not the greatest for more complicated cocktails (would do crunkleton, bside or belltree) but they are always up for trying things. Limited snack options but I can't imagine they would mind if you brought in your own. read more

Love this place!!! Best bar in Chapel Hill! Fantastic people, perfect location, ice cold beer and good food. Good mix of younger/older patrons. read more

Cool little bar, fun atmosphere and friendly bartender. Great spot that seems to be doing their own thing, and it works. Will go back. read more

Very friendly atmosphere and friendly employees. Food was pretty good too. Had a pulled pork sandwich that was delicious. Reasonable prices.

NOT recommended. Bartending / wait staff is slow, food portions are small and quality of the food is not the best. It's easy to get a MUCH better experience in all respects elsewhere in the Chapel Hill area. read more

This bar discriminated against my party because we weren't cheering for UNC. The waitress refused to serve us when we sat down. She at first tried to move us to a table in the alley out of sight. She then said the only way we could be served is if the owner served us himself. He then walked over and said we would not be served at all and had 5 minutes to leave the establishment. read more

I ordered some Sam's BBQ through door dash. I was so pleased with the results. I got pulled pork with baked beans and collard greens, it came with 3 small but delicious hush puppies. Everything was hot and fresh and so good. I really loved the collards and the pork was good as well. Very generous portions. I will probably order again soon! read more

It's kinda hidden but not really. It did take me awhile to realize that this place existed right next to Chipotle! It's a small cozy house with a comprehensive menu and few snacks. You can sit inside or outside, but beware: it is a little bit small inside. I always see at least one of my friends here with another group and I've had good memories here-- you should make some too! read more

Dead Mule Club - a bottle of beer on a table - Bars Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

I managed to go through my entire undergraduate career without ever having heard of this bar. It's a little set back from Franklin and tiny and cute (in a small white house with lots of outdoor patio space, but only a handful of inside tables). They're known for their bourbon and whiskey selection, but you can get other stuff as well (well, maybe not sex on the beach, but definitely a stiff gin and tonic). Despite the small size, service is never a problem as the Dead Mule just doesn't seem to attract (or else manages to make itself unknown to) students. It's a good place for small-ish outdoor gatherings. Bonus: the patio is dog-friendly! read more

Perfect chill bar when you actually want to talk to and hang out with your friends. This place is no frills, and each of the rooms has it's own character. I like to go here and relax on the porch and people watch. The back room has larger booths and is good for larger groups of friends. read more

How is this place not more popular? Even as I'm sitting here writing this, I want to go back tonight... it's been too long. The Dead Mule's virtues are its stealth and small size. Most people will walk by it a couple times a week and never even know it's there (despite it being an actual building of it's own, unlike the cravenly concealed Goodfellas et al). When you're frustrated by the heaving, drunken masses of East Franklin, The Dead Mule always has a spot for you. It's very reliable like that. People always talk about the whiskey, but I go for the beer, and I'm very happy with it. They only have a few selections, but they're rather good local brews for the most part. The ambiance here is second to none, mainly because of the patio. It's really a large deck with several tables out under the trees. More often than not it's lit by strings of Christmas tree lights strung along the side and in the tree branches, a nice touch. The Dead Mule is quiet and small, but excellent at being both those things. read more

The Dead Mule is a cool little bar with ample outdoor seating and a perfect view of Franklin Street. You want to watch people wander into Chipotle and the Franklin Hotel? You can do that, with a drink in hand! Doesn't get much better than that. Again, they have outdoor seating, something that very few places on Franklin have readily available. read more

Owner is extremely vigilant and rude towards customers. Was sitting in the other evening and witnessed him engaging in a screaming match with another table of customers. Not sure if it was sports-related or what, but it was extremely unprofessional. Will not be returning. read more

Great location, cold beer, nice people, can sit outdoors....maybe corporate development will continue to give this cool joint a pass. read more

Dead Mule Club - a woman drinking from a bottle - Bars Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Damn good staff and awesome authentic cocktails!! One of my favorite spots in CH- easy to get to and a fun atmosphere with great food as well. 10/10 will go again!! Very accommodating to all drink orders, but their original cocktails are spectacular!! read more

The Mule is a kind of laid back spot-- some place to chill with friends for a while. It's for members and their guest, but sometimes I think they're a little bit flexible on that. Some of my friends and I use to frequent this bar on a regular basis. The bartenders are great, they take good care of you. I use the like the way they made this one drink called a "side car"-- this was a "sneaky" drink. Just when you think you're the drink hasn't hit you-- wham! that sucker creeps right up on ya! It's delicious! I recently went there with a friend and just chilled on the patio for a while and chatted. I got a wheat beer which is probably the best I can do in the beer department-- not much of a beer person. Oh and yes the patio is dog friendly so watch your step! read more

There is nowhere better in Chapel Hill for a long conversation. People respect your privacy with a quick hello, or there are never-ending conversational groups of long-time regulars that happily welcome a stranger, especially a stranger with a cute dog. If I were hoping to recruit a new young faculty member, this is one of the places I'd bring them. When the mayor of Chapel Hill was hoping to garner my support, he and 2 council members brought me here and we sat on the porch and were not bothered. If the weather is decent, you sit on the porch. You go inside to buy your drinks. Periodically the bartender comes out, clears the empties and takes orders, but it's easier just to go inside for seconds or thirds. Sitting inside by the fireplace must be romantic, because I've seen more than a few relationships either launched or renewed there. Don't count on buying food there. It's only occasionally available. There are plenty of places nearby to bring it from, and there's always delivery from farther away. Management encourages you to bring your own. read more

I attended a happy hour at Dead Mule a few weeks back and I must say this is a great bar. I have been living in Chapel Hill for over a year now and never even realized it was here. It's in a great location with a great front porch! We will be coming back to this place for happy hours in the future. One more thing - the bartenders were amazing. Very pleasant and informed and made everyone feel at home. read more

This bar discriminated against my group based upon our sports team preference...... wtf?!?! The waitress had a terrible attitude and lied about our group's behavior to have us removed from the establishment despite our group behaving perfectly appropriately. The waitress refused to take orders and assist us with additional chairs (despite the owner asking her to do so originally). We were all very polite and quiet despite continuous rude behavior from the waitress. I have never experienced such atrocious behavior from someone working in the service industry, and frankly it was embarrassing. read more

Great find in Chapel Hill. Talked with the owner and Norm--great guys!! I'll be back the next time I'm in town. Go Pack.

Seeing as how it's a nondescript bar that doesn't really have great drink specials or good live music, I think the thing that makes me love the Dead Mule so much is the ambience. The Christmas lights strung throughout the trees overlooking the deck stay up year-round and give the area a nice glow on balmy summer nights, while the fireplace inside is a good place to warm up during the more chilly months. It's a small bar, but because it's in a renovated house there are a few different rooms and you don't feel crammed into one tiny space. The service has always been friendly, and even though they are a members & guests only bar, it's not really enforced. Maybe it's because it's sandwiched between the Franklin Hotel and Chipotle Grill, but the Dead Mule doesn't attract the young East Franklin St. crowd. Something tells me the patrons prefer it that way. read more

Went here for the first time very recently. It was ok, a nice patio but a bit difficult to actually get a drink. Prices normal for this area and otherwise this place didn't really stand out as good or bad. Its ok. read more

Great atmosphere. Friendly bartenders. Cozy place to grab a drink with friends. They also have a big deck where it is nice to sit on a warmer night. read more

If I lived in Chapel Hill, Dead Mule would be my spot. Set back from the street enough to keep that students at bay but angled just right for excellent people watching. Friendly dogs (and people!) abound. Drinks so cheap that I thought the bartender didn't charge me for my date's beverage. What's not to love? read more

The Dead Mule Club is a little hole in the wall place that works well for the after-work drink. It's not pretentious, it's not elegant, it's not even particularly classy -- but it's not a dive, either. They have a nice selection of hard liquors from the standard well drink crap to the lower levels of the truly high-quality stuff; the whiskey genre in particular is well-represented. There are only three beers on tap at any given time, but they have a sufficient selection of bottle beer. Prices are reasonable. It gets really crowded as it gets later, but for the 5:30-7 timeframe, it's perfect. On a nice early evening, be sure to sit outside and watch Franklin St go by! read more

I like the laid-back atmosphere of this bar, but would recommend it for warmer seasons (which, granted, is the majority of the year in Chapel Hill). We visited in January when it was too cold to sit outside and found the bar way too cramped. But the drink menu is comprehensive and the prices aren't bad. One of the less annoying places to get a drink in Chapel Hill. read more