Perhaps I'm accustom to the overall great service in the ATL. Or perhaps this was just a fluke. Either way, I will not be going back. The drinks came quickly, which was nice. However they were weak and the bartender totally skimped on my bourbon neat. The food was decent but not worth the nearly 1 hour it took to get my burger. I tried this place based on the recommendation from a friend. But friends, I'm here to tell you go somewhere else. read more

The Local - American Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Service was good and our waiter was attentive. The reason for the 2 is the food. The nachos had thick, jar cheese that was not appetizing. The grilled chicken sandwich had no flavor and was super dry. The wings had barely any seasoning and they broke apart so easily that my husband almost at a tiny bone! My son's Caesar salad was so drenched it dressing that it was too wet. Food was just not good read more

If you have realistic expectations, this place is awesome. Typically I go here late nights after work. Mozzarella sticks are my go-to. Are they great? No. But I like them every day. What I do like, is that they're open! And they have a really good craft beer selection. The bartenders are pretty friendly. Place is nuts duuring events at PNC. Really my go to spot in the neighborhood. Lots of regulars which is cool too. read more

Greasy food, sticky tables, slow service. Pretty average sports bar. I only come here when there is a networking event and even then I sometimes pass due to the location. Would love to give a great rating, but there is nothing great about it aside MAYBE from the parking which isn't bad. read more

Over priced small bar menu. Dry pork sandwich, fatty boneless wings. Over priced, no wait staff. Raised parking price for hurricanes games to $20, same price as parking at the PNC center for a game. Been going here for years before a game, won't do that anymore. read more

One of the best sports bars in Raleigh. The Backyard Bistro is a great pit stop before heading to a Canes or NC State Game. It's also a great place to catch the game if you can't get tickets. The restaurant used to be called Damon's Grill. When you walk in, you'll see the dining room area, a huge bar, and the rest of the restaurant is stadium seating that overlooks several giant screens. The latter is where you want to sit. Each table has a speaker and you can pick which screen you want to hear the audio from. The speakers don't really work very well since there's a lot of noise in the restaurant that competes with it. I'm sure it's fine if there are small crowds though. The front area near the screen is reserved for large groups. I've sat there before with the Triangle Red Sox Nation watching a playoff game. I wouldn't want to sit in the very front tables though, since that's kind of like getting the first row of seats in a movie theater. The menu is great. I'm a big fan of their BBQ and their burgers--especially their Backyard Burger. "8-oz. of fresh ground beef, grilled to order then topped with our pulled pork, slaw and the sweet "Q" sauce." If you're going to order that, come hungry. They have their own lager on tap here that's called "The Backyard Brew". It's served with a pretzel and a cheese cube on a straw. It's a nice, light beer that goes well with the menu. It's on special on Sundays for $2.50. I haven't had any issues with the service or food and I've been here a handful of times. Recommended. read more

OK, I'm giving this 5 Stars as a SPORTS BAR, not restaurant! This basically is a Carolina Hurricanes AND NC State Sports bar, given that the PNC Arena is literally right across the street! So I'm in Raleigh to watch my Blackhawks play the Canes, and the Hotel people tell me to go to this bar very close to the Arena. I'm immediately skeptical (it's just me). I'm thinking a bar in an area I don't know so Paul is thinking Commercialized crap....Well I was SO wrong! This is an EXCELLENT sports bar! I didn't know what to expect as I'm totally decked out in my Blackhawks White Road jersey (Stan Mikita, #21 thank you), and lo and behold, EVERYONE there is sporting a Chicago Blackhawks jersey!!! I thought, WTF? Isn't this a CAROLINA HURRICANES BAR??? Where the hell are the Caniacs??? Well a few of them did show up later, but it was about 95% Hawks fans and 5% Canes fans. We DO travel well!!! The atmosphere is pumping, and music is blaring out of the jukebox, and of course, someone decided to play "Chelsea Dagger" which is THE Chicago Blackhawks goal and victory song! YEAY! So right off the bat I am LOOOOOOOVING this place! But is the food and drink good? Yupper to both! First off, I've got to give a HUGE shout out to my server of the night Mary! A very lovely young blond who was not only efficient and attentive, but super friendly to ALL the Hawks fans, but also ACCURATE! This place was jam packed! And everyone around me said that they were amazed that she got EVERY bill correct! If you've ever been a server, that is NOT an easy task given the large crowd! So Mary recommends a local seasonal beer, and man, was it ever fantastic! It was called the BIG OPERATOR by BIG BOSS BREWING company out of Raleigh! Here's how the company's website characterizes this amazing beer: "Big Operator is a full-flavored black ale. The beer is infused with raspberry in addition to a locally roasted cacao from local cacao roasters at Escazu. It culminates with an amazing dark raspberry and chocolate finish. 8% ABV" Now come on, doesn't that sound friggin A-MA-ZING????????????? It was People! Food wise, I also went for the Pulled Pork sandwhich with house made chips. Both were EXCELLENT (and better than most) bar food! Sweet and savory BBQ sauce (I got extra!) that went perfectly with that delicious pork! Great chips too. They unfortunately run out of the Big Operator beer that I loved, so I try a couple more before the game. All good but NOT nearly as good as that local seasonal beer......So me and my new Hawks-loving BFFs head on over to the game across the street..... Fast forward a few hours....GOOD Guys win 3-1 (yes, that would mean my BLACKHAWS!) and many of us head BACK to this great bar. Thankfully, my new BFF Server Mary is still here and continues where she left off! Had the Hells Belle also by Big Boss Brewing, which I've had many times before. Solid Strong Beligan Ale type which is my favorite! A "light" (for Paul) 7% ABV. Anyway, me and a bunch of other Blackhawks fans literally close down the bar (man bars close early here....like last call at 11pm? 11pm? Really? Bars aren't even starting at 11pm in Chicago! WTF?) OK, so it's Raleigh I guess? But they did stay open till after midnight until we all finshed our drinks. And the whole time Mary took GREAT care of us! So IF you are going to PNC Arena for ANY reason, come check out this great not-so-hidden gem of a sports bar! And ask for MARY! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for pre-game food and drinks! And POST-game too! read more

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Stopped by for a late lunch. The place was pretty quite. Was served in a reasonable time. Food was average.

Piss poor customer service. Seriously. On the plus side: chicken wings are good;so are the house chips. That's why they got a second star. Got here on a weekday afternoon. Maybe ten customers in the place. Fifteen minutes to get one of the two bartenders to recognize that I wasn't looking at my menu, and wanted to order food. I suppose chatting with each other or the waitress who also wasn't taking care of her customers is a higher priority. I was literally reaching for my wallet to pay cash for my drink and leave when they decided to take my order. Had I eaten in the past twelve hours, I'd have left right then. And, since I've been waiting fifteen minutes for my tab, that would have been the better choice. read more

Backyard Bistro has improved tremendously since my last visit. We grabbed 2 seats at the bar so we could watch the Australia v Japan Women's World Cup game. I like the little red sound boxes that are lined up at the bar (downside: not all of them work), you can choose a TV and listen to the game. We split the Backyard Sampler, I liked the boneless wings and sliders but was not a fan of the flavor of the ribs. We also split a few side items: mixed vegetables, stone ground grits (a little bland), butter beans and mashed potato gratin (my favorite). The location is convenient especially if you are going to an event at the PNC arena. read more

Worst chicken sandwich I've ever had. Give me McDonalds, Wendy's, ANYTHING over this. Could not even bite into it, so incredibly tough. It was a to go order during work so limited options - had to choke a few bites down. If I had been served this in the restaurant I would have sent it back. The only thing this restaurant has going for it is it's location. If you like delicious (or edible) food...go somewhere else. read more

The Local - Fried chicken sandwich - American Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I came to watch the Sunday football game with my boyfriend, and I was surprised to find that it was not busy. Partly because a hurricanes game was going on across the street at Pnc. The TVs are huge and the tables have speaker connected to them, which made it the perfect place for watching the game. With that said, the service wasn't that great, and the Cobb salad I ordered was just good. The chicken was a tad dry. I'll most likely try something else if I decide to come back. read more

The Local - Cobb salad - American Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Every time I'm in town for a concert, I always go to the Backyard Bistro before the show. It's a tradition! It's like a five minute walk from the PNC Arena. The wait usually takes a while due to being busy, but the food and the service is always great! read more

The food here has always been good, the service is usually good as well. Today not quite the case, my server seems to intentionally neglect my the table. It's not many people in the restaurant, everything I've asked for he has forgot. I asked for carrots - never received them, I asked for extra lemons - I had to get up after 15 minutes to get my own, about 25 mins later he came with extra lemons. It's now been about 30 mins since he came to the table. Although I came here to watch a game to be completely neglected is unacceptable. For food I got the jerk wings, make sure you have a waiter that will bring you water because they are spicy, but very good. Overall, this is a great place to watch games and get good food. I've never had bad service here so maybe it's just a one time thing. read more

I don't live far away, so I was surprised to realize I had never been here. There was an event at PNC so the bar was full when we first got there but it quieted down in about 5 minutes when everyone piled out to go to the event. We were seated at a table in the bar area and the bartender came over quickly to take out drink order. He returned fairly soon with our drinks and then took our food order. That's when he hit the brakes. After about 25 minutes, I finally had to get up and get his attention so we could get another drink. He brought them and then disappeared again. At least 20 minutes more before our food showed up and my burger was undercooked. We finished our meals and waited at least another 20 minutes before my wife got up and had to ask for our bill. Bottom line is that it's a cool place but they have VERY slow service. read more

there is no Star to give ready to go see Jeff Dunham was going to eat at a restaurant with a bar and can't eat and drink. this is stupid and I don't recommend this place but I do know that the arena has some of the best pulled pork period and you can sit at a bar have a drink and eat too. read more

Had not been here in a long while and will not go back. Took an hour for our food to come. Seriously slow kitchen and the waitress was mia most of the service. read more

Went there for a sports team dinner. Its a sports bar so we were able to watch Saturday college football and everything was happy. Drinks were good and overall the food was good. Personally the chicken wings, bbq sandwich and potato salad were outstanding. Got a lot of food and everyone seem to like it. We had 2 waiters so that was good for the group and they seem to get drinks and food to us pretty quickly. read more

We came in (party of 16) and sat in different areas because it was a busy night. It wasn't just a little busy, it was packed!! Liz at the bar always made eye contact and grabbed our orders. We made our way outside (smokers) and the picnic tables were reserved but we grabbed the high top and it was perfect. Jay ran over and let us know, he'd be there for us. We were able to order drinks AND food outside, as busy as they were. The Nachos were yummy and so were the sweet potato fries. I've been here numerous times and Ive never seen it this busy and their customer service was still on point!! Kudos!!!!! read more

The Local - American Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

We have eaten here occasionally over a long time. Mostly for Hurricanes related events. The food is decent for a sports bar vibe. It is not super consistent. I've ordered the same menu items on multiple occasions and what I got varied quite a bit. We have been held up trying to get into the parking lot because they sell their spaces when events are going on at the arena ...even when they are also hosting an event. The audio at one event was intolerable. The next event we attended they ran out of promotional photos even though we had arrived two hours ahead of the event. (That may not be the Bistros fault , but since the Canes now own the restaurant I'm putting it in here). The most recent event, they changed the rules for the photos provided for signature and I was told that was the owners decision. That would not have been an issue except, I wasn't informed until after ordering what I have always ordered to get the photo. So I wound up with a menu item that I didn't really want/need and had to pay an additional $10 for the photo because I didn't want to order the new qualifying menu item. If you change things on stuff people have been attending for years, make an announcement or something please. read more

We took home a half pan of peach cobbler. Our large group gobbled it up, it was delicious. The chef seemed to care about the food, she came out of the kitchen to hand it to us and give instructions to keep it warm. Only complaint is they overestimated the size, we were told half a pan is more than enough for 20 ppl, buy we definitely could have used more. read more

Serious sports bar...how serious? 5 projectors serious. I was surprised at the food selection. As someone who does not eat red meat I was happy to find several options. read more

The Local - American Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Went here with two of my girlfriends the other night. Service was top-notch- that gets a 5. Our server was so sweet and attentive. The food was okay. The "Battle of the Bands" was happening and we were sitting outside watching. We were really only there for the first band and they left a lot to be desired. The crowd was a very eclectic mix. I think this is a good venue if you want to watch sporting events or special things like the bands that play here. But I'm uncertain you would come just for the food. My friend was here Super Bowl Sunday and they really enjoyed it then. read more

Tonight another person and I achieved the cloak of invisibility !!! We went in at about 8:50. There was a sign that read "Seat Yourself" at the front. The place looked like the aftermath of food fight. There were dirty tables and food strewn in several different directions. We chose a seat at a table down front. There were patrons at a table beside us with a couple boxes of leftovers. A server walked by us. I looked at them - No reaction. A couple of minutes later another server walked by "above" us. I looked at the server - No reaction. About 5 minutes later another server walked by our table to the table beside us and gave them their change or receipt... I also looked directly at him...he kept going. A server came out of the kitchen...looked at our table then went back in. At this point we had been there 10 minutes. Another 5 minutes guy at the table beside us stood up and flagged down their server. When the server came over the guy said "Look dude my drink has been empty 10 minutes I shouldn't have to wave you down.' Still, no acknowledgement that we were there. It had been 18 minutes since we walked in the door there were maybe 15 there people there and another 20 at the bar. We got up and left. I know I made eye contact with at least 4 servers- that is why I must be invisible, because none of them made an effort to do their job. As we left, I told the hostess we had been the for almost 20 minutes without being helped....she replied "Really?" and went back to playing on her smart phone. I have no idea of what the food is like, but if it matches the service, it is horrible. I won't ever come back. read more

Recommended by our hotel front desk at Hyatt place. Great place for lunch. Pulled pork sandwich with beans was tasty and delicious. Goat cheese salad was very fresh and tasty. A++. Definitely would dine again. Great service and food. read more

Great food and excellent location for a canes game. Always enjoyable. Wide menu selection.

This is definitely the place you want to go to watch the big game, they have like 3 or 4 huge tv and all the sports memorabilia you can stand. the food is your classic bar food that's pretty damn good and the service is decent. the layouts fairly spacious and clean with plenty of seating to accommodate large groups. they also have a full bar with beers,wines and liquor to keep the good times Rollin. I have absolutely no problem at all with backyard bistro and look forward to going back in the future. i highly recommend you try this place out if you haven't already and possibly catch good game while your at it. lol read more

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We stopped in after driving from Carolina beach to the airport. Steve the manager is so sweet and has great customer service. Nate the bartender made delicious drinks and was always checking on us! The hush puppies were very good and the Mac and cheese was to die for! read more

I hired Backyard Bistro off of online reviews for a rehearsal dinner for 90 people at our location. I give them a rating of 5+ out of 5. The staff was extremely friendly and was very concerned that everything was up to our expectations. They asked several times throughout the night if we were satisfied and if there was anything that needed to be addressed, which there was not. The food was great, so good that guests kept on coming up to us and praising how good the food was. I was extremely happy and only wished I was able to eat more because it was so good. Their personnel were very friendly and the trays of food were always full so much so that no one ever had to wait for them to bring out more food. They replenished the trays whenever they saw them getting low. The bartender was very accommodating and completely took care of the bar. If I ever have another event in the area, they will be the first one I contact. read more

stop here for an early dinner ; the brisket was excellent. smash burger was delicious as were the collard greens. the staff was fantastic especially Brandi who is attentive, sweet, gave great recommendations and make our experience more enjoyable. Will definitely be back again read more

Great spot for apps and drinks to meet friends coming in from out of town. Friendly staff, Stephanie rocks behind the bar! Try the Pulled Pork Tots, crispy tater tots topped w pork, kimchee, siracha aioli, scallions and cilantro. DELICIOUS TIMES TWO read more

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Always a pre-game and/or post-game destination of ours when coming in town to watch the Hurricanes play at PNC. Food is pretty good, but the menu selection could use some expansion and diversity in my opinion. However, I mainly come here for the "Carolina Hurricane" drink. read more

The Local - American Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Quite of happy hour on a Tuesday night. Friendly bartender and other customers. Good good for a sports bar. Not fried, grilled and tasty. Good drinks and music for a summers night read more

Great hang out spot and sports bar, service was excellent and food was a nice serving size and delicious, can be loud of course but enjoyable spot read more

This place is a very nice sports bar. They seat spaced out well & the food was delicious!' The service was absolutely great and we will def be back!! read more

Ordered take out tonight via 919dine(dot)com -love them- Real simple order: 1 lb boneless wings and a "build your own" burger. The wings came as such, with 2 shriveled pieces each of celery & carrots and one side cup of blue cheese. Rather bland and unremarkable but, hey - It's yard bird. Chicken is just not a flavor powerhouse and always requires a condiment if not cooked over coals or skin-on, breaded & scalded in lard. It was terrible. I digress. The burger, just a dry, tasteless burger. The bun was stale, the cheese was jail style and while I requested sautéed onions I got two small red onion, a shriveled piece of lettuce and the ugliest hothouse pink tomato sliver I've ever seen. Previously I had been under the impression it was impossible to screw up a hamburger; I now know otherwise. I ordered fries as a side, and fries are kinda standard with a burger...But there were none in the order. Did no one notice a plain burger sans fries tonight? Yep. And they charged me almost $40 for this mess. This was by far and large the worst take out I've ever had and given my past review of this place, I'm very sorry to have potentially steered folks into Backyard Bistro. They've overhauled the menu, the food has taken a backseat and if you're hungry, hit the backdoor on into their backyard and get on into Wendy's drive thru next door. I sure as heck won't return. read more

I understand Covid and the reduction in hours. However hours are listed close at 9pm. Got there at 755, and front door was locked. Maybe it's 8pm and I hope someone can confirm. If that is the case I will happily update. read more

We were headed out of town for an event in the Raleigh area and we were searching for a bite to eat beforehand. We wanted something a little different so we looked up some local spots and found this place. I noticed an interesting 5, 4, 3 drink special idea at the hostess stand which prompted me to order a beer with dinner. I also liked the TV setup they had with 5 jumbo screens to watch different basketball games on. When we sat down we waited, and waited, and finally our server came to the table stopped to tell us he would be with us in a moment but didn't grab drink orders. I found that strange but it was fairly crowded. We did finally order drinks and decided it was best to order food then as well. I ordered the wings and my wife decided to split some nachos with her cousin. I'm not usually one that cares too awful much about how long the food is taking but we had somewhere to be. The food took almost an hour to come out! Now you would think the server would almost be over attentive if the kitchen was backed up to try and keep the guests satisfied but this wasn't the case. There were a few tables around us that got up and left because of the wait time. The overall service was definitely dissatisfying but the food wasn't all that bad. My wife enjoyed the nachos, albeit, engulfing them so we'd be on time to our event. My wings weren't all that bad either. I really don't like writing these kind of reviews but it should be known that, if you're in a rush, don't make plans to go here beforehand. read more

Food is average but the amount of TVs is why people go. Alittle bit overload for kids and family. Place had a funky smell. But would still go back to watch big games. Thanks. read more

We are rather new to NC and found this spot honestly by mistake. Well, make no mistake! This place is legit! The servers are super friendly, service is fast and the food...well all I can say is they are now catering our wedding in October! Joe and Eileen were amazing to work with and I would recommend their food, service and fun personalities to anyone! They are not located close to us, but we go out of our way for their Redneck Eggrolls and Brisket! Do yourself a favor trust me! read more