Step into a dimly lit labyrinth where the walls seem to swallow your secrets and every corner…read morewhispers mood and mystery. This bar is a glorious mess, the music pulses with an offbeat energy while a bartender is running a bar where the mixers seem to have gone on vacation. Better hope you're in the mood for whiskey neat or tequila straight up--because anything else is clearly an improvisation! It's a place where no one cares if the floors are sticky or the décor is a little less. It's chaos, it's charm, it's definitely unapologetic--a refuge for anyone who wants to drink, dance, and just be in the glorious mess of it all. The regulars are more like a family here, they have claimed their seats and built a strong camaraderie. Cheers!

I love this place! We can quickly grab great food just up the street at the corner and then come…read moredown to enjoy a few games of pool in the back room, or enjoy a drink on the very large outdoor patio. The music is always great, a DJ spins on Friday night and if you like a little go go dance action, there is that too on Friday nights! Karaoke is always a hit and the karaoke Djs are both exceptional. If you are looking for some leather, there is a shop directly on site, and run by one awesome human, GO BRUCE! Saturdays are typically themed nights, but also great times! The drinks and service are amazing. Bartenders are always attentive and some of those drinks have more kick than a Missouri mule! Owner is such a good guy! And Victor, the bar back...he has more personality than a prom queen. Love him! Good stuff! Great times! Lots of laughs, and friendly faces!

Wonderful, accepting bar. I went for karaoke on a Sunday, $3 cover. Pinball and ping pong. Clean…read morerestrooms.

I stopped by Boxcar with a few friends on a Monday and we had a great time! There was hardly…read moreanybody else in there, so we were able to play any of the games we wanted easily. On Mondays their drink special is $5 for any draft, what a steal! We all enjoyed a drink and a few games. I love the decor and vibes in Boxcar, the artwork is really punk and cool looking. My favorite game, The Lucky Duck, was broken (the claw wouldn't extend far enough to reach any ducks). I reported this to a staff member and she let me pick out any 2 ducks I wanted! The Pokemon pinball was fun too, I love the variety of pinball machines.

We came here for the first time last Sunday afternoon. It was a very cool spot and a great value!…read more The arcade is pretty big, with a wide variety of games. Tokens are reasonably priced and older style arcade games only take 1- the more interactive or multi player games (think air hockey, basketball, dance dance etc) take 4. They have free popcorn, daily drink specials, and drinks were very reasonably priced. Despite being fairly busy, service at the bar was friendly and fast- I was impressed! Not much else for food here from what I can tell, so don't plan on having your meal here. I brought two teenage boys and we hung out for almost 2 hours- I think I spent about 40 bucks including tokens and a couple of drinks for myself. I really liked the street art vibe, especially all of the murals and the Instagram wall. They've done a great job with ambiance! The outdoor patio adds a lot of additional chill space. When we were there they didn't have a band playing, but I think they do often. I almost want to give it 5 stars, but several of the games were not working properly and ate our tokens. That say you can grab someone to fix them, but nobody appeared available, and I wouldn't have wanted to bother them multiple times anyhow... Would be great if they were proactively checking and fixing them. More snacks would be great too! Other than that it was a really great experience, I would definitely go back.

The Green Light is not a yellow or red light, it is a must GO!! This bar is uniquely beautiful and…read moreprovided my friend and I with surprises all around. From the entrance of the speakeasy to the handcrafted cocktails. If I could leave six stars I would!!

Left this place in high spirits!! :) Mysterious and amusing impression as the "entrance" was…read moreunsealed. I won't spoil it for you, but as you walk up the stairs just ask for Green Light instead of Merchant (which is also a great bar!) This bar is more intimate; a bit of a propriety aura with a street view. Different cocktail options than The Merchant, and so our waitress who normally works over there wasn't familiar with any of them but she asked for us. Loved the Porn on Mute (similar to Sex on Beach).

This dance club/bar pulses with a low, guttural thrum of bass-heavy music that drowns out…read moreconversation, forcing patrons to lean in and shout to be heard. Dim, flickering neon lights cast jagged shadows across the crowded room, glinting off sticky glassware and half-finished drinks. This narrow bars air is thick with sweat, spilled beer, and the bite of cheap liquor, churning into a humid haze that clings to skin and clothing. Bodies press together--dancing, swaying, colliding--feeding the bar's restless energy. Bartenders move like frantic cogs behind the bar, shouting orders and slinging bottles with practiced aggression. Every corner hums with disorder and with all that booze they can't even make an old fashioned. But then again I am the kind of person who treats dance clubs like an over-caffeinated blender, would rather be nursing a good drink somewhere my shoes don't stick to the floor and conversation doesn't require a megaphone. Cheers!

So much fun at Zenith last night. This place used to be Coglin's and I was disappointed when it…read moreclosed. Glad to see a similar establishment opening here. Reminds me of the bars/clubs we frequented in the 90s -- dark with great music and drinks heavy on the liquor. Bartender was friendly and I enjoyed my Blue's Clues and Monster Mash. They were a little sweet but equally strong. They had an impressive beer list as well. I just wish the place was a little bigger with more seating but maybe they're just trying to get everybody on the dance floor! Look forward to going back.

True to the name, dive bar/party bar…read more The space is huge and it is typically rented out by the sororities and fraternities. The music is loud, the beer is cold, the service was fantastic. You can dance on the bars, which at my age, I shouldn't do, but did in full college girl fashion! I adore this bar.

I was there for less then 2 minutes. Went in, saw a lady playing pool and said, "hey just want to…read moresay, I like your look and I hope you're winning." And she looked at me like I was a cockroach. Totally rude response. I gave her a thumbs up and got the fuck out of there. I'm 34 and not interested in being around assholes. My recommendation: skip it. This is not a friendly place or even remotely a party bar, it's a place for people to pretend they're having fun for appearances.

One of the more fun things I've found to do in Raleigh. I've been to three dueling piano bars in my…read morelife. This one tops Vegas and Charleston.

The parking is a real challenge so either get downtown early or take uber/ lyft . There is no food…read moreoptions here but the music certainly makes up for it. The vibe is fantastic. We love it here. Everything ,the music and the people make for a really great time. The drinks, just ensure to talk out what it is you are expecting. But the live guitar, drums and piano make up for anything gone wrong. You may choose a waitress if you sit down at a large table and the drinks come to you, I can't calculate if it's faster than waiting at the one bar line but it seemed. Check it out. Rumor is that it may be closing...

Good place for dancing especially on the weekends- not as much for food but they have drinks. The…read moreemployees were helpful especially when getting multiple drink orders and for water when needed. It's loud /hot upstairs- you mostly dance there and there's live music downstairs. We mostly stayed upstairs to dance. The DJ on March 1st was AWESOME. Great transitions from song to song but kept a good mix of older and newer songs. Great DJ wish he would come to Chapel Hill. Downstairs we listen to some songs but it's more of a sway and sing along or hang vibe. Heard a lot more grunge/rock songs than upstairs being more rap/pop. The people here are definitely a younger crowd so if you're 35+ you may feel out of place. Parking on Glenwood is horrid so we ubered to avoid driving. Otherwise you'll pay $20 for parking at a private lot, it's awful

It's a good place to drink, it's a bad place to drink, but that all depends on your choice of…read moredrink. It's hard to tell what the theme of this bar is, but the very comfortable retro bar chairs and tropical colored walls lead me to believe they are aiming for the margeritaville feel. It is however easy to identify this as a live music venue, with a plain jane second floor that also offers a rooftop bar. They obviously know how to hire the right talent to drive this bar, unfortunately they miss the mark on getting them to the finish line by not stocking what they need to make the drinks. Glenwood ave is not lacking in the bar scene, so if you're looking for any guarantees, this place may not be it. Cheers!

O'Malley's is a classic neighborhood Irish Pub in the heart of Raleigh…read more Atmosphere is dark, intimate, and immediately comfortable. Service is friendly and attentive, the menu is extensive...from handhelds to appetizers to Irish classics like Shepherds Pie and Fish n' Chips. The two times I've been here there was a guitarist playing live music, if you're into the kind of thing. Hard to go wrong with a place like O'Malley's. If you're in the area and looking for a good meal or a comfortable watering hole, give them a try!

We were staying at the best western near by and looking for a quick dinner we could walk to, SO…read moreGLAD we found o'malleys! We got the sampler with cappies, fried pickles, poppers and mac bites, that was amazing, I don't know what the mustard sauce on the plate was but you'll want to eat it on everything! For dinner we got the Rueben (menu said "Raleigh's finest", and they would be CORRECT!) and the St. Patrick with smashed potatoes, everything was amazing! We also got a couple of Guinness and black window ciders, the bill was significantly cheaper than we thought it'd be. Our server was nice and attentive, the atmosphere was comfortable, the lighting was dim (like you'd expect in a tavern) and they had live music near the front door, we loved the vibe and almost went again for dinner the next night lol Definitely gonna be stopping by next time we're in Raleigh!

Friday night on a winter night in January: display seems to be full of locals to know that this is…read morethe place to be if you don't have your expectations too damn high. I feel as if a lot of people come to cities expecting a lot, but they seem to just be a very local bar.. service is quick because there was not too many people ( about 50 people here. This place is not too expensive and understands the clientele here. I am from out of town, and I've been playing for dart, live DJ (local) nothing like edm. Felt safe here. I would absolutely recommend stopping by waiting until about 10 o'clock to come through here on the weekend . Hope you have fun.

Had an awesome time at Lucky B's, playing giant Jenga with friends in such a vibrant, social…read moreatmosphere kept the night full of laughs. The Happy Dad buckets were the perfect touch to keep the good vibes going!