Ambiance of this place is unreal!! The heat in this place was just right, I was new to this beat and I wasn't completely disappointed. My girlfriend and I went here after dinner and we were immediately greeted by the two characters working the front door. Those two were making the whole line laugh. Which was the perfect distraction since it was freezing outside. We finally got inside and went to the bar with excitment to see what interesting cocktails they had. They had a whole list of interesting sounding drinks, unfortunately the two drinks my girlfriend and I tried to order weren't actually available!?! Which would be somewhat understandable, but it was only 10:30pm.... a little early in the night especially on a Saturday to be running out of drinks.... we didn't let that stop us.. we chose our second choice and went to find a good spot to sit and talk. The seating was really easy to find. Lots of space to move and for how busy it was the staff was still very tentative. I would go back for sure! I recommend this place for big groups looking for a space to chill and have good seating. read more

Watts & Ward - I got the vicenzos revenge :) it was a very good drink. - Speakeasies Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

What an awesome environment! Speakeasy feel with dim lighting and 1920s vibe. Two separate bars, comfortable couches and armchairs, and decor from the past. Unique cocktail selections and friendly bartenders. We were asked multiple times while seated if we needed anything else. This was our favorite stop in our Raleigh adventures! read more

Love this spot. Great for groups and dates. The bartender Eric was excellent and helped us find drinks we'd like most!

This is a very nice cozy place that makes good drinks. You have to go Downstairs in a basement like setting, so ladies who wear high heels be careful. The place can get quite crowded and a little bit of a wait for a drink. Overall, nice vibe, nice place and would go back again. read more

Cool place. A lot larger than I thought. So many rooms, you can play hide and seek :-) Lots of comfortable seating (couches). Large deck as well. I think it could be a great place to host a party. The cocktails were just okay. read more

Great after dinner hang out place . I live the outdoor area as well as the romantic indoor vibe here. They have great cocktails. Great place to take friends who are visiting Raleigh read more

I am so incredibly proud of this bar. It has really built it's reputation in such a short amount of time. It has the real speak-easy feel from the beginning when you pay a membership fee ($1 plus a guest) and enter down stairs into a basement of a building which appears to be a restaurant. The ambiance inside is dim and dramatic in nature. They feature various seating areas and multiple bars. The exposed brick really adds to the experience. It is a great place to hang out with friends, but it is also fantastic for a romantic and intimate night. The patio outside is stripped with string lights (which I absolutely love) and has plenty of picnic benches and another bar! When the weather is nice and the sky is clear, the patio is my favorite place to be. Drinks: from simple to hand-crafted, their ratios of fine liquor to mixer definitely make up for the little raise in price compared to other bars you may venture to. All in all, I highly recommend this bar to anyone who is looking for something different. It's the perfect starter or finisher for a night-cap! read more

Nice laid back bar. It's low lights an a nice atmosphere. Definitely great bar to get your weekend going read more

Watts & Ward - Speakeasies Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Such a great spot! Hidden in plain site nonetheless. It's super cool and seemingly never ending, with rooms leading to rooms leading more rooms. The ONLY thing keeping this from being 5 stars is the logistics of ordering drinks. There was one main bar open and it left very little room or no clear sense of where to order. Depending on where you stood at the bar you could be there for 5+ minutes without so much as eye contact from a bartender. But that wasn't enough to make it a great experience. Well done. read more

Awesome VIBE! $1 for year entrance. Live music and chill environment. Great for group or date spot

Richard is the best bartender ever. (Read my other reviews and I say that often). He is efficient, friendly, a must see for a bartender! Watt & Ward is a cool place. Reminds me of playing Atari in the basement as a kid ad Mom asking "what is you boyz doin' down there?". Great place. Ask for Richard. He loves plaid. read more

Although my drink was pretty good, I have to give them 2 stars for food and service. We ordered a charcuterie plate for a table of 3. It was so small and the quality of the meat was something similar to packaged deli bologna. After we received our tiny plate we asked for silverware and napkins. 10 minutes later the waiter brought 1 fork and 1 napkin. It took another 10 minutes to bring enough forks and napkins for the table. read more

Very unique experience. Amazing service and great cocktails. Quality that does not fear the competition of the best NY and European capitols speakeasies! Definitely going to be back soon. read more

Awesome place. Heard an add on Raleigh ESPN radio and wanted to check it out. Very cool old school vibe. Tons of couches and spacious seating. Multiple bars with different feels to the rooms. Staff was helpful and courteous but not one bit intrusive. Very cool outdoor area with great skyline views. Would be a very romantic place to have a first date. Somewhat dark but in a good way. Very few food offerings that I could see but we got the charcuterie and cheese which was awesome and largely portioned. My wife and I split it and were both satisfied...and I'm a fat guy. Don't be offended if you are carded at the door. My wife and I are over 40 and arrived late afternoon and both had to show ID which made me want to hug the kid carding us and I was really happy he was doing his job well. I rightly recommend. Great place for great drinks and conversation early but seems to draw a big crowd late...and I understand why. read more

I'm very disappointed in the way I was treated for bringing in my service dog. My friend and I are new to the area and were super excited about trying this place out. After we sat down with our drinks, we were approached by the manager and asked to see documentation for the dog. I had no problem giving the documentation to the manager (I carry her documentation card everywhere). However, when he returned HE informed ME after googling the card that MY dog was a therapy dog, and that on my next visit I wasn't allowed to bring the dog with me. He said this after stating he googled her documentation. This was really shocking given that my dog is a service dog for MEDICAL ALERT for my autoimmune diseases and on her card in red it clearly states so. By law, I am allowed to take my dog with me wherever I go as long as I have documentation. She has been specifically trained to alert me by nudging me and jumping up on me and placing her paws on my chest if any of my levels start to fluctuate. Although he didn't kick us out, he made my friend and I feel very uncomfortable (seeing that the whole bar stopped to watch us get scolded at for my dog) so we left. This is the first time I've ever had an issue with taking my dog with me to a restaurant/bar. I was terribly embarrassed by the whole situation and won't be returning because of this incident. read more

Like walking into a speakeasy, Watts & Ward is very Gatsbyesque. Dark, candlelight, luxe dark leather vintage sofas and chairs, and a great mix of electro-swing playing softly. The house and classic cocktail menu was diverse and unique. Because of this, I was disappointed to determine they did not have the ingredients to concoct a penicillin (this was no biggie, as not all bars have the right ingredients for this one). I was disappointed again to be informed after ordering my second choice from the menu that they were rotating drinks and no longer could make that particular option. I felt our waitress should have known about these menu changes and should have informed us initially if certain drinks were no longer available. Don't get me wrong though, the service was very welcoming and prompt. I landed on the Debutant and was happy with my third choice. It was a gin-based cocktail with house grenadine, lime, and orange bitters. I really enjoyed this cocktail because it was not overly sweet and I could distinguish each of the ingredients. I am a fan of low key bars where you can enjoy your company and conversation in a warm and inviting atmosphere - Watts & Ward definitely fit the bill! read more

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The decor at this venue is super fun but the staff is very snooty and rude. Preferred two of the house cocktails-a pink gin one (can't remember the name) and a whiskey something or other. Neither was very good. The first was too sweet. Cute place but wouldn't return. read more

This place is great! Great drink selection with great service. Dorian was our bartender and he took care of us. Always checked in on us and was very knowledgeable about different cocktails as well as the city of Raleigh itself. This is our go to spot in Raleigh. read more

I absolutely love the atmosphere and drinks. Loved my bartender think her name was Alice. A definite go to ever time I come back. One of my two favorite lounges. Love the exposed brick read more

Every time I come to this place. There is ZERO emphasis on service. Bouncers were rude under the auspices of customer service. Bartenders do not know how to close a bar and the place was dirty. There were cockroaches crawling all over the bar during peak serving time - 1:30am in a Friday evening/Saturday morning. read more

Flawless. Even non-drinkers should put this impeccably designed, underground speakeasy on their list for the "sit-back, relax, and enjoy" factor. Live jazz on Thursday and Sunday, and pretty easy to get into if you come here before 9:30. Lots of seating across 4 bar areas and a bar staff who takes pride in serving world class drinks ($12 cocktails as of 9/20/18). Great mix of big groups out for drinks and couples tucked away in private corners, out on the town going big or getting to know that special someone Watts and Ward has got you covered. read more

Atmosphere is great for a chill night with friends or the beau...The Run punch is perfection!! Request the Italian meat and cheese appetizer if you get the munchies... read more

Watts and Ward is a swanky underground speakeasy that's located right next to Caffe Luna, and is surprisingly easy to find. The Lady and I had done our research and knew about the $1 membership fee, so we paid that, got our ID's scanned, and headed on down. First impressions? This. Place. Is. Huge. With multiple different rooms, hallways, decoration themes, lighting and seating types, there was just so much. We were meeting up with another couple there so we found a place for four to sit - probably the only one in the place - and we were attended on within 5 minutes. For the first round, The Lady ordered for me and I ordered for her as part of a game - I ordered her a Gin drink and she ordered me a Whisky Sour with egg white and other things (I can't find their drink menu online to help with the reviewing process - get it up there, guys!). Both drinks were fantastic. I did end up ordering a second drink - a Sazerac, one of my new favorites. Their take on it was sweet, boozy, and thank goodness they had Absinthe. Well done. All drinks are $12, which I think is fair, and at least you know what you're expecting. The atmosphere is cool, the music is a bit missplaced, but it's not too loud. I'm really looking forward to coming here again and trying out more of their drinks, and maybe in a warmer month too so I can hang out on their incredible back patio. Cheers to Raleigh's new speakeasy! read more

If you've never been it'll cost you a dollar to become a member, certainly not a big deal considering the quality of the atmosphere and drinks. My buddy and I went entirely off the bar tenders recommendations. Started with some of their bourbon special, very well balanced. I normally hate Gin, so naturally I asked for a low-juniper tasting drink with a Gin base. Can't recall the name of the drink, but it was delicious. We sat most of the evening in the outside courtyard. Outside bar selection made it so we had to order from the waitress, but she was great and the drinks came out right away. Great little speak-easy. read more

My wife and I were in town and needed a cool place for drinks before dinner. We read about W&W and it more than met our expectations. You go down into a dark cozy basement with brick walls and great jazz jamming. The bartender was very friendly and suggested the rum punch for my wife and I had their in-house gin. Great tasting gin with flavors of clove and cinnamon. Other cities need to have places like this cool spot. read more

Man, I really enjoy this place. Ambiance is really nice and they've got so much room! They've also got live jazz on select nights which is such a plus! Decent cocktail menu; I think my fav was called The Brown Derby. They also make a mean negroni. read more

I was so excited to try this place. It was a disappointment. The jazz band cancelled. The mixed drinks were not good at all, they seemed to have no alcohol in them. Expensive and poor quality. With so many amazing cocktail bars now available in Raleigh they need to step it up. The service wasnt great either. It does have a cool atmosphere, will try it again but will be only getting a beer or wine only. read more

Great 1920's underground visual atmosphere for a bar lounge that has 3 bars. Restrooms are hard to find since the lights are quite dimmed. NC local beers are $6 and fancy cocktails and liquor drinks are at most $12. Nice that they have outdoor patio as well if the dimmed lights get you quite sleepy ;) read more

To be honest, I was never able to go in. I followed the progress of this space for a year and was very excited to check it out today and was turned away (1) didn't have $1 cash for the membership fee, (2) had a hat on, (3) even if I had paid the fee, you can't go in until after 24 hours! There are no shortage of fantastic craft cocktail bars that will take my money. Oh, college kids, they don't want you (they literally said that). read more

This cocktail bar operates on a $1 membership. There's frequently a line to get in, but both times I was there it wasn't terribly long (a few minutes?). There's a variety of inside and outside seating -- outside is picnic tables, inside there are booths, couches, chairs, bar seats. There are a few different bar areas within Watts and Ward. I was surprised by how big this place is and how much seating there is. The cocktails were good, around $12. read more

Such a beautiful speak easy. Highly recommend. Craft cocktails and bourbon is on point

Great atmosphere. Definitely a speakeasy style lounge to the T! They do charge a 1$ membership fee which is nothing when you larger covers at other similar places. Great place to chill with friends before dinner, after dinner, or anytime you want a classy bar experience. read more

Jaw dropping amazing place. Such incredible ambience, friendly staff, busy AF on a Thurs night! (Good sign) try the "Improved Whiskey Cocktail" for an experience to remember read more

Don't miss one of the most unique night spots you'll find anywhere! When was the last time you enjoyed a custom cocktail in a legit speakeasy? Watts & Ward is all that, and more. Three separate bars, all dark and inviting with comfy couches, chairs, book shelves and beautiful people. Walk down the stairs, through the door, pay your $1 membership fee and set your watch back 90 years. Sure, it's a bit pretentious, but that's part of the charm. read more

Great atmosphere, especially outside in the picnic area when the weather is nice. Manager was especially hospitable when we made a special request to accommodate laptops/bags when we needed to host a quick meeting here after work! read more

Best cocktails in town. Some of the bartenders are mixologists and can make nearly any cocktail you can think of. Can't beat the location and venue. read more

This place is truly cool. Not something you see everyday and a great way to spend the night. We joined the club just to get in and had our membership due paid by an exiting member. What an awesome welcome. The staff is knowledgeable and can mix up a wicked cocktail. read more

First I have to say, that the place looks awesome! What a cool underground speakeasy vibe. I stopped in for a couple drinks around dinner time and just found several things odd. They were: (1) the music made me feel like I was in a club - something a little lower (volume) and chilled out would have fit the vibe much better and (2) the drinks I got were ok, they were Old Fashions so I can not comment on the house drinks which seemed interesting. I will go back another time I am in the area to try a house drink. Overall, I would give it 3 stars, but there are better drink locations near there. read more

Cool spot for pre drinks... reasonably priced and nice atmosphere, but the downstairs layout was odd, seats all around and large space in the center; didn't seemed to be designed in a smart way. Aesthetic is cool. read more

Stumbled upon this just last weekend and was blown away! The atmosphere is great and so were the drinks.