Lydia B.
Yelp
I have to say my review might be a little biased, as I come here way too often. The first impression I had coming here, over a year ago, was great. One of the owners was working and took the time to say hello and discuss the shop with me. Not every place does that. Each bartender is also really personable. I would say I've come to be friends with almost all of them.
Fast forward a year plus, and I'm likely to be there at least once a week, if not more. The selection of bottles is really good. They don't just carry the Raleigh area beers, but plenty of others from around the country. They travel to places within NC to get beers that don't distribute (think Wilmington Brewing and Boojum). On top of the beer they have a decent selection of ciders and bottled wine.
The draft list is usually outstanding. They use untappd, so you can see what they have on draft even before going there. They usually have one cider on draft and they have a small by the glass wine list. However, you can also grab singles out of the cooler as well to drink there.
The only food they have is small snacks in the back cooler: pre-packaged cheese, meat and cracker trays, pimento cheese dip, crackers, and Escazu chocolate bars. If you need something more, you can always order to-go food from The Station at Person Street or Oakwood Pizza Box to enjoy there.
Just a small item, but pretty cool, you won't see a trash can in the bottle shop. They compost and separate out the trash items for composting behind the bar.
Another tip, I would recommend joining the email list. The email comes out once a week and lets you know what shipments of beer they'll be receiving that week.
It's definitely a great neighborhood bar that doesn't usually get too crazy. Occasionally there can be a few too many dogs or kids in the place, but it's not near as extreme as other breweries I've been to in the Raleigh area. They have a small outdoor area that seats about 4-5 people. It's hit or miss if it'll be available.
I definitely recommend it... clearly since I go there about once a week.