Daniel B.
Yelp
The Crunkleton is a good bar.
I'm not sure whether to rate my experience three stars (OK) or four (good).
The reason why I would rate my experience three stars is because the bar was too loud and crowded. I know bars are loud, but the music here was exceptionally loud. It was one of those situations where you had to talk really really loud just to talk to the people next to you. It's like we're screaming into each other's faces. Not ideal for me.
As far as crowding, the bar was a few people deep almost all the way around. They stopped letting people in shortly after we arrived on a Saturday night around 10pm. I saw the hostess stop a group of what looked like undergrads from entering. I heard her say to them, "One out, one in." One of the guys replied to her, "One out, four in." Kudos to her for standing her ground. I imagine that's when the job's not fun.
We sat in the chairs and sofa by the entrance, with a line of people out the door, waiting to get in. Not gonna lie - it felt a little uncomfortable and awkward for me with so many folks waiting and (sometimes) watching us, but I'm sure others didn't care. We left after 11pm. On the way out, we passed a line of people waiting to get in. The Crunkleton was at and stayed at max capacity.
My wife and the friends we came with have been here multiple times. This was my first time and I have no desire to come back if it's always as packed and loud as I described above.
However, I do think this is a very cool bar in terms of the aesthetic, overall vision/design, and service, hence why I think this is a four-star bar. This would be a place I'd love to come to if it wasn't so crowded and loud. I like the low-key storefront and its large foldable windows with bench seating that open up onto Franklin Street. The interior looks classy and sophisticated with old portraits, hunting trophies, and a dark wood/leather sort of feel. The staff are uniformed in dress shirts, aprons, and bowties.
I heard and read that this was, is, or has a members-only component to it. It definitely wasn't members-only the night of our visit nor the nights of my wife's and friends' visits. I did see on The Crunkleton's website that the Charlotte location is a "private club, open to members and their guests. Memberships are $10 annually and can be purchased at the door or online."
The Charlotte location opened in December 2018: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-crunkleton-charlotte. It has a restaurant. This original location in Chapel Hill opened in 2008. It's a bar only. No restaurant. A third location is opening soon in Raleigh's Smoky Hollow mixed-use development. It will be a restaurant and bar like the Charlotte location.
The crowd here was interesting. It was a mix of young and old. College students and folks in their 50s and 60s. And then there was us, right in the middle (30s and 40s). One of the first guys I spoke to here was wearing an old-school WWF Intercontinental Championship belt over his shoulder. Certainly a conversation-starter.
The cocktail menu I was given by the host had 16 cocktails priced at $14-17 each plus six barrel-aged cocktails priced at $18 each. For each drink, the menu identified the bartender/mixologist who created it. I thought that was a nice touch. I counted six drinks by The Crunkleton's founder-owner, Gary Crunkleton.
Here's what we had:
* The French 75 popularized by Chris Hannah ($16) - cognac, London Dry Gin, curacao, lemon, champagne
* Elderflower Sour by Gary Crunkleton ($14) - London Dry Gin, St-Germain, ginger, lime, cucumber
* Gin Gin Mule by Audrey Saunders ($15) - gin, ginger, lime, mint, sugar
We got a couple of the Gin Gin Mules. Everything tasted great. The drinks were strong and delicious. I'm not a cocktail connoisseur, so I can't appreciate the finer details. What I do know is these drinks tasted well-made and high-quality. I've had bad and/or weak cocktails and these were not that. These were very good.
The two Crunkleton employees I interacted at were pleasant/nice. Good service.
If you like bars and have never been to The Crunkleton in Chapel Hill, it's worth checking out. It's established itself as quintessential to Chapel Hill's nightlife.
We parked for free across the street, next to 411 West Italian Cafe, in the 415 West Franklin Street Lot. There are several places to park for The Crunkleton including on the street, in the aforementioned lot, and in other nearby lots. Street parking and the lot we parked in cost money Monday-Saturday, 8am-6pm, except town holidays. Enforced by the Town of Chapel Hill.