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If the thought of doing a load of laundry or steaming your clothes makes you want a drink, you’re in luck. If, that is, you know where to go. Set to bow this spring is The Dry Cleaners, North Raleigh’s first speakeasy.
No, it won’t actually be a functioning dry cleaners—but the name is a nod to what occupied the space at one point, says Niall Hanley, owner of the Hibernian Hospitality Group and the man behind the new concept.
“The North Raleigh neighborhood really deserves something like this,” he says, citing the lack of bars, let alone more upscale spots, in the area. “There’s a lot of people [in North Raleigh] who want to have a cocktail bar experience who don’t want to go Downtown.”
And Hibernian, notes Hanley, has had a powerhouse presence in North Raleigh for years with “amazing clientele,” and opening a speakeasy cocktail bar nearby just makes sense. Plus, this isn’t his first rodeo—er, speakeasy—either.
The brains behind the likes of Hibernian Pub, Morgan Street Food Hall, Aunty Betty’s, Peggy’s, Watts & Ward and Hop Shots—to name but a few—is well versed at creating unexpected entrances for his spots, like his new Charlotte concept SYN, where patrons find their way into the bar through an unmarked large walk-in cooler. Whether or not The Dry Cleaners will have a similar deceiving entry point patrons will just have to wait and figure out.
“If you can find it, then you can enjoy it,” Hanley smiles, but giving the hint that the spot will be in close proximity to the North Raleigh Hibernian.
For now, Hanley is still masterminding how to throw Raleighites off the scent, but you can expect plush seating and a dark moody vibe alongside elevated classic cocktails a la Aunt Betty’s or Watts & Ward. “I just want people to discover it and think, ‘Wow, this is really cool,’” he says. Time to take you to the (dry) cleaners—in the best way.
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