Eleven spots around town to watch your faves ball.
Time to ball out. March Madness has officially begun, with the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament officially kicking off March 4, (Duke, NC State and UNC are all set to take the court March 6), and the men posting up starting next Tuesday (teams/times TBA). Now, it’s time to make your own game-day selections for sipping, socializing and supporting your team—and stopping in a local spot with a buzzy atmosphere is sure to make your game days a win (even if your bracket isn’t). These eleven spots have game day on lock.
Bowstring Pizza & Brewyard Last year, nearly 800 NC State fans packed (!) the place for the Final Four game. With ample lawn space, two massive patios and a bar inside, there’s room aplenty to fulfill your sixth man duties while also avoiding your rivals. @bowstringpizzabrewyard
My Way Tavern Whether the game goes your way or not, you can at least count on having your pref when it comes to the massive beer selection and menu at this neighborhood gem ideal for crowding around the bar and watching the game at—think everything from soups and salads to tacos and burgers to its signature mac and cheese. @mywayraleigh
Mitch’s Tavern Toting the title of one of Oak City’s fave historic bars, Mitch’s dishes plenty of pours, sandwiches and shareables, and vintage vibes in the tavern packed with fans and regulars alike. @mitchstavern.raleigh
Players Retreat A retreat for the fans too, the OG Raleigh sports bar is the perf place to post-up for a burger and a brew while rooting for whatever player is on your roster. Real ones will get there early enough to pop a squat on the patio in direct eyeline of the outdoor TVs. @players_retreat
Bru’s Public House Just a stone’s throw from Lenovo, this is about as close as you can get to all of the first-round action. If you didn’t score tix, 12 TVs, craft cocktails and over 20 beers on tap will help you get by. @bruspublichouse
Brickhouse Sports Pub Right in the thick of Wolfpack territory lies a student-fave outfitted with over 40 beers on tap, ten 120” big screen TVs and a full menu of all-American faves. @brickhouse_raleigh
The Brass Tap ”Good times well-crafted” is the MO of this Capital District craft beer bar, and good times are indeed served with 100+ brews on tap, plus cocktails and elevated vibes. @thebrasstapraleigh
The Iron Oaks Craft meets casual via wings and tenders, 36 beers on tap, wine, cocktails and golf bay simulators with 200 course ops—just in case a timeout is needed. @the.iron.oaks
Tobacco Road Sports Cafe TBD on whether their beer bracket will make an appearance this year, but one thing that’s guaranteed here is great food, a giant beer list and all-around good time. @tobaccoroadbrewing
Sammy’s Tap and Grill TVs cover pretty much every available inch of this West Raleigh institution, so you won’t miss a second of your team’s full-court press. Oh, and there’s plenty of wings to go around too! @sammystapgrill
Buffalo Brothers War Eagles flock to this spot on Capital Boulevard for regular watch parties—and with the No. 1 seed all but locked up for Auburn, you can feel more than welcome to jump on the orange-and-blue bandwagon at this wing and pizza destination. @buffalobrothersnc
Eating local doesn’t have to break the bank—there are loads of local hot spots where you can save some dough but still up the flavor factor and find cheap eats for under $10–15. Avoid the drive-through and support Raleigh’s homegrown favs with these ops. It’s a win-win.
Anise Pho For a midday meal that will taste like a million bucks (but not cost you a fortune), check out Anise Pho’s Banh Mi sandwich combo. Stick under budget with just a sandwich for $8.49, or splurge a bit with an added choice of fries or salad, soup and a drink for $11.
Sassool The perf place to pinch your pennies, Sassool’s falafel rings in at $4.99 for the regular size or $8.99 for the large if you’re feeling extra peckish. Not feeling falafel? All of the pita sandwiches at this Mediterranean gem clock in under $10.
Yatai Sushi and Taco Bar Taco Tuesday just got a serious upgrade. Yatai’s chicken or pastor tacos are just $3.99 each, but the real hack is hitting up this Transfer Food Hall haven on Tuesdays for half-price cuisine. Tacos for under $2 a pop? Say less.
Snoopy’s Hot Dogs & More Score a combo at this OG hot dog locale and chow down on a dog, fries and a drink for only $7.99. All dogs are half-price on Tuesdays so you can snag one of their famous hot dogs for just $1.70.
MoJoe’s Burger Joint No beef with this Glenwood Avenue burger joint. Spend just $6.99 for a 6oz all-beef burger and still squeak in at $10 by adding a side of fries for another $2.99.
Ruckus Pizza For $3.99, you’ll get a massive slice of NY-style cheese pizza as big as your head. And don’t feel bad splurging on toppings—add pepperoni on top for just another dollar. If you’re feeling ravished, go for the two slice and drink combo for $8.99 to bust your belly and not your budget.
My palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy… as I’m about to have dinner with five complete strangers—something completely out of my comfort zone—in the name of IRL socializing.
And, no, I didn’t pick these strangers up on Craigslist. The dinner was organized through Timeleft, an app launched locally in November to “help strangers form real friendships,” says Communications and Partnership Manager Aya Tohme.
Active in 60 countries and 300 cities, the weekly dinner series debuted in Durham as part of its East Coast expansion because it’s a city with a “growing sense of urban loneliness” that boasts a “socially curious audience looking for deeper offline connections,” explains Tohme. Now, every Wednesday, ~150 eager individuals participate in a Timeleft outing, joining the roughly 27K participants worldwide each week.
Full disclosure, I was initially skeptical heading to my dinner at Oscar Diaz’s recently debuted Aaktun in Bull City. The thought of sitting for two hours with potentially nothing to say to a group of strangers is bleak to say the least—but, instead, I found five lovely humans.
Corey, another participant, was already on his eighth dinner. Kevin had done four. And Lucy had driven from Greensboro for her second. I was the only newbie—a clear sign that perhaps this wasn’t going to be so bad after all.
“I was talking with my mom and trying to understand the age-old question of how do adults make friends,” says Corey of how he got hooked. He says the Meta gods listened and delivered, serving him ads for Timeleft. He took the plunge and hasn’t looked back since. “I love that it’s an entire experience with little planning,” he muses. “I get to try new food, meet new people, enjoy new experiences and find community.”
Conversation flowed more naturally than I expected, and by the end of the night, half of the table had plans to join that week’s afterparty at The Velvet Hippo to keep the vibes (and drinks) going. Unfortunately, it was a school night, so I opted out—but I can see how heading to a bar with like-minded strangers in search of connection would yield just that.
“Everyone at the dinner is likely showing up with the same mix of curiosity and nervous energy,” says Tohme. “That’s what makes it real—and what makes it work.” Final verdict? No stranger danger here. timeleft.com
Playing Cupid just got an upgrade. Enter Pitch-A-Friend and its recently launched Raleigh chapter, a local matchmaking experience that promises to level up the wingman role in a major way.
Instead of relegating your bestie to dating apps or being on bae-watch at the bar, matchmakers can help their available friends find their “one” by hyping them up to fellow single-and-ready-to-mingles.
“There are less opportunities to meet a significant other organically,” stresses Pitch-A-Friend Raleigh co-organizer Jen Frunza on bringing the dating remix to town. “From personal experience, we know how exhausting dating apps can be, so we want to combat those struggles.”
As besties IRL, Frunza and co-organizer Taylor Casey heard about the 40-city-and-growing concept Pitch-A-Friend from a mutual connection—and instantly knew it’d be a hit in Raleigh.
In short, saving the swiping and/or awkward blind dates, six to 11 attendees post up at a local bar/brewery and sell (aka pitch) their single pal via a short highlight reel—because who knows and adores you more than your friends? And, no, love isn’t blind—the pitch includes pics of the pitchee, as well as their Instagram handle for those DMs to slide into.
Photo courtesy of Pitch-A-Friend Raleigh
Photo courtesy of Pitch-A-Friend Raleigh
And for those not in the spotlight, love might still find you in the crowd. Similar to last summer’s popular Smoky Hollow run club (TBD for this year), attendees don different-colored stickers to indicate if they’re single or taken—so there’s still a chance to lock eyes with a potential future BF/GF.
Case in point: Meet-cute-turned-partners Jim and Elise weren’t featured during a Philly Pitch-A-Friend hype-fest, but a simple set of stickers sparked a love story that’s still going strong.
“Our overall goal is for singles to meet, friends to support and for everyone to check out the many amazing local spots in the area,” says Casey. So brush up on those Canva skills—or urge your friends to—for a presentation worth getting behind. pitch-a-friend.com/raleigh
Like the SNL Five-Timers Club (IYKYK), the exclusive cast of Raleigh restaurants and bars claiming 25+ years of business is an elite one to which only few can claim membership. And, this May, Hibernian Irish Pub & Restaurant’s Glenwood South outpost will join the ranks as it celebrates 25 (!) years as one of the most popular pubs in town to put down a pint or a plate of bangers and mash.
“Raleigh has changed immensely in 25 years,” says owner Niall Hanley, nodding to a city with decidedly “nothing” at the turn of the millennium. “Glenwood has changed immensely in 25 years. We were very lucky and were received really well by the great people of Raleigh—and it worked.”
A lightning rod for the entertainment district, Hibernian bowed just months after—and across Glenwood South from—Sullivan’s Steakhouse, thanks to an ad that popped up on Hanley’s screen. “I said, ‘OK, well, if they’re spending money on steaks, they’re gonna spend money on pints,’” he recalls, betting Sullivan’s diners would swing by for a brew before or after dinner. The rest, as they say, is history.
Whether it was luck of the Irish or pure savvy—or even the Guinness talking—either way, Hanley was right on the money. “It was the first pub that was really in the Triangle,” he recounts. “There was nothing like it before—and people were enamored by it.”
Now, 25 years later, the sparks are still flying—after overcoming literal sparks from a devastating fire about a decade ago, not to mention surviving a pandemic—and have firmly cemented Hibernian’s (and Hanley’s) rising star in the Raleigh hospitality community.
But reaching this milestone channels elements of a leprechaun finding gold at the end of the rainbow, especially in a city where closures can feel a bit like a revolving door. Hanley credits his loyal staff and building ownership as the secret to the pub’s staying power. “A pub is a pub is a pub,” he surmises. “But it was always the staff and the hospitality that made Hibernian. I’m proud of [Hibernian],” he admits. “But, more so, it’s about the people who have worked there over the years.”
For Hanley, that hospitality started at the bar, where he himself spent five years early on. “That was the most enjoyable thing for me,” he emphasizes, “just meeting people, shooting the shit and having conversations, you know?”
It’s no surprise, then, that the Hibernian mastermind can rattle off a number of regulars who’ve been around as long as the woodwork, like the infamous Thursday night crew (you know who you are, he says) posting up since day one. And he’s quick to point out the countless couples who have met at Hibernian along the way.
As for the next 25 years? Hanley says he’s excited about where Raleigh and Glenwood South are headed—and has no plans on leaving anytime soon. “I think we’re very lucky to have a district like Glenwood,” he says, “and I think it’s only going to get better.”
In the meantime, prime your liver and stay tuned for a massive summer celebration like no other, with live music and, if we’re, ahem, lucky, a side-street closure for an Irish-worthy blowout. After all, a benchmark this huge calls for one hell of a party to match. hibernianpub.com
