Soccer (er, football?) fans across the world have been following the World Cup for the past month—and it all comes down to the final match this Saturday. In an effort to celebrate this once-every-four-years tournament and gather local sports lovers from all walks of life, Downtown Raleigh Alliance is hosting a Soccer Fan Fest Dec. 18 in Moore Square, which will feature a viewing of the FIFA World Cup Final and a score of other activities. Read on for everything you need to know. Meet you at the pitch!
When: Sunday, Dec. 18, 9:30am–2pm
Where: Moore Square
Additional activities: Knockerball, teqball, arts and crafts, soccer darts, a DJ, food trucks, a beer garden, and a photo op with a replica trophy
Cost: This event is free, but if you register online you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a kids-sized soccer ball.
What you need to know when voting for your fave Raleigh bars/bartender in our Best Bars Awards
So you’re voting your favorite bars and bartender in our annual Best Bars Awards… but you’re tripping up on a certain question (or questions). Have no fear! We’re gonna spell it alllll out for ya, including what a bar even is—yes, really. Keep in mind that you don’t have to answer every question (so if you don’t have a fave dive bar, just skip it!), but you cannot repeat the same bar in your answers more than three times. Voting closes at midnight on Dec. 15, 2022. Read our simplified guide below then cast your votes here!
What constitutes a bar?
Alright, this may seem obvious but we’ve gotten plenty of questions on what constitutes a bar—so we’re here for you. A bar is any place that serves alcoholic beverages, whether wine, beer, cocktails, spirits or all of the above. Most likely, your favorite local restaurant has a bar program—which would be a great answer for our Best Restaurant Bar question!
What is a dive bar?
Different people have different definitions of dive bars—or may think a certain bar is a dive while someone else may not. Sure, it can be relative. But when we say dive bars we mean those typically small, casual, dimly lit, no-frills watering holes that serve inexpensive drinks (mostly beer or basic mixed drinks). Think The Goat, Lucky B’s, Slim’s, The Cardinal and Pink Boot to name just a few local ones.
What is the difference between the Best Bar for Craft Beer and Best Brewery categories?
To be fair, yes, you drink beer at both of these types of establishments. But while they both serve beer, only a brewery makes its own beer. So, for example, Raleigh Beer Garden has 300-some beers on tap, but none of them are made by RBG. Meanwhile, Trophy Brewing is a brewery that makes its own brews in-house.
What is a suburb?
Given this is Raleigh’s best bars, when we say suburbs we mean the smaller cities located outside of our own in Wake County. Some popular suburbs of Raleigh include Apex, Clayton, Knightdale and Garner. Note: While we love our neighboring cities Durham and Chapel Hill (and, ahem, their bars!), these larger cities do not count as suburbs of Raleigh—and obv aren’t in Wake County.
What is the difference between the Best Bar Grub and Best Restaurant Bar categories?
For Best Restaurant Bar, think restaurants with elevated cocktail programs or cool spots to cop a squat… the restaurant you might go to just to chill at the bar and have a drink (some recent winners include Vidrio and Angus Barn’s Wild Turkey Lounge). Best Bar Grub is just that—that bar whose nachos and wings, etc., call your name just as much as the pints they pour.
What are the requirements for Best New Bar?
By our definition, a “new” bar must’ve opened during 2022 past year—so Jan. 1, 2022, through now.
Support local businesses through Blue Water Spa’s Small Helping Small Program.
“Buy small or bye, bye small.” Cheeni Indian Emporium owner Preeti Waas posted this quote on Instagram on Small Business Saturday, and before you write it off as dramatic, it’s true. Local businesses need your support—every day, not just Small Biz Saturday—as without your support, they’ll go out of business (so, uh, clear that Amazon cart now!—and consider shopping for Christmas gifts locally).
Waas’ powerful post struck a chord with one local business owner in particular, Kile Law of Blue Water Spa, who proceeded to launch a Small Helping Small BWS Program in which Blue Water Spa clients can get $10 off any medical spa service, treatment or product with every $25 spent at Cheeni throughout the month of December. Just bring in your receipt from Cheeni—and there’s no limit to how many receipts you can bring in.
“As the female owner of a small locally owned business, I know the difficulties of running a small business and keeping it open,” says Law. The selfless spa owner also plans to partner with other small businesses throughout the year, with at least one small business partner each month.
Pro tip: Pop into the North Raleigh resto for lunch or dinner (bonus: Cheeni just started serving alcohol!) and enjoy delish authentic Indian cuisine like masala fries, paneer pav and lamb vindaloo; shop the bazaar for home and food products; then make an appointment for a little self care at BWS. It’s a win-win for everyone. #ShopSmall!
Burrow on down to this new creative space and market.
“Just come down here once,” Julian Jacobs says of his newly opened mixed retail and entertainment space The Burrow. “We’re doing so much that there has to be one thing you like.”
Aptly named—given its location tucked under the former DTR House of Swank building on Hargett Street—The Burrow really does have a lot to offer. Think weekly Saturday and Sunday markets (plus some Fridays—and a holiday market Dec. 23) with upward of 18 local vendors, hot yoga classes every Wednesday morning with Oak City Yoga, and a house party every Thursday night dubbed Rabbit Whole & Friends featuring live DJs.
Not only does the hip new spot serve up a host of activities, The Burrow also doubles as a creative incubator—providing local makers, artists, etc. with a space to showcase their passions to the public. Jacobs himself is one of those creatives. A former chef/baker, he left the food and beverage world to start selling vintage clothing in 2020—and before bowing The Burrow also co-founded Unorthodox Vintage, a collab between his OG thrifting venture Sir Chance’s and She Thrifty Apparel.
When he thought of the idea for The Burrow—what Jacobs explains as a mashup of now-closed Neptune’s and Imurg, and NYC’s Artist & Fleas makers market—he already had multiple fellow business owners he knew would jump at the opportunity to be a part of the innovative concept.
Seeing a gap in Raleigh’s market, Jacobs bought the space in August and opened it two months later to much fanfare. “The community needed something new,” he says, “and I hope this gets the ball rolling for the next group of people who come to Raleigh.”
Having been in the pop-up biz himself (Sir Chance’s started out at the Pop-Up Shops at Martin Street), Jacobs admits he “hates pop-ups,” so one of the main features of The Burrow is more permanent space for vendors.
Currently, Frills Atelier, Ghost Gillz, Custom Bella Creations,Castelli Boutique, and Safe ‘N’ Sound Rugs serve as anchor tenants, while various other small businesses sell their goods at the markets, house parties and other events. Eventually, Jacobs also wants to host classes within the space (think art, drawing, candle- and soap-making classes) in which “local business owners can come down and show their trade,” he says.
“One of the big reasons I wanted to do this is because I really believe in entrepreneurship,” explains Jacobs. “I believe that if someone wants to leave their job and open their own business, I’m like, well come here and we’re gonna try to help you to do that.” Talk about giving local biz a leg up. theburrownc.square.site
Don’t expect to find any flagship beers on the tap list at Edit Beer Co., a new brewery and taproom opening in Northeast Raleigh (next to Scooter’s Grill & Bar) by the end of the year. As the name would suggest, the team plans to regularly “edit” and improve upon their brews to keep patrons hoppy while also giving them the freedomnto experiment.
Co-owner Brian Johnson—who owns the brewery and taproom with his wife, Angela—also hopes Edit Beer Co. will enhance the local beer scene as a whole. “Edit is a means to make something better,” he says. “We’ve seen North Carolina continue to grow as a very well-respected craft beer state people are excited about, and we’re happy to keep making NC a better craft beer destination.”
Of course, you’ll still be able to sip on core “styles” of beer, Johnson maintains. He and head brewer Jack DeHarpport, who previously headed brewing operations at R&D Brewing, plan to always have some hoppy options available, in addition to light beer ops and sours—plus more obscure brews.
“Ultimately, we want to have something for everybody,” says DeHarpport. “We aren’t only going to be making esoteric beers that punch you in the face with flavor. We also want ones that are gonna be really drinkable, sessionable and everything in between.”
When Edit Beer Co. opens in December, expect pours of the brewery’s own beers, as well as guest brews—though the pair hopes to have all 20 taps filled with Edit beers by spring, when they’ll host a grand opening party for the public after they “use the first few months to get our feet planted,” says Johnson. They also plan to eventually have craftily designed cans—courtesy of Atlas Branding & Design out of Asheville—in local bottle shops.
In the meantime, the light-filled taproom—complete with high ceilings, large live-edge wood tables, a mezzanine and outdoor seating—makes for a pretty primo spot to tantalize your palate with unique and unexpected brews. Hop to it! @editbeer
