17 Best Bars in Central North Carolina, North Carolina

This quirky hangout has quickly won loyal fans for its cheeky cocktails (including the Sazerac-like All Hat, No Cattle, and the strawberry milk–washed daiquiri Yachts on the Reg) and food specials like Chicago hot dogs and Sunday gravy with spaghetti. Families with dogs spread out on the patio in the afternoon, and order from the bartender-owners inside the retro space that feels like your cool uncle's basement bar.

With a vibe that borrows from Day of the Dead and New Orleans voodoo without looking like a theme bar, WillCo is known for their chalkboard menu of seasonal cocktail features, hidden back mezcal bar, and laid-back bartenders. Dried flowers and green plants hang from the ceiling, a neon flamingo skeleton lights up the wall, and the outdoor tables are often filled with locals waiting for a pizza from Oakwood Pizza Box next door.

For a classy yet quirky evening out, try this wine bar–café. Outdoor patio seating (on the street and back patio), North Carolina wines, local brews, and frequent DJ dance parties make this a fun gathering place in the heart of the Arts District.

Overlooking CCB Plaza and the Major the Bull Statue, Bar Brunello is an intimate space for tasting and sipping a variety of wines from France to Slovenia. Proprietor Esteban Brunello blends his extensive knowledge and natural charm with a total lack of pretension and excitement to introduce interesting wines to his guests.

The Triangle’s premier live-music club since the late '70s, this legendary venue hosts local and regional bands as well as nationally known indie acts.

Take an Uber to this massive beer garden just outside Uptown if you want to sample even a fraction of their more than 400 taps, the world's largest draft selection. A tree grows through the three levels including a bar just for NC beers, a kitchen cooking up pizzas and pub grub, and many outdoor seating options. Supervised children are welcome with their families until 9 pm.

Setting the standard for craft cocktail bars in North Carolina, the Crunkleton has a knowledgeable staff of mixologists ready to stir and shake drinks. You can also select from a pages-long whiskey list—it includes antique spirits that seem to taste even better in the dark, parlorlike surroundings, with elk and deer busts lording it over the room.

The rare Franklin Street nightspot that doesn't feel too student-centric, the Dead Mule has been kickin' it since 1994. The large front patio is especially inviting on a warm day, with weekend live music, a good selection of beer and whisky, plus a barbecue and Sunday brunch menu.

What seems high concept for a bar is in fact, well, easy: the downstairs has a simple menu of eight classic cocktails, bottles for takeaway, and coffee drinks during the day. The speakeasy-like upstairs bar has no menu, rather you talk through drink possibilities and flavor profiles with the bartender and enjoy a custom-crafted drink.

Steps away from the Innovation Quarter but a world away in personality, this pretension-free cocktail bar will be happy to mix up something to suit any taste (even nonalcoholic) and make you feel at home in the plant-filled cozy space. Look out for events like themed pop-up dinners, karaoke, and book readings.

This club near the university combines dinner with a night of laughs. Past performers include Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, and Ellen DeGeneres.

Two (unrelated) younger brothers opened Little Brother, a boutique brewery where wine and cocktail drinkers will feel equally at home. LBB has three locations in the region (including Lawn Service, a drink kiosk inside LeBauer Park), with award-winning beer like the User Friendly Kolsch and Jim’s Lunch stout. There is live music on weekends and weekly trivia and running club events.

A trailblazer of the Durham nightlife scene, Motorco is now being incorporated into the large-scale development changing the skyline of downtown. The former mid-century car dealership is made up of four parts: the Parts & Labor restaurant, a spacious patio with outdoor seating, a seasonal Veranda bar, and the 450-seat Showroom with Garage Bar, where you can catch both nationally touring acts and favorite local bands and performers.

Faces of early-20th-century newsboys stare out from a 20-foot photo mural covering one wall at this 1906 newspaper office, artfully restored into a gastropub. The bar features a great selection of Belgian beers (Obama's pint glass from a 2008 campaign visit is enshrined above the bar) and thoughtful wine and cocktail lists. In addition to the three-floor bar, the Times family includes a coffeehouse and pizza takeout shop.

A restaurant, brewery, and distillery all in one, TOPO has an impressive cocktail list featuring drinks made with homegrown spirits. As for beers, the refreshing Kenan lager and Old Well White wheat beer are always on tap. The top-floor space overlooks Franklin Street and is the place to be on UNC game days.

Winston-Salem's downtown brewery scene is geographically compact yet expansive in variety, and Wise Man is arguably the best among a strong pack of contenders. Choose from more than 20 rotating brews, like the punch-packing Body Electric double IPA or the Sufficient Wit Belgian witbier, and grab a seat at any of the shaded picnic tables lining the warehouselike brick taproom.