Hadn't been in years, but visited tonight and had such a good time! Relaxed atmosphere, delicious wings, friendly staff and music bingo presented by the nicest guy. We will definitely be going back! read more

The food was delicious and the service was excellent. I would highly recommend. Loved the quaint atmosphere

I love this casual bar. It attracts some very interesting characters and everyone is super cool and nice. They host dance events too with a versatile choice of music and DJs. Love. Love. Love. read more

Bull and Bear seems to be on a steady decline. I've tried giving it the benefit of the doubt in past reviews but each subsequent experience gets more and more sad. No music, bright lights, closed kitchen, no customers - it's not clear what (if anything) Bull and Bear is trying to be, but it's almost certainly not succeeding. Don't trust the pictures that show a lot of people drinking and eating. That simply isn't true anymore. read more

My wife and I ate lunch at Bull and the Bear earlier this week. I wanted to eat their name-sake burger, that came with a thin sliced ribeye, bacon and cheese (OMG!). But they were not able to get the thin sliced ribeye due to Covid shutdowns creating delivery problems. So I tried Their bacon cheeseburger. It was just OK, the burger was significantly over cooked, the bun was not very good, and the bacon was "meh". I chose their onion rings to go with it. They were fantastic, perhaps the best I've had in the Raleigh-Durham area. My wife had their special, an Alfredo style broccoli and grilled chicken dish. My wife is cutting back on car is so she asked them to replace the pasta with additional broccoli and they did at no additional charge. She said it was delicious and I believe her as she ate the whole thing. The place has that kind of dingy bar kind of feel to it. It would be fun to go here for a few drinks and bar food. We will come here again when in the area to try their daily specials. read more

I really like the fun, lively atmosphere. Michelle is great. Food is great and drinks are wonderful

Started out a little shaky. The outside smells like an ashtray from around the corner, and I was greeted by a group of glaring smokers sitting around the entrance. I sat at the bar, ordered a beer, and perused the menu. I don't eat meat, and most everything is meat-based, but I can usually find something decent. I didn't order - I finished my beer and left. Fox News on the TVs and patrons discussing fake news was pretty off-putting, on top of smoke wafting in the front door. I get it - this place is for locals to get drinks, smoke a lot, and talk about fake news. If that's what you're looking for... here it is! If not, move along. read more

Bull and the Bear.. hmm. I have mixed emotions about this place. I feel like this is where I go for some heavy drinks and advice from grown folks. More divey, less people. I have not had any food here so my rating is not based on it. I do although know the owner which is one of my customers. He is great. GO GARETT! I love the options they have on the jukebox and drinks are fairly cheap. The place could use a little renovating but it is what it is. Corner bar with friendly bartender and entertaining guest. I will boldly say my overall liner for this place is, "To each their own." read more

See all

This place is kind of a dive, but does have consistently good food. It seems that all their food is home made, I've never had anything that looked to be previously frozen. The prices are really good too. read more

I am flabbergasted that this "restaurant" has an average rating that exceeds 1. In search of a local watering hole with a local, non-chain feel, I wandered in about 3 weeks ago. Let me give it to you this way. It's in an aging shopping center whose anchor tenant is a Food Lion. If you can imagine a restaurant so terrible that the likes of Food Lion might complain that it has a negative impact on their corporate image, than you have the beginnings of what the Bull and Bear is like. What you're in for here is a restaurant with wood paneling, floors, floors tables and chairs from at least 40 years ago. Wait. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that this is just the kind of thing that describes many hole in the wall BBQ places and the like that are fantastic. I too had this thought and thus ordered a plate of wings, just in case. That was a mistake. They came out. There was a strange odor, suggesting that perhaps the wings had been frozen or stored just a little too long, plus a perfunctory buffalo sauce, something resembling blue cheese dressing, and -wait for it -- cucumbers. For some reason. I promise you that if you are not already the kind of lunatic that comes here out of a twisted sense of loyalty, you can close your eyes, throw a dart, and have it land on any place else in town (I'm including the Denny's of the world here) and end up with a better dining experience. I love local places with local flavor. But this place is a living example of why local ain't everything. read more

Terrible service and food. Lacking ambiance. Loud, obnoxious guests. Women's bathroom was clean. Music was good but needs to be louder.

The food is good, reasonably priced and the service is excellent. However, if you don't enjoy listening to Fox News on two televisions at high volume, and have an aversion to people decrying how this country is going to hell because of all of the "fucking Democrats" I'd recommend you go elsewhere. A very uncomfortable situation for me this morning. read more

I haven't seen a dive bar quite this grungy in awhile. I'm honestly surprised that it's able to exist so close to North Hills. When you walk in, if you were expecting a more conventional bar with food like we've got all over Raleigh, you're going to be disappointed. Friend, you've reached bottom. Cheap, cheap, cheap, cheap. Everything about the appointments of the place are cheap. Class was never a consideration in any aspect of this business. The menu is a single sheet of paper, laminated, and in my case covered with a dry chunky film of somebody else's spilled foodstuff. The staff had about as much personality as the table. They didn't seem to want to be there, didn't seem to be in any way happy about their jobs. The guy that rung me up at the end of my meal literally tossed my change on the bar, like an underhanded pitch. How about the food? I was hoping we wouldn't have to talk about that. I ordered a reuben & fries. I'll start with the good: the meat in the sandwich was adequate in portion and quality. This is where we get back to "cheap cheap cheap cheap". Every other ingredient tasted like it came from a spartan generic brand package at the most hole in the wall discount grocery store. I could see that there was slaw in it. I could see that there was dressing on it. But I'll be damned if it had the zing of a decent Reuben. The bread was absolutely dripping it was so greasy. I think the break slices were pre-soaked in liquid margarine or cooking spray or something before the sandwich was assembled. The fries, again, were like the institutional grade stuff you'd expect prisoners to be fed. I gave a second star because I'm thankful that I didn't suffer diarrhea or vomiting later, though within 30-45 minutes I was beginning to worry that might indeed happen. I love giving out 4-5 star reviews. I'm not shy about giving 1-2 star reviews. My advice? Just stop pretending to offer food. This is really bad. How is this still in business? How is it getting 4 star reviews? read more

I often go to the Bull & Bear before seeing a movie at the Colony. I find the food to be exactly what you want from a bar, its not gourmet but I don't expect it to be. As a vegetarian they've always been willing to make me something off the menu. The drink selection is large and the beers are also cold. The service is friendly and quick to respond to whatever you need. That's all I look for in a local bar. (I gave it an extra star because the last few times I went was during bingo - and it was a blast.) read more

The Bull and Bear is somewhere I have been several times for lunch and dinner but I tried breakfast today for the first time. I know the owner (Danny) and he's a great guy. I had two scrambled eggs (with cheese), a biscuit, two sausage patties, and hashbrowns for $5.95 before tip. The eggs were scrambled perfectly...not too hard and not too soft. I added salt and pepper. Nice crispy hashbrowns that I topped with hot sauce. You get a little side cup of butter with it for the biscuit (which is huge). Our waitress was quick and attentive. For lunch and dinner meals I tend to get one of the chicken wraps. The chicken is nicely flavored and never overcooked, with fresh veggies added in. I like their honey mustard sauce because it's just tangy enough. They do have rotating specials that can include different pasta dishes, meatloaf, hamburger and gravy...different things like that. The drinks are very reasonably priced. High ball drinks are only like $6 so it's very affordable. There are various arcade game machines and a dart board if that's your thing. The regular crowd here is usually older (I'm 25 and I've been the youngest person there each time I've gone) but it's a nice place to go when you want some were quiet with reasonably priced food. One of the only things that disappoints would be the salads. I hate salads made with iceberg lettuce and that's what you get here, with a couple tomatoes on it. If you stick with anything but salad you'll be golden. :) read more

My kind of place - great food, nothing fancy, friendly and helpful wait staff. Oh yeah, good coffee. I stopped in late Saturday morning. Good crowd but I wondered if I was interrupting a meeting of retired veterans. (Lots of hats with insignias or ship names). Not the case - those great Americans just seem to have found a good breakfast place before I did. I had pancakes and bacon -(excellent choice). My son had bacon and eggs with hash browns. Shout out to the hash browns - shredded potatoes fried up. It seems rare to fine this kind in Raleigh except at a Waffle House. Anyway, the eggs and bacon were cooked perfectly but he was disappointed that the biscuit wasn't so great. Looked like a Pillsbury Grand that had been sitting for a while. Again, NC is famous for biscuits but this isn't one for the list. Ok. So that's it: cool place, excellent breakfast (skip the biscuits) and great coffee. read more

The Bull and the Bear is a straight up dive and that's not all bad. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I was rating it against other dives, rather than everything else. I went here for breakfast with my wife and mother, and all three of us enjoyed our meals (corned beef hash with eggs over easy, french toast, and a single pancake with a side of bacon). Of course, we knew what we were getting into before we went. It was mostly empty when we showed up (around 8:45 on a Saturday) but it started to fill up by the time we left. Most of the other customers seemed to be regulars, the kind of people who have likely been going there since it was founded in '84. When a guy sat down at the table next to us and just rattled off his (extensive) order without even bothering to look at the menu (which is limited), I began to wonder if we had inadvertently sat at a "regular's" table. Our waitress was very nice and attentive, and she kept my wife's coffee mug filled without having to be asked. The place is dated to say the least, but I didn't have any issues with its cleanliness, but I am far from a germ-a-phobe. The place is clearly more suited to its night-time role as a neighborhood bar, the kind were you go to slam down a whiskey (or six) to wash away the day. The food was, well, meh. Not bad at all, but nothing to write home about. But I must say, the guy working the griddle was on point. My mother's pancakes and my corned beef hash both had nice crusty edges from the griddle. The bacon was nicely fried, not too crispy, not too limp. My biscuit tasted like it had been frozen, and the hash likely came from a can, so if you're looking for fresh, locally sourced food, this is not the place. But if you want a simple, quick, inexpensive meal of standard breakfast fare (eggs, pancakes, toast, bacon, sausage, ham, etc.) it's worth trying. read more

Food and service was wonderful a great little hole in the wall with great food..the beef and bacon signature burger to die for alittle messy but so worth it .... read more

This place is great! For those knocking the choice of tv programs being shown know that they will gladly hand you a remote and let you put on anything you wish. They are super friendly and the food is very good and the prices can't be beat. So i grabbed the Brisket lunch special the other day which was served w mashed potatoes and gravy and broccoli. The brisket was cooked to perfection and i was drinking 2$ Wicked Weed ipa cans that were priced to sell because not a lot of beer snobs frequent this place. A win for me and those like me. You get great food dishes barely above fast food prices, friendly and fast service, w a crowd that is very welcoming. I can't understand people giving bad reviews afyer admitting the food is very good and the prices can't can't be beat. read more

This place is the perfect neighborhood bar / restaurant.... the staff is down to earth and the patrons are too !.... food is excellently priced and is off the chain !!... try the beef and bacon burger ....it'll change your life!! read more

Great hole in the wall breakfast place. You can get pretty much anything on the menu any way you want it. Wait staff is very friendly and it's a great value. Very casual, it's like eating in an old sports bar. Not a lot of seating, and I could see a scenario where you'd have to wait if you went during a rush; however, we went right in and sat down on a Saturday mid-morning. We'll be back. read more

The Bull & Bear is just a great neighborhood bar. The food is surprisingly good, and very reasonably priced. They have daily food specials that are usually a great value. I usually get a bacon cheeseburger with fries, which btw costs less than a combo from a fast food place, and is consistently tasty. As other reviewers have noted, this is a great place to go for a 'heavy pour', which matters a lot to me when I'm drinking at a bar (duh!). When you factor in the low price and heavy pour, you can't get your drink on for less without hitting up the ABC and drinking at home. Bingo on Sundays is fun, free, and every round won brings in bar 'money' you can spend there. Tuesdays they have Trivia, which is a lot of fun and also free. And finally there's Jeannie, the delightful British bartender who works weekday evenings. She never fails to remember my drink of choice, and has always made me feel welcome. read more

I brought my hubby here for the first time. We ordered 2 patty melts which came with fries. The patty melts were made with the best rye bread,cheese, onions and a hamburger patty. We have found our new sandwich place in Raleigh. Our next order will be a Reuben. read more

I've only been here once, for breakfast, actually. From the outside, it seems like it's really just a bar, but they do serve food all day. The breakfast was tasty and cheap, and the biscuits were delicious. At the time, there was still smoking allowed indoors, and people were definitely smoking at about 10am, so that dampened things a bit. The decor is a bit silly, with framed posters of stock market exchange graphs, etc. I'm not racing to go back, but it's close-by and good for a quick breakfast. My husband goes from time to time and enjoys their soups and a beer. I'll probably go again, if for no other reason than to update my review. read more

Burger comes with real fries (cut not frozen) and PBR $2,50 on Wednesday. Two TVs allow watching Trump show on Fox or NBC!!

Gross, nasty, and loud. The food is horrible and the beer and soft drinks taste watery. I thought this would be a quick & decent place to eat before seeing a movie at the Colony Woods theaters. I was wrong. read more

Worst burger ever created. Although the patty was hand made, something on the burger was ransid. Did they not know or did they not care? Does it matter which? I don't think so. read more

We LOVE this place! The food is good and down to earth, the service is great, and the atmosphere is comfortable. I hope they never change a THING! I like that we can go there and have a good lunch at a reasonable price. If you're looking for the Ritz, then go elsewhere, but if you want good food and a relaxed atmosphere, this is your spot, too! read more

I've been going to Bull and the Bear for nearly 20 years. It is definitely a dive bar with bar food, but that's apart of the appeal. This place has been around long before North Hills was called 'Mid-town' and all of the overpriced shops were established. This is not a ritzy place by any means (dive-bar). The beer is cold, burgers and wings are tasty. Not sure what else you should expect. read more

This little dive has inexplicably been around for years. I love the concept (dirty old pub) it's just that there doesn't seem to be any reason for its longevity! I had a white tuna salad sandwich that was actually pretty darn good but the onion rings were straight out of the frozen food aisle at the grocery. My waitress was very nice and the restaurant was definitely full of regulars, including at least one unsavory but well-meaning character. Not many places in Raleigh are comparable to this, but the Bull and Bear shares some similarities with Finch's downtown. read more

How good this bar is depends on who's working. There is a sweet British lady that works a lot during the week who is an excellent bartender. There's some younger guy that works on Saturdays and seems to spend most of his time outside smoking and hangin out with this friends. Don't worry though, he'll get to you EVENTUALLY. Monday-Friday this is the perfect little dive bar to drink away your sorrows. Saturday is the perfect night to visit if you hate yourself and feel you should be punished. read more

This place was a wonderful surprise. A friend and myself showed up early for a movie showing at the Colony and decided to pop in for a quick drink before going to the theater to get our seats. What was going to be a single drink turned into a great conversation with the staff and patrons at the bar, an amazing meal of cabbage, potatoes, and corned beef, and a round of whiskey to celebrate St. Paddy's. This place epitomizes the charm of a small restaurant and dive bar, and I'll definitely be returning on a regular basis before and after catching movies next door. read more

The location and appearance of the restaurant are very out dated. We went on a week day & apparently they stop serving breakfast at 10a? So I had to order a tuna melt at 10:30a.. But it ended up being delicious! Had plenty for left overs (the chips were slightly stale though) and the waitress was okay. Not horrible but nothing to go back for. read more

This is an interesting place...Descent burger and reuben, breakfast is a deal for what you get and there is different vibe in the mornings than the evenings for sure. Cheap date and a movie next door or quick breakfast dive I'm afraid. read more

The food is actually pretty good but the waitress who's been there 30 years is extremely RUDE!! I ordered the key lime pie and took a small bite - just AWFUL!! Well, I politely told my waitress I didn't like the pie. This (assistant manager/waitress) lady walks up and starts yelling at me saying, "everyone likes our pie and you're going to pay for it." I was shocked! I asked to speak with the manager. No result. Can't believe a team would support a staff member yelling at a customer. So sad. So, that's my experience. I'm a pretty good tipper too. I'm never going back to that place. The customer service SUCKS! Don't expect to be treated like a human being. read more

We love Bull and Bear. It's unique with an eclectic clientele. But the pub food is good and reasonable. Drinks are poured heavily. The breakfast is especially good and service can be slow at times, but they always remember and welcome us! read more

I'm been a regular for several years, so my opinion is a little biased. You get a good pour on your drinks at a good price, and the food is good and reasonably priced. A 'brass and fern' bar it is not, if that's the ambiance you're looking for. The service is spotty sometimes, but it is a great place to drink and eat without breaking the bank. read more

Great breakfast! Definitely a dive spot but the breakfast rocks. Very affordable too. A hidden gem.

Great food, great bar. Good place to stop off for a drink. This place lacks pretension and is great for those looking for a neighborhood bar feel. read more