Great venue. Huge audience area. Clean and COVID19 compliant. Wonderful staff. Food was sub-par...shame. Drinks were priced as one would expect and pretty good. Bourbon section was (sadly) limited. read more

These shows never start on time. Our show started over an hour late with no explanation and we had to wait in 90+ degree weather. read more

Raleigh Improv - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

Many ratings are going to be influenced by the comic that was performing, but this review is specific to the venue. This is a comedy club that brings in above average comedians at a fair ticket price. Where they "get you" is in food and beverage. First, there is a two drink minimum and the drinks are STUPID expensive. A double makers mark was over $18 with tip. We had a loaded nachos dish (appetizer size) and 6 drinks total and the cost (without tickets) was ~$80 which was almost double what the tickets cost. So, enjoy the show, but bring your big boy wallet. read more

I was honored to be invited to the soft opening of Raleigh Improv. The purpose of a soft opening is for the staff to get a trial-run. Raleigh Improv is conveniently located in Cary (not Raleigh) in the HUGE Parkside Commons shopping center at 540 and NC-55 near CineBowl and tons of restaurants. It is a brand new building and the place looks very nice. I attended with a group of 7 fun people. We were greeted upon arrival by the team at Raleigh Improv. We opted to sit near the stage because we aren't shy. We started off with some drinks including the Darker the Berry which is like a moscow mule with muddled blackberries. It was very tasty, although I couldn't taste any alcohol. We shared a number of appetizers including spinach artichoke dip, warm pretzel sticks and nachos (ordered with chicken and avocado, but only received avocado). For dinner, we ordered Angus sliders, Improv Burger and Chicken Quesadilla. For me, the meat was more cooked than ordered, but it wasn't terrible although it wasn't warm either; it also appeared that the kitchen wasn't fully familiar with the menu and what was supposed to be included. It would have been nice to have been offered ketchup or something similar for the dirty fries. It seemed like there may have been a lack of communication between our server and whomever delivered our food (or backup); something dropped on the floor before being served, but a replacement was never provided. I really enjoyed Burpie (our headliner). He was funny w/o insulting people. There was a little audience participation/contribution that he handled very well, and I just enjoyed the show. I think Raleigh Improv has a lot of potential. They have a great lineup of acts coming to the area, and it is much more conveniently located than the other place downtown. The food and drinks a priced a bit high in my opinion. I am hoping they have worked out some of the kinks from the soft opening. I have seen a number of my friends attend various shows there and truly enjoy it. I would gladly go back again. read more

So excited that they opened a comedy club so close to where we live! We caught the Whitney Cummings show and we had a blast. The show started at 7pm, but we decided to get there early when doors opened for better parking, early entrance, and to enjoy the dining experience. They opened doors about 15 minutes late, but once we were let in we were instantly welcomed by a very friendly & professional staff. We were greeted by an individual host who walked us into the theater and led us to our seats. Once we were seated our waitress took our orders and runners came out shortly thereafter with our food and drinks. Ordered the bucket of beers which came with 6 bottled beers, pre-opened and chilled in a pail loaded with ice. They stayed cold throughout the evening and totally worth the convenience since we didn't have to wait to order additional beverages throughout the show. We ordered the Improv burger which comes with dirty fries, the chicken quesadilla and the pretzels. The food tasted great and the service was fast which was quite impressive because the place was so packed and a little hectic with all of the hustle and bustle. The staff truly did an amazing job. Prices are a tad high, but it's as expected when you go to any other comedy club, venue or even the movie theater. All in all, we had a wonderful experience and can't wait to come back. Raleigh Improv (located in Cary) has a very solid schedule of acts ahead, so the future looks bright. read more

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This venue is really nice inside and has great performers. Service is definitely attentive and the prices seem in line with other bars. My one criticism and reason for not giving 5 stars though is the way they seat people. You get smashed into tiny tables with other people and instead of seating two people next to each other (which would make sense), it's always across from each other. So unless you are the last ones seated at a larger table, you are going to be smashed in pretty close to strangers and have to talk across the table to your date. If for whatever reason you need to say something to your date during the show, makes it impossible to whisper and not disturb anyone around. read more

why does this place advertise comedy shows doors open at 5:30pm for the 7pm show. the line to get in was wrapped around the block almost a half mile long. our portion of the line got in at 7:17pm. so everyyy time this slack late unorganized messy mess happens, the 7pm show gets slighted. they cut off the headliner comedian at 8:30pm and rush us paying customers out the door at 8:30pm because they have a 9pm show!!!! so we miss the entire piece of the comedian. this is our lasttt time coming to this unorganized mess!!!! do notttt come here!! save your money! read more

We went during opening weekend to see Ken Jeong. The show was great. I hope that they have great shows in the future as well. The space was much larger than expected and very well set up. There is a two order minimum per person. The food was not bad. The pretzels were better than expected and the fries are what you would expect. Nachos...not a really big fan. The cocktails were good. Soda is very expensive that would be better off just ordering a drink. The service was extremely slow. We were the last people to order, last people to receive our food and the last people to pay and leave. The show was full and I was told they sat 400 people so given the large number I understand the problems that can arise. Overall the experience was good. There are things that need improvement and things to iron out for the future such as signs for VIP versus general admission, possible covers outside for the lines since we have to wait outside, better process with seating. I look forward to other shows here. I think it is a great edition to the area! read more

Raleigh Improv - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

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On August 30, 2024 at the 9:15pm show Haley did above and beyond for more than just her tables.

Haley gave me great service! 8/30/2024. She came and helped us out and she wasn't even our waitress! I loved her!!! the best!

Hailey was an amazing server! We came to the 9:00pm DC Young Fly show. An amazing server, made sure we got our food

My friends and I decided to upgrade to a premium booth for one of the many comedy acts that we see at the Improv. At first, I was a little off-put by how much it costed, but we really had a great experience and the price covered our food and drink, so it worked out to be pretty cost effective overall. I typically enjoy their apps, but I wish they had just a little bit more variety to their menu. We were served promptly and had a great view of the stage without having to crane our necks to look up at the comedian when we sit all the way in front, since general admission is seated on a first come-first serve basis, and we are there usually around when the door opens and they start seating. If you're looking to splurge and get the V.I.P. treatment, I would recommend V.I.P. seating, but I'd wait until there was an A-lister or one of my favorite comedians before I'd pay that much going forward. In my estimation, even the "cheap" seats are good enough for me, if you get there early enough. read more

We went here recently as a group of 4. Toast tab order at the table, all usual and fine. Two item minimum purchase, sure also fine. Got the following stuff to eat: nachos, chips and corn / guacamole dip, two hot chicken sandwiches which had fries. The two things with chips were just okay but those 2 chicken sandwiches were wretched, barely if at all edible. Both the guys who had them said they tasted fishy. An n/a Heineken for the driver was $10. Regular beers around the same and that's all high but not horrible, but those $16 chicken sandwiches were a huge ripoff. The fries were okay. When the driver among us asked for water from the waiter who brought food they were told you have to order from the menu and there was only bottled water. A soda gun soda water was $6. That didn't come at all so we had to grab a waiter which wasn't easy. No server asked either if the guys with the crappy sandwiches whether something was wrong with the food. I guess i would go back if there was someone I super wanted to see, but I'd eat before or after. And that no tap water thing is bull. shit. read more

I purchased a ticket to the Big Jay Oakerson show and Raleigh Improv CANCELLED THE SHOW. I have sent three requests via email for my refund, no refund. Don't bother calling because they don't answer the phone. Where is my refund?!? Terrible business practices. Don't waste your time and money. THE WORST!!! read more

Nice ambiance. Please do yourself a favor and use the two item minimum for beverages and skip the food.

I can't believe this place is still open. Its the worst service imaginable. Took too long for food (which was good) and drinks. We didn't get to finish our 2nd drink after waiting 30+ min for it, because they kicked everyone out at the end of the show. I don't mean they had another show and asked you to wrap up. I mean last show, lights came on 1 min after and they started taking stuff and asked you to leave. They actually were yelling at people, an altercation happened. They weren't even allowing people to use the bathroom after (dirty and no tp). plus it was 36degrees outside. They were aggressive and I would never, ever come back. The comedy was great but NOT worth it! read more

NO SOCIAL DISTANCING HERE!!!!! Packed in like Sardines. Went to enjoy a show and paid extra for the VIP. Much to my surprise they had everyone stacked in shoulder to shoulder in VIP and General Admission. Hey, have you guys at Improv EVER HEARD OF COVID-19..... This is socially irresponsible and I hope you will change this policy ASAP! Place is nice, service was good. Make sure your cell phone can scan and read a QR code as their menu and ordering are performed this way. Drinks came out pretty quick, staff was friendly but a bit over loaded. Food is airport quality at best so would recommend eating before you arrive. This place REQUIRES a 2 item order per person (drinks or food). Drinks were a bit high $8 for a bottle of beer & $10 for a mixed drink. Also, something new I noticed is the comedians are allowed to sell items to the guests... One was selling his own line of clothing, one was selling CD's and a washcloth that went along with one of his nasty jokes and the main comedian was selling peppermint and/or lavender air freshener. After the show they were hawking sales at the exit as everyone was leaving. Made the departure a little slower. read more

Very disappointed with how this venue handles cancellation notice and customer support afterwards. Recently had tickets to Tim Dillon 2/10.. found out it was cancelled after arriving.. COVID, understand. Rescheduled for 3/24.. after arriving for the 9:15 show, informed it was cancelled again! Flight issues apparently, however not sure I believe it, given a history of this comedians cancellations. Since they already had cancelled a 7:00 show, why were we not informed much earlier? Trying to get refunded was even more irritating!! Was told we must print all the tickets, wrote VOID , tear them up and send a picture!! WTF???? This is insane!!!!!! Not sure I'll be visiting in the future. Pretty pathetic!! read more

Good start for Raleigh! Venue is pretty chill, you can get food and drinks. Food is pretty terrible, it's mostly bar food options and overall unhealthy. But the "blacker the berry" drink is pretty good! Saw marlon wayans there and this is not a critique on that show but I'd definitely be interested to see more shows here...just hope they change up the menu a bit. read more

Raleigh Improv - Getting ready for marlon wayans - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

Great place for comedy! (Date Night) or girls night It's very well organized!! Staff is great read more

I tell you what : we'll think twice before getting tickets to a show here in the future. Every single time we've gone, they've opened the doors 30+ minutes after the stated "doors open" time. And the drinks are really watered down and take a long time to be served. Tip: there's a two item minimum for each person so order both of your items at the same time to avoid waiting an extended period of time between items. And if interested in ordered alcohol, skip the cocktails and just order the liquor because the cocktails are not made well. This last time we got tickets to see DL Hughley. Tickets say doors open at 9 and show starts at 9:15. We knew they weren't going to seat everyone in 15 minutes so I'm not even sure why they advertise such an unrealistic time. What upset me is these jokers didn't even open the doors until almost 10pm! We had to leave by 11pm so we walked out of line and left before even entering the building. They don't offer refunds or credits. I asked. Oh and They blamed it on DL. *eye roll* Money wasted!! read more

Don't waste your money on VIP! VIP tickets are expensive but seemed like a good deal because you get reserved seating for basically a $200 payment up front. Also included was supposed to be VIP entrance, and although there was a sign at the door for that, there was nobody to allow special entrance. Most importantly, it was extremely difficult to order $200 in food and drinks before the show was over because the service was unbelievably slow. We placed drink and food orders right away and it took more than 30 minutes for the drinks and an hour for the food. I suppose because they already had my $200, that they were catering to the people who hadn't already given them the money, so those people could eat & drink and keep ordering more. Servicing us didn't give them any extra money, in fact keeping us waiting could keep us from spending all the up front money thus giving them a profit. That's the way it felt. I had the margarita pizza and it wasn't bad but the rest of the food was just ok. Drinks were not tasty. I got the mojito and a margarita. They weren't good- the mojito tasted like seltzer water tbh. At any rate, it was a bad experience and I wish I hadn't blown over $400 for the night out. read more

LOVE this place and the entertainment is always AMAZING!! Last night we saw "Red Grant" was hilarious.... We laughed until we cried. I just the food and beverages were as good as the venue and the entire. We had a booth so we had a food credit which is nice for the price of $384.00 for a party of four. The wings were tasty but luke warm and my shrimp quesadillias would have been fantastic if there were actually some cheese in them. I was basically eating tortillas with shrimp. My apple martini was half full and my friend said her drink was horrible so she didn't even drink it. Other than that I really enjoy coming to the Improv!! Improve the food guys!!! read more

Raleigh Improv - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

I don't even know where to start with this club. I frequently drive 3-1/2 hours just to come here even though I have 4 clubs within an hour of my house. THAT is how great this club is. The staff is PHENOMENAL. If you want to be treated like royalty while laughing your butt off, THIS is the place to be. I have been here seven times and CAN NOT WAIT to go back. Love, love, LOVE this club!!!!!!!!!! read more

Attended a Girls Gotta Eat show and this was my first time at the Improv. Great venue. Delicious drinks. Extremely spacious inside. Not a bad vide. Very impressed overall read more

Raleigh Improv - Girls Gotta Eat on 9/9 - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

Had tickets to see Tim Dillon 2/24... cancelled less than 2 hours before show started. Rescheduled for 3/24... show up to the venue and it was cancelled. Received an email saying rescheduled show for 3/28... show up to the venue and it says 3/29 on the sign out front... Extremely frustrating getting an email saying the show is one night when clearly it is not! No explanation or apology for their wrong doing. Cannot get ahold of customer service. Very agitated that we are getting dragged around last second. Spent a lot of money on these tickets and cannot reach anyone about getting a refund. This is not how a business should treat paying customers. I do not recommend. read more

Absolutely scammed by this place. Paid $150 for 2 VIP tickets to see Maz Jobrani in April. VIP's get early access, first choice at seating, a meet and greet with Maz after the show and exclusive merchandise to be autographed. Instead, all we got was the same experience ever General Admission attendee received. Early access and first choice of seating? Nope. We got in before everyone and were told to move THREE TIMES by different members of staffing. My girlfriend and I had horrendous seats and I had to crane my neck to the whole time as my back was to Maz the whole show. The people sitting next to us at the same table paid $20 to attend while we paid $75 a ticket. Exclusive meet and greet with Maz after the show? Nope. It was available for every single person in attendance. Literally everyone and their mothers could meet him. And we waited in line for an hour to meet him. It was horrendous. Exclusive merchandise? Nothing either! When we went up to the front to meet Maz, there was a merch booth. I showed the guy behind the booth our wristbands for VIP and our tickets. He shrugged us off and told us to buy a t shirt or move on. We didn't get anything signed. I called Raleigh Improv the next day irritated I spent a month of saving to take my girlfriend out on a date for this and spent $150 on absolute crap. The manager apologized but tried to do a "let's make a deal" kinda thing and invited us back to another show. The only issue is my girlfriend is 20 and their shows are 99.9% always 21+ and they can not bend the rules. We also live 2 hours away and don't frequent the area. I'm already contacting the BBB and Attorney General's office as well as already emailing Maz's Booking Agent. Raleigh Improv knowingly scammed their VIP's and continue to do so as they are providing the same ticket prices at their sister venues across the country with Maz performing. All I want is a refund. read more

Pro's: -New venue = nice inside. -Great lighting/audio visual -Great acts -Cheap prices for the tickets Con's: -If you sit up front, they place you across from your date and squeezed in beside other people so it's difficult to chat if you have dinner with them and if a person is rude and takes up more than their space, you're squished in to a super uncomfortable position. Plus you're sitting sideways to the stage so it's just super awkward. Goodnights seating is way better. I actually had the ask the girl next to me to move back in to her space as she had moved her chair half in to mine so she could sit facing the stage. -Drinks are expensive. -Food is really REALLY mediocre. Service has been hit or miss both times I have been there. As has parking. If they could work on seating and offering less expensive drinks, they would be five stars. read more

It's over crowded and too expensive; but if you're there to see the comic of your choose it's a great time. The headliner is what saves the experience. Tips: get there early or splurge on a VIP booth. read more

Fun night! Recommend to order the food before the show starts. If not your gonna be waiting for a long time.

The staff was polite and apologizing, but the experience as a whole was awful! After the event was OVERBOOKED me & two other groups waiting to be seated were told we either need to be sat completely separate from each other or we can leave! They obviously screwed up when selling the tickets. We also had to sit outside for over an hour after showtime before even getting in. I don't think we'll be returning. :( read more

I've been to at least a dozen shows at Raleigh Improv since it opened several years back. I had enjoyed it in the past, but the quality of the food has been quite bad over the past few months as has the service. A few months back I received chicken wings that were still cold inside. I sent them back and they were replaced, but it was a long time to make that happen. Most recently the seasoned fries for $7 were rubbery and mildly warm and the serving size was very little. We used the QR code to order our food and entered a credit card, but at the end of the night they said that the credit card entry was needed just in case we left before the show ended and they still needed to take our card and run it. How completely inefficient. There was a billing mix up and we had to wait about 10 minutes just to have it corrected. Also at my last visit several days ago, with reports of the omicron variant surging, not one worker was wearing a mask. We thought we'd be seated at a table with all of our friends, but due to the size of the group our party was split and another couple was seated within 2 feet of us. There were still plenty of open tables in the place and not even a question to us how we felt about sharing a table. In normal times that would not be a big deal, but given the climate with COVID, this was inconsiderate. I'll be waiting a long while before returning. read more

Fun times at RALEIGH's IMPROV! Must say you have to check this place out. Tommy Davison was a riot! https://www.instagram.com/p/ByNIM-dFiYb/?igshid=1ohexnrayht5w And he brought out Aaron Mills the base player of CAMEO to perform hits songs "Word Up!" And "Candy" you get more then you pay for! Food is ! #fundate #comedy #tommydavison #inlivingcolor #truecomedian #loveandfun #mustdo @ Improv Raleigh read more

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Show starts at 915. Doors open at 9. It's 27 degrees. I am still standing outside at 940. I know this is a comedy club; however, I am freezing to death outside rather than being allowed inside. This is piss poor and unacceptable Update.....still outside freezing It's been an hour of standing in the cold Final update: Great show and worth the near death experience!!!! read more

I attended a 6:30 pm show last night and really enjoyed the opening and headlining comedians that I saw - they were great. $35 for GA. But this review is for the venue. I had a lot of issues with how Raleigh Improv was doing things. To start, there were tons of people and no opportunities for social distancing and no mask requirement. Some of the servers wore masks but not all and most weren't wearing them correctly. It's not really first come first serve with the General Admission because you don't get to pick your seat - it's assigned. They escort you to a preassigned table that you get when you walk in. That being said, arriving early is key because we got close up seats - we arrived before 5 which is when the doors opened. You will be seated with strangers. There are rows of tables and the seats are very very close together. You have a 50/50 chance of your back being to the act and having to turn around the whole show to face them. Because there's food and drink, you'll be face to face with multiple strangers eating. It's very obvious they pack this place to the gills to make a profit and don't care much about patron comfort. The food and beverage service was just bad. There were a ton of people working so I'm not sure what the issue was but it took 45 minutes for us to receive our drinks last night. It was unreal, especially when there is a 2 item minimum. We even stopped multiple people trying to find our waitress and they had a really "oh well" attitude about it. To top it off, they chose to bus the tables in the last 30 minutes of the show and it was super super distracting. They obviously dont want to wait to bus and clean until after the show because they want to pack in another show at 9 o clock. They need to work out some kinks with the serving or else don't offer food as well - I don't know! If you really want to go to a show here, I strongly recommend bringing a party of 4+ so you can sit at the private VIP booths (where there seemed to be no shortage of service) even though it's a bit more cost. When I blocked out all the distractions, I enjoyed myself and the comedians were fantastic. read more

Raleigh Improv - Private booths - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

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I almost don't want to write this review because I have to give you a piece of advice which will just make it harder for me next time. But oh well, Yelp wants what Yelp wants. Obviously they get top notch comics. From classic favorites from the 80s and 90s to the hottest current talent to the great local area up and comers, they have a great combination. So no need to review the shows, they are what they are. The venue. Oh my gods. Where is the cramped ugly comedy club that I'm used to? This is more like a movie set for a hep jazz club. Tables, booths, clean and well maintained. And the service is great. Wait staff unobtrusively slipping from table to table to serve without distracting from the show. Then there's the food. It's good. There's a two item minimum. Overpriced beer and wine or fairly priced food for the quality. I had a burger and it wasn't the best burger I've ever had, but it was better than I anticipated at a comedy club. Glancing at the tables around me, to go boxes were being filled my at least half the attendees due to the oversized servings. You won't go away hungry. And come hungry, because you might as well have a food & drink combo for your two item minimum because you can drink a 6-pack at home for each beer price. But, that's not a surprise at a club. So, if you made it this far, you get the secret advice. I think that's fair, I mean I said it was coming. It's first come, first seat. Even if you pay for the private booth (price of 4 tickets and $200 pre-paid food/drink tab), you're not guaranteed a good seat. The place is real big, so you can end up far from the stage. So the advice is easy, be there when the doors open. Even if you pay for a booth, be there at 6 (or whatever) to get in and get seated in a good spot. You'll be glad you did. And don't heckle. I mean, unless it's Jimmy Kerr and he asks you to so that he can rip you apart verbally, it just gets in the way of the flow of the show. You're not helping. read more

Fantastic venue for a comedy show! Great menu for food/drink, awesome customer service, clean bathrooms, and nice atmosphere. Highly recommend!! read more

Raleigh Improv - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

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I've been here twice. comedy great. bad experiences with an audience member the first time that ruined the show for my husband. the second visit, a staff member harassed my friend for taking an innocent picture. it was very embarrassing how the staff handled it. also, they wouldnt serve us a glass of water. I had to pay $6 for a bottle of water. Will not be returning. read more

I stopped by the Raleigh Improv house, which is in Cary I should mention, during my annual trip to NC. I didn't have premium seats, but I still had a nice view. The venue is nice. Easy access to restrooms. Parking was a breeze. The drinks were delicious. I had a berry sweet cocktail (see what I did there). I'm giving a 3/5 because of actual entertainment. The show just seemed half prepared and a bit much. It seemed like there were many moments of forced laughter. I would return to watch a different comedian. read more

I have been to the Raleigh improv about eight times and I have really enjoyed this establishment. The amount of room at this establishment is really awesome and the customer service has been very very nice and professional. I must say that the comedy events at this venue have been exceptional and I would recommend this location to anyone. I only hope that management can aggressively work on the menu variety a lot more this year. I believe the amount of money that you pay should equal the quality of good food and drinks. My second issue is please allow paying customers the opportunity to sit where they want that is comfortable for those customers. While I understand you want to feel every seat people have a right to have a preference as a paying customer. As a new establishment in the triangle area I hope that my review can be taken seriously moving forward. read more