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    Steel String Brewery

    4.0 (115 reviews)
    InexpensiveBreweries
    Closed 12:00 pm - 11:00 PM

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    the outside of the building
    Jennifer D.

    Gave it a 4 because there is no inside seating! All outdoors at picnic tables but cute setup and lots of space! Beer list was extensive but nothing that really stood out. They have beer to take home, along with souvenirs. They had a food truck as well which was a nice touch! Service was mid, no recommendations but friendly enough.

    Chicken tacos with a cider!
    Caitlyn B.

    Such a fun outdoor bar! Beer and ciders on the menu! Also food trucks were there as well as live music- such a fun Saturday night.

    Beer selection

    This is a cool local brewery. They had a good selection of beer on draft and in cans. I ordered the French Freakness stout and the Cryin' Holy IPA. The stout is a bit sweet so I could only drink one. Both the beers were delicious. Out of their control is the parking and traffic which can be tricky here. Just a heads up.

    Beer menu on 1/5/19
    Janet C.

    Tried the brewery experience for two Groupon which included 2 flights and pint glasses. We really enjoyed our time here and found some brew that we liked a lot. Vohammie - plum spiced grissette, Poor Laurie - saison aged in oak, Coco Freakness - double chocolate stout (SO much chocolaty awesomeness), and Shady Grove - sour with nice berry flavor (not available in a flight, just get it if you like sours.) We received excellent service during our stay and enjoyed checking out Carrboro for an evening!

    Katie S.

    Great selection of beer. Can't go wrong with what you pick. Nice outdoor area too, which is always a plus!! PS - they were very responsible with spacing customers out and sanitizing due to Covid.

    Outdoor seating
    Katharine B.

    We stopped in on a Sunday afternoon and I love the vibe and atmosphere of Steel String. They have a patio and many people were sitting outside and taking, enjoying beer and catching up on work. Between Steel String and Open Eye, I think I found the place for students doing their studying and work in downtown Carrboro on a sunny afternoon. They have a beautiful yellow retro metal couch and chair against a crate-like wall strewn with patio lights. You can bring your dogs too and I saw a few sitting obediently outside. Inside, there was a good music group named Honey Magpie with a cello, guitar and vocals. The bar has a bright orange mural of the logo and theme. In case you want to watch tv , there is one right above the bar. Now to the main attraction, the beer. The names of Steel String beer are listed in the chalk boards on the wall and the beer names are clever. I also noticed a guest tap and cider listed. Daniel has the Big Mon IPA and described it as a solid beer. You can see the production barrels in the taproom. The atmosphere is great, the beer is solid and I would cone here just to hang out and enjoy Carrboro.

    Beautiful flight presentation
    Christina G.

    I'm certainly a proponent of any new craft brewery in the Triangle. I celebrate the growing tradition of local beer, and community brew-houses. And Steel String is putting their best foot forward in a lot of ways... nightly activities (trivia, the Tuesday I dropped in), wonderful space (with surprisingly wonderful bathroom facilities!), fun and memorable branding (I particularly loved the wood-cut guitar my flight was served in... Lifting each glass out uncovered a pog-sized illustration featuring the name of the beer. It's like drinking an advent calendar!). So the downside? Er... I didn't like the beer. The first of the four was good -- and I'd definitely order it again. The Manzanita black IPA was too bitter, and the Big Mon IPA too hoppy, and not citrusy enough, for my personal taste. When I visited, they were out of a few brews that had piqued my interest from their website -- honeysuckle saison? I believe I'll have to return for that.

    Look at all those cool games!
    John L.

    Steel String Craft Brewery brings something to Carrboro that it surprisingly it has not had to this point: a craft brewery! Durham has a bunch of these (Fullsteam, Triangle, etc.), Chapel Hill has TopO and Carolina Brewery, Pittsboro has another Carolina Brewery, and Hillsborough has Mystery Brewing. Carrboro, the cool city (to borrow from Richard Florida) mecca of the South, has not had a single craft brewery to my knowledge. Steel String changes this, and they succeed overwhelmingly. Once you enter the bar, you are immediately hit with how well the space is used: there are multiple big tables, as well as a nice bar area. They also have games at the ready for people who are looking to play games. Furthermore, these are not the games you usually expect at a bar (Jenga, Apples to Apples, and I once saw Operation at a bar). No, they've got Settlers of Catan (Sheep!) and Munchkin (Also I'd assume sheep, which you can use to attack people I'd imagine). These are both games that take awhile, so it's a brilliant plan: get people in, get them playing for awhile, and they keep drinking and trying to defeat their friends with hilarious weapons (and sheep). But really you're wondering about the beer. It is a brewery after all. The beer is excellent. I tried the saison and the Farmhouse Ale. Both were worth their $5 cost, with flavors that are perfect for a nice late Spring day. They also have many other beers on tap, both their own and other local breweries (I saw Fullsteam and Mystery both on tap, similar to Fullsteam's special guest taps). The bartenders are also incredibly knowledgeable about the beer and the general beer-making process, and are also really good at what they do. They have both indoor and outdoor seating, and do offer sandwiches from Merritt's as well if you're hungry. Basically this is the exact place Carrboro has needed, and now that it's here, you should go. So go. Because I said so. And we all know that usually works (usually being the operative word here).

    Menu as of November 2015
    Nate H.

    Steel String is a really cool place to grab a beer. I'm kind of torn between 3 and 4 stars. None of the beers really blew me away hence the 3 rating. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't go and give this place a try if you are in the Carrboro/Chapel Hill area. I ventured in here on a trip to Chapel Hill to visit a friend. I had some time to kill before my friend got out of class, so I figured I'd try out this newish brewery. I sat down at the bar and was promptly greeted by the bartender. I wish I could remember her name, because she was fantastic. Knew her stuff in regards to the beer, positive attitude, and chatted up every customer that came in. This was part of why the experience was so great. I also talked with a couple of the other patrons there and they were all very friendly. Now to the beer. As I said before, none of the beers blew me away. I think the Big Mon IPA was my favorite. It was slightly above average. They also had a good sour on tap that was a Grissette. The cool thing about this one is that it was inspired by a track from the new Mipso album. For those of you that don't know, Mipso is a local Chapel Hill Folk/Americana band that has been blowing up recently. A couple local brewers all brewed a different beer that was inspired by a track on the album. I thought this was kind of cool. The bartender also told me that Mipso would come and just do surprise concerts there sometimes. I would love to see that. The brewery has a cool vibe. It is very clean and they have a couple of games that you can play with your drinking buddies. They also have a nice patio out front that is perfect for watching all of the interesting people in Carrboro walk up and down the streets. I also liked their flights that were shaped like guitars. All of this kind of goes along with the music theme. You won't find any groundbreaking beer here, but they do have a cool atmosphere and plenty of nice patrons and workers alike. If you are in Carrboro it is worth grabbing a flight or a pint from this little brewery.

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    4 years ago

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    Andrew S.

    Thanks for the kind review!

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    9 months ago

    Great space, nice people, good beer. My flight was delayed so had a few extra hours so I stopped here and glad I did.

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    4 years ago

    Great service and friendly staff. I will definitely come back again. The beer was excellent

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    7 years ago

    Nice room with 6 beers on tap. The sour ale they had was very good. I am a big fan of sours and have had many. IPA and other options too.

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    4 years ago

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    Yikes.

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    3 years ago

    Great beer and relaxing atmosphere! My bartender was very attentive. I will definitely be back.

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    13 years ago

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    6 years ago

    I'm from Asheville- beer city. I think this beer actually beats out any I've ever had. Smooth and very drinkable!

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    Page 1 of 3

    Steel String Brewery Reviews in Other Languages

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    Review Highlights - Steel String Brewery

    They had two IPA's, the Big Mon was my fav (more traditional hoppy IPA), where the other was a little higher gravity, more grapefruity.

    Mentioned in 9 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Carolina Brewery - Carolina On My Mind Burger. $14.50. House-ground beef, pimento cheese, bacon, iceberg, tomato, red onions, house pickles, Carolina Gold BBQ.

    Carolina Brewery

    3.5(370 reviews)
    0.5 mi
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    I was a first timer at this establishment. Hailey, the host was very welcoming and accommodated…read moremy request to add more seating for a larger party than what was expected. Additionally, the food was delicious. I highly recommend dining here if you are ever in Chapel Hill.

    After helping out at a Yelp event nearby, it was kind of late and I wanted a decent meal before…read morehopping in the car to go back to Greensboro. Already being on Franklin Street, I knew that wouldn't be a problem, and I decided to just pop into this Carolina Brewery location (I think their main one) because it was convenient. The inside is a beautiful mix of wood and metals with different levels, an interesting bar configuration and plenty of TVs. I took a seat at the bar and received excellent service, and enjoyed conversation about sports, beer, and food with a couple of other gentlemen sitting close by. The only snafu of the meal was the tea got dumped (close to closing) after I got my first glass but before I got a refill. They replaced it with another drink of course, but that was good tea! I ordered the shrimp and grits with tempered expectation, but will summarily say they were exceeded. This was a really nice sized portion of thick creamy grits, a total of 8 VERY plump shrimp, enough salty bacon and onion to balance it out. Each bite was well balanced, and while it can't compare to anything I've had out in the low country by the coast, it was better than I hope for this spot and time. If I had to suggest an improvement, it could use an element with a subtle sweetness, like roasted or blistered sweet corn shaved off the cob. I also would like the sauce more pronounced, or even a red-eye gravy. I wouldn't call it dry, but it could have benefited. That would take it onto another level. Anyhow, I enjoyed the meal and friendly conversation. I would certainly return next time I'm in Chapel Hill.

    Photos
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    Celebrating 30 years!

    Carolina Brewery - Buffalo Chicken Wings. $15.50. Blue cheese and ranch dressing. Celery, carrots.

    Buffalo Chicken Wings. $15.50. Blue cheese and ranch dressing. Celery, carrots.

    Carolina Brewery - Inside. Lower level at the bar, watching North Carolina vs NC State in the 2024 ACC Tournament championship game on March 16, 2024.

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    Inside. Lower level at the bar, watching North Carolina vs NC State in the 2024 ACC Tournament championship game on March 16, 2024.

    Luna Rotisserie & Tap Room

    Luna Rotisserie & Tap Room

    4.6(147 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    Went here on a Saturday for an early-ish dinner. It was not busy when we arrived but got busier as…read morewe ate. The staff was so nice to our kids. We were celebrating a birthday and they added a candle to our dessert. The food was good and we enjoyed our experience. Will be back.

    Came on a Saturday mid day and it was pretty quiet. I've been wanting to try Luna for a while…read morebecause I've heard of it pretty often and I will say it did not disappoint. I got the two empanadas with aside and was able to try both the chicken and the pork. I think I liked the chicken a little bit more, but both of them were very good and the plantains were also very good. Not overly sweet, but also not super dry. I will say the parking is kind of annoying without parking space directly nearby. Had to park in the parking garage across the street. The server was very nice and mindful of waters and when we needed things. I will say almost $20 for a regular dish seemed very expensive but the food was pretty good so I would probably come back - just for the cheaper empanadas as they were pretty filling as it was. The one thing that kind of threw me off was how they set the table with their water cups upside down, touching the table. I wouldn't say that I'm a clean freak, but also that seems kind of gross to me because that's where my mouth is going to be... I'd probably do something different there myself. This definitely is more of a Chapel Hill / Carrboro money type of dining experience $$ but I'd be back on nicer occasions. The pastry on the empanadas were very good. Really liked the yuca Frits as well

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    Luna Rotisserie & Tap Room
    Luna Rotisserie & Tap Room
    Luna Rotisserie & Tap Room

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    Blue Dogwood Public Market - Find beer flights, gummy bears, and popcorn at The Bar.

    Blue Dogwood Public Market

    4.1(11 reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$

    Very challenging to find and enter. Trying to find the entrance, my car was towed. I'm thankful…read morethere are other places in chapel hill to visit!

    My knowledge of Chapel Hill starts and ends with Franklin St. and this food hall is such a great…read moreaddition to it. Blue Dogwood Public Market is more of a food hall and collaborative space with multiple vendors and an event space for cooking-related classes. It's so heartwarming to see ALL LOCAL vendors at this location considering the development going on in and around Franklin St with multiple chain restaurants and stores coming up every other week. I was there on the opening weekend so this place wasn't completely functional yet. But I still had a chance to look around and taste some food too. I had a gluten-free cannoli from pizzelle bakery (everything here is GF) and it was awesome! The other vendors include: *Soul Cocina *Vegan Flava Cafe *Common Bar Area * Pizzelle Bakery * Rumi Persian Cafe * Left Bank Butchery * Chocolatey Confections There's a great outdoor seating area too. Can't wait to check this place out when it's fully operational.

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    Blue Dogwood Public Market - Pizzelle Bakery specializes in sweet and savory gluten-free Italian baked goods with a Southern flair.

    Pizzelle Bakery specializes in sweet and savory gluten-free Italian baked goods with a Southern flair.

    Blue Dogwood Public Market - The Kitchen at Blue Dogwood, rentable for kitchen time and cooking classes.

    The Kitchen at Blue Dogwood, rentable for kitchen time and cooking classes.

    Blue Dogwood Public Market - Soul Cocina draws inspiration from its Latin American roots to create plant-based food, such as tamales, sweet potato & plantain empanadas.

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    Soul Cocina draws inspiration from its Latin American roots to create plant-based food, such as tamales, sweet potato & plantain empanadas.

    Steel String Brewery - breweries - Updated May 2026

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