This is your typical cocktail bar located in an old building. There are multiple places like this in downtown Raleigh, nothing really stands out about this one. They no longer serve food like they did in their old location. Essentially this is like the Architect 2.0. I don't think they changed anything from the previous ownership. Even the Green Light bar is still there. If you want some expensive cocktails in a nice atmosphere, this is as good as any other cocktail bar in downtown Raleigh. read more

The Merchant NC - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Changed. I always rave about this place. Especially with Smoke and dagger. Unfortunately there was a significant change when I came back to a new location. Not a good change. Venue: larger venue compared to their original former venue. Similar speakeasy vibe. Love the ambience, NY speakeasy feel. Drinks : ordered the famous smoke and dagger. Also espresso martini. Smoke and dagger does not taste the same. Looks similar but some elements missing. Drinks feel like it was not shaken enough. Drink was very sour without balance. Just was not the same. Came in a smoke box like before. Brought family members after bragging about this place and had not much to say. Espresso martini was very bitter. Service: the lady that served us not personable. Maybe she was not having a good. The place I was looking so much forward to end up in disappointment. read more

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A hidden gem- absolute vibe. Great drinks. Will definitely be back. Don't judge by the outside. read more

The Merchant NC - Inside - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Cute and charming bar it's where the architecture use to be, apparently this is there new location. Have to climb about 15 stairs to reach the bar fyi. It was pretty dark and dim in there and the tables had a candle on them to make it more intimate I guess. Our server was friendly and helpful in choosing our drinks. The menu was pretty decent lots of choices. I had two different drinks ,one was the paper plane (can't remember the other) . I just wish the martini glass was bigger like the normal size. Overall good experience: read more

The Merchant NC - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

The perfect place for a cocktail!! The vibe was cute and moody. The drinks were tasty and a nice twist on classic cocktail. read more

The Merchant NC - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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You have to look for this place in the Raleigh location d/t the business awaiting their sign. I really enjoyed the spring specials. Will definitely be back to assess The Merchant's food sometime soon! read more

Do you like Speakeasy's as much as I do? Then you need to checkout the merchant. Located in the heart of downtown Raleigh, The Merchant offers cocktails that are both unique and interactive. They even offer non-alcoholic spirits and cocktails for those who do not partake in the libations, but still enjoy the social environment. They have a variety of cocktails that are categorized by their flavor profile. The Merchant also offers small plates that you can share. They recently launched their fall cocktails and I tried a couple of them. Each of them are very unique and have a different flavor profile. And of course I had to cap it off with my favorite smoked Old Fashioned. read more

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This place has such good potential but such poor execution. We have been twice now because we love the ambiance and decor, but both times the drinks have been mediocre. I've only really loved one of the five cocktails I've tried, two were truly bad and two were just okay. and the music is insanely loud for what is supposed to be a speakeasy. Given the concept, I'd hope for jazz (they even have a great space for live combo performances, but aren't using it) but both times it's been ear-blistering dance/piped in pop music, more along the lines of a dance club, not a nice place to sit and have a drink and conversation. At $15+ a drink, I'd love a space where I could have a nice conversation with those I come with, not dance club music without the vibes of a club or space for dancing. We also had a super uncomfortable interaction with the guy at the door who was eating pizza while checking ID's and called multiple women "young lady." Some small tweaks and this place would be incredible, and the potential almost makes it worse that we have been disappointed both times we've been here. read more

This cozy upstairs spot was the perfect place for a cocktail on a chilly night. Husband and I sat at the bar and ordered cocktails from the new fall cocktail menu. I ordered the Pecan Potion and husband the Dollhouse Nightmares and both exceeded our expectations. The pecan rum in the Pecan Potion sounded interesting and it did not disappoint! It was the perfect cocktail. Husband's came in such a fun glass! The pumpkin foam looked like brains but tasted like pumpkin froyo. I am not a scotch fan but still loved his drink. The attention to detail in these drinks is impressive. They are top notch. read more

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I recently went to the merchant for the first time and had an awesome evening. We went on a Tuesday night and it was not very crowded. I wouldn't say you need. I would say you don't need reservations probably unless you're heading it on the weekend I love the vibe of the place in the interior decoration is beautiful. Of course I totally almost walked by when I was trying to find it. Basically it's upstairs from Vergils look for Vergils, and then you'll notice the hostas, and/or the sign/door that takes you upstairs to the merchant. Their cocktail menu is extensive and it's obvious that that's what they pride themselves on. Of course I'm more of a wine drinker so the cocktail list was pretty much wasted on me, but I did try my friends gin, floral cocktail, and it was really quite good. The servers and the bartenders were friendly, and made some great suggestions. For food the small plates did not disappoint. The menu isn't huge, but they had a ton of variety. We started off with a duck wings and they were super tender and flavorful, definitely something I would get again. Honestly, now that I think about it, I would get everything I ordered again. We also got the crispy brussels sprouts, which were great, but the favorite dish of the night was definitely the steak Frites I loved that they were duck fat fries, so delicious, the steak was cooked and seasoned perfectly. It was sliced for us and really a great dish for sharing with a small group. This spot is a gem and I look forward to dining and drinking there again. read more

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What a great time!!! It was my wife's bday and we loved it!! Sue was great!! We will be back!! Great drinks, great place!! read more

The Merchant NC - Having a great time!! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

This is one of my favorite places in Raleigh. I tell anyone who's in town and wants to go somewhere to go here. This is a cute speakeasy vibe located above a taco shop. To go inside you enter through a door disguised as a jukebox and head up the stairs to the bar. I normally am able to get accommodated when it is just me and one other person but I recommend reservations. I like that it is never too loud and packed like other places here, it's almost like a hidden gem. The music has also always been great and the atmosphere of the place is amazing. Well decorated, dim lighting, good music, clean, and aesthetically pleasing. The bartenders, hosts, and servers are always super friendly and great too. The food and drinks here are fantastic. The food menu is small but the food is so good. The burger sliders here are one of my favorite sliders ever, the whole table loved them and we ordered more. We also had the buffalo cauliflower, brussels sprouts, duck fat fries, and steak frites. The brussels sprouts were soo crispy and made perfect. The duck fat fries were seasoned well and the herb cream sauce it came with was so good that it was addicting. All the fires were gone. The steak frites was delicious as well and a great entree. This spot is definitely great for birthdays, date nights, girls night out, and any other type of fun occasion. I always enjoy the drinks here and they have tons of fun drinks that are picture worthy like a drink in a smoky glass box, drinks on a tree, cotton candy drink, and the big table drinks. I love that they have big cocktail pitchers for the table because it's so fun and cute. The prices here are fair and the experience is always great. read more

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Update: 2nd visit 8/4/2023 I like how I'm buzzed in at the entrance and someone meets me at the top of the stairs and escorts me to my table. I love that reservations are recommended and there is no wait. I felt like a celeb on this evening. Second time here. The first time I wanted to love The Merchant NC but there were a few marks missed with the server at that time. This time much better experience. The lamb, grilled watermelon salad, and adult grilled cheese were a hit. Everything was delicious. We wanted seconds on the lamb but the kitchen closed a few minutes earlier. This was disappointing. I wished the waitress would've advised us of this. We had wine. Cabernet because you can never go wrong with wine. The staff here seem nice and are welcoming to all. The Merchant NC is a yes for me. I highly recommend this time. read more

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Go. Nothing else needs to be said. Here are more words... because Yelp said to. Like I said. You want cocktails? GO. read more

The Merchant NC - Love Potion No. 126 - pretty smooth. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Found this place on Instagram and wanted to check it out for girls night out. The entrance is very subtle, giving speakeasy vibes forsure. As you enter, you walk up the stairs to the top floor and are met with green velvet seating, low lighting, accented tables and decor. It was very inviting. Now on to the food and service. I would like to point out that we did make a reservation through tock and it required a $10/pp charge to hold the table. That money was put toward the final bill. The host said there wasn't much seating available due to an event going on that took up half of the space. This was ok until we decided we wanted food and the couches we were sitting on didn't allow for us to comfortably eat. Hailey was our server and she was FANTASTIC. She advised us to move to a table, but we were then told we needed to move because they had another reservation coming in. Because we had a party of 3 with a reso, the party of 4 took precedence over us since the table sat 4. We were offered seating at the bar, but that didn't allow us to talk to each other the way we wanted to. Because of us having to move 3 times until they were able to make a table for us, I took away 1 star. Hailey was very apologetic toward the situation and I really appreciated her for trying to make it work for us. Hoping this isn't an issue next time, but be mindful of that when you visit. On to the food and the drinks. Everything was DELICIOUS. We ordered 2 cocktails and 1 mocktail. Food wise, we ordered the duck fat fries, the Buffalo cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, sliders and steak frites. Everything was fresh and Delicious. The kitchen does close at 11 just for future reference. Unfortunately I didn't take pics of the food because of the low lighting, the flash was pretty bright. I can't wait to come back with my boyfriend, hopefully without the musical chairs of trying to be seated at a table that I had reserved. read more

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Easily and I mean EASILY my favorite bar in all of Raleigh so far and I've been to a couple. Merchant NC did everything right, all the boxes were checked off. Atmosphere Cocktail taste Cocktail presentation Bartenders knowledge of the cocktails Friendly staff Price And anything else you can think of. Came here with a buddy since he doesn't go out to drink that much and man did we have a blast. Tried so many drinks but I remember that "To all the ones I've loved before" and their "Paper Plane" was my favorite. They even make a little paper plane for your glass which is my favorite thing. I've only been to 1 other bar that does that and it's in New York City. Staff was sooooooo friendly and nice to talk to. Music was perfect, not too loud and not too low. Got pretty drunk since every Cocktail was better than the last . I didn't get to try all of the drinks I wanted to so I'll be back to try the rest of the amazing cocktails & try the food as well. Literally every time I'm in town I'll be at this bar everyday. See you guys soon read more

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Good drinks I tried the dollhouse nightmare and the ghosted and I really enjoyed both. The Dollhouse Nightmare came in a baby skull head with pumpkin whipped cream resembling brains atop. I enjoyed the presentation and taste, it definitely was one of those social media worthy moments. My favorite drink was the ghosted. It had some peach and scotch flavor that made it perfect balance between sweet and savory. Service was good. Stairs are a bit of a tightrope if someone coming down and up simultaneously. Loved the NYC hidden treasure vibes. read more

The Speakeasy-ness of it all!!! I am absolutely in awe of The Merchant. A 5 star bar is one with great great ambiance, amazing, unique cocktails, A1 service and tasty eats. The Merchant has all of the above and then some. I visited after work on a Tuesday, without a reservation, and was seated promptly as it had not gotten busy yet. One of the fist things that made my jaw drop open were the extra wide, comfy bar chairs (insert heart eyes emoji here). I must have looked like a Lion taking photos of the chairs, but never have I ever sat at a bar where my rump sighed as soon as it snuggled in the chair. Be warned that if you go solo, as I did, you may struggle with scooting the chair up closer to the bar. They are HEAVY. The ambiance was so soothing and relaxing, the decor so elegant, the music had me wanting to ask for the playlist. It was a whole vibe! The artist formerly known as "the bartender " was exceptionally courteous. I asked for the most popular, unique, IG-worthy cocktail they had and he replied, Smoke & Daggers. He was so gracious to allow me to record him making it as well. It was ART, (tasty art) as was the Black Sails/Blue cocktail cocktail and the non alcoholic, Thai Tea Party that is adorned with a honeycomb. For food, I ordered the Merchant Sliders. I guess they are only cooked one way, because I wasn't asked how I wanted them cooked. They were delicious nonetheless. So if you haven't been, what are you waiting for! read more

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What used to be Level Up bar and arcade is now the Merchant! Offering up some creative cocktails in a classy speak-easy setting. The long space works well, decked out in some stuffed bench seating, quiet tables, brick walls and bar. The menu has a nice smattering of cocktails along with some beers, they only opened up two days earlier so I'm sure there will be some changes and updates soon. Overall I like the space, the music is a bit loud but a great start so far. Another great cocktail option for the Oak City... read more

The Merchant NC - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Really fancy vibe, music is on the louder side. Cozy and cute booth side to sit on. Note you need to go upstairs to get inside here. Bartender was very nice! read more

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Great vibes, lovely upscale lounge that definitely gives big city vibes. Great cocktails with a twist and nice options for small plates. Try the duck wings and an espresso martini. read more

I wanted to like this place so much more, but the music was way too loud and the drinks weren't strong enough to command their respective prices. The bar area is nice, the dining room area is nice, the decor is tasteful and there is a nice theme of tasteful skulls carried out through the interior. The service was prompt and the drinks were delivered as ordered. The bathrooms were clean and tidy too. I think Merchant has an identity crisis though, playing very loud upbeat music makes me think of dancing and a nightclub environment, but there is no dance floor and Merchant is advertised as a speakeasy. I would go to Merchant as an upscale place to have drinks and chat with friends, but the music was so loud we had to move closer together and still lean in while speaking loudly to hear each other; we are both in our 30s, so we aren't deaf or hard of hearing. Our Apple Watches even began warning us about the loud environment after about 30 minutes. Ultimately we were discouraged by the loud music and left after two drinks. read more

The drinks were cute and fun. The place is nice and a great date night place. The staff were very rude. Our waitress had a bad attitude to the point we had to complain and left early. read more

The Merchant NC - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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We didn't eat food but we did get drinks there. We had a great service from our bartender and a quiet nook to share our evening. I loved the space and the feel of the space and we will certainly be back soon. read more

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Honestly, everything about this place hit the spot! A little pricey but you definitely get what you pay for here. From staff, to service, food & drinks - everything was top tier. The ambience is cozy yet elevated, they even played great music! Bartenders Wally and Jacob has some serious skill!! Will definitely be back next time I find myself in Raleigh. read more

Visited for dinner and drinks with some friends last week and enjoyed my visit! The From Raleigh With Love was super tasty and I enjoyed the brussels sprouts. The adult grilled cheese was alright to me but the star of the show was the crispy buffalo cauliflower. Bri provided great service to us and was super sweet. My only con was the volume of the music but otherwise I had a great time. read more

A very cool experience. Gotta get on the list, but then you gain access to the stairwell to the speakeasy. The place smells like the smoky Smoke and Dagger cocktail (a cool plus to stopping by). That drink is good, by the way -- light and not sweet, and worth the show. I actually liked my friend's cocktail better: Fear and Loathing in the Carolinas. Oh, and even though you have to wait downstairs, there are probably seats open ;) But it's all in good fun and worth a stop in. Great place to wrap up a night. read more

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Visited this place for a drink and it was quite the experience! It can be a little hard to find so ask the virgils hostess and they will get you situated! The drinks were delicious, a little pricy but for some you are also paying for the experience! The main thing I didn't like and the reason for 4 stars and not 5 was the noise level. The music was so loud I had to lean over the table to talk to my wife in order to hear each other. I definitely recommend for a date night or after dinner drinks! Worth a visit!! read more

The Merchant NC - Blue waters - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Atmosphere yes. Drinks hell yes. Company subpar - be sure to bring friends that hype up your Yelp life, not tear you down into a deep dark abyss where all you can see is the small flame sitting on the table reminding you that your life is a morsel of joy compared to the lavender filled glass of love sitting in front of you. But in any case 10/10 recommend! read more

The Merchant NC - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Nothing special. The ambience is nice. The drinks were only ok. We came there for their special and pretty drinks and were disappointed. The food was meh. The service - nope! Waited forever until we were approached to take our order. The when finally the first item was served, we had to wait another 10-15 minutes until someone brought us plates and silverware. read more

A great location with excellent food and a broad range of creative cocktails. We loved the speakeasy atmosphere and had superb service. Now if they could just turn down the volume on their sound system so that their diners can hold a conversation ... read more

Have been to Merchant a few times since it opened I have enjoyed every visit I have had! The drinks are incredibly well made and they have options for all taste pallets. Ambiance is great with their low lighting and music. Last time I went the music was a touch louder than I cared for but it was still a fun time! Highly recommend for a pre dinner or post dinner cocktails! read more

The Merchant NC - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

The ambience is perfect for date night or just a hang out. The drinks are magnificent and the staff is so friendly no matter how busy they are! Thank you Merchant for never disappointing! read more

The Merchant NC - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

My fave speakeasy in Raleigh. Love the vibe of the place to include the lighting, color schemes, etc. Every time i went it was another kind of music playing which were all on point. Go try it out for yourself read more

Great environment to grab some cocktails. It's exciting to feel exclusive with the classy drinks and overall vibe. Go check it out! read more

The Merchant NC - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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This is one of the swaggiest speakeasies I have been in! We sat at the bar and were greeted by knowledgeable, in character who advised us on what cocktails we should choose based on our personal preferences. The food was Amazing! I mean when has duck fat fries ever disappointed? The sliders are beyond slap your momma good, they're karate chop your momma in the neck 3 times good! read more

First off the food and drinks were absolutely delicious, no joke the best fries I have ever had. And the room is so cute, the cutest speakeasy!!! 1000% recommend going here!!! read more

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Great service and amazing drinks. Very cool place to go. Like an old speakeasy. Great place for date night, they do serve food but I haven't personally tried anything other than the cocktails. The bar staff is amazing. You need a reservation for a table but the bar is open seating and my wife and I prefer to sit there to watch them make drinks. read more

Amazing drinks & GREAT food! Fav drink was "From Raleigh With Love".. delish! Best Brussels of my life! read more

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My husband and I came here when they had first opened and have come several times since. When they first opened, they didn't offer food, which was not a problem since the chill ambiance and great drinks was more than enough. Beautiful decor, honestly one of the prettiest. Huge chandelier, green velvet booth seats and dark ambiance with candles lighting up the table area. Drinks are great, and creative. Definitely check out their instagram page. They are definitely way busier now then before so definitely book a reservation, especially if you are a party of 4 or more, but the wait is worth it. They carry food now, not huge portions but decent size since the main focus is the drinks. Keep in mind the kitchen (food) ends at 10pm! At our most recent visit I wasn't too happy so I docked a star. I think things could have been handled differently or maybe it was miscommunication. So that night, we were a group of six without a reservation. Thee hostess downstairs was super sweet and let us wait in the downstairs restaurant (Virgil) until should could sort out our seats since it was freezing outside. We were quickly seated and the host upstairs was very professional, since there was a small confusion as to where we were sitting but he apologized and sat as down promptly right after. We all ordered our drinks and our waitress stopped by and asked us how we liked our drinks. My husband responded, "great! But my friend here isn't really in love with his drink...could we switch it out?" She asked what was wrong and our friend responded that there was something off about it compared to other Godfathers so she added "Too butterscotchy?" Of course he couldnt quite describe his distaste for the drink and he agreed so she said it was because of the whiskey and amaretto mix is what caused the butterskotchy taste, from what I could discern is that he should have known what to expect based on the drink description in the menu. She seemed to resist the idea of switching it out for something else and was only willing to remake. It wasn't like he was trying to switch out a drink that was half gone, he had only taken a sip. Our friend wasn't happy with his drink but he drank it anyways since the waitress didn't seem to want to replace his drink and he still needed to pay for it. By the end of the night we each all had about 3 drinks. Then came the Penicillins. Delicious but missing the garnish. My husband told me he thought it came with a ginger candy as a garnish, I checked the menu and it said "ginger". I asked the waitress if it came with a ginger garnish or was the ginger in the drink. She explained that it normally came with a ginger candy but they were out so they used lemons instead. There were two penicillins, none of them had the ginger garnish, and one of them didn't even have a lemon. Not a big deal, but its the fact that my friend couldn't get his drink switched based on the description in the menu yet our drinks are missing ingredients stated in the drink menu but thats "okay". Did any one mention that the drinks weren't going to be prepared based on the ingredients listed in the menu? No. When someone asked us if we liked our drinks and one person didn't, did they get their drink changed? No. Im not sure if this is common at bars but it was definitely a first. read more

The Merchant NC - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina