Great ambiance! Liquor selection is on par and walking inside feels like a true escape from the world. The Halloween themed cups were a great touch as well. Will be back! read more

The Royal Tot - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Must check out before Halloween this year! Best whiskey sours in the city made here by Tom! read more

The Royal Tot - Must get down to this place before Halloween! Best spot and Tom makes the best whiskey sour! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Good vibes tiki bar. There were a lot of custom drinks and a lot of classics. The Tikihattan was the standout for me. Tom at the bar was really personable and seemed to really care about the quality of the drinks. I was only in town for a couple days, but like to seek out tiki bars when I can. Absolutely worth a stop. read more

Great drinks, great vibes and a great bartender would recommend. The aesthetics are nice, the rooftop combined with in door area are a good combo to escape the heat, and the music is cool depending on your taste. Jon walked us through the history of a lot of their drinks and it's super interesting/authentic. Shouts out, The Royal Tot read more

The Royal Tot - Amazing spot. Delicious drinks, great bartender, and great vibes!! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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I attended an event a couple weeks ago thrown by The Garden CLT. The service was terrible. The owner was the only person working and his customer service skills are poor. His appearance was poor as well, he looked like he just rolled out of bed and threw on clothes from the hamper, and hair wasn't combed either. He was not welcoming when we arrived. The wait for drinks was at least 30-45 minutes. He refused to serve us from while sitting at the bar and instructed us to line up at the other end of the bar near the steps for drinks. Which would have blocked the walk way and created congestion. There were no fans set up and minimal shaded areas on the rooftop where the party was being held. My friends and I left the party early due to the poor service that was provided. On another note, you're responding to reviews about your customer service skills, with your issues you had with the party promoter. Take accountability for your actions. You got into with the promoter and you took your frustrations out on the people attending the event and now you're trying to gaslight us. The reviews are about the experience had with you, the owner/ bartender not the promoter did. You showed up to work looking a mess. Looking like you just rolled out of bed with the bed head and wrinkled clothes. You had a bad attitude and gave horrible service. Whatever issues you had with your staff , seeing that you were working by yourself, and the event promoter doesn't give you a pass to treat us properly and provide horrible service. You're acting like we should be grateful that you let us in your establishment. If you don't want bad reviews don't give bad service. ‍ read more

A must-visit in Charlotte, in any season. I visited the first time during daylight in May 2024, and recently at night during their Sippin Santa presentation. Each time the service was lovely, the space gorgeous, drinks tasty and the rum selection intriguing. I was struck by the beauty of the space both by day and night - two very different experiences, both terrific. They update their socials with current info and menus can be found on their website. read more

The Royal Tot - Shot of the day, prior to being lit on fire - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

First, the good. Tom, the bartender was a great guy and bartender. Shout out to him for managing the place totally on his own and handling it really well. The drink menu is extensive and very much a tropical island / tiki-bar type theme and I believe some drinks may come in an interesting similar themed container. It has an interesting, eclectic and fun decor and atmosphere and the rooftop bar with the view of Charlotte is simply stunning. On the not so good side, $18 for a cocktail is high. In addition, it really didn't seem to have much of a kick and this is for a non-drinker. Lastly, what knocked off two stars on my review was the mandatory 20% service charge which is specifically called out on the receipt, as NOT A GRATUITY. This is per drink as an individual. Sorry, but if that is not a gratuity, then what exactly is a service charge supposed to represent? It is really grating, obnoxious and very nervy and should be removed as it ruins what otherwise would be a completely positive experience. read more

Awesome time with our bartender Tom. Fun tiki bar atmosphere with great drinks and even better vibes and decor. Will be back! read more

The Royal Tot - Drinks - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I went here for my birthday and it was a let down. Extremely slow service, bad drinks and the venue was a mess. The space itself is great and they have a big rooftop patio but unfortunately I wouldn't recommend coming here. read more

I had such high hopes for this bar! It was decorated so cute and the parking wasn't bad. We called ahead to make a reservation as many of the tiki bars we've gone to can be busy and it helps to reserve a table. We walked and no one greeted us. We flagged someone down they said to just grab a table. There was one bartender and one person that seemed to be working up and downstairs. The drinks were not as strong or flavorful as I'm accustomed to. We were going to order more drinks but the half hour wait to get the bartenders attention made us decide to cash out and go somewhere else. read more

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Tom was an amazing bartender. He shared so much about tiki bar history and has a lot of passion for his craft.

Loved having a drink with friends...bartender was excellent...would come back again soon!

They were supposed to open at 4:30. We had a reservation for 5:00. At 5:20 there were still no signs of life, the door was bolted, and nobody answered the phone. When I asked a nearby business about it, they chuckled and said, "I dunno... this happens a lot." We decided between two bars, and came here, taking an Uber to get there, just to stand around in the parking lot for 30+ minutes. We chose poorly. EDIT: definitely not a fake review. We were at two doors on ground level by parking, both locked. "Open" neon sign at one door that was off. We wandered the inside hallway looking for another door, and only found one with no handle. read more

Tom provided excellent service . Great drinks and atmosphere. Cool, relaxed atmosphere read more

Went here for an event and had a really bad experience, mainly due to the owner/bartender. His foul attitude when initially trying to get bar service from him, should have made us walk out immediately. But we were there for a party, which we were hoping to enjoy. The party was on the roof, which was super-hot, had wasps flying around and no bar. The bathrooms were dirty and he was the ONLY one working. When we got drinks, the ONE draft he had was nasty and warm. We returned them, he took a sample from the drink I drank from (gross) and said we just didn't like the taste of the beer. SUPER unprofessional. We ended up getting cans and a mixed drink. He overcharged us. That was my first and LAST time at the Royal Tot. There are plenty spaces in Charlotte with great service and that are POC/LGBTQ+ friendly I'd rather patronize. read more

Tom at the bar was truly amazing and his drinks suggestions were on point! Highly recommend this place! read more

Drinks are addicting. Tom is super cool and makes one heck of a Paloma Punch. A must! read more

The Royal Tot - Paloma Punch - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Aesthetic: Kitschy, tiki themed bar with a wide variety of tropical drinks and light bites. My Favorites: I'm not a sweet drink person, so I tend to go for the old fashioned type drinks here, like the Treasure Chest. My favorite part of the experience is choosing our own fun cups and sitting at the rooftop bar. Experience: I've had fun the last few times I've visited The Royal Tot, it feels like a novelty with the themed atmosphere. The drinks are not all quite my style, so I tend to have them alter everything with less sweetness and juice. There seems to be a good amount of turnover here, so it always feels like the bartenders are just learning to make cocktails every time we've come in. However, they're extremely nice and have accommodated us every time we've visited. We always feel welcome and have a fun time. I highly recommend sitting upstairs at night and enjoying the city view. read more

The Royal Tot - Cutest Old Man - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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The bartender was super nice and the decor is so cute and everything is spot on theme. It has an indoor bar/seating, patio outside AND a rooftop. Lowkey location especially if you're not into the uptown scene read more

The Royal Tot - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Fantastic service with a gorgeous view of the uptown skyline. The menu has a great selection of cocktails and a wide variety of super cute tiki glassware! There is an occasional DJ, but even without this is a great place to hang out and easily spend the entire evening. read more

I went to The Royal Tot on Saturday for a day party, and what a disappointment. The cleanliness of the venue left a lot to be desired. The rooftop was unbearably hot, with very little shade and not a single fan to help guests escape the heat. The bartender, who I later learned was the owner, was equally disappointing. I simply said I didn't care for one of the draft beers because it tasted like I was drinking from a rusty can. Rather than accepting my feedback, he felt the need to comment on my opinion. Here's a suggestion: if a customer doesn't like something, let it go. Professionalism goes a long way. The service was slow, inattentive, and completely unaccommodating. There are too many great places in Charlotte to spend time and money at one that clearly doesn't value the customer experience. I won't be back. As for the glowing reviews since the change in ownership, based on my experience, they simply don't reflect what I encountered. read more

Super cute spot, the drinks were great and Tom was an amazing server. He could be on my trivia team anytime!

Been here before several years ago and enjoyed the service and drinks. Went recently and experienced one of the worst customer service from a bartender ever. First off, the drinks weren't made properly and they all tasted like lime. I had ordered a Painkiller and it tasted like lime with no hint of coconut cream or nutmeg. The customer service portion was where it's horrible. We asked for a breakdown on the bill and a receipt(also said the machine glitched out and only showed our total and one drink) as the total was nearly $20 more than the drinks and the bartender refused to "do the math" after we were just wanting an answer. They said they were "too busy" to stop and clarify and basically just treated us like a cash cow. Be weary of the 20% gratuity fee that's hidden under the guidelines near the bottom. Overall, would never come back and can't recommend. only good was the ambience and decorations. PLENTY of other spots worth the money--not here. read more

I wish I could give zero stars to this place! The bartender/owner that was there is a total jerk! Went there yesterday for the first time and was super excited to try this place out as we were in the area. We saw that they opened at four so we were there right at 4 PM. The door was locked and within a few minutes, somebody came and opened the door, but he was there to set up for a poker event that was happening. The owner/bartender was not even there. So after about 15 minutes, he finally shows up and is not even ready to start Buisness. We wanted to order some cocktails and sit on the rooftop bar and enjoy the view. One person ordered a beer and his keg was not even ready. He finally goes upstairs. Brings one down and tries to pour the beer and it was 77 degree beer, who wants that! A few of us started ordering cocktails from the menu not all of us even got our drinks and some of the others were watered down. My husband went to Pay the bill and we were overcharged! Paid almost $100 for crappy drinks and service! The trash cans were still full from night before too!! When we walked out to leave the poker guy met us outside to tell us we're not the first to complain and the owner has issues. He should not be in business. read more

It's the kind of spot where you can easily spend hours enjoying yourself without realizing how quickly time passes. The staff were friendly, the service was smooth, and the entire experience felt memorable. read more

The Royal Tot - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Absolutely loved our visit to Royal Tot! The atmosphere is so fun, tropical, and inviting--it's the perfect spot to relax and enjoy a great drink. The bartender was fantastic, friendly, attentive, and made the experience even better. We'll definitely be back! read more

DONT GO HERE! Slow service, bugs in the drinks, and incompetent bartenders. I went on September 14 and was extremely disappointed with both the service and the drinks. I asked for a shot of tequila, and it was obvious that the liquor bottles were not properly maintained -- there were nats/bugs at the bottom of the bottle, which is disgusting. (This experience took place at the rooftop bar/ this place has a bar inside and outside). The bartender (a Black man with flower tattoos on his arm) seemed very new and unsure of himself. He poured me two separate shots in different glasses, and when I pointed out the bugs, he agreed that they were indeed in the bottle. He told me to make management aware and I told him that's what he should do. Nonetheless, I told a bartender at the inside bar. She looked at me puzzled. Also, a white coworker had to step in to help the Black guy bartender, but even then, it took a full 20-45 minutes(LITERALLY) to get a strawberry mixer for my margarita, so I ended up canceling the order. The white Guy bartender understood though and apologized. The service at the bar inside was way better and clean. Overall, the whole experience felt unorganized and unprofessional.!! The service and drinks were horrible, though the music (DJ KATO) was great. It's usually a 40+ crowd, but this visit was really off-putting. Free Parking on the main street. read more

The one drink I had was good but it's $16 for mostly ice and a half a cocktail's worth of alcohol that takes 30 minutes to get IF you're even able to order. The real issue here is their service. One bartender on a Saturday is NO - Especially when your business hosts a weekly poker event for like 25 people. Taking reservations and then losing them is No. Having no server at tables and one bartender is No. Having other people show up behind the bar who refuse to help the one bartender and seem like it's their first day at the establishment in No. And why are there people behind the bar who don't know how to make a soda water. It's a cup, ice, and press the beverage gun button that says 'soda'. They also took *some* of the people in our group's credit cards after ordering but not all. This was extra worrisome bc no one working the bar seemed like they knew what they were doing and was just placing the cards on a corner of the inner bar until they had time to put them somewhere. Then myself and another man waited 48 minutes to close out our tabs and when we did do that, the bartender STILL forgot to give our cards back. This was a never again for me. It's a nice place but if the owners or management cared about it they'd staff the place accordingly and at the very least have a system that does not require you to take my physical card and leave it in incompetent hands. I would be 0% surprised f my debit card became compromised in the very near future and I hate that for me and I hate the experience that EVERY SINGLE PERSON in this bar got this past Saturday. It was a joke. I never try to shoot the breeze with strangers but the situation of being ignored and there being no rush to conduct business made it impossible to not start taking bets on who would maybe get the chance to receive service that day. It was frustrating and comical and I will rest easy knowing I tipped my 20% despite the lack of service and will just never return and I'm certain the Royal Tot is fine with that. I don't think they actually want people to patronize the business and I know that sounds weird but the whole thing was weird and I pray that this place is at least money laundering so it at has some purpose. read more

The Royal Tot - This business wrote themselves a good review but pasted it in their 'about' section after writing nasty replies to their bad reviews. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Checked out Royal Tot and I really loved the concept--super fun Hawaiian/tiki vibe and the atmosphere is definitely a whole experience. The presentation of the drinks was cool, but we tried two different cocktails and they ended up tasting pretty similar. For spending around $50, I was expecting a bit more variety and uniqueness in flavor. Overall, it's a cute spot to try at least once, but personally I think there are better cocktail bars in Charlotte if you're looking for standout drinks read more

What a fun place! Even more interesting is that we wandered in here when it was completely empty on a rainy weeknight a little before closing. It's so full of tiki greatness that the room comes to life no matter how empty it is (and truthfully, I love an empty bar). We ordered our drinks (I was lame and stuck to bubbly while admiring my husband's ornate tiki drink served in an appropriately over-the-top glass) and headed upstairs to enjoy the rain. The bartenders were so nice and welcoming. I almost felt bad about heading up and out. You cannot miss the views of the skyline up here! It was pretty magical, even in the light rain. It was a quick visit, no matter how much The Royal Tot begs you to stay, and I cannot wait to come back! read more

awesome, attentive bartender and unique vibe! Asked for an off menu item (piña colada) and got one of the best I've ever had!

Came here for comedy night for the first time ever! It was a very fun atmosphere and I had heard a lot of things about the drinks. We had a perfect view of the city which was amazing and the drinks all were very aesthetically pleasing. The wait staff was really slow for drinks which I definitely understand as most of the drinks are complex and not pre/mixed so I was okay with that. My only complaint and why I'm not giving it 5 stars is my drink was not good at all. It was almost undrinkable the vodka to mix ratio was or there. I did end up sending it back (which I typically don't do) and the bartender mixed me a new one and was very nice and understanding. I would definitely give this place another try as I think it could be better the next time read more

The Royal Tot - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

We loved it. It's a two-story huge place with an outside rooftop bar great decorations from Polynesian and elsewhere. The drinks were good. The bartender was good. The group was friendly. We will definitely go back. It's a perfect place for a party. read more

The Royal Tot - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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The Royal Tot is a funky, tropical tiki bar with great views of Uptown's sky line from the second floor roof top. While this place is not close to many other restaurants and bars, it does offer plenty of parking, which is a plus. The drinks are really fun although admittedly overpriced. However, if you're into something fun and instagrammable this is definitely the place. You can drinks in glass shells and even more outrageous vessels. The decor is very islandy and cutesy, which makes for fun pictures with your friends. I will say the service is on the slower side since the drinks do take a little bit longer to make. Overall, this is a fun experience but harder to keep coming back to again and again. read more

The Royal Tot - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Amazing cocktails especially in their tiki glasses!!! The atmosphere was great too!! This is a good spot to hangout late after evening with views and good drinks read more

I met up with some friends at The Royal Tot lounge and I must say it was quite packed. I'm not a big fan of wall-to-wall people so I ordered a specialty drink from the bartender Tom, and headed upstairs to a beautiful rooftop seating area. It was kind of a chilly night so I stayed for a little while, and enjoyed the scenery, and the drinks made by Tom who was absolutely on fire... When I say on fire I mean, the way he served such a large crowd of people with a smile, and some of the most beautiful drinks which he added nutmeg, sugar and a flame! The bathroom was very unkept and required some TLC . read more

Royal Tots is a great bar that provide tropical drinks, small plates but also provide the usual beers and wines. They have a great rooftop that have a line up of events weekly. From comedy stand up, salsa dance class to private meet up groups gathering. Ambiance are very chill. Great R&B music playing on the backdrop. Some drinks can be pricely. Like one time I ordered a mojito. It was $16 with no mints or sugar cane. Now I just stick with Gin and Coke or a Stella. But this is a nice place for a first date or attend an event. Since it's not too loud during the week. read more

Amazing rooftop bar with a great vibe! The drinks were excellent, perfectly made, and the rooftop view was absolutely awesome. A perfect place to chill, enjoy the skyline, and have a great time. Highly recommend! read more

I've been in here a couple of times usually when they are doing a themed pop up. I love the decor and they make some solid cocktails. It's also worth noting that their rooftop has some amazing views. The reason I haven't rated it higher really comes down to the service I've received the past few times I've been in. My visits have occurred in the early afternoon on the weekends with a small group. Typically when we've arrived it isn't super busy, and yet it still takes a long time for the bartenders to even notice us and even longer for them to come take our orders. It hasn't been a one off but has occurred a couple times with different servers. They haven't been rude, just seemed completely disinterested and bored and it's led to us leaving early since we weren't really receiving great service and felt like our presence was a nuisance. I love a good tiki bar, and the atmosphere here is great. But there are a lot of other cocktail bars in the city. I think there is a lot of potential here, but part of the cocktail bar experience that you pay for includes great service and I think they need to work on that aspect. read more

The Royal Tot - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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This place is a vibe, have to check it out to understand the vibe exactly but first and foremost the service was good