The Wooden Nickel is a wonderful place with a historic atmosphere and a real sense of local…read morecharacter. The staff is incredibly welcoming and personable--they even remember your name, which makes you feel like a regular from the moment you walk in. The food and drink selection is distinctive, delicious, and offers something a little different from the usual options. It's the kind of place that combines great hospitality, character, and excellent food and drinks. Highly recommend stopping by!

We finally made it to the famous Wooden Nickel last night about 5:30. (New to the area). It took a…read moregood 4-5 minutes sitting at the bar before we were greeted, but after that service was prompt and efficient. We ordered the 1/2 order of fried banana peppers, dry rub wings, a bacon jam burger and tots. Oh! and beer! The star of the night was the banana peppers. Tangy and delicious, the small was huge! The wings were def done right and although I'm a blue cheese fan, the ranch was better. I'm knocking off one star for the burger. It was $16 (with tots) but it was tiny! It had one slice of red onion, a few shreds of lettuce, maybe a teaspoon of bacon jam and I'm not certain it had cheese at all. It tasted great, and the tots were perfect, but for that price I expected a burger that was bigger and more substantial than a $4 burger from Jimmy's. With all the other stuff (we shared) we were full but on its own, that burger would've been a disappointment. I'll go back for those banana peppers and wings, but I'll skip that little bitty burger.

Came here for a private event. Staff was super nice and attentive! Lots of drink options and fun…read morekaraoke. There is indoor and outdoor seating with stairs and a ranp option for folks with mobility concerns. LGBTQ+ friendly.

The wonderful bartender mixed amazing drinks, even off menu. Fun, gay-friendly vibe and a great…read moreplace to end my weekend on a Sunday night!

Grabbed a drink here recently and had an OK time…read more First, parking was easy in a nearby garage. My wife and I came at opening so the bar was completely empty initially, but it filled up by the time we left. There was a pretty impressive array of comfortable seats, although they looked a little dusty to me. When we chose our initial seats, the bartender came over, apologized, and told us that the chairs we had chosen were only for parties of 3 or 4 :) Kind of strange but whatever. We chose a different set of chairs and ordered our beverages. Honestly, it took a very long time to get our drinks. They were pretty well made but were also extremely expensive (all of the cocktails were around $17 to $19). Other than the delay, the bartender was nice and did a pretty good job throughout our time there. The venue also served food but we didn't partake this time. Overall, not a terrible experience or anything, but the high prices and slow service make me a little hesitant to return.

This cozy bar & lounge set between the American Tobacco Campus and the DPAC is a great place to…read moreunwind and chill. Got a show coming up? You can come here for a pre-show drink. There is waiter service at the lounge tables. I enjoy the bar service: plenty of seats and friendly bartenders. Old Bull Apartments residents have it best. They can hang out here, steps from their homes.

I LOVE dive bars! My bro celebrated completing his degree in this tiny bar and it was a blast! The…read moreband for the night LILLy AND THE HELLIONS were a delight and there was much dancing. The bartender is a PRO. There is free fresh popped popcorn and no other food but you can bring in food from nearby restaurants. Friendly and relaxed atmosphere -not for snobs. Mix of locals and travelers. I woukd love to come back again.

This place is HORRIBLE! If you have any kind of decensy for you family or kids, you will NOT come…read morehere. I'm a U.S. Navy Veteran and was having a conversation in this establishment with another veteran. At some point, a female and her friend decided to interject and tell us how what we were talking about was wrong. Fair enough, everyone is entitled to an opinion. At that point, the bartender kicked me out, and let them stay. After asking why I was being removed, he simply said that I had been there longer! These girls were trashed! If you want a good experience in Hillsborough, NC; do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. This establishment cators to liberal politics and agendas. You will absolutely NOT receive fair treatment here, especially if you are a Veteran!

Five stars for Liberty & Plenty, a true gem that we didn't even plan on visiting. We were headed…read moredown the street to somewhere else, saw the sign, looked at each other and said, "Let's check this out" and I am so glad we followed that impulse because it turned into one of those stops that completely makes your afternoon. What was supposed to be a quick pop in turned into two full hours of socializing, tasting, talking and working our way through a lineup of spirits that dhows just how much care and craft is happening inside this place. I need to say, Stephanie is a darling. She's not a bartender. She's a proper mixologist, the kind of professional who knows her spirits, knows her history, knows how to read a customer, and somehow manages to be both entertaining and deeply knowledgeable at the same time. She walked us through their menu with the kind of confidence that makes you trust every recommendation, and every drink she made had that extra flourish that tells you she actually loves the work. It's rare to find someone who can make you laugh, teach you something, and hand you a drink that's better than what you expected all in the same moment, but she does it effortlessly. Somewhere between the rum and the vodka, we learned that they're gearing up for a big move to Wilson, expanding from two stills to a dozen, which is wild and honestly well deserved because the quality here is already top-tier and the idea of them scaling up that much is exciting. You can feel the ambition from the crew here, the sense that they're on the cusp of something bigger, and it made every sip feel like you're getting in on a story that's about to blow up. That said, I'm begging. Please, please, please, find a way to keep a tasting room in Durham. You're awesome, the vibe is awesome, the people are awesome, and this city needs places like this where you can wander in on a whim and end up staying for two hours because everything feels and tastes just right. Expansion is great, growth is great, Wilson is lucky to have you, but Durham will really miss you if you disappeared completely. Liberty & Plenty is the kind of spot you stumble into once and then start recommending to everyone you know. If you're anywhere nearby, go. And if Stephanie is behind the bar, settle in, because you're in very good hands. [Review 1073 of 2026 - 4782 in North Carolina - 26252 overall]

What a lovely surprise to find this gem tucked away in downtown Durham! I had heard great things…read moreabout their espresso martini, so when we finally visited, we had to try it. And, it truly lived up to the hype. One of the best we've ever had! I also tried two other cocktails made with their house-distilled rum and gin, and both were delicious and perfectly balanced. The seasonal menu is creative and reasonably priced, we were genuinely impressed. The ambiance is charming and cozy despite a bit warm inside (the AC was pretty weak), but quiet and tastefully decorated with velvet couches, exposed walls, vintage touches, and fresh flowers on each table. We had fun flipping through their amazing cocktail book collection on the shelf too. The bartenders were very friendly and offered us focaccia from Ninth Street Bakery to pair with our drinks for free, which was such a thoughtful and tasty addition. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and are so happy to see a micro-distillery thriving in the heart of Durham. Can't wait to return for an official tour and to sample more of their spirits!

Stopped in while visiting from Houston. Didn't get to enjoy the brews due to work hours. However…read moreeverything else I tried was tasty. We started off with a flight of grandmas eggs which allows you to choose three different ones. My personal favorite was the Buffalo chicken which makes me want that was an appetizer next time I'm in town. The chimcherri one was okay. And not fully sure the other but it was decent. I had the Bad Henny with potato salad. Everything was tasty. My only complaint would be the bread kept sliding off. But that potato was one my favorites ever. So tasty. The rootbeer which they make was a great nonalcoholic taste. Overall seemed like a chill spot with good services. Very friendly folks. Nice spot inside and out. I look forward to trying a pizza next.

We ended up here on a trivia night. The crowd there seemed like regulars. Food offerings were…read moreprimarily bar food. If you're looking for somewhere to have lunch or dinner, I would choose somewhere else. This is more geared toward having casual drinks and sharing appetizers.

Love the vibe! Retro 70's decor. Excellent and modern cocktails being served! Friendly and…read morewelcoming. Good tunes pumping. Games available to play. Cannot wait to go back!

Super cute joint to go for a drink and to chill. Inside is awesome with cool decor and sitting…read morespots. Huge outdoors area to hang out or play corn hole. Inside and out have stages for live entertainment. When I researched, I thought they served food... primarily burgers and had a limited menu. They do not. If a food truck comes in, that is where you will get your food. Great drink selections and very good prices with fantastic service.. I'm not on that side of town much, but if I was I could see it being a frequent loal hang out.

Great small bites. I recommend you trying the Elote dip it was AMAZING and perfect for sharing with…read moretwo or more friends! They have great drink specials for different days of the week! Very speedy service all of their bartenders are very sweet and will fix whatever drink to your liking The vibes are disco balls on the ceiling very open very Miami Beach vibes they have an indoor and an outdoor seating area not only that they have fireplaces. If you get a little too far from their heated porch area! The vibes just don't stop. They have an aesthetic fireplace in side as well as a fake tree in the middle beautiful for taking pictures Their bathrooms are adorable, but you might have to wait a little bit on a busy day. But this is the same problem with every bar. Very glad that they have more than one bathroom.

Stopped by the Velvet Hippo while out in downtown Durham. When you arrive parking can be a bit…read moretricky in this area as you'll need to find street parking or park in a nearby lot. When you walk in you'll need to either take the elevator or stairs up to the third floor. Once inside the bar you'll feel like you've been transported to an upscale, tropical bar. To order you'll need to walk up to the bar to place your order. I ordered the Hot Girl Summer (Olmeca Altos Reposado, fresh watermelon, Gran Gala orange liqueur, house-made habanero syrup, lime, salt half rim) which was so good. I also ordered a cheetahs do it in the dark (Astral Añejo tequila, Licor 43, Caffè Borghetti liqueur, espresso, orange twist) which was also excellent. I'd recommend walking out to the rooftop if it isn't too hot. There are several tables and the views of the city are nice. Definitely will come back to the velvet hippo next time I'm in Durham.

A fab set! Cute and comfy. Tasty and fun! Loved my tour and tasting. Great conversation and I had a…read moreball. Parked right out front. Support local! See my pics!

Definitely a new go to spot! The staff were very warm and friendly. My husband and I had a round of…read moredrinks and a round of shots. I had a cucumber drink and my husband had a Mezcal + gin drink. The pretzel bites were phenomenal with the queso.

I thought my visit here was great! I sat at the bar and the bartenders were wonderful. I started…read morewith the coconut shrimp and I absolutely cannot stop thinking about it. It was absolutely one of my favorite dishes I've ever had. I got the spam burger for my entrée and I thought it came with fries and salad but the bartender kind of confused me about it. Otherwise I felt like it was a little dry, but otherwise he was decent. Then I ended with the Keylime pie and I still think about it to this day. It was absolutely one of my favorite Keylime pies I've ever had.

Lovely vibe. Fantastic cocktails. Excellent service. Delicious burger. The shoestring fries are…read morekiller.