Bittersweet

I'm just here to rave about my 1st experience at Bittersweet with Bella, the great! She's amazing and her customer care is second to none. I bookmarked Bittersweet hoping for a nice experience, and it more than exceeded my expectations, and much of the credit goes directly to Bella. When I tell you she explained the menu and business concept DOWNNNN to the ground for the hubs and I -- I kid you not. The dessert bar appeal is amazing here and the menu is perfection. Affogato, espresso martini, carrot cupcake-- all divine! We will be back frequently, ready to try more menu items and some gin drinks... with our sights set on Ms. Bella! Cheers!

I've been here a couple of times and this place never really disappoints. They have the best after dinner craft cocktails downtown, so if you're having dinner and want something a little sweet, this is the place to go!I love their shot special, they let you pick and choose between the 5 shots they offer so if one doesn't interest you then you can get more of a different flavor. The only thing I will say is that this place can get really busy and you'll be pretty close to others if you have a neighboring table.

Had such a great time! Looking at the reviews and the line when we left last night it seems like we got super lucky because there was no line when we got there - granted it was still quite early for drinks as many people may have still been out for dinner.We had the chocolate raspberry tart and the strawberry pie. Both were to die for. The chocolate raspberry tart was so rich but the raspberry gelato cut right through it. The strawberry pie was the ultimate follow up being light and airy.To drink I continued my strawberry theme with the strawberry rhubarb drink. My husband has a hot Irish cream followed by the fireside old fashioned. The old fashioned he couldn't stop raving about.Service was extremely attentive. When we saw the line when we left it was super long. They do a great job keeping things moving in order to get you in and out, but I didn't feel rushed.Space had good mood lighting for the evening. I just really enjoyed myself and would absolutely go back next time we are in town. This stop was more expensive than our dinner out, but absolutely worth it in my opinion.

such a cute spot! went on a saturday night and the vibe was just right. great music, lighting, and customer service. the drinks were delicious and creative as were the desserts. i really loved the s'mores one!

Bittersweet continues. to be such a Raleigh gem! I've been a few times recently and it never disappoints. On Pi day they were unfortunately sold out of most of their pies, but we still enjoyed what we were able to get. The chocolate chess pie was solid, but I think my favorite dessert here still remains that carrot cinnamon cupcake and the salty ice cream sandwich.For drinks the iced toasted almond continues to be my favorite. The perfect after dinner sweet treat drink. Their new champagne and gummy bears cocktail also did not disappoint. Expect to wait when you go, but they do a good job of moving through the line in waves.

Great desserts, good coffee, a nice laid back atmosphere and prompt/friendly service. My wife and I stopped in after some happy hour oysters and St Roch because we wanted something sweet. I had the buckeye pie (the pie special of the day) and my wife had the smores dessert along with a chilled coffee drink. Both desserts were fantastic, especially the brownie plus the ice cream on the s'mores dessert. We will definitely return.

I liked Bittersweet OK. This place gets three or four stars out of me. I thought the drinks were fine, the desserts were delicious, the atmosphere was too loud (noise level), and the service could've been better. Read on for details.This is a popular place to get drinks and desserts in downtown Raleigh. The business opened in July 2014. It's located on the ground level of PNC Plaza, the tallest skyscraper in Raleigh.We parked for free in the nearby Moore Square Parking Deck. The deck address is 233 S Wilmington St, Raleigh, NC 27601. It was free for us because we visited on a Saturday. Parking is free all day Saturday and Sunday. Parking fees are enforced Monday-Friday, 7am-7pm.We showed up to Bittersweet on a Saturday night around 9:30pm. There was a line outside to get seated. This place is first come, first served. The wait wasn't bad. We waited maybe 15-20 minutes. Our options were either a table outside or a standing-only bar inside. It was luck of the draw for what was available when it was our turn to be "seated." I say that because we ended up standing inside whereas groups that were waiting behind us got to sit at tables inside.The lady handling the line and seating didn't have a great attitude. I get it - it's not an easy job and she probably had to deal with her fair share of entitled/rude people. That said, just not a good vibe. Our server was better. She was nice and also very busy.Inside, the dining room and bar were dimly-lit. I liked the comedic art of Bruce Willis from Die Hard. The music was loud. This is one of those places where you have to speak really loud to hear each other. Obviously not uncommon for a bar environment, but it was too loud for me. Outdoor seating was uncovered. Part of the street had been converted into dining spaces.The menu had a sizable list of fun and creative cocktails and desserts plus gin, whiskey, wine, champagne, and beer. There were also mocktails, coffee, and tea. "Cocktail Brunch" is served every Sunday, 12-3pm.Here's what we got:Cocktails* Key Lime Martini ($14) x2 - Tanqueray Rangpur Distilled Gin, Nikka yuzu gin, lime, vanilla, whipped cream, graham dust* Watermelon Margarita ($14) - watermelon juice, Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila, Bombay Sapphire East Gin, lime, agave, basil* Toasted Almond ($14) - amaretto, coffee liqueur, cream, nutmeg; available hot or iced (my wife got hers iced)Less Than Zero (mocktails)* Little Garden ($10) - Seedlip Garden Party, grapefruit, ginger-turmeric syrup, agave, lime, coriander, Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic Water.Desserts* Peaches & Creme Brulee ($11) - peach puree creme brulee with cooked peaches on the bottom, vanilla-thyme madeleine cookie* Margarita Key Lime Pie ($12) - made with key lime tequila curd, triple-sec-infused whipped cream, graham crumb crust, lime zest* Cherry Cheesecake Vacation ($13) - vanilla bean cheesecake on a graham ganache "beach" topped with Michigan Montmorency tart cherries, cherry gel and almond sand dollar cookieI tried all the drinks listed above along with the Margarita Key Lime Pie and the Cherry Cheesecake Vacation. In general, the drinks were good/decent. Nothing too crazy or memorable. Out of the group above, I think the drink to get is the Key Lime Martini. My wife ordered the Toasted Almond and while she liked it OK, in hindsight she said she would've ordered the Key Lime Martini instead. The Little Garden mocktail was sweet.The desserts were the highlight for me. Both the Margarita Key Lime Pie and the Cherry Cheesecake Vacation were terrific. Both were rich, comforting, and delectable. I liked the Cherry Cheesecake Vacation better only because I love cherry pie and cheesecake and this was almost like a combination of those two things. The desserts were high-quality and well-made. This Cherry Cheesecake Vacation is a miracle.If you're familiar with Atlanta, where my wife and I are from, Bittersweet reminded us of Cafe Intermezzo because of the late-night drinks and desserts. It's also a hot spot, which this place appeared to be.

We dropped by on a chilly February night. This cocktail bar had a huge line, and it took at least 30 minutes for us to get in. The drinks were all super interesting - gin and jam is their specialty and unique. We tried their smores sundae dessert which was super super sweet (not for those who don't like sweets). The torced marshmallow donut ring with the ice cream were amazing - but I personally found the brownie too sweet. Service was great! A great cocktail spot - would I go back - probably not because I wasn't blown away by any of the cocktails. But it was still a good time.

Bittersweet is best described as an Adult Dessert Bar. Must be 21 or over to enter... No issues there lol (‿) While it is a normal Bar, I believe the entire theme revolves around your sweet tooth..."Bittersweet is a terribly wonderful cocktail, dessert and coffee lounge with an all-natural, local, seasonal menu."- from their website: https://www.bittersweetraleigh.com/about#SweetTooth:~ S'MORES SUNDAE - 4.5/5CRAFT SMORE dessert! Not sure if I'd personally refer to this as a Sundae, but I didn't come up with this decadent concoction. Heavy, Rich Calorie Bomb of deliciousness! A must have for any Smore fan!~ SALTY CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM SANDWICH - 4/5I thought this sounded strange, popcorn with an Ice Cream Sando?! but it just worked so well together. I also turned out to be a lot heavier that I expected. ~ RASPBERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE CUP CAKE - 4/5The assortment of cup cakes changes on a regular basis, I think maybe even every evening...I can't remember. The RASPBERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE was on the menu this particular evening. While it was delectable...I don't think I'd get it again. A fairly expensive treat from what I remember. I would expect a venue like this in Portland or some other hipster town. I wasn't expecting something so eccentric in Raleigh. I'm glad I had the opportunity to check out Bittersweet!

There are bathrooms and parking is street parking or nearby parking decks. Okay we LOVED THIS PLACE. My mom is diabetic so she had the quiche as there are no sugar free options. The quiche, although tasty, was a bit dry. This also may be because she asked to leave the siracha off (she can't digest spicy things even slightly) so not sure if it would have changed her opinion on that. This is the absolute only reason for the 4 stars.The service was amazing. Our waiters filled all our waters continually and she served us quickly and came up with great solutions/answers to our questions. Technically the quiche doesn't say it's served with siracha so thank goodness she double checked. Very observant and empathetic of her. I had a hot toddy (not pictured but classic look) and very good. One of my favorites when it's chilly. My dad had the toasted almond and he had it hot at our waitresses recommendation and omg it tasted like a rich candy it was amazing!!!! Highly recommend if you love amaretto, it was amazing! My mom had the Prosecco and it was lovely. My dad had the derby pie and he LOVES pecan pie so this was his favorite thing from the weekend! He just loved it! So tasty and can be warmed and served with ice cream he opted for warm with whipped cream and was in heaven. I had the pumpkin crème brûlée and it was soooo good! I would only suggest to leave the nuts off. They had a spicy coating which would normally be good but it wasn't quite complimentary to the pumpkin crème brûlée which was had sweet spices. I think it would be better served with the brie and pepper jelly. Overall great ambiance, lovely easy to navigate menu. Not too many choices but enough to find something you love. Lots of vegetarian and gluten free options. Highly recommend.