Bowbarr

Oh my Bowbarr. One look had me. This place is a dream!It's an approachable take on a 60's disco-tiki Pee Wee's playhouse. Fabulous dive bar run and tended by John, the cool mastermind. Let me tell you a little about me. I don't drink. Cant, really. I've come to terms with it. Whatevs. So, but I still love bars! I love it when bars love me, too. They have nonalcoholic drinks listed on the menu (so you don't have to do the awkward whisper lean-in). I got the pregnant lady with spicy ginger ale and grapefruit for added tartness. Yum!Now, I'm just as cool as everyone else. Thanks, John!

This place rules doobie dah doo, doobie doo, doobie doo... The best dive bar this side of your mom's house... la la lala lala.. lala... and also I like cheese. But I digress. This place is close to Cat's Cradle and The Hampton Inn. Like literally, you can put one foot in front of the other and create a specific movement pattern commonly referred to as "walking" and get to this place super easy. Like super, dooper easy. Especially if you're seeing a show or meeting a hot DILF from Grindr. Honestly, just live your life and be happy because it doesn't last long. But be sure to stop by here for a drink.

This bar has the coolest vibes and the best drinks. Never a let-down.The cocktails aren't the best in the world, but they're pretty great for the price you pay. (They're pretty great on their own, but the surprisingly low price is just a bonus.)The bartenders have always been friendly to me - not just professionally friendly, but personally friendly, and that's something I really appreciate about this place.The vibe is on point. Super causal but not dingy. It's kind of a mish-mash of eclectic decorations, but strangely, it works. Great for a first date, for catching up with friends, or just for a casual hangout. This has become one of my go-to places because you really can't go wrong with it.Also. The pickleback shots. Please give them a try.(One minor thing I should mention is that parking can be a but difficult on the weekends. They don't have their own lot and the public lots in the nearby area get full. On weeknights it's usually no problem.)

Any bar that reminds me of Dirty Frank's in Philly or High Tide in San Francisco is A-OK in my book and Bowbarr is very much cut from the same cloth, so much so that I'm a little embarrassed to say I'd never been until recently.Staff is friendly, drink prices are reasonable for Carrboro, and the seating options are awesome. The black toilet in the bathroom is also a treat, so dark that you can't see what's lurking in the bowl which is probably a good thing.Stoked for next week's five year anniversary Tropical Hot Dog Nights!

I'm sure it's fine on some nights, by some standards? I walked in on a Sat night around prime time, and there were about 5-6 dudes, mostly alone, and 1 female bartender. No conversation happening. People calling it hipster? Idk. I'm from a city where there are hipsters. Shlubby dudes in cargo shirts are not hipsters. I don't care how many apple products they own.

Carrboro had something lacking in nightlife scene, I'm pleased to say that Bowbarr fills that niche. Thoughtful, provoking decor with obvious personal touches; Brighter than ocsc, quieter than reservoir. Openish seating that facillitates crowd interaction and meeting new people. I think this will become a great off hour bar. Bonus - Bobby Orr Pinball! There is a kitchen table in the back, but I believe it is temporary. Ladies should be comfortable using a mens/womens bathroom. One couple that can't wait to get home or a taco truck depth charge might leave your patiently waiting bladder in a bad place.

I don't think I would have ever known about Bowbarr, had a yelper not pointed it out to me. It's got a hardly noticeable storefront right by a tattoo parlor on the edge of Carrboro. (And it's not on Yelp! Or -er- it wasn't, till we added it that night!). So yeah, yelpies, we're letting you in on the secret ;) -- which as it turns out, is not so secret to the Carrboro kids. $5 membership fee since there's no food here, but it allows for three guests at least.We hit them up around 11:30 on a Saturday and were lucky to grab space on the couch and chill out with some drinks. But people kept rolling in, and the hallway-style set-up got busy real quick. It's the sort of bar you'd find in a bigger city: they somehow make the alley-way space work, and work well. The ceilings are painted black and white, and kind of look like those ol' spiral illusions. The bar reminded me of a food set-up at the fair. They've got tree-stump tables. And a formal dining room at back (sounds weird, but in reality, it's awesome). And a Carolina blue toilet. Sweet.

Bowbarr is everything you could ask for in a bar. The cocktail menu is incredible and unique, the customer service is unmatched and the bar provides such a fun and relaxing vibe. I highly recommend you check it out if you are in the Chapel Hill, Carrboro or Durham area!

Places like this are what make the West Franklin/Carrboro area so appealing to me for a Saturday night out. It's a cute place you'd never know was there, unless someone took you there... or of course, it shows up in your friends' facebook places to be fans of. And it's in easy walking distance of so many other places in case it's full, or the others are. It's simple, small, not too loud, interesting in the decor department and has board games in the back of the bar at a full size dining room table for those who like to play games when they drink. Drink specials are simple, but fun (gin and wink yum) and of course, PBR on tap. The place makes you feel like you've been transported to an NYC bar on a cold evening in little Carrboro. I love it.Do be prepared to have someone in your group have $5 on hand for a membership if it's you're first time.

Over the last year the Crunkleton has been my exclusive bar in Chapel Hill. But then one day Gary said that I should try Bowbarr, and that if I did, I would never come back to his place!With a recommendation like that, I had to venture from my usual watering hole to check the place out. I went early on a Friday afternoon so I could scope the place out without a crowd. I enjoyed the look with the long leather lounge and the wall of cymbals. I was also impressed by the VHS movie collection and the old (and still working) photo booth. John the bartender was very friendly and chatted with me as well as some regulars that he seemed to know well. He mixed me an excellent drink with tequila, cranberry, cointreau, lime and habanero. It was pink, but also perfectly spicy and sour, definitely not too sweet.Will I switch loyalties from Crunkleton to Bowbarr forever as Gary suggested? Probably not. But I'm really happy to have my horizons opened a bit to the options in the Chapelboro area. I look forward to bringing some friends to hang out on the lounge and play in the photo booth!