The Most Scrumptious Pubs in Raleigh

The Federal

★★★★☆ 3.9 (420) • $$

"It has been a minute since I have visited The Federal. On this most recent visit we dined in before a show. It was a beer and the fish & chips for me and the fish tacos with sweet potato fries for my husband. It is small both inside and out but it is a good dining option in Durham."

The Wooden Nickel

★★★★☆ 4 (271)

"I came to the wooden nickel to see for myself what all the talk is about. Friday night with a party of 4 and the place was hopping. While we were waiting for drinks, our wives quickly found us some seats outside. The wait staff was crazy busy but seemed to go with it with nothing but a smile and some humor. The menu is very diverse with something for everyone. I got the fish tacos, which were as could as you could ask for. My wife got a burger, as did the other two in the party, and all said the party was cooked to their liking with no issues at all. All in all, this is a "can't miss" place when in Hillsborough. We'll definitely be back in the future."

Crosstown Pub & Grill

★★★★☆ 3.9 (279)

"After attending a local event at the Cary Theater my friend suggested we grab a late bite at Crosstown. They have a nice spacious patio area for dining so we decided to try eating outdoors. Service was prompt upon arrival. Our waiter suggested the birria tacos. He shared that the pub prides itself on " authentic flavorful tacos". My friend had grilled wings, pimento cheese balls and a salad. I had the fried green tomatoes, birria tacos by recommendation and a whiskey sour. Service was very slow outside. Our waiter had our food served to us but never came back to check on us until it was time to check out. I understand it's late night and staffing is limited. The food was very good with the exception of the fried green tomatoes. The tomatoes were under ripe and too hard to serve for this recipe. The pimento cheese balls were excellent. Two of my favorite North Carolina southern classics. The convenience of late night hours until 2am, and location is unmatched for this area and the food was good. I would definitely return."

Hibernian Restaurant & Pub

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (343) • $$

"Overall I think that Hibernian is a good place to come have a pint and some food. It is designed like a traditional Irish Pub with dark woods paneling, floors and furniture, and even a fireplace as you enter.I ordered a Reuben, which is the standard in my opinion which all restaurants that serve a Reuben are judged for the other food. The sandwich itself was very good and came with steak fries. The service was pretty good as well.I guess the couple of things that took away the fifth star for me was the music which was just not good pub music and there was too much cheap advertising hanging on the walls. If you go to the trouble of making the place look like a real pub then don't clutter it up with cheesy ads."

Mitch's Tavern

★★★★☆ 4 (235)

"A Quick flashback to 1988 with Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, and Tim Robbins. Opening bar scene in the flick, Bull Durham, with the aforementioned put Mitch's on the map. It has been a favorite watering hole for NC State students, employess, Alumni for decades prior and since.It is located in the middle of all the college fun on Hillsborough st. It is adorned with an iconic front with an even more iconic and lethal 2 story narrow wooden staircase. After scaling this staircase you are in MT.A fellow Alum joined me for a State Wrestling watch party on a Friday night. The Manager greeted us and escorted us to our party. The tavern is modest in size housing tables and booths with several tv's strategically placed throughout. It has a separate room with a billiard table, and a one holer serving as a Mens room. Our server was equal amounts friendly, patient, and efficient. The menu is also modest with typical bar fare. Our party had 3 nacho platters for 14 and they were appetizing. The owner joined our party and former Coach Guzzo regaled us all for 2 hours.MT is definitely worth the experience. Great location with a storied history, and good food/service. We will return. #crashdavisPS-Next time I will take pictures of the frontage and stores."

Spirits Pub & Grub

★★★★☆ 3.9 (181) • $$

"Don't be fooled by the Carolina Hurricanes apparel everywhere, this place is a good sports bar!Unlike the hurricanes this place performs when it counts and always has people show up for events. Perfect before or after a game at Sahlen's Stadium."

Rudy's Pub & Grill

★★★★☆ 3.7 (194) • $$

"I will say, they have one of the best burgers in Apex. Perfect thickness, flavor, and bun. In an age of food fears, they will even allow you to chose how well-done you want your burger. If rare is your thing....come here. The fries are these unusual Cresent cuts which have a thick end and a crispy end. I really liked them.Why the loss of a star? The Cobb salad. The fried tenders were amazing but the rest of the salad was extremely lack-luster. It's like these burger boys hate salad. Cobb should have tomato, egg, avocado, bacon, blue cheese. Mine had 1/2 an egg, a top of bacon, a small amount of tomato, and 1/2 cup of blue cheese crumbles. I will probably try another salad and hope this one was just made by a carnivore with a hate towards veggies."

Railhouse Brewery

★★★★☆ 3.8 (104) • $$

"Rail House is a brewery clearly devoted to the military community from the moment you walk in, although it may not look it from the outside or in my pictures. The meatball sub was a first time Go at this station. The list of beer crafted here also has a military theme. I didn't taste it yet but I got a growler full of Knights Golden. Will update with an AAR when mission complete."

London Bridge Pub

★★★★☆ 3.6 (105)

"Great place to see the soccer games from England, especially if your a Liverpool fan, the main area was great, packed and great decor dedicated to the Reds, great bar with lots of variety. If you can get in that area, your good, the added area, not so great, sub par bar, seating, decent TV's though. It was busy because there was a good match on, so it was fine. Not impressed that you couldn't really get any British food other than fish and chips. The chips were also not really like English chips. Their online menu is not what's offered just so you know. Service at the bar was good, and like I said great atmosphere for the game. The place itself didn't live upto my expectations of a British pub. Hopefully they get their food sorted out too! Great location though in downtown Raleigh."

Brewster's Pub

★★★★☆ 3.7 (81)

"It's bar food. We checked this place out for lunch and had an okay experience. I started off with a Foothills Hoppyum, the draft list was good. Next it was the BLT with a slice of cheese and a side salad for me and the house salad with chicken for my husband. The service was good but the food was just okay. They have a pool table, a few dart boards and lots of TVs so it could be a fun time to play a game at or to watch a game."

West 94th St Pub

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (90)

"It's been quite a while since I've been here after we didn't have a good experience last time. Tonight on a whim we decided to give it another try as it had been several years. I'm happy to say this time overall it was great!There was one person who did everything except cook the food. He tended bar, took food orders from those sitting at tables, and brought the food out, as well a checking on everyone periodically. He did this all seamlessly and with a cheerful attitude. He was amazing!My spouse got a salad and the housemade chips. She really liked the the salad dressing and loved the chips. They were light, crispy, and not greasy. I had the Reuben and it was excellent! The corned beef was so good and slices were not thin, which made me happy. I found out they make it in house and it showed. I could even taste a hint of juniper in it. Definitely want to have it again and look forward to the corned beef and cabbage on St Paddy's Day!This is definitely a Cheers kind of place where everyone knows everyone and very small like the original in Boston is with only about ten tables. They have outdoor seating that has a heavy duty clear cover during cold weather to enclose it from the elements. That's where smoking is allowed and because it's right by the entrance every time the door is opened it comes in. That would be my only complaint and as someone with a lung disease it becomes taxing after a while breathing it in. That was something I forgot about, so we might have to wait till warmer weather when the outside covering is gone since it traps the smoke that gets sucked inside. If they could somehow resolve this issue I'd happily give them five stars!"

River Pub

★★★★☆ 3.9 (67) • $$

"What a wonderful discovery. My beef tenderloin sandwich was tender, cooked to perfection, and tasty. The onion rings which accompanied this dish were fried to golden perfection. The service was attentive. This appears to be a local place and is bar food at its best."

Bull and the Bear

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (36)

"This place is kind of a dive, but does have consistently good food. It seems that all their food is home made, I've never had anything that looked to be previously frozen. The prices are really good too."