Diners' Choice: Lively restaurants in Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill

OpenTable

Updated 05 May 2025

Looking for restaurants that have the most vibrant bar scenes in Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyses nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favourite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you book, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

PLUS Dueling Piano Bar

4.8

4.8 (470)

$30 and under

American

Raleigh

About the restaurant

PLUS Dueling Piano Bar is a one-of-a-kind live music venue and nightlife hotspot located in the heart of Glenwood South, Raleigh. Known for its high-energy, all-request dueling piano shows, PLUS offers a fun, interactive experience where the crowd drives the music all night long. Whether you’re celebrating a bachelorette party, birthday, or just looking for the best bar on Glenwood Avenue, PLUS delivers unforgettable entertainment, great drinks, and good vibes every weekend.

Open Friday and Saturday nights, PLUS is the go-to spot for live music in Raleigh, group nights out, and spontaneous singalongs. Reservations are recommended for the best seats in the house!

Top review

RashedaVIP

Dined on 3 May 2025

Baby…..I had a time!!!! My daughter went a few weeks ago and told me about this place. Took my hubby for his birthday & had so much fun. I can’t wait to go back. The band members were phenomenal & so very talented. I was thoroughly impressed. My husband got pulled on the stage & it was the best! Looking forward to the next time.

Trophy Brewing & Pizza

4.8

4.8 (298)

$30 and under

Pizzeria

Raleigh

About the restaurant

A brewery and full service restaurant serving hand-made pizza and more in Downtown Raleigh. We feature Detroit style pizza on Monday and Tuesday from 4pm until they're gone. We have a full bar featuring inventive cocktails, great wine, cider, non-alcoholic options, and more!

We have several areas for private events and larger gatherings. Reach out to our events team for details: events@trophybrewing.com

Top review

Lindsey

Dined on 4 May 2025

Food was great, beers were delicious and atmosphere was perfect for our first time visiting

It's A Southern Thing Ellis Crossings

4.8

4.8 (64)

$30 and under

Southern

Durham

About the restaurant

It's A Southern Thing is our owner's personal love letter to The South. We've proudly served Downtown Durham since 2017 and are thrilled to expand and open up our second location here at Ellis Crossing. Known for our unique take on traditional Southern fair, we welcome you with a laid back atmosphere, Southern hospitality, delicious craft cocktails and thoughtfully created, scratch made dishes. From our best-selling Shrimp and Grits to Sweet Tea Brined Pork Chops, Fried Green Tomatoes, Collard Greens, Chicken and Waffle Skewers and everything in between, you will find familiar flavors presented in an original way. Offering brunch and dinner seven days a week, with extended bar hours and a private dining area for small functions, we invite you to come in, stay a while and let us show you why so many customers love being part of our It's A Southern Thing family.

Top review

Dennise

Dined on 20 Apr 2025

It's always a good time at It's a Southern Thing at Ellis Road. Bernard is great! It was a perfect way to celebrate our Mom's birthday. The food was delicious and beautiful. We walked right in for our reservation. It was a good evening...will definitely be back soon

Las Ramblas - North Hills Raleigh

4.7

4.7 (294)

$30 and under

Tapas / Small Plates

Raleigh

About the restaurant

Las Ramblas, nestled on a lively corner in North Hills in Raleigh, North Carolina, offers an experience of old world meets new world Spain- featuring locally and Spanish sourced tapas-style dishes, an extensive Spanish Wine and Sherry program, as well as craft beer, and creative craft cocktails.

Las Ramblas' menu offers pintxos, tapas and a few larger format Spanish style dishes complemented by Spanish wines, Sherry’s, beers and craft cocktails. Look for Spanish snacks – like cured hams, cheeses and olives – as well as traditional tapas, like Pan Con Tomate and Croquettes, and more innovative small dishes. Entrée size are also available.

Top review

Laura

Dined 4 days ago

The food was excellent. We went on Thursday night and parking was tricky because of the Beach Festival

Good Day Good Night

4.6

4.6 (147)

$30 and under

Unspecified

Raleigh

About the restaurant

Good Day Good Night, located within The Casso Raleigh, is a distinctive restaurant in the heart of the Warehouse and Glenwood South Districts. Currently open for Breakfast/Brunch and Dinner.
Good Day Good Night is led by chef Devin Bayles and is focused on bringing comforting, delicious food for intimate dinners or family get togethers. Join us for meals and stay all day and evening for drinks, our specialty cocktails are made with fresh juices and unique spirits to provide an experience like none other for all our guests.

Top review

LydiaVIP

Dined on 20 Apr 2025

Alex was gracious and served us with a spirit of excellence as always. Loved the new menu.

Carolina Brewery - Chapel Hill

4.2

4.2 (226)

$30 and under

Southern

Chapel Hill

About the restaurant

Since 1995, we have been proudly serving the locals, students and visitors to Chapel Hill. A lot has changed in both our town and the craft beer industry since we opened our doors as the culmination of a business school plan I wrote my senior year at UNC. Today, we celebrate our North Carolina roots with a made-from-scratch menu focused on Carolina foods in a newly renovated building. I hope you enjoy a true Carolina experience here at Carolina Brewery and will look for our award winning beers on your travels throughout the Carolinas.
Cheers,
Robert Poitras
Owner/Founder

Top review

Diane

Dined 7 days ago

Arrived and was taken to our table right away. Server got our drink order and gave us time to casually read the menu. Food came to us within about 20 min. Everything was delicious, I had salmon with dirty rice and kale, and the two others at our table had burgers. We were all happy with our meal. Would definitely return!

Gonza Tacos y Tequila - Cary

4.2

4.2 (575)

$30 and under

Mexican

Cary

About the restaurant

WELCOME TO NORTH CAROLINA'S AWARD-WINNING COLOMBIAN-MEXICAN TACOS Y TEQUILA JOINT! Currently serving Dinner and Drinks.

Top review

BeccaVIP

Dined on 19 Apr 2025

It was a beautiful Saturday and very nice for sitting outside ! Thoroughly enjoyed it !!

Bahama Breeze - Raleigh

4.1

4.1 (749)

$30 and under

Caribbean

Raleigh

About the restaurant

When you're at Bahama Breeze Island Grille, life's one big party. It's an escape from the ordinary and a much-needed excuse for you to let loose. Famous since 1996 for tropical cocktails, live music, and more, the vibe here is always as amazing as that Caribbean-inspired food we're known for. Bahama Breeze offers your favorites: seafood, salads, chicken--all with island flair. From Jerk Chicken Pasta to Seafood Paella, you can enjoy the islands one taste at a time, discovering new flavors along the way. Naturally, we're the perfect spot for all the sunniest moments in life: happy hours with friends, anniversaries, birthdays, date nights and unique culinary experiences. So, when you're ready to raise your glass and move your feet, the party's in full swing and the islands are waiting for you or if you'd rather bring the Island party home, online ordering is a Breeze too!

Top review

Jeremy

Dined 5 days ago

Waiter was very attentive, drinks and food were great!

BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse - Cary

4.1

4.1 (230)

$30 and under

American

Cary

About the restaurant

Time counts at BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse. Since our humble beginnings back in 1978, we've continued to refine our brewhouse experience to make BJ's a place where you can make the most of any meal. We want BJ's to be a place where the moment you leave is the moment you plan on coming back. We pride ourselves in our craft and attention to detail. Our guests come here for our award-winning handcrafted beer. They come here for the Southern California twist we've put on the Chicago-style deep dish pizza. And they come here for our Pizookies®, our world-renowned dessert. But above all we know people come here to make their good times better. So in many ways we haven't just crafted a brand, but a mindset. And our guests are the reason for this. And it's because of them we're continually striving to make sure every moment they choose to spend with us counts. Welcome to BJ's, a restaurant with a Brewhouse soul.

Top review

Cheryl

Dined on 23 Apr 2025

The food was good and delivered quickly and hot. The server was friendly and kept our drinks full. Overall a great dining experience.

Sports and Social Cary

4.0

4 (65)

$30 and under

Sports Bar

Cary

About the restaurant

Sports and Social Cary is your ultimate fan experience this season. Don't miss a moment of the action with a huge 42-foot HD big screen and more than 65 HDTVs. Sports and Social Cary takes sports viewing to the next level with big eats, outdoor patio and crush bar, extensive beer selection, and social games like skeeball, foosball, hoops and more! Come see how we're raising the sports bar at Sports & Social Cary. Located in Fenton, exit 291 off I-40.

Top review

StellaVIP

Dined on 29 Apr 2025

Great service and tasty happy hour specials that start at $4 - the boneless wings, arancini and egg rolls were all delicious and portions were generous. Our server Emerson provided great recommendations and the manager was also very helpful. We will be back!

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