Village Draft House

Village Draft HouseVillage Draft House
Village Draft HouseVillage Draft House
Bar, Eatery

428 Daniels Street
Raleigh, North Carolina, 27605
United States

(919) 833-1373 | map
villagedrafthouse.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.95
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
29
pDev:
10.63%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by MuddyFeet:
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Reviewed by MuddyFeet from North Carolina

3.63/5  rDev -8.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Really dig this place both for the atmosphere and the selection. Over 30 taps wih only 3 or 4 swill on hand (one being PBR which I actually like). Lots of micros from around NC and a couple of nice selections from further away such as Rogue and Brooklyn. The bottled selection was not at all appealing with mostly (and pretty much only) macros.

Definitely a sports bar feel with at least 9 TVs. Most over the bar but some in other corners as well. One row of tables were curved to face the long line of large TVs over the bar. Had most of the NFL games and NASCAR on when I was there for lunch and the Pats game.

Service was adequate in that they poured the beers but they staff seemed more interested in chatting with themselves than trying to take your order or make sure everything was how we wanted. We were essentially ignored unless we literally waved our arms in the air. Food was solid pub grub with an extensive menu that was easy to find something I would enjoy.

Definitely will go back.
Oct 23, 2006
More User Ratings:
Photo of OriginalWayOut
Reviewed by OriginalWayOut from North Carolina

5/5  rDev +26.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Great food, beer, and most importantly staff. Reliable service and great selection of beer. Food is always solid and plenty of rotating beers. Great taste of NC!
Feb 08, 2016
 
Rated: 4.63 by TimSae from North Carolina

Nov 22, 2015
 
Rated: 3.89 by jak from North Carolina

Jan 02, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by CavemanRamblin from North Carolina

Nov 16, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by dmwcpa from North Carolina

Jul 07, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by woodchip from North Carolina

Jun 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by dbrauneis from North Carolina

Jun 17, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by RyanAU from North Carolina

Jun 05, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Packlifenc from North Carolina

Jan 08, 2014
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Reviewed by RWLawman from North Carolina

3.78/5  rDev -4.3%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 3.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 3.25
A - Solid atmosphere. A little old fashioned, but nice.

Q - Overall, pretty decent quality.

S - Pretty good service. The waitress was able to get a little bit of Creme Brulee out of the tap even though they were sold out. She knew I was dying to try it, so she got two sample glasses full of it and brought them out. Otherwise, it took a little while for her to come back around.

Se - Awesome selection. Plenty of beers to choose from.

F - Food is great for a bar. Not much of a selection though.

V - Reasonable prices.
Jan 11, 2013
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Reviewed by BeerNoobNC from Georgia

3.33/5  rDev -15.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 1.5 | food: 4
The food here is pretty good, especially compared to what a typical bar would offer. However, in terms of beer, this place is disappointing. They offer a "99 Tap Challenge" in which they challenge customers to find a place with more taps than them, but they often are out of the taps they promise to have. The last time I went, I ended up settling for my third choice, something I had already had several times, when I was hoping to try something new. I didn't even try to order a second beer for this reason. If you want a good place to go for food that offers a decent selection of beer, I recommend coming at a time that is not normal meal hours (to beat the crowd). If you expect a good beer selection, you will be disappointed though.
Nov 27, 2011
Photo of tdm168
Reviewed by tdm168 from Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
My friends and I go here often on Wednesday nights for pint night when most of their drafts are around $3.50. The atmosphere is light but noisy, and it gets pretty busy during meal times and into the evening. The bar area is rather large with booth, table, and bar seating. The dining room is in a separate room. The tap list is extensive. They have a very good selection of craft beer and local offerings though about 20% of their taps are taken up by Macrobreweries and ciders. The last time I was in I had a Skull Coast Maelstrom IPA, Stone Arrogant Bastard, Founders Dirty Bastard, and a Fuller's ESB. The food is also pretty good. They have a decent selection of pub grub and decent meal selections. My wife and I often get the deep fried artichokes with homemade aioli, and I'll usually get a burger and fries while she likes the shrimp quesadillas. My wife and I and our friends often have a great time here.

There are only three drawbacks. First, with such a large draft list I'm not sure how often the lines are cleaned. Second, the draft list is hardly ever up to date so seasonals and new offerings on draft have to be sought out. I've sometimes had to go to my third or fourth choice on the menu before I found a beer that was actually available. Finally, when the bar area gets busy, you may find yourself waiting a little longer for service.

Overall, a great place with good beer, good food, and at a good price.
Oct 02, 2011
Photo of jsprain1
Reviewed by jsprain1 from Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev +0.8%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
A- The atmosphere is really nothing special. There isn't anything that is particularly inviting about the place, but I suppose the decor and such is nice enough.
Q- Beer came full and cold. Food was warm. All in all a quality experience consumer-wise.
Ser- Service is generally slow but friendly and helpful.
Sel- Plenty of taps and I must give extra credit for the number of local/North Carolina beers they have on tap.
F- Food was tasty enough, though nothing memorable necessarily.
All in all a decent place to get a beer and have a bite to eat.
May 27, 2011
Photo of terrorzord
Reviewed by terrorzord from New York

3.43/5  rDev -13.2%
vibe: 2 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 4
If your wife drags you to this shopping boutique purgatory (Cameron Village), this is your salvation. Otherwise, you would do better somewhere else. They boast many taps, nothing exceptional. Price is right, atmosphere sucks.

I was a bit hopeful when I'd heard of the sheer number of taps, and there are certainly plenty of beers to suit your tastes. Nothing to honk your horn about though. Wouldn't bank on freshness either.

The main drawback was definitely the location/atmosphere. If you ask me, that is almost as important as the beer.
Feb 10, 2011
Photo of slowbie
Reviewed by slowbie from North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -7.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3
My review score may end up looking a little harsh, but I am comparing this place to other places that have a large number of taps.

The atmosphere in this place pretty good. The decor is generic sports bar (not what you'd expect given where it is) but the crowd always has a few families and is pretty quiet, which is nice. There are a few huge TVs on the wall that always have the sound off, so if you want to watch a game you could do it here.

My biggest disappointment in this place is that it has the smallest tap list I've ever seen from a bar with over 50 taps. 99 taps sounds like a lot, but then you subtract out 4 BMCs, 5 Euro pale lagers or other near BMCs, and 4 golden ales. And that's not even mentioning the beers like Guinness Draught, Murphy's, Blue Moon, Pyramid Haywire Hefeweizen, and Magic Hat #9. I'm not saying that all of the above are bad beers, it just seems that their 99 taps are dominated by widely distributed beers that are easy to find on tap other places.

You just have to look at the menu to know not to expect much from the wait staff's beer knowledge. For example, the section labeled "Pilsners and Lagers" currently includes a kolsch-style. They have one category just called "Ales" which apparently means that they don't know what those beers are because it includes everything from scotch ales to IPAs, even though they have a separate "IPAs and ESBs" category (which is a strange combination in and of itself if you ask me, especially since Fullers ESB is the only ESB I've seen in there).

And my experience with the waitstaff has only encouraged my view that they're not that great with beer knowledge. When asked for recommendations about this vs. that they usually get pretty confused. I also once had to order three different beers because they were out of my first two choices.

And for my final complaint, the food is decent but not that good. Most of what I have gotten has been a bit too dry and bland. Also, I hate char-grilled burgers but that's what they do, so that's part of the problem.

I'm not all negative about this place, I just feel like a place with 99 taps should be much better. If you're looking for the best options, go to the Flying Saucer. However, it's not like I struggle to find a beer I even like when I'm at the Village Draft, I just have gone in there hoping for a nice ___ and have been unable to find a good beer in the style they offer. The prices are good though.
Jan 12, 2011
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Reviewed by beer2day from North Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +9.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Set in the middle of an older, but revitalized, shopping district on the outskirts of the downtown area of Raleigh. Very close to NC State campus.

Two large rooms, one with the bar and one for dining. Nice outdoor seating area, covered, but with a lot of foot traffic passing through.

100 taps with very few clunkers. There is a beer list in the food menu, but it's best to scrap that and check the tap handles for availability. There is also a large chalkboard with new arrivals listed. Stone, Aviator, Triangle, Front Street, and Huske Hardware entries were all availble. Prices are pretty decent on pints.

Menu is very good. There are several "draft house" establishments around the Raleigh area and Village's menu is one of the better ones around. Very nice selection of bar apps, sandwiches, and down-home style plates. Prices for food are very reasonable.

Lots of TV's in the bar area, though some are older HD sets.
Mar 22, 2010
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Reviewed by apbarwood from Virginia

4.53/5  rDev +14.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
This place is great. Tons of beer on tap in basically every variety. A good mix of seasonal releases also. The vibe was relaxed and comfortable, definitely sports-oriented. Staff was friendly/quick/helpful pretty much everything they really need to be. The food was great, but then again I only ordered one thing. Some stuff looked average but I came here for the beer anyway. Prices were reasonable I felt. I got a pint of Arrogant Bastard for under about 4 bucks which seemed decent or at least on par with other places in in the area. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area, they're guaranteed to have something you've never tried and plenty of solid favorites. I went late lunch on a week day, but I could see this place being packed on a weekend (and I've been told it is) so maybe hit it up for lunch or during the week.
Feb 18, 2010
Photo of jimmyjames8
Reviewed by jimmyjames8 from North Carolina

4/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | food: 4
7/10 update, same 99 beer taps with rotating seasonals and what not. Some of these beers get skunky because they are getting old. Send it back if it attacks. Not enough good IPA's. Still serving high SG beers in a small glass and charging $5-$6. Place does a hell of a business all the time though. Homemade potato chips now. Send them back if they come out cold. Mostly college kids work in this place and the patrons are young as well. Service is usually very good, especially at the bar where the pourers are very friendly.

Hit the Cameroon Village Draft Haus at least once a week these days unfortunately I don't always get to try one or more of their 100 beers on tap and unfortunately they usually don't have 100 beers but usually do have around 90. They insist on serving the Triangle Seeing Double in a small glass and charging full price when their sister locations and the FS serve a full pint for the same price. CVDH needs to lower their prices for pint night. $3.75 is a discount???

One of my local faves and we usually go once a week. Beer selection keeps getting better with lots of local and NC beers. Aviator beers are a welcome addition. Service is usually very good but went in with a large group (20+) recently on a Tuesday night. We took over the upper table area adjacent the bar and asked the mgr for 2 wait staff to keep cirulating our group to take and deliver beer and food orders. They never complied even tough they were over staffed that night. It never ceases to amaze me the lack of motivation some folks have. They just would not breath if they did not have to. Anyway some of our crew left early as it was just taking too long to get orders filled. Dumb on the mgmt part. They lost business that night and our group meets once a month and rotates which dives we hang out at. I will go back here regardless.

One of the best bars and burgers in town no matter what.
May 27, 2009
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Reviewed by cvstrickland from North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
Stopped in with a friend for a few beers and a snack, and was quite impressed from the get-go when I saw the rows upon rows of craft taps with a few scattered macros. In addition to the big boys you'd expect to see in such a setting, The Village Draft House also stocks a wide range of North Carolina-produced brews. Duck-Rabbit, Highland, Foothills, Big Boss, Aviator, Red Oak, Carolina Beer Co. and the Carolina Brewery are all well-represented, and look just fine sitting alongside the titans from Stone, Founders, Ommegang, etc.

It wasn't perfect, though. The beer menu didn't include all the tap handles in my line of sight, and fully half of the beers we ordered were not available at the time of our visit. Two major deductions in my evaluation stem from what I consider pretty damned unacceptable in such a setting-- the bar serves those magnificent brews in chilled shaker pint glasses adorned with enemy logos (umm, Ruination in an icy Fat Tire glass?!?!?! HELL NO!!!) , and the joint allows smoking, too. Gross.

The service was just fine, especially so given that our afternoon visit occurred between the lunch and dinner shifts, and it subsequently appeared that the friendly, helpful bartender was covering the whole place by himself. The food was okay, but nothing to make a point of stopping by for. Given all that, I'd say the best part of my vist to VDH was the cute Miller Lite-drinking gal I took with me. She had a Hennepin, even though her fave was right there on-tap.... Yay, converts!
Mar 25, 2009
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Reviewed by GJ40 from North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3
This place has a nice atmosphere, decent food and a large selection of beer on tap. The Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA was absolutely fantastic. I also enjoyed the Rogue Imperial Porter and Foothills Seeing Double IPA.

But I'd like to see them go deeper into some of the breweries rather than just offer their flagship beer. Maybe more from Dogfish Head (like Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA), Victory, etc. I also thought the beer listing could be better organized. It's not bad but when Chimay Triple and Magic Hat #9 fall into the same category, something's wrong.

This is a very good place and well worth a visit. I just found it to be a little too "cookie cutter" for me.
Jan 16, 2008
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Reviewed by wagenvolks from Texas

3.95/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Wow.. the Village Draft House has been totally revamped. And in a good way, too. They expanded the dining area, expanded their menu, and really lived up to their name as a Draft house by expanding their on-tap beer list (over 99 beers on tap!). Lots of local favorites (Duck Rabbit, Foothills, CBC), a decent selection of imports, and lots of other microbrewed beers. The menu approaches restaurant quality and the food is appetizing and satisfying. The service is iffy, but usually pretty decent. (UPDATE: Terrible customer service after a few more trips to the newly managed bar) The beers are also relatively inexpensive, especially compared to the nearby Flying Saucer. I must say, I'm going to have to visit this place more often.
Oct 01, 2007
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Reviewed by blackie from Oregon

4.08/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
the place has been redone quite a bit, so I deleted my old review in favor of an up-to-date one

atmosphere: Pretty generic decor, with random memorabilia rock and film hanging here and there, but that's not really a problem. The place is divided into two rectangular areas. One side is a barroom with a bar and stools running the length of the room, a row of about 6 booths, and some tables here and there. Nice array of TVs makes for a nice place to watch a Wolfpack game. A lot of open space in the barroom now, like they are considering a pool table or something. Gets kinda smoky sometimes but never as ridiculous as some other locations. On the other side is a non-smoking dining room with tables and booths spread about. Don't think there were any televisions when I visited but imagine they may add something in the future.

quality: Never had a way off beer as far back as I can remember, until recently when I was served an off Bell's Porter that was on special. Expect service in a standard tumbler, except for the high gravs which come in a 10 oz. glass. Be sure to ask for no fruit if you order a wheat beer or whatever and don't want any.

service: Good service at the bar, usually pretty prompt and friendly. When at a table, it's a crapshoot. I've walked out before when I was waiting to order dinner and nobody came to the table after 15 or more minutes, but I've also had excellent service. I've asked to have a fan turned down and ended up just doing it myself after nothing happened. Really depends on when you go and who you get, I suppose. The waiters/waitresses seem to have on average an intermediate knowledge of the beers they serve. They were out of Carolina Summer, and the Brooklyn Smoked Weisbock listed on the menu was apparently never there :( but whatever.

selection: A good selection has become a great selection since the remodeling, and that alone makes this place worth a visit. 99 taps of various origin, with North Carolina micros and their seasonals well represented. Duck-Rabbit, CBC, Foothills, French Broad, and Highland were all present. Also Bells and Victory to name a couple. There's always a rotating Rogue John's Locker Stock to be had.

food: Eh...it's bar food for sure. The sandwiches and seafood are kinda sketch. I've always enjoyed the meatloaf, ribs, and burgers, though. Recently I've noticed a downhill trend. I ordered a medium-well burger that came out very rare, and a chicken sandwich that tasted like nothing.

value: A somewhat above average $4.50-$5.50 for most micros, which I avoid by attending pint night on Wednesdays. (though the old $2.50 special is $3.00 now).
Jul 26, 2007
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Reviewed by atsprings from North Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +10.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
Visited here with some friends last night for the Tuesday night special of $8.99 rack of ribs. After a 45 minute wait for a table, I was finally able to try Rogue's Imperial Younger's Special Bitter. The place was packed, most likely for the rib special, but also because the capacity is rather low. They are soon going to double in size as the are expanding into the next door storefront sometime next month. The service was very fast, the food was out within 15 minutes. I counted 33 taps, 29 of which were micro-brews. I know they always have the Rogue John's Locker Stock as well as Carolina's current seasonal and a few scattered others. This is certainly a place I will be visiting more often.

UPDATE: 7/15/07
They have expanded with a new non-smoking dining room next door and the beer selection has been expanded to 99 beers on tap! As far as taps go, they now have the most in the Triangle. The only thing I'm worried about is how fresh the beer may stay, but other than that, I know I'll be visiting here even more often now!
Mar 01, 2007
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Reviewed by clvand0 from Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4
Had dinner here while on a business trip recently. They have approximately 33 taps and all but about three of them have excellent beers on them. As I looked around, I saw Magic Hat #9, DFH 90 Minute IPA, three Highlands brews, several other locals, several Brooklyn brews, etc. Very impressive. The wait staff at the bar was very attentive and helpful and tried to make some suggestions as well. I had some chili and a NY Strip Steak. Very tasty eats. If you're in the area, this place is a definate stopping point.
Aug 02, 2006
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Reviewed by rtratzlaff from North Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Overall a great place to enjoy a good meal and have a pint. Their selection is pretty good and they rotate enough that there will probably be something new to try. Their food is rather good. On my last visit, I asked the waiter about the Allagash double. I wasn't sure if it was a belgian or a double ipa or something. The waiter just told me it was a darker higher alcohol content beer, but he would ask the bartender about it. He did so and returned to tell me it was a doppelbock. I thought to myself that it tasted like a belgian and sure enough it was. They didn't really know what they were serving. So don't expect great beer knowledge when you go. Do expect some good food and a good beer selection to match.
Jun 26, 2006
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Reviewed by silver0rlead from North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +3.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Pretty nice place, a number of TVs with news and sports on, and a good selection of taps (probably 20 or so) with a varied selection. The service was pretty good and the waitress described the rogue saison as "a hoppy, funky beer" which was pretty appropriate (as good of a description as anyone who isnt a BA could give). The food was also quite good, definately a step above standard bar fare. I wish they would carry a few more local beers, but the selection was definately acceptable. All in all, a nice place to have a pint, not very smoky and with some good eats as well. Recommended.
Jan 20, 2006
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Reviewed by beerinator from Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +5.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
I really like this place, but I'm not able to visit very often. The bar is nice and long, and they've got 25+ taps, with lots of selections for the microbrew fan. I usually just sit down at the bar, and have recieved great service every time I've visited.

The menu is the same as the other locations (Sawmill Taproom, Bass Lake Taproom, etc.). Which consists of taproom fare. Everytime I've eaten here, it's been great. They make a very good burger.

This chain has been very supportive of North Carolina's push to change the 6% law, and for that I can't thank them enough. Check them out, you'll enjoy it.
Jan 11, 2004
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Reviewed by GCBrewingCo from North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +6.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
We were seated in less than a minute after walking inside the VDH in Cameron Village. Almost every table was occupied and the servers were running back and forth with precision and grace. Not a single error to note. The beer arrived quickly and full, the food piping hot and fresh. The food suggestion is the burgers, thick and juicy. The onion rings are unrivaled, I have never had better.

The beer selection is not too large, but it well thought out. They have over 30 taps and all are good solid choices from the BMC selection to the blackest stout.

I was waiting till I ate at the VDH before giving it a review. Having had beers there a few times I was always presented with good service and quality while at the bar, but wanted to review the whole experience.
Dec 14, 2003
Village Draft House in Raleigh, NC
Place rating: 3.95 out of 5 with 29 ratings