The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium
9605 N Tryon St
Ste A
Charlotte, North Carolina, 28262-8572
United States
(704) 717-8179 | map
beerknurd.com
Notes: Monday - Thursday: 11:00am - 1:00am
Friday - Saturday: 11:00am - 2:00am
Sunday: 12:00pm - 12:00am
Reviews: 49
| Ratings: 71
4.48/5 rDev +5.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.25
First off I have to tell you that this was the place that started it all for me. I had my first ever craft brew here and it changed my life. I had a copper amber ale from the olde mecklenburg brewery.
Walking up to it the vibe was very cheerful and homey. A man sat outside with a friendly giant of a dog and the place looked very inviting. Walking in you step onto a hardwood floor and see the wooden bar and tables/chairs. There is more than enough room for a large crowd and plenty of comfy booths. Darts and other games can be played there too. The service is usually pretty quick but when it's at it's peak hours it can be a little before you get your next brew or pick up the check. The selection is phenomenal. Over 200 beers available from around the world to right down the street. I love this place and can't wait to go again!
837 characters
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.25
First off I have to tell you that this was the place that started it all for me. I had my first ever craft brew here and it changed my life. I had a copper amber ale from the olde mecklenburg brewery.
Walking up to it the vibe was very cheerful and homey. A man sat outside with a friendly giant of a dog and the place looked very inviting. Walking in you step onto a hardwood floor and see the wooden bar and tables/chairs. There is more than enough room for a large crowd and plenty of comfy booths. Darts and other games can be played there too. The service is usually pretty quick but when it's at it's peak hours it can be a little before you get your next brew or pick up the check. The selection is phenomenal. Over 200 beers available from around the world to right down the street. I love this place and can't wait to go again!
837 characters
4.26/5 rDev +0.7%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4.75 | food: 3.75
I love the vibe of this place. The plates, the decor, the live band playing in the corner, it's all a very cool place to just chill for a few hours and have some of the many, many beers they have on tap. One of the few places where the tap selection is better than the food selection. That is the one downer, the food is so-so at best, average selection and nothing that really stands out. But really, you don't go here for the food, you go for the beer. The major downside is that this place can get busy in a hurry and service really suffers for that. Considering how well it does you would think they would hire a few more servers to help even that out.
656 characters
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4.75 | food: 3.75
I love the vibe of this place. The plates, the decor, the live band playing in the corner, it's all a very cool place to just chill for a few hours and have some of the many, many beers they have on tap. One of the few places where the tap selection is better than the food selection. That is the one downer, the food is so-so at best, average selection and nothing that really stands out. But really, you don't go here for the food, you go for the beer. The major downside is that this place can get busy in a hurry and service really suffers for that. Considering how well it does you would think they would hire a few more servers to help even that out.
656 characters
4.61/5 rDev +9%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4
This place was awesome! I got to try so many new beers here from the east coast. The beer was great and so was the food. I ended up kinda drunk because of all the beers I drank. lol But it was still amazing!!!
209 characters
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4
This place was awesome! I got to try so many new beers here from the east coast. The beer was great and so was the food. I ended up kinda drunk because of all the beers I drank. lol But it was still amazing!!!
209 characters
4.23/5 rDev 0%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
It's wonderful to have a bar with a solid lineup of craft beer in the University area. They have a wall of taps, and a two page bottle list. Most days there's a special of one form or another. I usually go for glass night every Wednesday, but I've wanted to try beer poker on Saturdays, just haven't made it out for that yet! Prices are average for most beers not on special, but some bottles (750's and 22's in-particular) have a pretty steep mark-up. Overall, the Saucer is my go-to bar in the University area!
512 characters
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
It's wonderful to have a bar with a solid lineup of craft beer in the University area. They have a wall of taps, and a two page bottle list. Most days there's a special of one form or another. I usually go for glass night every Wednesday, but I've wanted to try beer poker on Saturdays, just haven't made it out for that yet! Prices are average for most beers not on special, but some bottles (750's and 22's in-particular) have a pretty steep mark-up. Overall, the Saucer is my go-to bar in the University area!
512 characters
2.99/5 rDev -29.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.25 | selection: 1 | food: 3.75
The food is really good, the service is good (I don't go there during crowded hours), and the beer selection is kind of a joke. about 100 taps and maybe 5 I'd like to order. You can tell they just buy a high quantity of less than par craft beer as most of their customers are new to the craft scene so they get away with it.
324 characters
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.25 | selection: 1 | food: 3.75
The food is really good, the service is good (I don't go there during crowded hours), and the beer selection is kind of a joke. about 100 taps and maybe 5 I'd like to order. You can tell they just buy a high quantity of less than par craft beer as most of their customers are new to the craft scene so they get away with it.
324 characters
4.58/5 rDev +8.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 2.5
The standard by which all other restaurants are judged with respect to Craft beer selection. They have lots of taps and bottles. They constantly rotate out new selections for their Beer Knurds (the people who try different beers every time and when they get to 100 they get a plate on the wall).
As a craft beer advocate, I am glad that this location exists to help expose those new to the craft beer world about the variety of options.
The menu is limited to bar foods plus some German influenced items (pretzels and sausages). I would prefer to have more of a 50/50 bar/restaurant mix. This place is definitely a bar first and restaurant second. The servers are typically beautiful women with moderate to high beer knowledge in short skirts.
747 characters
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 2.5
The standard by which all other restaurants are judged with respect to Craft beer selection. They have lots of taps and bottles. They constantly rotate out new selections for their Beer Knurds (the people who try different beers every time and when they get to 100 they get a plate on the wall).
As a craft beer advocate, I am glad that this location exists to help expose those new to the craft beer world about the variety of options.
The menu is limited to bar foods plus some German influenced items (pretzels and sausages). I would prefer to have more of a 50/50 bar/restaurant mix. This place is definitely a bar first and restaurant second. The servers are typically beautiful women with moderate to high beer knowledge in short skirts.
747 characters
3.78/5 rDev -10.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
I really like "The Saucer", especially for a chain, but this place has one problem... It is only one of a few bars in the UNCC University area, which makes for one busy establishment. If you can catch it at the right time, though, Flying Saucer is quite an good beer bar. I love the Bratzel and the always have a very good selection in comparison to the rest of the area. Fair prices on draught beer, but stay away from bottles. That's my general rule of thumb, anyway.
The girls that serve the brew are more often than not quite gorgeous and most of the time know the taps and bottles well.
593 characters
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
I really like "The Saucer", especially for a chain, but this place has one problem... It is only one of a few bars in the UNCC University area, which makes for one busy establishment. If you can catch it at the right time, though, Flying Saucer is quite an good beer bar. I love the Bratzel and the always have a very good selection in comparison to the rest of the area. Fair prices on draught beer, but stay away from bottles. That's my general rule of thumb, anyway.
The girls that serve the brew are more often than not quite gorgeous and most of the time know the taps and bottles well.
593 characters
4.14/5 rDev -2.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
Came here for my first time not too long ago for the Down South Beer Tasting that was put on while aasher was in town visiting me for the day. The location was a little hard to find if you were coming off the wrong street. The entrance I took was an entrance for a golf course and then turned right to go down toward the Saucer. Once in sight it was easy to find. Plenty of parking to go around, so no worries there. Upon walking into the establishment the bar is on your right with the wall lined with tap handles. Didn't get a great look at them as we were bringing our own bottles but there appeared to be a pretty decent selection going on here. There was also plenty of seating to go around in the main room as you walked in with a combo of boothes and tables. There was also a back-room with more table seating and bench seating that lined the whole outside wall of the room with tables pulled up to it. We were in the back-room due to the outside bottles obviously. The first server we had was very attentive and took very good care of us while we were there as far as bringing out food and bring extra pitchers of water. After the changeover to a new server, service wasn't nearly as good, but that is understandable based on the circumstances. Didn't get to eat any food while here, but everything everyone else got looked and smelled delicious. Glad I finally got the opportunity to stop in here and will be doing so again in the future without a doubt.
1,463 characters
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
Came here for my first time not too long ago for the Down South Beer Tasting that was put on while aasher was in town visiting me for the day. The location was a little hard to find if you were coming off the wrong street. The entrance I took was an entrance for a golf course and then turned right to go down toward the Saucer. Once in sight it was easy to find. Plenty of parking to go around, so no worries there. Upon walking into the establishment the bar is on your right with the wall lined with tap handles. Didn't get a great look at them as we were bringing our own bottles but there appeared to be a pretty decent selection going on here. There was also plenty of seating to go around in the main room as you walked in with a combo of boothes and tables. There was also a back-room with more table seating and bench seating that lined the whole outside wall of the room with tables pulled up to it. We were in the back-room due to the outside bottles obviously. The first server we had was very attentive and took very good care of us while we were there as far as bringing out food and bring extra pitchers of water. After the changeover to a new server, service wasn't nearly as good, but that is understandable based on the circumstances. Didn't get to eat any food while here, but everything everyone else got looked and smelled delicious. Glad I finally got the opportunity to stop in here and will be doing so again in the future without a doubt.
1,463 characters
4.35/5 rDev +2.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Atomosphere: I went on a Sunday afternoon and it was a bit crowded, as the place was packed for the panthers game. The atmosphere is great for enjoying good food and brew while watching a game. If you are more into just sampling good beers, it's a bit noisy for any critical kind of evaluation. That said, a great place to be on a Sunday afternoon.
Quality: Excellent quality of beer--world class beers both on draft and in bottles. Most impressive, a very solid place to grab some really really nice beers. And considering it is a bar, the prices were quite reasonable for most of the options.
Service: Service was decent. The waitresses were all dressed up in super short plaid shirts and tight, low-cut shirts, but the service itself was merely okay.
Selection: Excellent selection--brews from local breweries (NC), as well as a number of beers on tap from around the world. Their bottled selection was awesome too, as they had all sorts of beer from breweries around the country and world, including many luxury/high end beers and trappist beers.
Food: Food was awesome! The chicken breast is excellent, the burgers are top notch, and everything else I saw but didn't taste looked really good. Also, the fries are amazing but they don't give you very many with your sandwich/burger. That was the only downside.
Value: Prices were reasonable for a bar. If you're looking to get a cheap beer, they had $3 NC beers on tap (had a few really good beers that way). The rest of their stuff is right on par with other bars I've been to ($5 for a two-hearted pint, etc., less for cheaper beers, more for expensive beers). All in all, not a bad value. Plus, on Monday nights, almost everything on tap is $3 per pint. (a few exceptions, notably framboise).
This place also has an event every wednesday night that is great for beer geeks. It varies from meeting a brewer of a well-known brewery to tapping special release kegs, to having other guest beer aficionados come in to talk about whatever. They also have a "beer knurd" loyalty prize where you get a flying saucer with your name and a quote that you can put on the ceiling of the place if you try over 200 different beers there.
2,191 characters
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Atomosphere: I went on a Sunday afternoon and it was a bit crowded, as the place was packed for the panthers game. The atmosphere is great for enjoying good food and brew while watching a game. If you are more into just sampling good beers, it's a bit noisy for any critical kind of evaluation. That said, a great place to be on a Sunday afternoon.
Quality: Excellent quality of beer--world class beers both on draft and in bottles. Most impressive, a very solid place to grab some really really nice beers. And considering it is a bar, the prices were quite reasonable for most of the options.
Service: Service was decent. The waitresses were all dressed up in super short plaid shirts and tight, low-cut shirts, but the service itself was merely okay.
Selection: Excellent selection--brews from local breweries (NC), as well as a number of beers on tap from around the world. Their bottled selection was awesome too, as they had all sorts of beer from breweries around the country and world, including many luxury/high end beers and trappist beers.
Food: Food was awesome! The chicken breast is excellent, the burgers are top notch, and everything else I saw but didn't taste looked really good. Also, the fries are amazing but they don't give you very many with your sandwich/burger. That was the only downside.
Value: Prices were reasonable for a bar. If you're looking to get a cheap beer, they had $3 NC beers on tap (had a few really good beers that way). The rest of their stuff is right on par with other bars I've been to ($5 for a two-hearted pint, etc., less for cheaper beers, more for expensive beers). All in all, not a bad value. Plus, on Monday nights, almost everything on tap is $3 per pint. (a few exceptions, notably framboise).
This place also has an event every wednesday night that is great for beer geeks. It varies from meeting a brewer of a well-known brewery to tapping special release kegs, to having other guest beer aficionados come in to talk about whatever. They also have a "beer knurd" loyalty prize where you get a flying saucer with your name and a quote that you can put on the ceiling of the place if you try over 200 different beers there.
2,191 characters
4.58/5 rDev +8.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Inside and outside seating.
Very reasonable prices on food and beer. Great selection. An eclectic mix of stuff from the geographical area and quality imports. Flights are offered. I had a Carolinas sampler, as I guessed that majority of them would not make for a decent pint, to try them out, see what it's all about- a sampler did the job just fine.
They offer a promotion to those that have sampled a certain(large) number of beers at their establishment of a metal plate with their name engraved it on to be put on the wall. Very jealous of the locals- no good beer bar in my area does anything fun like this!
612 characters
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Inside and outside seating.
Very reasonable prices on food and beer. Great selection. An eclectic mix of stuff from the geographical area and quality imports. Flights are offered. I had a Carolinas sampler, as I guessed that majority of them would not make for a decent pint, to try them out, see what it's all about- a sampler did the job just fine.
They offer a promotion to those that have sampled a certain(large) number of beers at their establishment of a metal plate with their name engraved it on to be put on the wall. Very jealous of the locals- no good beer bar in my area does anything fun like this!
612 characters
4.08/5 rDev -3.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3
Situated on the corner of a strip mall, this place is fairly easy to find.
The atmoshpere is that of a fairly traditional pub. Lots of dark wood lines the walls and the place is covered in saucers, some merely decorative and others representing those in the "UFO Club". There is an area for live music, and a couple of dart boards, I did not wander around or to take in the entire place, but I was told that there is an area with billiard tables as well. Really, it's a nice change from some of the Charlotte area drinking establishments that lack character and are littered with TV's...
The service was terrific. The waitresses are wearing school girl outfits, complete with tiny little plaid skirts, knee high argyle socks, and skin tight tank tops. Somewhat similar to the outfits worn by the Tilted Kilt girls. Quite appealing. Aside from thier appearance the wait staff seem to have at least a rudimentary knowledge of the beers on thier list.
The beer selection was outstanding, somewhere around 100 taps, and at least as many bottles covering a wide array of styles. If only they planned thier food menu as well.
The food was uninspired, and fairly plain. Fairly standard chain pub fare, and not terribly well executed at that. Not that the food was bad, just not terrific. And definately not worth the prices.
They do have some specials, I think they have a couple of days a week where drafts are $3, but overall I found the beer and food pricing to be a bit high.
Overall, I would definately go back. The atmosphere and the extensive draft list are alluring, even if the food is not.
1,598 characters
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3
Situated on the corner of a strip mall, this place is fairly easy to find.
The atmoshpere is that of a fairly traditional pub. Lots of dark wood lines the walls and the place is covered in saucers, some merely decorative and others representing those in the "UFO Club". There is an area for live music, and a couple of dart boards, I did not wander around or to take in the entire place, but I was told that there is an area with billiard tables as well. Really, it's a nice change from some of the Charlotte area drinking establishments that lack character and are littered with TV's...
The service was terrific. The waitresses are wearing school girl outfits, complete with tiny little plaid skirts, knee high argyle socks, and skin tight tank tops. Somewhat similar to the outfits worn by the Tilted Kilt girls. Quite appealing. Aside from thier appearance the wait staff seem to have at least a rudimentary knowledge of the beers on thier list.
The beer selection was outstanding, somewhere around 100 taps, and at least as many bottles covering a wide array of styles. If only they planned thier food menu as well.
The food was uninspired, and fairly plain. Fairly standard chain pub fare, and not terribly well executed at that. Not that the food was bad, just not terrific. And definately not worth the prices.
They do have some specials, I think they have a couple of days a week where drafts are $3, but overall I found the beer and food pricing to be a bit high.
Overall, I would definately go back. The atmosphere and the extensive draft list are alluring, even if the food is not.
1,598 characters
3.65/5 rDev -13.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 2
I like girls in short skirts and, perhaps more objectively, the plates on the wall honoring regulars makes for a fun feel. One high chair in the entire joint though (another baby had to wait for my mine)--coupled with no non-glass serving cups--doesn't exactly welcome the family lunch crowd (I went just after noon).
The beer quality is good. Many options for most anybody, and the occasional rare offerings make the place an indisputable "beer bar." The food, though, has never impressed me. Pizzas, nachos, poppers, burgers, and even the fancy cheese--all of them are basically misses. Shoestring fries with a "1/2 lb" burger I could paper clip? C'mon....
Service was pretty solid, though I had to wait a while to finally get a check. This is particularly painful with kids, but I don't expect the little hotties in short skirts to relate to that.
As I said, the beer selection is definitely solid. I expect this widespread chain offers a similarly dank selection at every location. Though the menu warns about karma suffering if patrons swipe special glassware, I've never (6 beers minimum) received a beer in anything but a pint glass.
The food is an Achilles heel for this place. I love to go to a place solely to have a beer or two, but I don't think a place with 100+ taps really wants to discourage eaters. As for value, only the oddball hours offer better deals than a wine bar, so I'd say it's on average in that regard.
1,438 characters
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 2
I like girls in short skirts and, perhaps more objectively, the plates on the wall honoring regulars makes for a fun feel. One high chair in the entire joint though (another baby had to wait for my mine)--coupled with no non-glass serving cups--doesn't exactly welcome the family lunch crowd (I went just after noon).
The beer quality is good. Many options for most anybody, and the occasional rare offerings make the place an indisputable "beer bar." The food, though, has never impressed me. Pizzas, nachos, poppers, burgers, and even the fancy cheese--all of them are basically misses. Shoestring fries with a "1/2 lb" burger I could paper clip? C'mon....
Service was pretty solid, though I had to wait a while to finally get a check. This is particularly painful with kids, but I don't expect the little hotties in short skirts to relate to that.
As I said, the beer selection is definitely solid. I expect this widespread chain offers a similarly dank selection at every location. Though the menu warns about karma suffering if patrons swipe special glassware, I've never (6 beers minimum) received a beer in anything but a pint glass.
The food is an Achilles heel for this place. I love to go to a place solely to have a beer or two, but I don't think a place with 100+ taps really wants to discourage eaters. As for value, only the oddball hours offer better deals than a wine bar, so I'd say it's on average in that regard.
1,438 characters
4.45/5 rDev +5.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
The place is completely awesome. They have great beer with tons of different styles. Almost 70 beers on the draught wall. And tons more in bottles. They do a $3 Beer Poker on Saturday that is absolutely awesome. Atmosphere is very college townish and somewhat exclusive. Quality is unsurpassed in the Charlotte area. Food is quite good. Value is unmatched especially on Mondays and other days when the specials are advertised. If you are coming to Charlotte this is the only place you need to go. They have tons of NC beer and lots from across America. A great place. Best beer place in Charlotte.
597 characters
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
The place is completely awesome. They have great beer with tons of different styles. Almost 70 beers on the draught wall. And tons more in bottles. They do a $3 Beer Poker on Saturday that is absolutely awesome. Atmosphere is very college townish and somewhat exclusive. Quality is unsurpassed in the Charlotte area. Food is quite good. Value is unmatched especially on Mondays and other days when the specials are advertised. If you are coming to Charlotte this is the only place you need to go. They have tons of NC beer and lots from across America. A great place. Best beer place in Charlotte.
597 characters
3.95/5 rDev -6.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
My last stop in Charlotte on my way back home. Stopped here for dinner. This was the last "must see" on my list. This place was packed out around dinner time. I found one spot at the bar. Great service. Was acknowledged right away even though they were crazy busy. I started out with a SN Tumbler on tap. Their selection was pretty great. Many of their offerings were ones that you would see most anywhere around, they did carry some very special brews like: Avery Maharaja, DFH Bitch's Brew and Saison Du Buff. The prices on those were high for sure, but it was cool that they had them. They had Founders Nemesis in bottle form as well as about 50 other bottled beers. I ordered a smoked salmon sandwich on rye. Very good, but the fries that came with it were pretty average. Finished off the night with a DFH Bitch's Brew. Very good. The atmosphere was pretty cool in there. There was a sort of back room with some billiard tables and such. Cool place. This was second only to Mac's - Steele Creek. I'd love to come back sometime.
1,032 characters
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
My last stop in Charlotte on my way back home. Stopped here for dinner. This was the last "must see" on my list. This place was packed out around dinner time. I found one spot at the bar. Great service. Was acknowledged right away even though they were crazy busy. I started out with a SN Tumbler on tap. Their selection was pretty great. Many of their offerings were ones that you would see most anywhere around, they did carry some very special brews like: Avery Maharaja, DFH Bitch's Brew and Saison Du Buff. The prices on those were high for sure, but it was cool that they had them. They had Founders Nemesis in bottle form as well as about 50 other bottled beers. I ordered a smoked salmon sandwich on rye. Very good, but the fries that came with it were pretty average. Finished off the night with a DFH Bitch's Brew. Very good. The atmosphere was pretty cool in there. There was a sort of back room with some billiard tables and such. Cool place. This was second only to Mac's - Steele Creek. I'd love to come back sometime.
1,032 characters
4.46/5 rDev +5.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
if you're in the charlotte area, you must come here
atmostphere-this is definitely one of those places where it depends on which night you visit. on a busy night, this place can be a pain, being difficult to find a seat. on a non-busy night, i'm sure this place is perfect as the inside is very new and clean.
service- always great with the bartenders helping out
selection-if you've been searching for a beer to cross off your "wanted list" then you might be able to find it here. i know i have been able to do that on many occasions. the selection is large and wonderful.
the value seems to be pretty much on par.
620 characters
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
if you're in the charlotte area, you must come here
atmostphere-this is definitely one of those places where it depends on which night you visit. on a busy night, this place can be a pain, being difficult to find a seat. on a non-busy night, i'm sure this place is perfect as the inside is very new and clean.
service- always great with the bartenders helping out
selection-if you've been searching for a beer to cross off your "wanted list" then you might be able to find it here. i know i have been able to do that on many occasions. the selection is large and wonderful.
the value seems to be pretty much on par.
620 characters
4.22/5 rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3
I think this is my fourth Flying Saucer and while this one's in a strip mall, it's pretty consistent with the others. It's got the usual decor of dark woods, plates in the ceiling, pennies behind the bar and lots and lots of tap heads. The seating is also pretty consistent with a long bar, lots of tables and booths, couches and an outdoor patio area. They also have darts up front and pool in the back.
They have 50+ on tap with lots from NC. I went with a Terrapin Monk's Revenge and an Old Meck Kolsner.
The food is pretty average pub fare (though my wife loves the Rocket Tots). The service was good. Our waitress was nice and helpful.
The Flying Saucer has their system down; good beer in a comfortable atmosphere. This location is no exception.
754 characters
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3
I think this is my fourth Flying Saucer and while this one's in a strip mall, it's pretty consistent with the others. It's got the usual decor of dark woods, plates in the ceiling, pennies behind the bar and lots and lots of tap heads. The seating is also pretty consistent with a long bar, lots of tables and booths, couches and an outdoor patio area. They also have darts up front and pool in the back.
They have 50+ on tap with lots from NC. I went with a Terrapin Monk's Revenge and an Old Meck Kolsner.
The food is pretty average pub fare (though my wife loves the Rocket Tots). The service was good. Our waitress was nice and helpful.
The Flying Saucer has their system down; good beer in a comfortable atmosphere. This location is no exception.
754 characters
4.13/5 rDev -2.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
A great bar chain and the food was excellent. I had the German platter with two different sausages, slaw, and potatoe salad. probably the best I have had and I have been to Germany. Amazing beer selection,My freinds had the philly cheesesteak and said it was good, not the best but above avergae for a bar. bartenders were not nearly as trained as the one in raleigh. I was listening to one of the surfer dude bartenders and every time someone asked him what the beer was like he said "it's a strong ale" I heard him say that to customers 4 different times for different beers. it was hilarious. He was effiencent though.
621 characters
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
A great bar chain and the food was excellent. I had the German platter with two different sausages, slaw, and potatoe salad. probably the best I have had and I have been to Germany. Amazing beer selection,My freinds had the philly cheesesteak and said it was good, not the best but above avergae for a bar. bartenders were not nearly as trained as the one in raleigh. I was listening to one of the surfer dude bartenders and every time someone asked him what the beer was like he said "it's a strong ale" I heard him say that to customers 4 different times for different beers. it was hilarious. He was effiencent though.
621 characters
4.72/5 rDev +11.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
I have been coming to the Flying Saucer since midnight on the day I turned 21 and signed up for their UFO club immediately. I haven't regretted it for a moment since. You have to drink 200 different beers, but you get a plate on the wall that features a quote of your choice and a $100 party when you get there! They have somewhere around 80 beers available on draft and an always fluctuating number of bottles that usually sits pretty close to 120 different bottled/canned beers for you to choose from. They also have a handful of "Flights" where you get five 5oz samples of different beers that are usually themed to the place of their origin or if you are feeling adventurous you can build you own. The staff, while dressed like Catholic schoolgirls (AWESOME), does a great job of helping you pick out beers based on what you usually drink or picking you something new and exciting out off of their always changing list of new beers. The food is pretty close to your typical bar fare, but they put their own twist on it to make it interesting and much more delicious! This is the best bar in Charlotte and a definite diamond in the rough for the University area!
1,165 characters
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
I have been coming to the Flying Saucer since midnight on the day I turned 21 and signed up for their UFO club immediately. I haven't regretted it for a moment since. You have to drink 200 different beers, but you get a plate on the wall that features a quote of your choice and a $100 party when you get there! They have somewhere around 80 beers available on draft and an always fluctuating number of bottles that usually sits pretty close to 120 different bottled/canned beers for you to choose from. They also have a handful of "Flights" where you get five 5oz samples of different beers that are usually themed to the place of their origin or if you are feeling adventurous you can build you own. The staff, while dressed like Catholic schoolgirls (AWESOME), does a great job of helping you pick out beers based on what you usually drink or picking you something new and exciting out off of their always changing list of new beers. The food is pretty close to your typical bar fare, but they put their own twist on it to make it interesting and much more delicious! This is the best bar in Charlotte and a definite diamond in the rough for the University area!
1,165 characters
4.14/5 rDev -2.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
finally made it up here - location is extremely poorly chosen in my opinion. the University-area is pretty dead and it seems like a place like this would absolutely kill if it were closer to uptown...oh well
atmosphere: typical flying saucer vibe - smokey with walls lined with saucers. the taps were arranged very similar to the other locations i have seen
quality: nice selection with an apparent strong roation - decent glassware but nothing special
selection: big - in the neighborhood of 100. there isnt much "junk" but there is a fair amount of filler. There wasnt a whole lot jumping off the page to this midwesterner - i wound up having a foothills DIPA and highland smoked porter, so no complaints there
food: did not try; pub grub
value: nc pints were $2.50 on sunday, and i think everything is $2.50 on monday. its hard to argue with that
854 characters
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
finally made it up here - location is extremely poorly chosen in my opinion. the University-area is pretty dead and it seems like a place like this would absolutely kill if it were closer to uptown...oh well
atmosphere: typical flying saucer vibe - smokey with walls lined with saucers. the taps were arranged very similar to the other locations i have seen
quality: nice selection with an apparent strong roation - decent glassware but nothing special
selection: big - in the neighborhood of 100. there isnt much "junk" but there is a fair amount of filler. There wasnt a whole lot jumping off the page to this midwesterner - i wound up having a foothills DIPA and highland smoked porter, so no complaints there
food: did not try; pub grub
value: nc pints were $2.50 on sunday, and i think everything is $2.50 on monday. its hard to argue with that
854 characters
3.9/5 rDev -7.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | food: 3
Went here for some pre-rehearsal dinner dinner (why else would I be in the south if not for a wedding?).
Taps galore. The selection was phenomenal and they had a lot of rotating taps, with a new Rogue I tried and some beers I can't find up here (Bells and New Belgium, yum to both). Spacious, with separate areas for darts and pool. The Thursday we went there was a good beer special, where you could get a 22 ounce of most of what was on tap for the regular price.
Cool spot, it sometimes took a long time for our beers to come out, but all in all it seems like an oasis of beer in the Charlotte area.
605 characters
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | food: 3
Went here for some pre-rehearsal dinner dinner (why else would I be in the south if not for a wedding?).
Taps galore. The selection was phenomenal and they had a lot of rotating taps, with a new Rogue I tried and some beers I can't find up here (Bells and New Belgium, yum to both). Spacious, with separate areas for darts and pool. The Thursday we went there was a good beer special, where you could get a 22 ounce of most of what was on tap for the regular price.
Cool spot, it sometimes took a long time for our beers to come out, but all in all it seems like an oasis of beer in the Charlotte area.
605 characters
4.47/5 rDev +5.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5
A great, friendly atmosphere. I like to get there around 6p to beat the rush so I can get a booth. Beer lovers are all around. The smoke is bothersome, but not a reason to stay home. The patio is a great place to sit if you can find a table.
Nearly every waitress I have had knows their beers. There is a great attitude beaming from every waitress and bartender. On busy nights, it can take a while to get a beer, but that is the way of things. Tip big early, and you won't have much of a problem there.
The beer selection is out of this world. New beers being added frequently. With well over 200 beers, you won't get bored. I go on Monday nights where almost all pints (about 70 choises) are on sale for $2.75 where they are normally between $4-$6. There is a "Fire Sale" beer for $2.75 everyday and 5 on Friday, $2.75 NC brews on Sunday, and brewery night on Wednesday. You by the featured beer, and keep the glass. Easy to spend a lot of money, but just as easy to stay on a budget. Something I noticed on the menu last week was a 3L of the Chimay blue label for $100. But at the same time, I was enjoying a 60min IPA for $2.75
The food is not bad, but they could do better. I recommend getting a cheese plate. Reasonable price and great nibbling. I still haven't joined the UFO club, but I hear that's a good thing to do for $18. You don't have to pay cover charges (which are only $2 about every Saturday), you get little prizes throughout your quest to try 200 beers, eventually getting your name on a plate on the wall.
1,530 characters
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5
A great, friendly atmosphere. I like to get there around 6p to beat the rush so I can get a booth. Beer lovers are all around. The smoke is bothersome, but not a reason to stay home. The patio is a great place to sit if you can find a table.
Nearly every waitress I have had knows their beers. There is a great attitude beaming from every waitress and bartender. On busy nights, it can take a while to get a beer, but that is the way of things. Tip big early, and you won't have much of a problem there.
The beer selection is out of this world. New beers being added frequently. With well over 200 beers, you won't get bored. I go on Monday nights where almost all pints (about 70 choises) are on sale for $2.75 where they are normally between $4-$6. There is a "Fire Sale" beer for $2.75 everyday and 5 on Friday, $2.75 NC brews on Sunday, and brewery night on Wednesday. You by the featured beer, and keep the glass. Easy to spend a lot of money, but just as easy to stay on a budget. Something I noticed on the menu last week was a 3L of the Chimay blue label for $100. But at the same time, I was enjoying a 60min IPA for $2.75
The food is not bad, but they could do better. I recommend getting a cheese plate. Reasonable price and great nibbling. I still haven't joined the UFO club, but I hear that's a good thing to do for $18. You don't have to pay cover charges (which are only $2 about every Saturday), you get little prizes throughout your quest to try 200 beers, eventually getting your name on a plate on the wall.
1,530 characters
3.98/5 rDev -5.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3
Checked it out over the weekend, for the first time in about a year:
The Flying Saucer seems to have Charlotte's best beer selection (as far as number of taps, at least). Lots of seasonals get rotated in and out, too. You can't really beat "Pint Night" and they occasionally have specials on some pretty good stuff. Most of the NC breweries are represented, which is nice.
As far as atmosphere goes, its more of a college bar - and it was ridiculously packed on Friday. We got there around 8, trying to beat the crowd, but no such luck - not a single table or booth open in the place. Ended up lounging in the back on a couple of sofas - near the pool tables. As others have mentioned, it gets pretty smoky here, although they do have patio seating - so if the weather permits, that's what I would go for (all the outdoor tables were full, too).
Service is pretty good considering how busy the place is - waitresses are hella hot and know about the beers (I hear they have to take "beer exams" from time to time). Food is so-so, pretty much standard bar fare.
I like the Saucer - just a little too crowded on weekend nights - probably a nice happy hour spot, when its not jam-packed and/or smoke filled.
1,209 characters
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3
Checked it out over the weekend, for the first time in about a year:
The Flying Saucer seems to have Charlotte's best beer selection (as far as number of taps, at least). Lots of seasonals get rotated in and out, too. You can't really beat "Pint Night" and they occasionally have specials on some pretty good stuff. Most of the NC breweries are represented, which is nice.
As far as atmosphere goes, its more of a college bar - and it was ridiculously packed on Friday. We got there around 8, trying to beat the crowd, but no such luck - not a single table or booth open in the place. Ended up lounging in the back on a couple of sofas - near the pool tables. As others have mentioned, it gets pretty smoky here, although they do have patio seating - so if the weather permits, that's what I would go for (all the outdoor tables were full, too).
Service is pretty good considering how busy the place is - waitresses are hella hot and know about the beers (I hear they have to take "beer exams" from time to time). Food is so-so, pretty much standard bar fare.
I like the Saucer - just a little too crowded on weekend nights - probably a nice happy hour spot, when its not jam-packed and/or smoke filled.
1,209 characters
4.14/5 rDev -2.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
My "go to" spot for good brew. I've had the food but don't remember much about it. You could say this implies that it isn't good, but it's because I go here for the incredible beer selection, not the food.
Beer selection is outstanding. I'm always surprised by something new on tap or bottle. Lately they've gotten HopSlam and FBS which thrilled me. Great selection is their biggest selling point.
My only gripe is it gets smokey, which is somewhat expected at most bar type establishments. Hoping like hell Mecklenburg County passes the no smoking ordinance.
Also, I've always had hot waitresses (God bless school girl skirts) that were nice and quick on the service.
Been many times and will continue. There's a spot on the wall waiting for my saucer.
760 characters
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
My "go to" spot for good brew. I've had the food but don't remember much about it. You could say this implies that it isn't good, but it's because I go here for the incredible beer selection, not the food.
Beer selection is outstanding. I'm always surprised by something new on tap or bottle. Lately they've gotten HopSlam and FBS which thrilled me. Great selection is their biggest selling point.
My only gripe is it gets smokey, which is somewhat expected at most bar type establishments. Hoping like hell Mecklenburg County passes the no smoking ordinance.
Also, I've always had hot waitresses (God bless school girl skirts) that were nice and quick on the service.
Been many times and will continue. There's a spot on the wall waiting for my saucer.
760 characters
4.13/5 rDev -2.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Went Monday night for "Pint Night", quite a good deal. Nearly every draught is $2.75 and the selection is like none other in Charlotte. Quite busy, I think it would be better when college is out. All and all had a great time, with two Arrogant Bastards, a Highland Oatmeal Porter, and a Warsteiner. Great selection with at least 50 taps and countless more bottles. Get there if you can.
Would like to go back and try some of the pub fare, it looked quite good and these prices looked reasonable to.
499 characters
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Went Monday night for "Pint Night", quite a good deal. Nearly every draught is $2.75 and the selection is like none other in Charlotte. Quite busy, I think it would be better when college is out. All and all had a great time, with two Arrogant Bastards, a Highland Oatmeal Porter, and a Warsteiner. Great selection with at least 50 taps and countless more bottles. Get there if you can.
Would like to go back and try some of the pub fare, it looked quite good and these prices looked reasonable to.
499 characters
3.63/5 rDev -14.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3
After having been utterly dissapointed by the columbia location I had a bit higher hops on this trip through town, I made a special point to get over here to check this and and a couple other places out as I only had a limited time to do everything. Great atmosphere as it had a real tap room feel to it. The selection was good, much better then what I found in Columbia, though as others have mentioned the bottles can be pricey. Not crazy about the food as I though it just was a little bland for me, but overall I thought the place was good and worth another visit for sure.
577 characters
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3
After having been utterly dissapointed by the columbia location I had a bit higher hops on this trip through town, I made a special point to get over here to check this and and a couple other places out as I only had a limited time to do everything. Great atmosphere as it had a real tap room feel to it. The selection was good, much better then what I found in Columbia, though as others have mentioned the bottles can be pricey. Not crazy about the food as I though it just was a little bland for me, but overall I thought the place was good and worth another visit for sure.
577 characters
The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium in Charlotte, NC
Place rating:
4.23 out of
5 with
71 ratings
0 characters. We love reviews! Turn your rating into one with ≥ 150 characters.
Explain why you're giving this rating. Your review must discuss the place's attributes and your overall impression in order to indicate that you have legitimately visited the place. Nonconstructive reviews may be removed without notice and action may be taken on your account.
Close