Backyard Bistro

Coming from out of town and not knowing the area, Backyard Bistro seems to be the only place that makes sense to eat and drink at before an event at PNC Arena. If you ask and they have space, you may leave your car in the lot for a small fee and walk over to the arena, which makes getting into and out of the arena more convenient. I would definitely come back if I was going to an event at PNC Arena.
Backyard Bistro is very large and is appropriate for bigger parties. We sat at a table for 8 and were quite comfortable. We got there around 4:15pm before a 7:30pm hockey game and it was just starting to fill up. There are lots of large screen TVs around the restaurant. I thought the prices were reasonable and they had some healthy menu options. The BBQ was decent and they offered a lot of beer options, but not many to get excited about if you are a beer geek like me.
Convenient Location = 5 Stars
Food = 3.5 Stars
Beer Selection = 3.5 Stars
Prices = 4 Stars
Service = 5 Stars
Average = 4 Stars

‘Pig wings are good, so as Backyard Samplers. But tuna and Basket Ribs are just so-​so. I tried all of them. I love the St. Louis ribs and boneless chicken wings in the Backyard Samplers.

Great place to watch sports, and really good food. Great beer selection too. Can’t expect miracles for a quick meal before a Canes game because everyone else has the same idea! But always had a great experience.

Serious sports bar. Tiered seating to be able to see the huge screens. Lots of burger and salad choices. We had quick good service. The Cobb salad was very fresh and delicious Burger cooked perfectly medium rare. I will go back for sure

Serious sports bar… how serious? 5 projectors serious.
I was surprised at the food selection. As someone who does not eat red meat I was happy to find several options.

The place looks like an old Damon’s. Has the exact same setup with big TVs and sports memorabilia everywhere. The food was good. Definitely a good place to watch a game and pig out on some bar food.

Thank you Jennifer for great service and thoughtful words. Food was good too. Had the Italian Sausage and the blue cheese chips, yum
Texas sisters.

5 Stars for the food, which is INCREDIBLE. 5 Stars for the beer and liquor selection. 5 stars for the service. Best buy is the colossal wedge with ahi tuna on the side. Must try is the redneck eggrolls. Of course the BBQ is excellent, as are the mandatory sides of tater salad and cole slaw. There’s nothing on this menu that is not good. Every meal has been excellent and you will not be disappointed — BUT — I cannot figure out why this sports bar with awesome food is not packed daily… Although I believe it has something to do with their goofy hours, which thoroughly SUCK.
The cooks clearly love to cook and are darn good at it; The bartenders are excellent at their craft although their personalities are more in line with a bar attached to a Holiday Inn (bland) — But it does mean you’ll have an awesome seat (inside OR outside) and excellent, attentive service when you pop in. And you should! My only complaints are they close way too early and have no live music. Why, why, WHY they do not tap into the much-​needed later-​late night bar market is beyond me. I hate being able to only come here for a late lunch on a weekend.

Backyard Bistro has improved tremendously since my last visit. We grabbed 2 seats at the bar so we could watch the Australia v Japan Women’s World Cup game. I like the little red sound boxes that are lined up at the bar (downside: not all of them work), you can choose a TV and listen to the game. We split the Backyard Sampler, I liked the boneless wings and sliders but was not a fan of the flavor of the ribs. We also split a few side items: mixed vegetables, stone ground grits (a little bland), butter beans and mashed potato gratin (my favorite). The location is convenient especially if you are going to an event at the PNC arena.

Perhaps I’m accustom to the overall great service in the ATL. Or perhaps this was just a fluke. Either way, I will not be going back. The drinks came quickly, which was nice. However they were weak and the bartender totally skimped on my bourbon neat. The food was decent but not worth the nearly 1 hour it took to get my burger.
I tried this place based on the recommendation from a friend. But friends, I’m here to tell you go somewhere else.

Went here with two of my girlfriends the other night.
Service was top-​notch– that gets a 5. Our server was so sweet and attentive.
The food was okay.
The «Battle of the Bands» was happening and we were sitting outside watching. We were really only there for the first band and they left a lot to be desired. The crowd was a very eclectic mix. I think this is a good venue if you want to watch sporting events or special things like the bands that play here. But I’m uncertain you would come just for the food. My friend was here Super Bowl Sunday and they really enjoyed it then.

Pre concert. Great logistic choice for food. If you want to get a buzz before concert, know that they short the mixed drinks big time. I ordered seperate shot to complete drink.
That’s ok. 5% tip made up for it.

OK, I’m giving this 5 Stars as a SPORTS BAR, not restaurant! This basically is a Carolina Hurricanes AND NC State Sports bar, given that the PNC Arena is literally right across the street!
So I’m in Raleigh to watch my Blackhawks play the Canes, and the Hotel people tell me to go to this bar very close to the Arena. I’m immediately skeptical (it’s just me). I’m thinking a bar in an area I don’t know so Paul is thinking Commercialized crap… Well I was SO wrong! This is an EXCELLENT sports bar!
I didn’t know what to expect as I’m totally decked out in my Blackhawks White Road jersey (Stan Mikita, #21 thank you), and lo and behold, EVERYONE there is sporting a Chicago Blackhawks jersey!!! I thought, WTF? Isn’t this a CAROLINA HURRICANES BAR??? Where the hell are the Caniacs??? Well a few of them did show up later, but it was about 95% Hawks fans and 5% Canes fans. We DO travel well!!!
The atmosphere is pumping, and music is blaring out of the jukebox, and of course, someone decided to play «Chelsea Dagger» which is THE Chicago Blackhawks goal and victory song! YEAY! So right off the bat I am LOOOOOOOVING this place! But is the food and drink good?
Yupper to both! First off, I’ve got to give a HUGE shout out to my server of the night Mary! A very lovely young blond who was not only efficient and attentive, but super friendly to ALL the Hawks fans, but also ACCURATE! This place was jam packed! And everyone around me said that they were amazed that she got EVERY bill correct! If you’ve ever been a server, that is NOT an easy task given the large crowd!
So Mary recommends a local seasonal beer, and man, was it ever fantastic! It was called the BIG OPERATOR by BIG BOSS BREWING company out of Raleigh! Here’s how the company’s website characterizes this amazing beer:
«Big Operator is a full-​flavored black ale. The beer is infused with raspberry in addition to a locally roasted cacao from local cacao roasters at Escazu. It culminates with an amazing dark raspberry and chocolate finish. 8% ABV» Now come on, doesn’t that sound friggin A-​MA-​ZING??? It was People!
Food wise, I also went for the Pulled Pork sandwhich with house made chips. Both were EXCELLENT (and better than most) bar food! Sweet and savory BBQ sauce (I got extra!) that went perfectly with that delicious pork! Great chips too.
They unfortunately run out of the Big Operator beer that I loved, so I try a couple more before the game. All good but NOT nearly as good as that local seasonal beer… So me and my new Hawks-​loving BFFs head on over to the game across the street…
Fast forward a few hours… GOOD Guys win 3 – 1 (yes, that would mean my BLACKHAWS!) and many of us head BACK to this great bar. Thankfully, my new BFF Server Mary is still here and continues where she left off! Had the Hells Belle also by Big Boss Brewing, which I’ve had many times before. Solid Strong Beligan Ale type which is my favorite! A «light» (for Paul) 7% ABV.
Anyway, me and a bunch of other Blackhawks fans literally close down the bar (man bars close early here… like last call at 11pm? 11pm? Really? Bars aren’t even starting at 11pm in Chicago! WTF?) OK, so it’s Raleigh I guess? But they did stay open till after midnight until we all finshed our drinks. And the whole time Mary took GREAT care of us!
So IF you are going to PNC Arena for ANY reason, come check out this great not-​so-​hidden gem of a sports bar! And ask for MARY!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for pre-​game food and drinks! And POST-​game too!

Went for lunch. The menu appears to have some excellent options, our group of six was excited to go there.
Ya’s:
— Food was fresh and warm and very tasty.
— Server was very friendly, there was two issues that put us at 45 minute to get our food (30 minutes before our order was even taken) but she let us know the kitchen was backed up and apologized multiple times during that wait.
— Very customizable menu and she asked if we wanted any modifications or substitutions when we ordered.
— No mistakes at all, even for those who asked for modifications, the orders were accurate.
Nay’s: (very minor for most people I’m sure)
— Some prices seem high. Adding shrimp to a salad is almost 10 $ for 5 to 6 shrimp.
–Tables are too close to each other. We had six people and got bumped a few times from the people at the table behind us.
(My Personal Gripe a –1 star in my personal rating system but probably no one else.)
— Specify lettuce types if you like salad: I ordered a salad of mixed greens and it was full of Iceburg lettuce; I felt slighted and was very disappointed at that. I feel like advertising a healthier version of an item and subbing in a less healthy option without telling someone is a bit shady.
TL;RD: Overall, I’ll revisit but I’ll be explicit on my order, down to the nitty gritty details and I’ll call in my order ahead of time to avoid the wait.

YUM! This place is awesome! I’m fairly certain they still host the Mark Gottfriend radio show, as well as many hungry alumni and guests before and after each NC State game. I have had the eggplant Parmesan here many times and love love love it! Can’t wait to come back when it is a little less crowded!

This is definitely the place you want to go to watch the big game, they have like 3 or 4 huge tv and all the sports memorabilia you can stand.
the food is your classic bar food that’s pretty damn good and the service is decent. the layouts fairly spacious and clean with plenty of seating to accommodate large groups. they also have a full bar with beers, wines and liquor to keep the good times Rollin.
I have absolutely no problem at all with backyard bistro and look forward to going back in the future. i highly recommend you try this place out if you haven’t already and possibly catch good game while your at it. lol

I originally went to Backyard Bistro back in April prior to a Bruce Springsteen show at the PNC Arena. We split some beers and an order of wings at the time and the experience was great. Overall, there is no better group of middle/​upper class dirty Jersey white men that I would rather have a drink with.
One of the coolest things about Backyard Bistro aside from the daily specials is the stadium style seating by the 5 huge TV screens showing all the big games. The TV’s had on college football and soccer when we went but the best part is that at your booth you can adjust what TV’s sound you are locked into and the volume. I listened into the soccer game on the second TV and had that pumping through our speakers. I typically don’t catch that kind of personalized experience at other bars so I thought it was really cool.
The chicken wing customization is also great. Many different flavors and the best part is that even on a 10 piece order you can split it up into 2 different flavors. You don’t get that in NYC where restaurants are chintzy about stuff like this. Speaking for the garlic parmesan and BBQ wings, I’m not saying it is the best wing I have ever had but it belongs in the conversation of best in the Triangle until I get leads on others. Hooters doesn’t count, I love them but fried wings have an unfair advantage much like fried pop-​tarts or oreos are like a much better, more powerful, TMNT mutagen enhanced version of the original. The buffalo chicken dip was also exemplary and I’m sure it raised my cholesterol a few points before my physical this week. My numbers were too good anyway so whatever. We also had the southern egg rolls with pulled pork and collard greens which was a unique take as I’m starting to see the unique egg roll fillings trend pick up some popularity across everything from casual dining to fine dining.
My last piece of advice is that the Canes or whatever act is playing at PNC may charge you $ 10 to park in this lot ahead of events since it is directly across the street. Just tell the guy collecting money for parking that you are eating at the Backyard Bistro and you won’t get charged for parking. You can just walk over to the venue, but you would be missing out by not grabbing a drink or grub before-​hand.

If you aren’t cool looking enough or are by yourself don’t expect a table. Extremely disappointed that though there were empty tables I was only offered a place at the very crowded bar or the very crowded rail (like the bar without the alcohol). As a matter of fact as I was debating staying or going somewhere else while waiting for a table 3 guys came in and were immediately seated in a booth. All I wanted was to be able to sit and eat, might have been there all of 30 minutes tops. And the whole time the blonde hostess treated me like I was scum, a bother, not worth her time or attention.
I can’t recommend this place because they apparently don’t care one iota about customers. Extremely disappointed.

The worst. Went to watch NCSU play on a Saturday afternoon… 3:30 kickoff. Yes, there are TVs and projector screens a plenty, but the tables shoved up against the GIANT projector screens are literally the worst and most illogical idea ever. How can you possibly sit adjacent to a huge screen and not only look directly UP but directly to the RIGHT or LEFT at the same time.
Additionally, THERE ARE ABOUT 50 TVs! We asked for ONE. ONE to be turned to the Big 10 network, and our request was denied. Rather rudely, I may add. «YOu can go back to your table… if it changes, that was a yes.»
Onto the service… I’m not sure how, if your job depends on tips, you can afford to be so rude to your customers. We sat at a table with about eight 25ish-​yr olds, and our server was irritable and annoyed anytime a new person came to sit with us. Took about 30 minutes and 3 reminders to have her bring a few of us waters, and she seemed angry that we weren’t ordering entrees… it was 4pm. No one was trying to eat a ton of food. We were there for beers+the game.
DID I MENTION THE RESTAURANT WAS ONLY ABOUT 35% FULL?!
The one star was for the pork loaded tots. They were delicious. Too bad I’ll never go back to try enjoy again. Ugh.

I live near by and like to stop by for a beer after work. Sometimes good service, sometimes not so good.
One good thing is they always got the games on… With tv’s everywhere!
With my experience the food has been just alright and the price is reasonable.
Restrooms have been a little dirty… once. But they’ve been nice ever since.