Mitch’s Tavern

How have I never written a review for Mitch’s Tavern? This has got to be my favorite place to eat in all of raleigh! I think I’ve been here for my birthday for the past two years in a row. Everything on the menu here is crazy inexpensive and crazy delicious. They have a lima corn chowder with goat cheese on top that will make you think «none of those things sound good» until you try it together and your mind is blown! If you are starving, on a budget, and want excellent food and service come here. Expect the place to look like it came out of the board game «clue» and drink plenty and you will greatly enjoy yourself. Welcome to the best dive bar in Raleigh!

I’ve been coming here for almost 15 years. But I saw Bull Durham for the first time in the last 6 months but I always knew parts were filmed here. It isn’t a high end restaurant and bar, but for what it is, an iconic Hillsborough Street restaurant and bar it is great, so 5 stars. The crowd varies from students to older professors. I often visit during the week so it isn’t always crowded. Sometimes you can sit on the tiny balcony as the sun goes down. I

Love this hidden gem in Raleigh. So close to NC State off of Hillsborough, so easily accessible from campus, but also pretty cheap food. I would say it is southern style food but also vegetarian friendly. I ordered fried green tomatoes that was delicious combined in sandwich with pimento cheese. They also offered a side of soup only all under 10 bucks
Definitely wouldn’t mind going to Mitch’s again. It has a kind and friendly atmosphere but also a cool rustic theme with hardwood floors and cool lamps by he wooden booths. Staff was also great and understanding.

So I don’t know why I haven’t written reviews about this place… (yeah yeah shame on me again) because I love Mitch’s Tavern! I had a brunch date with my best friend at Mitch’s Tavern today. We wanted something good but something it wouldn’t break the bank, so we decided to go to Mitch’s Tavern. Mitch’s Tavern is on Hillsborough street close to one of NCSU’s students dorms, chipotle, insomnia cookies, etc. I did not know about this place till last year even though I was a student at NCSU. The door that you can enter is so tiny and plus, you have to go up to all those tiny little stairs, so it’s really easy to miss this place– but once you visit & find out about Mitch’s Tavern, you will never miss it!
My friend and I got here around 11:40am and it was super empty. Staff were very nice and they took us to the booth. Like always, they had lots of options to choose, daily specials and more. Since they had so many different menu (I felt like they added more options!), it took forever for us to decide. I ordered big burrito and my friend had southern mélange. So after we ordered, we were about to start our conversation & ready to catch up everything and stuff, right? Literally after we ordered like 3 – 4 minutes, we got our food right away. I mean I think it was so much faster than regular fast food places!!!
My burrito was so big that I had to cut it like several pieces but it was def a smart choice! It was full of pulled pork, black bean, rice, cheese, lettuce and more! Lots of fresh ingredients in that huge burrito, and I loved sour cream and guacamole for my side. My friend loved her southern mélange too. I had few bites– I loved that soft sweet potatoes, fresh tomatoes & lots of other veggies! If you love veggies, I recommend you to try Southern Mélange! So good!
I am such a slow-​eater and like I said, that burrito was huge, so it took forever for me to finish my plate. It was so nice coming back to Mitch’s Tavern this afternoon, I haven’t been here in forever. If you are looking for good food/​reasonable price, I highly recommend Mitch’s Tavern! Thank you for awesome food today, I will be back soon:)!

Mitch’s has lasted through the years of many many restaurants coming and going on Hillsborough Street, which says that they are doing something right. Located up a old wood stairway (be sure to watch the step when you exit the door back onto the sidewalk though, it always gets me).
The menu is very reasonably priced and the ‘specials’ sheet has plenty of good options overtime we have been over the years. My favorite is the cuban sandwich and my husband gets the burrito, both large portions and filling. The soups have always been really well done. I wish they would offer a daily side, I understand keeping costs down, but something OTHER than chips would be nice… especially since the last two times we went the chips were stale. While I know it isn’t going to happen… offer ranch!
I give three stars because we have never experienced good service here. It’s either we can’t get the server to come to the table, they enter the food order wrong, enter the wrong beer, bring our check while we are still eating (maybe we wanted another drink?) or get the check wrong when ask to split it.
Bottom line, the food is good, the service is not, I like going because it brings me back to college days.

We came here prior to a night out in downtown Raleigh. Extremely inexpensive, yet quality food. Good selection of beverages and mostly everything on the menu seemed like home.

A classic standby of NCSU — love the atmosphere! The food selection is wide, but everything is SO GOOD. A great beer selection with nightly specials (they have liquor too!) This is definitely one of my favorite haunts and places to meet up with friends to catch up. It’s solid, it’s tradition, you should definitely go (and try the gumbo!) Also, gluten-​free options are noted, which I appreciate so much as a person with celiac!

A great spot for hanging out with NCSU crowd and get a very reasonably priced meal. The servers are very friendly. They have different gumbo dishes which is my favorite.

So this place was certainly hidden and is a little tricky to find unless you know where to look. It is basically just a door, but if you look up on the street you can see a sign for Mitch’s Tavern… but you have to look closely.
Not bad for a college dive bar, with decently priced beers. $ 2.25 yingling and PBRs. Didn’t eat here so I can’t speak to the food. The seating is pretty awful so if you plan on coming here, come for the bar and drinks not for the ambiance or atmosphere.

Exceptional London Broil sandwich. Came with fries and a pickle. I loved the old seats and the rustic feel to the place.

I first stumbled upon mitch’s on a hot day after classes: they had a sign out front advertising limeade. I was surprised that the bar/​pub was actually at the top of a steep flight of stairs! Made it feel like I had discovered something secret.
The limeade was great. The food was better. I have been coming back ever since. Don’t be put off by the humble store front: this place is a Raleigh landmark, and a damn fine restaurant to boot.

Fabulous local spot right next to the college! Prices are so low and its a lot of food for the money! This bar has been around for a long time and its an NC STATE staple!!!

I met my friends at Mitch’s Tavern back in 1970 while attending N.C. State University. This is still one of the best places with a «back in the day» vibe and still keeps the long tradition alive today. I do miss the old Pin-​Ball Machines and Foosball games we frequented. The essence of this cool little Bar and Restaurant lingers with those fond memories. The bar is excellent and the properly priced food speaks to the frugality of the regular student crowd. Still keep coming back here because Mitch’s Tavern somehow becomes a part of you and that feeling must be renewed frequently.

I went to Mitch’s for lunch and got the London broil sandwich with a cup of gumbo on the side. The London broil was decently tender and really flavorful. The marinade it was cooked in really infused the meat with a nice depth of juiciness with every bite. They do not skimp on the London broil either; you get a half lb. of juicy meat with a warm pink center. I was thoroughly pleased with how it was cooked and had the perfect «rareness.» The melted cheese and herb mayo were also great complements and the toasted bread was really good. The bread was surprisingly soft and really made the sandwich along with the meat.
I also tried the gumbo and it was tasty and had great quality ingredients. It was missing the great Cajun spices you’d expect from an authentic New Orleans gumbo, but there were huge chunks of sausage and ham as well as nice vegetables. Overall, the food was pretty good for the cheap price and was better than my last visit. I’ll increase my rating to 4 stars because of the good food and really cheap prices.

I wasn’t going to come here 2 days in a row but then changed my mind. I’m glad I did because I was able to snag a table in the corner which is hard to do since this place gets really busy at peak times. I was also really happy with the food. Got the pasta primavera which comes with a side salad. Also got a hot tea on this chilly & rainy day. It was all perfect and actually too much food. I gave it my best shot but couldn’t finish it all.
This place is pretty consistent with the quality & quantity of food, prices & service. I appreciate that.

Mitch’s is a good place to go if you are looking for simple bar food for a good value. There is a good selection of craft beer on draft. There are usually drink specials each day of the week. Often times graduate students will frequent the bar for a quick meal, and drink while grading papers. Simply put, Mitch’s is a Raleigh staple. If you are looking for a classic pub with decent food for a good value, this place is definitely worth checking out. Over the years we have frequented this place. Our favorite dishes are the chicken gumbo, London Broil sandwich, Cuban sandwich, and large chef salad. All of these dishes will run you about 6 to 7 dollars each. The chicken gumbo and chef salad come with a side of saltine crackers. The London Broil sandwich and a Cuban sandwich each come with a side of ruffles chips. We like to add the chips into the sandwiches for a little extra crunch. The chef salad has fresh lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and cubes of cheddar cheese. There are several dressing options and my favorite is the oil and vinegar. Each of the dishes is a decent portion but not overly filling. The interior of the restaurant has a lot of character. Everything is wood. The atmosphere is very fitting for this classic pub. If you are walking down Hillsborough Street this restaurant is easy to miss as it is located on the second floor. Look for the sign with the daily specials just outside of the door. Mitch’s is one of my favorites places to go for a quick comment cheap meal with this and drinks. If you’re looking for a party scene, look elsewhere.

I love Mitch’s! Every time I go, the venue, service and food is exactly the same. I’ve been coming here for about 6 years after visiting with my NCSU grad school friends (and professors!) and it’s just a solid old school spot. Hidden up the stairs on Hillsborough Street, the food is fast, simple, inexpensive and consistently good. I usually go for the turkey ruben and am never disappointed, but I also enjoy their chili, chicken salad and cuban, and LIMEADE in the summer — so so good. Their beer selection is great, combined with daily drink specials, this is a great cozy spot to meet a friend or date.

So, it’s very easy to walk by and not notice this place — it’s sort of sandwiched between two loudly decorated places by comparison. I am so glad I stumbled upon this place. As a graduate student attending a conference money is scarce and I’m always terrified to hear «let’s go out for lunch.»
When I first sat down I looked straight for the salad menu — cheap and healthy both things of concern until I noticed that there were very few items over $ 7 on this menu. I ended up getting a ½ lb London broil sandwich substituting the chips for a healthier side for $ 6.95! WHERE AM I?
It’s a bit loud, it was a busy lunch in a bar styled place — there are tons of interesting things on the walls and it has an old English/​Irish bar feel to it. I really enjoyed the food, the service, the atmosphere AND the price. Great, great great!

Great food, and even better prices! Mitch’s has a long history of feeding generations of NCSU students and raleigh locals. They serve home-​style food but with a very creative selection including interesting items like stuffed grape leaves and gazpacho. One of their consistent soups is the lima bean corn chowder and I hope they continue to have this every time I go because it is delicious. The best sandwiches are the London broil and the Cuban and I also recommend the pimento cheese on french bread with fried green tomatoes. It is the best pimento cheese I have found so far.
The steep flight of steps up to the restaurant/​bar makes you feel like
your’e discovering a secret amongst the mainstream storefront establishments on hillsborough street. The dark and comfy atmosphere does not quite hide the age of restaurant but it adds to the character creating a unique experience that is accessible to all ages including students on a budget.
They have a well rounded drink selection with beer and highball specials everyday.

Mitch’s is great. It’s super cheap, great meals that taste home made. I really like anything with their pulled pork, especially their Cuban sandwich or their burrito (better than chipotle). The décor is comfortable, historical, and quirky. Most of the wait staff is really on top of it and pleasant. The only thing I don’t like so much is chips for a side. I mean you have a great sandwich and then just lays ruffles on the side? It’s easily remedied by opting for a different side or a soup but it costs a bit more.