Neptune’s Parlour

Raleigh is a funny place. I went to Neptune’s Parlour but I had to pay for a members club card to get in. It was only like a couple bucks but because of liquor laws this is the loop hole. Going to the basement reminded me of the vintage inspired bars from the seventies that I’m used to while living in Seattle. It’s a boozy version of your parents basement. This is obviously a favorite watering hole for the locals. The crowd was mixed with college kids, street kids and hip kids. They had some cheap beer deals which was nice since you have to pay to get in.
There might have also been a flow over from the upstairs venue.
I might have preferred this place earlier in the evening or a Sunday afternoon for a quick cold beer.

Drinks were delicious. Bartenders were attentive. And it’s my kind of place. Dark and relatively quiet. Plus there was a ninja turtle video game. Donatello for life.

In the beginning the experience was great. Drinks on time, and bartender was able to make eye contact. Was hanging out for quite sometime. Spent quite a bit, on not only me but quite a few friends, but when I just wanted a water. The bartender decided to have some posse that decided to say «fuck off» when I asked for a water, and I had to wait for over 30 mins. In the meantime, I wasn’t allowed to have any other drinks due to the bartenders friend. Overall, great experience in the beginning, but was a huge let down at the end.

Big Thanks to the bartender for the waters and not getting annoyed. He helped my friend who had had kidney surgery and me her drunk friend rehydrate, without batting an eye. A lot of bartenders will look like you’ve just asked for a share of their tips when asking for water, but it seems this guy knows that water is just as important to serve as booze.
Fun atmosphere and fast efficient bartenders.

I give the bartenders a ⁵⁄₅ stars. They are quick, despite the insane amount of people demanding drinks and cards. Their mixed drinks are great, too!
The DJ’s get a hit or miss feeling from me. Sometimes it’s incredible, sometimes it’s not very good. They always have to play the same early 90’s rap, which is good music, just gets repetitive.
The vibe is pretty good, most people just doing their own thing, not giving a care about what others think. No stripper poles or boxes to stand and dance on (which could be a good or bad thing, depending on how much you drink or want to embarrass yourself).
I have to say though that there are a lot of pretentious jerks here though. I know, I know, people are gonna hit on women where ever they are… But these are a special kind of gross. Maybe I have been unlucky for the past two years, but my friends and I have had people yell racist and blatantly sexist things yelled at us just for trying to walk to our cab.
I took a long break from going back there just because of those negatives and since going back, the guys are the same and music is the same, too. Bartenders still on point.

Cool basement vibe. Gets really hot in there… But the drinks are made well and the DJ is usually solid. This is where you go when you want to dance. When you want to go crazy and be in a close quarters environment… Really its a hole in the wall and a awesome find.

A fun time for you and your friends. The places are different as can be.. Best place to dab is on the patio.

You’ll have one of two experiences at Neptune’s: a jam-​packed hipster dance club, or a chill hipster cocktail lounge. The former is fun, if you’re in the right mood and willing to wait for a drink. On occasion, I’ve had free a free PBR can handed to me by strangers (or employees?). The line for the bathroom can get long, and it can get kinda smelly/​sweaty near the dance floor.
The cocktail lounge experience is probably the one that you should go here for. Neptune’s has a seasonal cocktail menu with some of the best bartenders in the city. A long time ago, they introduced me to the michelada, which is essentially a beer drinker’s bloody mary. They have board games available behind the counter, a couple arcade games, and one pinball. There is also usually ping pong on Sunday afternoon.
Try getting a cockital before a show at King’s or before dinner at Garland or Capital Club 16.
Lately, I’ve noticed that Neptune’s has been experimenting with live music. I’m looking forward to checking out a show there some day. Usually they just have a DJ.

Loved it at first. Then I went to order a drink and the bartender said «what the fuck else do you want?!» Rudely when he couldn’t hear me. My boyfriend complained and they proceeded to kick us out. They did nothing to rectify their horrible customer service and I will not be back. They did a terrible job
Rectifying a bad customer service situation. Guy in glasses and unkempt and beard made us leave.

So not my favorite place to dance in Raleigh but it’s not bad. Neptune’s is located in a basement beneath Garland and Kings. It’s always dark and the décor fits nicely. They usually have pretty decent beer specials as well as other specialty drinks. They also have an old school TMNT video game to play.
Every time I have gone with my friends (who love the place) I’ve been disappointed with the DJs. There are usually long pauses between songs or weird transitions. It can be difficult to dance to. I also wish there were more bathrooms but that can’t be fixed in their small space.

Let me admit that this is one of the best places for late-​night dancing in Raleigh. But unless I’ve already had a few drinks and a bunch of friends convince me to stop by… I just won’t be back (and it’s a shame because I’ve had great experiences at King’s and Garland).
It’s a lovely basement space below Garland and Kings off of Martin St. Beautiful fake wood bar and light fixtures. However, when the bar isn’t in Friday and Saturday late-​night mode, it’s a wasted space, awkwardly laid out (so it can turn to dancing later), and playing a random assortment of bad music. The cocktails are cheaper than other cocktail bars, but stronger and not very good tasting (go with the $ 2 PBR or a $ 5 draft). And, the bartenders are downright rude and unfriendly. Once I stopped by for a drink alone on a weeknight after a show at Kings. My friends had headed out, and I wasn’t quite ready to walk home. The place had about 10 people there. Sitting at the bar, I had to flag down someone to order and got ignored the rest of the night – not even an attempt to make small talk, ask me about my drink, etc. (I’ve been there on other nights, when the bartenders also ignore most of the customers and only talk to old pals or each other.)
A friend left her purse on a hook under the bar on a Saturday night. When we came back to get her bag, everything was intact, but quite a large amount of cash was gone. The employee first smirked, then told her it was her fault for carrying so much cash around in the first place (how did he even know that it was a lot of cash stolen?). I understand that it was out fault for forgetting her bag (and we were thankful to find it), but laughing at her misfortune was really unnecessary. (And the afternoon was somewhat infuriating because their website said they opened at 3pm on Sunday, so we were stopping by every hour, and it was closed. Turns out they actually open at 7pm, despite what their website says.)
Come here for late night dancing. Drink $ 2 PBR. Watch your stuff. Bring lots of friends so you can ignore the surly bartenders. If the bar was run differently, it could be such an awesome space – sadly it’s the Boylan Bridge Brewpub of the city’s cocktail bars.

Very fun, unique bar downtown. Lots of eclectic people. The music can be hit or miss but when it’s good music it is amazing– fun new music and throwbacks! Big dance floor and pretty big bar as well.
You have to pay a membership cover to get in so don’t forget your card once you pay once. It also gets so hot down there it’s crazy– you WILL sweat.

You know that one grimy bar with really sticky floors, cheap drinks, creepers, drunk chicks using the men’s bathroom because the women’s bathroom is constantly full and broken glass shards everywhere?
That’s Neptune’s Parlour.
However, despite all of that, they always have the best music and the most interesting crowd (if you can overlook the bros and drunk chicks).
If you’re looking to get trashed and just have a good time, then Neptune’s is the place to be.
If you’re looking for any and everything else, LOL don’t come here.

This place is a shit show. It’s in a basement so as soon as you walk in you get the sweaty air right in the face. That does not mean that this place is not fun, trust me this place can be A LOT OF FUN!
However, do not make the mistake of showing up here sober… I have to be pretty drunk to enjoy the atmosphere here.
You need a $ 1 membership to get into this bar.

My favorite bar in Raleigh! I go here way more than I should, but it’s a place of comfort and I hope that never changes. The staff is always friendly, even on the weekends when the place is flooded with assholes. When there are 50+ people crowded around the bar and there are only 2 bartenders, you can’t rationally expect a drink within a few minutes.
Generally I go just for drinks. But lately I’ve realized how fun it is to dance here on the weekends, depending on the music being played and the crowd. Trivia night hosted by the Buchanan brothers the first Tuesday of every month is also something worth experiencing! I’ve never won, but maybe one day…

Scene: dude central. Ladies, if you’re looking to meet some dudes, Raleigh is the place.
Drinks: good luck getting one. There are only two bartenders for a very popular bar. I recommend you either order doubles, or that you double-​fist, or that you bring a flask or something. The bartenders do have a system, however: clockwise. I don’t matter how much you lean over the bar and show your goods and bite your tongue and all that. Believe me, I tried.
Music: sort of random, like it depends on whoever the DJ is (which is like anywhere duh). But there weren’t a lot of Top 40 danceable hits, or any danceable songs, really. It was like the DJ was like, «Oh I like this song.» And lots of dudes on the dance floor.
Dudes: did I mention there are a lot of dudes in Raleigh? I know, because I went out with a group of 4 dudes. It doesn’t matter to me, being married and all, but coming from Chapel Hill, wow. Lots of dudes.

The clock is about to strike midnight and once again I find myself walking down the stairs to Neptune’s. I have no idea why this always seems to be my late night spot oh wait I know because after a few cocktails while hanging out with your girlfriends all of a sudden everyone wants to dance WHAT? Yup this is true it never fails the tipsiest of the groups first line is always «let’s go dancing». So Neptune’s it is! I wish I could say thanks for the awesome dance floor but really all I have the next day are regrets from drinking too much and bad memories of all those embarrassing moves I made on your dance floor. However I can’t say I’m not enjoying myself while I’m there.
This place can get crazy packed so I really don’t frequent here if I’m just looking to chill and get a drink. It’s hard to get a beverage on most weekend nights and sometimes the crowd is just too much for me. If your looking for more of a club and some rowdy folks then check it out and dance your ass off!

i continue to love Neptune’s for it’s delicious seasonal cocktails, accommodating bar tenders, and great relaxed atmosphere.
The last time we were there, there were a couple of unruly guys who had a bit too much to drink. One of them grabbed my friend’s arm which was not only unwelcomed but also startled her. Almost immediately, the staff at Neptune’s swooped in and asked the two to leave. Apparently, they had their eye on them earlier and that was their last chance to behave and they did not. I’m sure the two just had a little too much to drink, but as a group of girls who just want to go out to dance and have fun, the gesture was very much appreciated.
Neptune’s rotates through various DJ’s and music themed nights. I would say ³⁄₅ times I go there there’s a DJ I enjoy. The asian dude does a great job with older one hit wonders from the 90’s and even the 80’s. The few I have not enjoyed don’t really play ‘dance-​able’ music although I would enjoy if i was there just to sit. Unfortunately, the nights the music isn’t good, the drinks aren’t good enough reason for us to stay, so we often split.
Checking the event calendar to see what might be going on is a great way to find out if you’ll like it there or not. Either way, if i’m going to Raleigh, i never leave home without my neptune’s card!

King’s and Neptune’s are such fun places :) you can go downstairs and dance your little heart out, or you can go upstairs and jam out to whatever band they have that night. Neptune’s was much busier than King’s when we went 2 weeks ago, but they were SO fun! Not sure how we ended up here after First Friday, but I don’t regret it at all: D
Neptune’s was hot, because there were about 100 people dancing their asses off. The house DJ was really good! The bar was a little slow but it was ok, the people all went with the flow and it was a great night!

Oh mighty Neptune’s Parlour, it sounds like a ride at Universal Studios but no… It’s the newest bar slash lounge in Raleigh and I believe part of the revived Kings Barcade music venue. As Robert D mentioned, it’s a totally non-​descript spot on Martin Street, just look for the people milling about in front and step into its dark, cave-​like interior. No windows, an open space for music and dancing, a couple of cool curved and padded banquettes on the end…
Our group of Unilocalees stormed Neptunes Parlour a bit over-​dressed. The crowd was mostly post-​mod Hipsters and a mixed LGBT crowd. We’re talking beards, plaids and piercings. They were spinning some mixed retro dance tunes and we all had a fun time! Especially one dude that captivated Susan Z, Jane Y, Meghan B and Christina G with his old school movez… Bartenders were all pretty quick but pretty much slammed last night. Bathrooms are sort of limited, just one for each gender so teeny tiny bladders should be prepared to wait a bit.
All-​in-​all it’s a cool low-​key spot that’s made for a bit of drinking, dancing and music for a slightly older crowd. And definitely not a frat-​boy or clubbing scene which may suit you just perfectly! We’re talking dark and divey here which is sometimes just what’s needed…