Rum Runners

It was by chance that my friend and I ended up here last night. We arrived around 830pm, and seating was limited and we ended up at one of the tables at the very front right near the dueling piano players. Ok so it was a pretty simple atmosphere not much in the way of décor and our server was nothing special, but with the exception of one of the performers jumping on our table and behaving like a monkey and grabbing at our food, I really enjoyed the entertainment. As someone that loves all types of music they truly had all bases covered! I could have stayed and closed down the place simply because I was getting into singing along but my friend, also a mom, the decision was made that we needed to throw in the towel at midnight. We each had a beer and gave their chicken lettuce wraps a try. Let’s just say that the flavor was good and I thought they were reasonable priced, but the menu is very limited so this is what we settled for. I’m most definitely looking forward to going back with a larger group of people and making a whole evening of it purely for the musical talent and comic entertainment!

Why doesn’t everyone love Rum Runners? I mean I guess dueling piano bars aren’t everyone’s thing, but this is a really good one! It’s just so funky, tiki themed dueling piano bar with a club with a god machine over in the next room. 5 star people watching. When I was here there were some diverse crowds, young, old, guys, girls, couples. Really fun. They sell fish bowl buckets, they’re potent but delicious if you’re into sweet drinks. Really talented, high energy performers. It’s a dueling piano bar so if you want quiet conversation, don’t go here. If you want to be entertained, I think this is the best spot in downtown Raleigh for that. Could have stayed here all night… only left because someone got sick and it smelled… maybe they should cut people off a little sooner, some people were way past drunk. Everyone has those nights, but it seemed to be a good bit of the crowd here (maybe it was those fish bowls).

Went to the piano bar following a work holiday event. Arrived before 9 p.m. and didn’t have a cover. Shoots on special were sugary sweet. Pay the extra for better options. Bar staff was quick and friendly.
Don’t waste your money to request a song on the pianos. We had put in three requests and none were played. Most of the songs played were the typical covers. Don’t expect to hear very many current tunes.

LOUD! I’ve visited here during an exceptionally raucous bachelorette party, and the idea of the place was neat, but unless you are here just to drink and not have a conversation with your partner, it’s less than ideal.

Such a fun place. Ok this is close to N.C. State and there are a lot of young adults there. But even as we ride in on dinosaurs the kids allowed us to have a great time with them.
Service was great and drinks were cheap. All the piano players and other musicians really worked the room to make sure everyone was included and having fun.
We will return and have another fun night.

I received an email after signing up for their newsletter advising to sign up for a chance to win a Luau Party for me and as many guests as I would like. I was one of the first 15 ppl to reply and won ! Sharon/​Clayton contacted me with the awesome details. free admission before 9p for my guests, free dinner buffet (which was Mexican fare, I made a nice plate of beef nachos complete with fresh fixingsl, $ 20 gift certificate and vip admission pass for a month to Rum Runners. This win came just in time as I was looking for a fun place to kick off my birthday weekend. I love a theme, so a Luau party fit the bill. RUM Runners provided the leis and atmosphere for a good time. The GM Charlie even came over tonpersonally congratulate me and to buy me a drink on the house! Dueling piano players invited us to sing along as well as suggest songs to sing. Located Downtown Raleigh, I would recommend this place for celebrating and to jumpstart a fun night out. It’s not a huge club, but there are two rooms. two bars and a nice space to unwind and have a good time.

Loved the 2 spaces, was great to dance and listen to music at dueling pianos. Definitely recommend for the fun vibe.

Great concept, but it falls flat here. It was very weird. When we went into the bar, it was packed. Lots of 20-​somethings playing card games and Jenga. It was a fun atmosphere even with no entertainment. As soon as the piano music started, they all left. There was hardly anyone left! The guys playing were just ok, and were not really «dueling» like I’ve experienced in other piano bars. They were just playing together and singing. We placed a request, with a tip, and it was ignored (at least for the next hour that we stayed waiting for it to be played).
The drinks weren’t cheap, and seemed to be pretty wimpy. Restrooms kind of dirty, and there was no one at all in the back bar. We were there on a Thursday night. Some other places in downtown were hopping, but not this place. We probably won’t return. Sorry…

It was my bday and I came to the establishment to have a good time and that’s what I did! The fish bowls ROCK!

Lots of fun! Great music and laughs. Luah party is a great treat! Staff is very friendly as well. I’d definitely go back!

This was my first time going to a dueling piano bar. While I found the concept to be fun, the overall experience was not so great.
Firstly, the crowd was just not our thing. I didn’t factor this isn’t my rating, but just letting you know it’s not the youngest, hippest crowd. Much older. Much bachelorette party.
Secondly, the drinks we alright, but nothing great. I’d even say a little overpriced for the quality. We got some BJ shots and a fishbowl… that came in a margarita class.
Finally, and most importantly, the piano players were just plan out rude. We saw a several people try to submit song requests and they would literally just throw some of them on the floor and ignore them, or worse yet, give them an attitude. We attempted to request a song for our friend’s birthday and even tipped, but got the same treatment.
While they have a unique and fun concept, it’s probably time for some updates and overhauls.

A love a piano bar, but this one really doesn’t do much for me. We got here on the early side and grabbed a drink at the bar. My vodka and cranberry was mostly cranberry and it was so sweet I barely drank it and I’m not one to waste a drink! We apparently picked a table too close to the air vent because it was FREEZING! I didn’t dare go to the bathroom, but my friend reported that it was every bit as bad as I had imagined. The piano guys on duty did not seem especially skilled. Every song was off key and they all sounded the same. We stayed a little while for the people watching, but then went outside to find better drinks and to thaw out.

Fun piano bar in downtown Raleigh. The crowd is always enthusiastic and the musicians are very talented.

We went out for a friend’s birthday and had a good time. We spent all of our time in the piano bar area. The wait staff was very good and attentive even though it was very crowded. I was sure they were going to mess up our bills but they got everything right. Prices were reasonable for Raleigh.
We came for the dueling pianos and were not disappointed. There were two sets of piano players: one set was more entertaining but seemed less skillful (every song sounded very similar on the piano); the other set was less entertaining but played the songs in a more recognizable manner. I’ve certainly been to better piano bars but (1) this is the only piano bar in the area, (2) the cover was $ 2 on a Saturday night and a tip of $ 1 or $ 2 got your song played. At the better piano bars I’ve been to, the cover is much more and you have to tip $ 5 to ensure your song is played.
Bottom line: you are getting good bang for your buck at Rum Runners with a unique entertainment option.

I’ve been to Rum Runners in other states and this one was a dive. The first set of pianists were okay at best. They insulted people’s choices of songs (that they tipped for) and you could tell they weren’t into it at all. I ordered a double tall rum and coke and was charged for a double drink. The second set of pianists seemed a lot better, however, we didn’t stay long enough to heart them that much.
Over all, I’m very disappointed in the place.

I used to love Rum Runners so it pains me to give it 2 stars. I’m not sure if its just that bad or if I’ve just been spoiled by better piano bars? My most recent visit to Rum Runners was to celebrate my birthday. I was looking for something different to do and I hadn’t been to Rum Runners in a while so I figured it would be a great way to celebrate. I was wrong.
The pianos and the singing were pretty typical. Not terrible but certainly not winning a grammy in the near future. I found it highly annoying the way the one pianist, would constantly bang the cover of the piano down in attempt to create a «clap» sound or a «kick» drum sound (please excuse my lack of technical terms). Even with that, what really killed it for me was the drums that they incorporated. I noticed a couple of the guys were taking turns between the drums and the pianos but it didn’t matter who was on the drums, everyone of them was off beat and terrible. I’m not sure why musicians think that because they are good at one instrument that they are then able to be equally as talented at other instruments, but the way I see it is don’t force it. The drums were so off, that I couldn’t stand to sit there and listen another second.
So I headed to the back bar. I’m usually a pretty big fan of the back bar and thus this is a 2 star rating instead of a 1. Even the back bar was off this night. No one was dancing, which I guess was because the DJ had a clear love of 90s rap. I love Biggie and Tupac just as much as any other incredibly white person but their songs are not exactly dance friendly. When he finally did play a song that got people dancing he stopped it in the middle and transitioned back to something else un-​dancable, showing that he clearly doesn’t know how to read his crowd. Even better, while the DJ took requests, I have no idea what he did with them as he never played any of the songs we asked for in all the time we were there.
I don’t know, maybe I’m spoiled by Howl at the Moon in Charlotte (way more talent, 10x as entertaining, stronger drinks) but this was by far one of the worst places I’ve been to in awhile…

we went to Rum Runners to celebrate a friend’s birthday. This seems to be the thing to do there because there were about 7 – 8 people there celebrating birthdays that night. The piano players had a steady stream of requests, so you should get your request in early if you want to hear it played soon. They did seem to be good about playing the requests though.
The place as packed and the piano players were very entertaining. Overall it’s a fun place to go for a night out. Don’t plan on having much conversation with your group as it is loud, but that is to be expected in this kind of place. Also don’t go hungry, they have NO food at all. Luckily there are a lot of places close by, so we were able to slip out to Chuck’s and grab a burger and come back.
As mentioned by some of the other reviewers, the drinks seem to be very weak. They were tasty though!

As far as dueling piano bars go, this is probably the best and only choice in the triangle. It gets kind of loud in the main area. The server had a hard time even taking our drink orders. The pianists are usually fun and seem to know a diverse collection of songs. There’s a back room with a separate bar and I think live performers play here on some nights. I don’t think you can always get away from the noise but if you like loud music then you might like this place.
My main complaint for this bar is regarding the drinks. The fish bowls are loaded with a lot of ice so the size is misleading, The double gin and tonic was weak (definitely weaker than most normal gin and tonics). Overall drinks were very disappointing and it seemed like they were trying to save a buck by not making them that strong.

The second annual July Birthday Rum Runners Extravaganza took place this past July Weekend.
If you’re bringing a group I’d suggest coordinating with Curry the manager to get yourself some reservations. We were trying to fit 15 people in the confines of the piano area, 4 tables near the entrance railing were set aside for us and clearly marked.
The songs are cheesy, and sing-​along-​able (if that’s not a word it is now), the staff is pleasant.
Warning-​if you have upset, embarrassed, made someone the butt of a joke, or like me have friends that enjoy seeing people’s discomfort-​be prepared. A few dollars and a request form are all that is required for anyone to serve someone up a full plate of get your butt on stage and be prepared to be laughed at. After getting the birthday boys on stage to sing and make up their own dance moves for some temptations tune, Brit and I got to go up (thanks to the entire group for chipping in on that one) on stage to perform their (Rum Runners) rendition of Head, Shoulders, Knees and toes. Needless to say Boobs, Butts and Crotches were added to the nursery rhyme.
The place was packed and our server Skye was very attentive. I had flashbacks to have a nice day café and was in fishbowl heaven. Quaffing two of them with ~6 shots each will put anyone in a great mood. Be prepared the bowls are 20 on Saturdays and that’s their discounted rate.
In the back of Rum Runners, if you get tired of singing along and need a break, or just get tired of sitting, there is a Top-​40 dance club in the back with a separate bar. Dark and Murky, but still a good time. It’s also a great place to go if you know your friends have a lot of stage time planned for you, you can head in there to get lost.
One thing to note for those of you who are the DD’s. They screw the DD’s here. No free water or soda for you. Be prepared to pay 3.00 for a bottle of water or 2.50 for a soda.
If you’re hungry they will allow you to bring in outside food. I have to remember this for next year as we always pre-​game at Woody’s and then meander over to Rum Runners.
The other thing that seemed really strange is that they were out of white wine, with no reprieve until Thursday. A little frustrating to a few of the ladies in our group that wanted to drink some white wine.

I was surprised to see this place have such a sparse crowd on a Friday. It was Memorial Weekend, so maybe people were into other activities. The dueling pianos should be a bigger draw though. The musicians did a pretty good job — it’s hard to make dueling pianos not fun, but I’ve definitely seen and heard better. The $ 5 cover was worth it. The drink special we had tasted good, but was questionable in it’s alcohol content. It was OK though because we weren’t looking to get trashed.
I would go back.