Sadlack’s Heroes

Dont judge a book by its cover. I think this book is now closed :(

It’s a shame they are closing down. Count me in the party that hopes that they simply relocate, but if they choose not to, then they have earned their retirement. Great sandwiches all around with a diversified menu. Awesome live music and something different to do every night. Great mix of age groups inside as well, from college students to 60’s rocker-​types. It’s such a fun place with so much great tradition.

If your like me and have a bit of trouble decided what sounds good the ‘Shut up and eat it’ option is great! Just order 6″ or 12″ and eat what they give you. The staff is friendly and witty and the crowd is local.

Please, don’t close this place…

I’ve been living here for years and never tried this place. I’m not that into bluegrass or hippie music either, so I wouldn’t show up for the entertainment.
The Philly steak was good. Better than any chain joint. I wasn’t blown away to the point of orgasm or anything, but it’s well done and tasted fairly fresh.
I was a bit let down that they don’t have a meatball sub, and the service was slow as hell on a dead Wed. night. It took a good 20 min just to get a sandwich. I think the regulars are too drunk to notice, but good on them.
Not bad at all, but it’s not really my scene. I can see why people like it.

Went back to Sadlack’s yesterday for some great live music and a few brews, and just as i expected they delivered once again. I got there kinda early as to avoid waiting 20 min to get a beer, because some of the regulars can get a bit chatty after couple of brews.
Not that I’m not a patient man it’s just i hate waiting just because someone else is tipsy and feeling social. but anyway i digress the live music is what really set the night in motion for me and the crew i was with, people laughing and singing made for a great evening. i really enjoy coming here and hanging out with friends i don’t get to see that often.
So if you haven’t had a chance to check this spot out, you’ll definitely want to put this place on your «To-​DO» list.
P.S– beware of the stranger floating around asking you to buy them beer… it’s not a good look!

Always a classic. My parents went here before I was even born, and I have continued to go through my life and now take my daughter. Food is good, friendly staff with small but good beer selection. Listening to music here or playing there as the entertainment is always fun.

We were in town doing a college visit at NC State. Wanted to «taste» the local flavor, so stopped here for lunch. They have a parking lot right behind the restaurant which made the stop that much easier. You can also see that they have a lot of outside seating, which I’m sure the college kids take advantage of especially in the evening. Other reviews I read said that it was a bar that served food, but I guess I was caught by surprise when I walked in and discovered that there aren’t any real tables, just the bar. The curved bar takes up most of the room, but they added a shelf with bar stools that goes around the outer edge of the room for «additional» seating if you will. So sitting at the bar is pretty much the only option unless you don’t mind sitting on a backless stool for lunch.
Dave was super friendly and in no time we had our menus. Good selection of a variety of sandwiches, I ordered a reuben, my daughter a corned beef, and my son a hamburger. We were watching the Olympics on the TV’s, but Dave also kept us entertained and answered questions about life in Raleigh, the school, etc. The sandwiches were awesome — what I loved about mine in particular is that it wasn’t what you normally see in restaurants these days. It wasn’t piled so high with meat and toppings that you couldn’t pick it up let alone eat it. It was just perfect — a good helping of meat and toppings that was easily manageable and so delicious! The homemade chips were good too — a nice touch. We really enjoyed our meal here and would love to go back if we lived in the area.

Sometimes my reviews are filled with witty banter, but this one is pretty straight forward.
Great location, great sandwich. My wife went to State, had told me it was on the must do list, and we finally got to it. I had chips instead of tots, which is something I’d change next time, but that’s about it. It was a nice day, got to sit outside with a view of the Bell Tower. Can’t beat it.
Put this on your must do list, you won’t be disappointed.

You know what keeps this place from being mobbed by college-​kids, lunch break professionals, and people of all ilk?
The «face» of this place – the lovable degenerates who hang out there religiously.
I’m sure they are all wonderful people if you get to know them, but most likely you don’t know them.
The food is great. The home-​made chips are great.
The place is even extremely clean since the renovations.
But the scenery… and the music… and the conversations you have to overhear… are very challenging.
«To go» is a great option.

A Raleigh institution, Sadlack’s. My husband and I have had lunch here a few times in the past year and the sandwiches are actually quite good and the draft beer selection is much better than I expected.
It is a great neighborhood bar, with a friendly staff. My favorite thing about Sadlack’s Heroes? The bartenders play real vinyl albums on an actual turntable!

Sweet potato tater tots are a stroke of genius. Crunchy on the outside, hot and creamy on the inside. The sandwich I had with the tots was pretty damn good too. This place has a solid college town ambiance, and is worth checking out.

Sadlack’s have a great selection of sandwiches and draft beer. This is one of the few places where I can either get a really decent burger with fresh sweet potato fries, homemade potato chips and a crunchy pickle OR a cucumber and avocado sandwich with yogurt sauce and alfalfa sprouts on pumpernickel. Dave the bartender (and server) is a pleasure, he always remembers his regular customers and there seem to be plenty of them. The wait is never too long despite their popularity at lunchtime. It’s a must when you’re on campus at NCSU or visiting Pullen Park.

I’m going to look pretty lame for ranting about such little issues, but the service at this place REALLY rubs me the wrong way.
I went there for the first time and ordered a soda and a sandwich for $ 6.50 on the menu. The man behind the counter asked «chips or fries with that?» I chose the latter, and my bill turned out to be almost $ 12. Thinking I must have misread the menu, I paid without questioning the price. I didn’t have my wallet with me though, and I only had enough cash to pay for the meal since I’m a poor college student and it was much more than I had expected. The man irritably asked «wait, you’re not going to tip me?» loud enough for everyone in the store to hear. I laughed awkwardly at his straightforwardness, apologized, and left.
Next time I looked at the menu to see that sandwiches are served with chips. Suspecting that fries must be extra, I asked to make sure. I was right.
A few issues with this… on the menu, both fries and chips are the same price when ordered as sides — $ 2. Why charge extra for fries if you ASK which of them I’d like with my meal? Moreover, if my sandwich comes with chips and I’m paying $ 2 extra for fries, I’m basically buying the extra side. I should be getting the chips that came with my meal AND fries.
I’m really not a fussy customer. But I do expect good, polite service, and I do expect to feel that I’m being charged a fair price. Aside from that, this is probably the best meal you can get for a reasonable amount on campus. Everything is fresh, tasty, and I get the feeling that I’m eating real food that isn’t previously frozen scrap meat — a rarity on Hillsborough Street from my experience.

I wasn’t sure what to expect here on a Sunday afternoon right after church, but the Groupon deal was too good to pass up, so I have at least a couple more visits here to decide.
First, the Big Mike (pastrami sandwich) was pretty durn good! Of course I had to try my bride’s Philly Cheese-​steak, and it was another of those times when I was wishing I had ordered what she had! Next time, for sure.
We had our little girl with us too — at first we were a little uneasy waling in with her because the place appeared to be more like a bar than anything else, but when we saw there was a (small) children’s menu, and nobody there appeared to be just throwing back brews for the sake of getting their drunk on, I was a little less concerned about bringing her in the place.
The home made chips RAWK!
See you next week!

During my Sophomore year at State, I lived in North Hall, which is right next to Sadlack’s. I have to say that I was initially put off by Sadlack’s because it was so loud and rowdy after dark. Think about it, a college kid being put off by a place because it’s loud and rowdy? Think about how loud and rowdy a place has to be to put off a college kid. That speaks volumes. Unfortunately, not higher volumes than the live bands that regularly play here, whom interrupted many a nap time of mine when I lived at North.
Recently, however, I’ve taken to having lunch at Sadlack’s. I was surprised to learn that Sadlack’s is a completely different place during the day. When the vampiric PBR drinkers and live bands aren’t there, Sadlack’s is actually a perfectly enjoyable little sandwich shop.
You get to sit at the bar when you eat, which is pretty cool, because I normally feel really uncomfortable eating at a bar in a restaurant. But at Sadlack’s, everybody does it, so you don’t feel like the weirdo eating at the bar. The atmosphere itself reminds me of burger and hot dog joints on the beach that I used to frequent as a kid and teenager. It’s very laid back and simple, and the service is personal.
The waiter/​bartender dude, Dave, is there every day, and he’ll start recognizing you and treating you like a regular after you’ve been there a few times. Even then he’s very straightforward when taking orders. Gives you about 2 minutes to look at the menu if you need to, and he’s ready to take your order. Funny guy, too, and fun to talk to. From what I’ve gathered, his mom owns the place and is the head chef.
The sandwiches are all really great. You can’t go wrong with any of your choices. My favorite is the Dr. Frank’s, which has all sorts of delicious meats, cheeses, tomatoes, and crisp, fresh lettuce dipped in a delicious oil/​sauce.
Speaking of crisp: Get the homemade chips with your sandwich. They cut ‘em, fry ‘em season ‘em right there in the kitchen, and they taste great. Some of the best homemade chips I’ve had, and I love homemade chips.
Go check out Sadlack’s, it really is a great place to hang out and eat on Hillsborough street, and as the locals know, those types of places are quickly going extinct.

Walking down on Hillsborough Street I’d regularly pass this little red building called Sadlack’s. There would always be some dudes hanging out on the patio, knocking down beers and chilling out. Is it a bar? Music venue? Wufpack hang-​out? Well it’s all that and more, my friends!
So finally I stopped in to meet a friend for lunch. She re-​assured me that their food and tots rocked. Inside, the place is clean with an interesting looking counter that circles the space. I was actually hoping for more dive bar here! Stools and a dining shelf line the outer part of Sadlack’s so you can have lunch while checking out at the action on the street. With a handful of beers on tap and good assortment of sandwiches on the menu I can see how this place works well for quick lunches. I ordered up a pastrami sammich with some sweet potato tots. Good stuff, the sandwich came on a fluffy roll, layered with some cheese and veggies. The sweet tater tots were the big winner: small, well-​fried and satisfying.
The bartender and counter guy, Dave is a friendly and professional dude. He knows how to serve his peeps and is entertaining as well. And you know, they do have local bands here and I’m guessing that Sadlack’s totally changes it’s personality after dark and one too many PBR’s. So I gotta give Sadlack’s three stars for its food (good basic sandwiches), a plus one for its service and what I gotta believe is a good bar scene. It’s old but it’s still hip and cool. You gotta like a classic spot like Sadlack’s that still delivers the goods…

Sadlack’s is one of my favorite Raleigh haunts. Great music and people watching, cold beer, and tasty sandwiches (with crinkle-​cut fries!). It’s a Raleigh institution and the regulars have done a great job making sure it doesn’t go out of business. Sit out front and watch the NCSU traffic or choose a table out back when there’s live music.

HEY. You like sandwiches? People watching? Dogs? Music?
You’ll love this place. Man I love a good sandwich. This place has oodles of good sandwiches! Home made chips… mmm…beer…mmm…awesome folks behind the bar… mmmhmmm! Chalkboard type walls in the bathroom… mmmyes. Man I want a veggie pumper just writing this.

A lot of bands, some of them great and some of them not so great have gotten their start at Sad lacks. The sandwich restaurant really isn’t equipped to be a musical venue (or hold more than 20 people inside) but somehow they seem to do it anyway, and do it well.
There are no tables in Sadlacks, only a bar with around 12 seats, and then another bar with more seating running along the exterior wall. Musicians will often set up in the front corner, which depending on their size can make the building hard to navigate. That said, there’s a huge back patio where you can hang out and four picnic tables outside if you want to take your party outside.
The bar sells some pretty fantastic sandwiches at reasonable prices as well as a variety of beer options including tall boys of High Life (always a sign of a classy establishment).