The Old Bar

I’ve been here to eat once. The fries aren’t anything to rave about, but the sandwiches are. I ordered the cranberry glazed turkey sandwich; it wasn’t a patty, but actual chopped up turkey and it was SO good. My hubs made me try his pulled pork sandwich — again, amazing. I may not take my parents here because of the super dark lighting situation, but it’s great for a younger crowd. I’ll be coming here again :)
Side note: After we ate we went above to go see one of my favs, Sebastian Maniscalco… part of his act was spent making fun of Unilocalers :) FML

Food is meh but the original bar in a jar is where it’s at! If you eat here before a show you get better seats. If you share an appetizer and just drink here before a show, your waitress may turn cold on you. It’s bar food. Expect that :)

Fajitas are killer. Quiet place to have a decent meal or a drink, or a good place to hang out before or after a show upstairs at the Goodnight’s Comedy Club. Make sure you get a Bar in a Jar!

This place basically «is what it is.» Overall the food was not bad. Around $ 10 for fajitas and the show. A good deal. Shared a pitcher of margaritas and even with the auto gratuity, still an evening out for under $ 20. The atmosphere is quite loud, difficult to hear people sitting 2 feet away from you. Service was okay, but not over the top friendly. On guy was clearly trying to provide better service than the rest and seemed frustrated that he was working with other servers who were so nonchalant about serving. It’s worth the low cost for dinner and a show, just don’t expect too much,

It’s probably unlikely that you would end up at the Old Bar outside of hitting up a comedy show at Goodnight’s but yeah, I’m going to rate it by itself! I stopped in on a Thursday night for Goodnight’s $ 30 Thursday. For $ 30, you get one app, two entrees (sandwiches) and two premium tickets for the show. If I had to break it down, it’s about $ 10 for your meal and $ 5/​ticket. So for that $ 10 you get your choice of chips and (salsa or queso or spinach-​artichoke dip). And the queso was good, very rich and creamy.
My main-​sandwich was a fajita sandwich which was filled with grilled chicken, peppers and onions on a buttered roll. Decent. Beer selections at the Old Bar are a bit limited (Utica Club, PBR, Shotgun Betty and a couple of others on draft) but service is fast. It’s hard to rate Old Bar on its own. I’d have to give it 2 ½ stars but in the end, it exists to feed customers for Goodnight’s Comedy Club which now makes it a 3 star spot. Don’t expect too much, just solid bar food from a limited menu with fast service. But given there’s not much else in the area for food, a good choice before a comedy show at Goodnights…

It has been awhile since I had updated my review for the Old Bar, and hubby and I are still active in dining her before a great night of comedy. We had determined our favorites. A great burger for me and a pasta dish for hubby. The food is basic bar menu stuff with some other options thrown in, but likely to have something for everyone.
The service is always great, the food is good and it makes for a fun evening. When you book your tickets (which you can do on-​line) for your comedy, also reserve your Old Bar dining option as well.
Dinner and drinks to start your night off on the right foot.

I’ve been to the Old Bar (and Goodnight’s) twice, and have been fairly pleased. The food in the Old Bar is decent, nothing spectacular, but good for more bar-​like food (disclaimer. I’ve only eaten on Fajita night so other nights may be different/​better). If you’re looking for something a bit more, check out Irregardless next door.
If you’re seeing the show at Goodnight’s and it’s sold out, it does get crowded so be prepared to get cozy with the person to your right, left, back and front.
My only complaint was the guy that answered the phone to take my reservation. For a comedy club setting, I was expecting someone a bit more friendly. I had to call twice to get info and then to make reservation. I’m pretty sure I talked to the same guy both times, but who ever it was could use a customer service lesson. Had I received the same service when I actually came to the Old Bar/Goodnight’s, I probably wouldn’t come back. On another note, the host at the Old Bar is very friendly. (Ironic if it’s the same person and he just doesn’t come across the same way over the phone)

Someone from the kitchen was in the bathroom while I was in there as well. Needless to say the guy didn’t wash his hands after taking a piss!!! Either a cook or dishwasher… NASTY!!! So I told the manager expecting him to apologize or something and he said «oh ok» and ran away like a dumb ass. No apology. Nothing! I wasn’t looking for a hand out, but to better his business and the chance from this happening again.
I was more disappointed in the management than the cook/​dishwasher by the end if the whole situation. NASTY! There is even a sign, as in all bathrooms. All employees must wash hands… I ordered bottled beer for the rest of the night after ordering bar in a jar which was 2 shots MAYBE in a mason jar full of sugar. Comedy was awesome bar is nasty

The Old Bar sits underneath Goodnight’s Comedy Club — the club offers dinner/​show packages there with priority seating in the club, and they do a fajita/​margarita package on Wednesday nights with free admission to the show.
It’s a good thing that there’s a tie-​in to the club, because frankly the bar”s nothing special. For one thing, it’s tiny, and if your group is larger than four the place really isn’t equipped to handle you. The food is pretty basic bar menu stuff with some Mexican options (fajitas, quesadillas), cooked competently but not memorably. There isn’t one thing that I’d recommend, and nothing that I’d suggest you avoid.
Which makes for a boring review, doesn’t it?

I am so surprised to find just 3 reviews here… one of which is years old. However, I’ve been here a bunch of times over many many years and never written a review, so why should I be surprised?
My guess is that most of us after experiencing dinner, then go to the comedy club and thereafter forget we even had dinner (assuming the comedy was good). Either that or we drank too much to remember anything. Therefore, no review. (can’t review something you don’t remember, right?)
Let’s face it. You don’t go here for a good meal. You go here because you are going to the comedy club and fell for the «you will get better seats» deal from their website. Let me just say, that is a frikkin’ SHAME. Why not, Old Bar, be a foodie destination too? Why not make food so good that we would not even consider NOT eating there first before a show? Then you would be so successful you couldn’t stand it?
Anyway, tonight’s dinner started with a pleasant greeting from a hostess and a warm greeting from our waitress. Things got chillier after I (reluctantly, I don’t like to ever send food back) sent back what I felt was undercooked chicken. By «felt» I mean I couldn’t SEE whether I was right or not as it is fairly dark in there, despite the flashing light that made me change seats with my husband to avoid, but the texture was really raw feeling.
Fifteen minutes later (after husband had pretty much finished his philly steak sandwich that he said was very well done and okay, particularly liked the fries), I got my meal back.
The whole plate had been microwaved. Yes, the chicken breast was now cooked. but they didn’t bother to add any bbq sauce to the now fairly-​naked breast, and the zapping turned the formerly decent green beans to STRINGS. The good news is that A1 and tabasco were on the table and made for making this all edible. Mind you this meal was one of the pricier menu items at about $ 12. I don’t ever mind paying that for a meal out that is worth it. This is soooo not worth it.
I am in no way shape or form Gordon Ramsey or Robert Irvine, but I would love to recommend some simple changes (like making your own bbq sauce… seriously, it’s so easy to do and people are paying for homemade, not out of a jar!)
That being said, I will probably do what I’ve done many times over the years… forget and come back again when the comedian sounds good.

If you have never been to The Old Bar, and this is your destination and not the comedy club, you might have quite a tough time finding it. The way to enter The Old Bar itself is a bit convoluted: there is a door under the metal stairs on the back of the building (facing the parking lot), and into a tiny hallway, that leads to a door that says «COME IN!»
The best night to visit should be Wednesday nights — Famous Fajita-​Margarita Wednesday Night — featuring $ 10 Fajitas and $ 10 Margaritas pitchers. Also if you ordered food you get the ticket to the comedy show for free; if you don’t like to venture the Fajita night, you can still check out the Wednesday Amateur Open Mic Night. But seriously, $ 20 + tax and tips, for a food and drink and a night of hit-​or-​miss standup comedy, in my opinion is a pretty sweet deal.
It’s not a place you write home and tell your mama about, but pretty decent if you put the whole night’s experience together here.

Excellent place to eat before a comedy show. The pasta is great; the sandwiches hit the spot. One of my favorite parts about this place is the nice variety of micro-​brews.

For those of you Raleigh natives, rejoice! The Old Bar is back! This space below Charlie Goodnights has been a couple of different things since it was originally the Old Bar. The most recent, Underground, was almost the exact opposite: they served tapas and wine and played electronic music — but that’s not the Old Bar. Here, you’ll see sports on TV (or, like last time I was there, the original American Gladiators), cheap beer on tap, and greasy-​but-​delicious staples on the menu. In addition, you’ll see Old Bar favorites like the famous Goodnight’s Quesadillas and Fried Crab Cakes, not to mention the «$ 99 burger platter» — which consists of two burgers and a bottle of what I assume is expensive champagne (no connoisseur here).
The atmosphere is great, and exactly what you’d expect from a bar that’s below street level. It’s dark and industrial, but also very cozy.
If it’s still available, pick up a $ 5.00 Old Bar mug. Buy the 32-​oz. mug filled with beer, then bring it back each Tuesday and fill it up for only $ 1 – 3, depending on your beer selection. A couple of mugs of your favorite swill and a plate of the Old Bar’s fried pickles is a great way to finish off any day.