ViewBar

I’ve been twice now — solid neighborhood type bar. Good drink specials, friendly bar staff, and a nice bar area with ample TVs. Huge bonus points for having Big Mike’s available, it’s great food. Both times I’ve been on Saturday or Sunday in the middle of the day (both days without big sporting events). It’s not been too crowded, but feels like a great spot to enjoy a beer or two with a couple friends while enjoying some easily-​heard conversation and watching a game. Four stars.

Went here with a group of people and we were the only ones in there… even so the waitress managed to mess up three orders and purposely briought out an appetizer with the rest of the food. Who does that? The food was OK, and the service was less than par. I felt like I overpaid completely. Unilocal says it’s less than $ 10 but most entrees are $ 14 – 18 and the appetizer of FRIES was $ 13. Um, no.
Lastly, like many of the other reviews mentioned– they were out of a lot of stuff. They don’t have a ton on their menu, so that’s kind of a big deal. Btdubs, it was a Thursday. This place seriously needs to get its act together.

ViewBar is located on a stretch of Glenwood that lacks a truly genuine, uniquely distinctive neighborhood bar. Overcrowded with pretentious yet hackneyed nightclubs *yawn*, ViewBar strives to fulfill Glenwood South’s niche for establishments catering to the less ostentatious and egotistical nightlife crowds.
ViewBar markets itself as «Raleigh’s newest Neighborhood Bistro & Sports Lounge.» In theory, this concept makes perfect sense. In practice, however, ViewBar misses the mark.
Why, you ask? Because it’s confused. Conceptually, bistros and sports lounges can complement one another. Yet, ViewBar does not successfully harmonize and balance the features and characteristics of both. Overly loud music competes with flat-​screen TVs. The arrangement of sports memorabilia with modern fixtures and décor is displayed in a clashing and unbalanced way. A DJ booth in the corner of the small interior space is awkwardly placed near low wooden dining tables. In addition, past menus have been inconsistent and overpriced — the opposite of the «moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting» you typically find in a neighborhood bistro.
Instead, ViewBar’s interior and exterior design give off the impression that it’s scared of commitment. It’s like that guy you’ve been sleeping with for a year, but he is still uncomfortable with «exclusive.» He tells you he knows what he wants — you, or in this case, a bistro and sports lounge. Yet, he has a wandering eye and finds that he also wants a tiki bar, a nightclub, and a cocktail lounge. If you’re smart, you’d stop sleeping with him and put your eggs in a different, more unambiguous basket. Unless… you’re really drunk and just don’t care.
Hopefully, ViewBar will get closer to finding their identity. Apparently, they are already making some major potential improvements, including the introduction of a new menu created and served by Big Mike’s BBQ. And, I hear all draft beer is now only $ 3.50 per pint. Hmmmm… this may be enough to give ViewBar another try.
If only they made these changes sooner? Better late then never, I guess.

I’ve been to ViewBar twice now — once on a Saturday night and once on a Tuesday afternoon. The huge draw of this location is that it is wide open with huge doors that open on to Glenwood and you can sit outside and «view» whats going on on Glenwood. I’ll definitely add this to my list of places to get an outdoor drink when it finally gets and stays nice out!
I’ll echo everyone else and note that they were out of certain drinks both times, which was disappointing, and their beers, both bottled and draft, are priced wrong — just a dollar or two higher than what you’ll find down the street. They do have liquor specials every day, but I’m usually in it for the beer.
They get five stars for the food. Big Mike’s does their menu now, and it’s just ridiculous. Bleu cheese coleslaw? buffalo chicken served in a bag or Doritos? Baconana pudding? Their menu is a broad selection of the craziest most gluttonous fatty pig out food I’ve seen. And it is GOOD. So good, it is dangerous. This is the place to go when you just want to drill.
They have regular «bbq plates» with meat and two sides, etc, which was great, but I like to go for something interesting. Had the Redneck Nachos — fritos, pork, baked beans, blue cheese claw and Big Mikes sauce — SO delicious, salty, savory, crunchy, everything you want. The pimento cheese appetizer is also phenomenal and come with some awesome sliced pretzel bread. Love the fact that their pork is local too!
The standout winner was the wings. I wasn’t interested because I’m all about the sauce and these came dry rubbed. Don’t be like me — order those wings! They are SO FREAKING GOOD! Sweet, savory, peppery — dry rubbed but not at all dry. You can pick your bbq sauce if you’re like me and love condiments. You can order by the wing, so you can do 6 for an appetizer or more if you want them as a meal. These will be ordered on all future trips for sure.
Can’t wait to go back next time I’m hungover and need a ridiculous meal that will fix me right up.

Tonight was our first time at THE VIEW on Glenwood Ave in Raleigh. I got the «Big Cheesey» which was the single best sandwich I have EVER had.
It’s a huge grilled pimento cheese sandwich stuffed with BBQ and pickles on fantastic, buttery bread.
My wife kept stealing pieces of it. Ya’ gotta get a BIG CHEESEY!!!
Our teenage daughters loved their Max & Cheese and BBQ too.
Waiter was great and the atmosphere was very relaxed. We will be back.

Yes, They’re open on Sunday good business!
I got some really interesting intel about Unilocal from one of the bartenders… he explained that Unilocal has a class action lawsuit against them ( Unilocal) right now basically for defamation, and that Unilocal isn’t based off «real» reviews as you think they may be. So I googled what he said and he is right there is a lawsuit against Unilocal… but I still use it, but glad he told me about it.
ABOUT ViewBar, we didn’t eat there because they’ve recently changed their menu and we were looking for brunch food. BUT, our service was awesome! Mr. S has gone there often, and for me it was my first time. I love how open the place is – I can only imagine during NBA playoffs how nice it will be to sip beer and watch the games on those tvs.
I am a fan and I will be going back!

ViewBar, you went from a two star to a one star. Shame on you!
We were in the area and I decided to give it another shot, so a friend and I stopped for a drink. Our server delivered drink menus, beer and wine side up. I flipped to the cocktail side just to look and was promptly told that they don’t actually have ANY of those drinks anymore. If I see one I really want, he’ll ask if they have enough leftover ingredients to put it together. Um… no thanks.
So we each order a glass of wine — a Cab and a Pinot Grigio. He goes away and comes back to tell is that they have neither. Ok… what DO you have? Turns out that only have four of the wine options on the list (less than half). At this point, I opted for water and my friend went with Pinot Noir. It was stale. She traded it for a beer. The beer was skunky. What the heck, people!!! She sucked it up and drank it, but come on.

The menu is completely different now and they have Big Mike’s BBQ. We went for lunch last week and the service was fantastic.
Loved the cackalacky cole slaw. The pimento cheese and BBQ sandwich was good, but I’d love it if they had a human size serving… rather than the double decker it is.
We will be back. A little pricey for me for lunch, but it’s nice to have another option nearby my work on Glenwood South!

My husband and I stumbled upon this place late one Thursday night and were very pleasantly surprised. We got cheese fries (delicious), some drinks (strong and high quality), and just relaxed and enjoyed the 90s alternative music they had going. It was a very welcome break from the intolerable crap music we had endured at other bars. The crowd was pretty thin that night, but we came back on Saturday and it was packed like sardines. We still got the same great level of service from our server, Luke, no matter how many people were there. I ate chicken and waffles (amazing) and my husband ate «the best teriyaki wings [he’s] ever had.» Our drinks were again, delicious, and Luke introduced me to my new favorite, a Pickleback. When we make it back to Raleigh, we will most definitely be returning.

I’ve contemplated whether or not to write this review, considering I’ve only been to Viewbar twice. I really want to like this place. It’s in a great location and has an awesome set up.
However, I’m pretty sure the majority of food they serve is frozen. I’ve had the fish tacos, which consisted of what appeared to be frozen chunks of fish that had very little flavor. I even had the suspicion that the vegetables in the tacos may have been frozen. I’ve also had the onion rings which were most definitely frozen. I understand that this is a restaurant/​bar, but there are plenty of similar establishments that make their food from scratch. I’d rather go elsewhere or just cook my own fresh food.
Service is also sub-​par. I was last here on a Sunday and the place was only at about 20% capacity. Our waitress was nice, but was not efficient. She would bring half of our group drinks, tell us she’d be right back with the rest and then not come back for 10 minutes.
Probably won’t go back.

I’ve been here twice the past week and I would say I’m going to make this place a weekly visit. My first visit was just drinks. Luke was our server and he took excellent care of us. He came by about half way thru our drinks so when we were finished we had brand news ones in front of us. It was a decent crowd for a Sunday night. We watched football on their TVs and had a good time. My second visit I sat at the bar with Danny. He was awesome! Got our food and drinks right to us quickly. Chatted with me a little bit. He left me try the new flavor Redbull Lime drink for FREE! So good. I’ll def be ordering that as a mixer with my vodka next time. I got the Red, White and Blue salad. Which had generous helpings of strawberries blueberries and bleu cheese crumbles. It was delicious! I’ll be back for that soon!

The place itself is very nice. The have an outdoor porch and a small outdoor area on the side where you can eat/​drink. It’s very nice inside and clean. The bathrooms were incredibly clean, especially for a bar/​restaurant.
I had the best waiter ever. His name was Luke and he was awesome! Definitely try and go when he is working.
They had three dollar beers Friday night. At first, I thought this was an awesome deal. But then I realized that you can get 3 dollar beers at basically every single bar in Raleigh so that deal didn’t seem quite as amazing. Still cheap though.
Unfortunately, the food I ordered here just wasn’t very good. My friend and I split wings and the loaded fries. We ordered a dozen wings and I only ate 2. They grilled the wings and they were burnt on top. I was not a fan. The loaded fries were decent. But it’s pretty hard to really mess up fries with cheese and bacon bits.

Been several times, have never been impressed but after last visit just decided «never again». The place is never crowded (most visits have been week night dinner) yet the service is so slow and inconsistent. The servers themselves are nice, but it takes forever to get your food or a drink. Last visit there were only 2 tables yet a female manager thought it was acceptable to interrupt our server as she was taken our order to ask about another order. Both odd and rude.
A recent menu change — not for the better — removed the crab Mac & cheese, which was delish.
I just think they can’t figure out what they want to be… TV’s like a sports bar, a DJ booth in the corner like a club, a tiki bar outside, and a menu with bistro-​type prices.

Fourth Time Flop
After my first visit, I wrote my review and as you can tell I greatly enjoyed my first experience at ViewBar. My next two meals were also very good. Unfortunately, my fourth meal was very disappointing… so bad that I didn’t eat it and I may not ever return to eat at ViewBar again.
Since I did have 3 good meals at View Bar, you may think I’m harsh or over reacting after having a one bad meal. There’s always a chance that there’s an OFF night and I should cut them some slack. However, to me it seems more than a one time deal. I ordered the Holy Mahi Soft Tacos, which I had twice before and loved them. But this dish has changed… and NOT FOR THE BETTER. Originally, the tacos were generously stuffed with chunks of mahi that were very lightly battered and flashed fried so the mahi was tender and moist and were absolutely delicious. The last time I ordered the fish tacos, the soft tacos had two small strips of fish that were so heavily battered that there was more batter than fish. Yuck! Also the fish was so over fried making them super crispy in a bad way. To me, these fried strips of fish were like frozen fish sticks you buy at the supermarket… just not good. Originally, the fish tacos came with a mango-​jalapeño chutney… a lightly sweet and spicy combination of freshly diced bits of mango and pepper. The last time the tacos were served with a syrupy sweet, sticky mess of mushy mango, which was like a jelly and I thought it was gross. The tacos were completely unappetizing and I disliked it so much I couldn’t eat it. I also ordered the sweet potato tots which I had before and they were so delicious I called the little sweet potato treats ambrosia. Well, I didn’t get sweet potato tots. Instead I got regular potato tots which are not a fraction as good as the sweet potato version. Oh, I was not told beforehand that they were out of my preferred tots. Did they think I would not notice? If I had known before ordering, I would have selected a salad as my side item. It seems that this dish has been redesigned with cheap ingredients that are significantly below their initial standards and I feel that this is a very poor sign.

An unexpected surprise would be how I would describe the View Bar. The food is simple, but good. The Fried Pickles have to be the best I’ve had! The menu is typical bar food with an occassional fancy dish as the daily special. It’s also a Sports Bar although it doesn’t have the traditional feel of a Sports Bar. Their «after hours» music has been excellent from a DJ to a couple singing top 40 with only a guitar. I appreciate it’s not like some of the other bars on Glenwood South that turn into «some place I don’t want to go after a certain hour». My main complaint is it’s difficult to tell where the «front door» is located as there are doors on 3 sides of the building. The many doors create problems because if they don’t get closed, you’re forced to be with the «smokers» outside or the weather.
I still think they are trying to «find» themselves… bar or restaurant?

My first attempt to eat at ViewBar was a fail, the place was packed and there weren’t any seats at the bar so I waited for a dead night to stop on by and give em a whirl! Interesting spot, they’ve got a whole bunch of doors up front, but only one is open so good luck. Inside ViewBar is a mix of sports bar, restaurant and more, hard to tell what theme they’re going for but it sorta works.
The menu is not bad a mix of basic apps, sandwiches and small entrees, I went with an order of wings and nachos as a quick meal. The wings were decent, a mix of BBQ and hot, well done and very saucy. The nachos were a small, heaping pile of chips covered in chili-​beans, jalapenos and more, a solid version. Service at the bar from Spencer was quite good so no issues there.
I’m still scratching my head a bit on ViewBar. The closest thing I can compare it to is as a newer Point on Glenwood or Raleigh Times. It really has a split personality between bar and restaurant but has a deep enough menu for you to do a full meal. But unfortunately they’ve got music playing and the space is small and loud which sort of makes it hard to have a peaceful meal here. So what to do? I guess just appreciate it for what it is, a neighborhood bar with decent eats…

I’ve deliberated long and hard about what star rating to give ViewBar, but since there’s no 1.5 star, I’m going to be nice and give it a two. Why so harsh? I had dinner here this past Saturday and it was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had.
First of all, this place is having a massive identity crisis in terms of what it wants to portray. Very nice hardwood floors. High ceilings, which I thought at first to be a nice touch. Nice light fixtures. Most of the tables are low wooden tables, but in one corner there are some tall wooden tables closer to the bar. The place settings are wrapped in nice black linen napkins and placed on a white medium sized plate. Most of the walls are solid wood, but a quarter of them are chalkboard where the specials or other announcements are written. The bar isn’t very big but it is a small u-​shaped set up centered on the wall to the left of the entrance. Behind the bar is a mirrored look with shelving holding various sports helmets and memorabilia along with a few TV’s. Other flat screen TV’s are also in random locations around the room. In the opposing corner of the bar is a DJ booth. The juxtaposition of sports décor mixed with modern décor was really unbalanced.
There is no host so seat yourself. We did just that after we noted a staff member beckoning us to sit wherever. A server came over to greet us and give us menus. Whoever did the design of the menu did a nice job. As someone who works with design schemes, typeface, and graphic arts, I can tell you this did not convey «sports bar» to me. Immediately I was astounded by how noisy it was in there. Not only was the music turned up way too high, but the people at bar were really noisy. It was barely 6:30 PM on Saturday night so I was shocked. I could barely even hear my date and he wasn’t sitting very far from me. He could barely hear me either and I’m not quiet. When she came by to check on us and ask us if we were ready for anything beyond water, etc. she asked if everything was okay. I told her that it was really too noisy in there. She agreed to have the music turned down since she could tell we wanted to leave. It was still a little too loud, but the game on TV seemed to be ending so we hoped the loud people would leave soon.
We placed an order for the two-​cheddar macaroni app with crab meat. I ordered the half serving of pear-​glazed pork tenderloin with brussels and sweet potato mash along with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. My date ordered a burger with sweet potato tots and a beer. My wine came out in a lovely tall wine glass. As a wine lover, I can say that this was a very good Sauvignon Blanc. At this point, one of the obnoxious sports fans decided to wander over to our table and sing to us. We were one of two tables in the dining room. We’d already placed our order and didn’t have time to go start all over at another place so we felt stuck. Our server came over to apologize to us, but nothing else was said or done.
It did not take too long for the mac’n cheese app to come out, but instead of being served in some sort of large ramekin or small bowl it was just awkwardly placed in the middle of a medium sized plate. The top of the mac was burnt and there was an overdose of chives on it. We barely ate half of it. My date observed that Kraft Mac’n Cheese out of the box would have tasted better. I agreed. At this point, we noticed one of the servers go back and turn the music up. Not too much longer after that, my date’s burger came out. No sign of my food. We sat there about five minutes waiting for my food to come too. Finally, it arrived. Our food was OK. My date had ordered his burger to be medium rare, but even he questioned whether it was cooked enough. My pork tenderloin and sweet potato mash were good, but the brussels were burnt. Since there was a delay in my food arriving, our server told us that my date’s burger would be comped. That didn’t make any sense. His burger was $ 8 and on time, whereas mine was $ 10 and late. Normally the late dish would be comped… We just nodded in confusion.
It was now close to 7:40 PM. We had our first sighting of a manager and he went to visit the other table which was a father and his two sons. They appeared to be just as disturbed about the obnoxious folks at the bar as we were. A large party of 8 came in and they were placed in the middle of the dining room. The manager then went over and turned the music up more. We couldn’t believe how they managed customers, placement of parties, music, and the arrangement. At this point, our observation of lovely wood floors and high ceilings was dubbed an epic fail because it only contributed to the noise projection. We finished most of our food and were glad to get the check and leave. I’ve got years of experience working in customer service and restaurants so I can be a little lenient at times b/​c «I’ve been there,» but this was appalling.

We went on Saturday 2÷2÷13, and I was expecting the place to be packed because it’s a Saturday on Glenwood South… but it wasn’t. So at first I was a bit skeptical, wondering why this place was so dead. The ambience is great & the music was really good, so we sat at the bar. The bartender (can’t remember her name) was phenomenal!
They have about 6 – 8 drafts, many of them local brews. I got the Foothills Seasonal, which was a delicious nut brown ale. Sara got the Blanche de Bruxelles, which is AMAZING… quite a treat, I must say, it was a very light beer but was just delicious (and 7%ABV!). Sara also got a margarita, which she said was wonderful– the bartender asked if she liked sweet or sour margaritas, and made it just perfect. Suprising because most bartenders don’t care that much! We ordered the PBR & Pickles (fried pickles) and they were delicious. The service was absolutely wonderful & the food was great– can’t wait to go back for Sunday brunch :)

My husband and I were looking for a small bite to eat on Glenwood Ave. I wanted to try out ViewBar, so we stopped in to see if we could have a look at their menu. We were greeted immediately and the host excitedly told us about some of the menu options, so we decided to stay for a couple beers and some appetizers. We got the quesadillas and the Chipotle Chicken Egg Rolls. Both apps were delicious! I enjoyed the friendly atmosphere. For the sports fans, there are plenty of TVs. We will be back!

In my search for some decency right here on Glenwood South, something that does not involve «Jersey Shore”-like music and $ 8 shots of Vodka & cranberry, I was tipped by a good friend to come check out a new place recently open up (thanks Heather!)
Selling itself as the neighborhood bistro and sports bar, It is definitely less pompous than some of the establishment down the street, but how does it stack up against similarly lax Brooklyn Heights from across?
I stepped in quarter before 9 PM, just as Duke was finishing up on Cornell in the second half, and Tarheels struggled to gain momentum in the first. I saw probably a dozen patrons including myself. I found one seat open on the bar, and immediately was greeted by the bartend.
The interior is pretty bright, unlike across the street; although there are TVs playing sports in behind the bar, it’s not your usual sports bar feel. I also find it quaint I can pee in the man’s bathroom while a TV inches away from my nose playing Keith Urban music video on CMT.
I ordered a «New-​Fashioned» off the mixed cocktail menu, but didn’t find it fitting myself, as it was too fruity and a little less like a cocktail; moved to the beer on tap and was pleasantly satisfied.
I didn’t plan on having bites of foods, but sitting at the corner of the bar and looking at them bringing out other people’s food did make me a little hungry. So I ordered a few appetizer items.
The Fried Green Tomatoes was pretty good, though the pimento cheese on top made it a little sweet. The beer (PBR) battered fried pickles was pretty bland; the cucumber ranch dressing came to the rescue and made it decent overall.
So I say, it’s definitely a change of scenery, and if you need a place to pre-​game and get some food as well, but just tired of burrito (oh you know which place I’m talking about) come to ViewBar