Recreation Billards

Stopped here on a visit from Ny. Was a bit crowded but enjoyed it regardless. Both the female bartender and bar back JR were friendly and provided great service. Def will be back next time.

This is a review not for the billiards and bar up top but rather for the Whisky bar that is down stairs. I never realized how crowded it gets done there! But if you are looking for a good drink (or like me a couple fingers of neat scotch or bourbon) this is the place to be. My lady ordered a caipirinha and I had a Laphroaig 10, the latter a brilliant smoky work in a bottle begging to be partaken by a connoisseur or someone thirsty! We only stayed here for the one drink but it was priced reasonably and worth visiting if your downtown in Winston and want a nice drink.

Love this place! I wish they didn’t have liquor though… I miss just having beer and wine because the crowds were more my style. I love it though.

I always have a good time at my favorite watering hole, Recreation Billiards, affectionately referred to just as «Rec». You can find me there most Thursday ($ 3 Pint Night!) and Saturday (because, Saturday) nights. And Tuesday nights have live music. I don’t go there to play pool; I hate geometry. I go there to drink and hangout with my friends.
Since 1947, this place has been serving only beer, wine and local history. It’s like a home away home from and serves as a pseudo living room and front porch to everyone who goes there. Privy to some of the best people-​watching in all of Downtown, you get front row seats whether you’re sitting outside or popping a squat at the bar.
In late 2013, the basement of Rec (named Pete’s Cellar, after the late owner) opened up a speakeasy-​like bar called Whiskybox. The focus is whiskey (my liquor of choice) and my favorite drink is called Mister Gingerson. Bitters, ginger and whiskey help make up the best cocktail I’ve EVER had. It’s sweet, spicy, garnished with ginger candy and if you’re not careful, finished in an instant!
The perfect place to meet up with friends, send out of town guests or have a solo beverage at the bar, it’s a true gem.

Gotta love Rec. Friendly staff, great atmosphere and a fixture of downtown W-​S. Well really you could just say its a lot of downtown residents’ second living room. I always advise people new to town that it’s the best place to met people.
Great for watching games (though the sound is only going to be on for the biggest ones)… Preset in your own food and bring your dog.
And, now they also have liquor.

The place to relax any evening in Winston. Small outdoor seating area, but just a great feeling all around. Expect to make a friend or two. Go on Thursdays for $ 3 drafts and try the golden wheat. You will thank me later.

Great place for beer & wine. Best bar on 4^th!

Not sure why we don’t hang out here more– very cool place. Pool tables and a great «cellar» downstairs with darts and a bar. tremendous beer selection for the size of the place. Friendly quick bar service and a couple of big old TVs too! Note: does not serve food but you can order delivery from the restaurants on 4^th… they have take out menus for you to look at :) Got to hit this place more often…

I love this place. Its so casual and all of the people you meet there are lots of fun. My only regret is that they don’t have a full bar. Then I’d be there a whole lot more.

Upstairs bar is pretty crowded and hard to get thru — but once you get your first drink up there — head downstairs and enjoy the darts and cool bar and more room. I prefer the downstairs to the upstairs. Pretty chill bar. I am from Charlotte and this bar would fit well into the NoDa area. Good prices for most of the bottled beers.

Met some folks at Rec last night for the USMNT game versus Gaudaloupe (???). We hung out downstairs and played some darts for awhile. I just enjoy the chill feeling of Rec Billiards. Probably one of the least pretentious bars in Winston.
Tuesday night was $ 2 Bud Light pints. I was pleased to get out of there for $ 10 (before tip) for 2 Bud Lights, an Original Sin, and a PBR. Solid Pricing IMHO.
Sometimes you have a wait for awhile to get a drink upstairs.
They have a great patio and are dog friendly inside and out.

Won’t be back.
Came here with my brother for NYE, we played some pool, and the bartender tried to overcharge us for how long we played.
She told us we had been there an hour and a half longer than we had, and if it hadn’t been NYE, and we hadn’t watched the ball drop at a different location, I probably would have just let it slide.
Then she got rude, and told us not to come back, just because we wouldn’t let her screw us out of money.
Terrible customer service, better places to hang out in downtown Winston now.

A bar for the local University students with a some pool tables upstairs and darts and a foosball table downstairs. A good selection of draft beer on tap.
I was here for my daughter’s graduation and ended up re-​living my college years playing some foosball and playing pool. Unfortunately, some WFU grad students limited me to only a few goals on the foosball table that night.
We parked at the main downtown parking lot used by both the Marriott and the Embassy Suites.

This is a nice little hangout downtown. It has a good selection of beers and if it’s too crowded upstairs you might find a little more room downstairs. Their are only 3 pool tables, so you might have to wait awhile if you are there to play pool. Say hello to Pete who is 85 and whose father started the bar in 1947.

This downtown bar is pretty solid. There’s a nice little sidewalk patio which is good for chilling out and peoplewatching. Inside there is an upstairs and a downstairs.
There’s a long bar with a decent beer selection (tap and bottled) upstairs. There are also pool tables upstairs. I feel this place is a bit misnamed though since there are only 3 tables. I mean, it’s not really much of a pool hall — it’s really just a regular bar with a few pool tables.
There’s also a downstairs bar which has a lot of bottled craft and foreign beers. Initially, I thought it was going to be beers on tap so I was a little disappointed when I found out that it’s all bottles but it’s still a pretty good variety and probably one of the only places that serves beer of this calibre in town. It seems a bit like they just decided to pick up a bunch of stuff from City Beverage and just sell it at a typical bar markup though. The bar downstairs has a few sizeable HDTVs which is cool and there are a few dartboards as well. They do not have any liquor at the downstairs bar (just beer and wine).
Anyway, pretty good spot but you might not want to plan on playing pool here unless you’re interested in waiting for a table for a while.
3.5