Raleigh
>
The Borough
View Less
Cool place but thank God for upcoming smoke ban!. The Borough should be the poster child for why NC needed the smoking ban. I still wonder why the owners didn't voluntarily go smoke-free from the beginning... were they brain-dead or just stuck in the 50s?? But thankfully, after January 2, 2010, I can start going back to this otherwise great bar and enjoy their fantastic drinks and food!…
Best Bar In Raleigh!. The Borough is probably my favorite place in Raleigh. The bar is inviting and the food is delicious (although I'm sad that they got rid of the Vizzini, which was my favorite). Their drinks menu features kitschy drinks with out-there ingredients, and I've never met a person who hated the PomBR--but they also have an extensive beer and wine list. I've never had a bad experience here.…
Wonderful Downtown Urban Pub. The Borough is a wonderful downtown urban pub. If "Cheers" could come to Raleigh then The Borough would be it. Always welcoming and inviting, the staff, was voted the best bar staff in Wake County by The Independent Weekly. The prices are really modest for this location for both food and drink. The Brute is a mouth watering hamburger which is marinated prior to grilling and served with crispy onions on a delicious bun. I love the "Dizzy's Bent Trumpet" which is a salad prepared with pears and pistachio nuts.…
mixed review.
plus: cheese sandwich, the Smattering appetizer, roast beef au jus.. all the food is great, can't go wrong probably with anything on food or drink menu.
minus: smoke--- thankfully that won't be an issue as of jan 2/2009 . we'll get to gleefully watch the smokers freeze their a**es off as we sit comfortably inside, thanks to NC's new anti-smoking bill.
minus: service.. there have been lightly-attended weeknights where I swear either we're sitting in a table that nobody realizes belongs to 'their' section, or we've done something to horribly upset one or more servers as everyone on staff blithely flits, desperate to not make eye contact with us…
Funky and Fun, but Smoke-Filled.
The Borough has a casual yet sophisticated atmosphere, and the clientele is a cross-section of eclectic Raleigh's hippest and funkiest . The small menu is surprisingly varied with several delicious
vegetarian entrees.
I'd like to patronize the Borough more; however, each time I have been there the place has been FULL of cigarette smoke. I find it an odd juxtaposition that a place with such a healthy menu is not smoke free - particular for a small restaurant of this size. The size of the restaurant pretty much dictates that if anyone is smoking, everyone is second-hand smoking. After my visit last night, I had to strip down at the door, toss my smoke-saturated clothes in the wash, and take a shower to get rid of the smoke smell that permeated my clothes and hair.…
