02/18/09

Great place for a few rounds with friends and good food to boot.

by caliko

I love walking into a restaurant that drips with personality, even ones that require their waitresses to wear tiny plaid skirts with boots and stockings pulled high. There?s a comfy living room set-up in the front with leather couches that amazingly don?t come across as dirty like most furniture does in restaurants and coffeeshops. You can eat up there if you?d like or grab yourself one of the wooden tables or booths throughout the main dining room. An appealing patio is also available but it?s still a bit too cold for that here. The walls are mustard yellow and covered with various saucers and plates, including the ones awarded to those brave souls that drink 199 beers or more and get to leave a victory quote for posterity.

The menu is designed to keep people chatting and drinking with pick-your-own cheese plates, appetizers, sandwiches, and salads. There?s no rush to eat all at once; you can take as long as you want here. Not being a beer-drinker, I decided to try a barley wine that I found on their extensive beer menu. Lo and behold, I can drink them!

The cheese plates come with almonds, apples, olive tapenade, crackers, crostini, and spicy mustard in addition to whatever meats and cheese you choose. We also tried the bratwurst nachos that were served like the ones at Chili?s, with individual chips weighed down with all the toppings. I?m not a fan of that style and the bratwurst just doesn?t taste right on nachos but the Rocket Tots were great! They?re a cross between tater tots and jalapeno poppers without all the oozing cream cheese that?s standard in those. Instead, the cream cheese is in dip form on the side, a revolutionary idea, I tell you.

As a place to while away the hours on a weeknight with friends, The Flying Saucer is a great bet. And for these prices, the food stands up to the challenge of sustaining you through a few rounds.

• Pros: Beer selection, fun ambience
• Cons: Crowded

02/07/09

Largest beer selection in Raleigh AND great food

by mkathrynp

Flying Saucer definitely has the best/most varied beer selection in Raleigh. Go on Monday night pint night--MOST drafts are only $2.75, and do branch out and try some new beers. Join Beerknurds for $14 get a card to swipe when you go in, a t-shirt, and free brunch on Sunday, then work towards getting a plate on the wall. On Monday's it gets extremely crowded and it can be hard to find a seat. The outdoor seating is great in warm weather. The food isn't bad either... All in all it's a great place. Even on Monday's when it's slammed I've never had bad service. The waitresses know every beer there, and they are generally fast and accurate--at least in my experience.

• Pros: Great beer selection, Monday night pint night, good service
• Cons: Mean bouncers at the door, sometimes really crowded, downtown parking can be difficult

11/20/08

One of the best bars in town!

by jharvey

Flying Saucer is a great place to meet friends with a ton of beers to choose from. Food is OK too, but you don't really go for the food.

• Pros: Great service, beer selection
• Cons: $3 to park

06/20/08

great beer & atmosphere!

by rgeddy

This place is great. Come in and sit where ever you want. A TON of beer selections and they change the menu every season! The porch outside is great in the summer time and the food is pretty good too!

• Pros: atmosphere, beer, food!!
• Cons: parking, service with large groups, sometimes smoky

05/02/08

Good beer. Horrible service...

by diegostar0632

Most of the waitresses here are trashy and have attitudes, which I don't mind. What I do mind is waiting an eternity to be served when business is slow. I have been going to this place off and on for years, but my most recent visit will probably be my last. This place has been on a slow spiral downward for some time. I think I'll bow out before it hits rock bottom.

On a more positive note, the beer selection is incredible, and the food is pretty good. However, I thik you'll find that the service pretty much ruins the experience.

• Pros: Beer selection, food
• Cons: Service is so bad that you don't know whether to laugh or cry.

04/20/08

Awesome Place

by GabbieNew

New to the area and decided to pop in. The service was great the bartenders very helpful and made me feel right a home, even though I am new to the area?.I had a great cheese plate and met some very cool people.

04/17/08

Great Beer, Sketchy Service

by obama08

I don't want to judge a place like TFS soley on one experience, I really did want to like the place. But my one stay was less than memorable. Great layout, outstanding beer assemblage, awesome outdoor seating with a beer garden feel to it. But the waitress was a trainwreck. Always forgetting things, no table checks, and a less than friendly attitude especially after the second time I had to remind her she forgot half my order. I sensed my girlfriend and I were somehow inconveniencing her. The food wasn't bad, not great, but not bad. And the beer samplers were a lot of fun. But I have to say the ridiculous service ruined what should have been a decent experience. I sort of got the vibe there that even if I did complain at the time, no one would have cared anyway. Not sure I'll be going back.

• Pros: Monstrous beer selection
• Cons: Attitudinal and slow service

07/21/07

Good Beer -- Awful Service

by bignel

One of the Triangle's best beer selections is spoiled by a noisy, congested environment and terrible service. This is yet another bar in which attractive young bartenders and waitresses stand around having personal conversations while ignoring customers. If you're bold enough, or thirsty enough to get their attention to beg them for a beer, you can expect a healthy shot of attitude before eventual service.

A better option may be The Pour House, which has a decent selection of beer, more options for parking, and a prime location.

• Pros: Beer selection.
• Cons: Awful service, high prices

01/12/07

More cons than pros

by foodphreak

this place has the best beer selection i've seen, BUT thats about it. the only night that's "lively" is monday night ($2.50 pints on CERTAIN beers), but its 95% college students and WAY TOO CROWDED. it took me 15 minutes to get a beer from the bar, which is your best bet because there are not that many seats. the waitresses are just as slow during the busy nights too....seems as if they need a more efficient system for crowded evenings. the food is good "Bar" food, but obviously not healthy. overall i would say this bar is average.

• Pros: Beer Selection, Bar Food
• Cons: everything else

Pick a pint, or two, to sample at this rowdy watering hole.

by Contributor

In Short
College kids and beyond pack this bright, cavernous space on weekends and Mondays for the largest selection of draft beer in town. Contributing to the general din of the place are the namesake, sound-reflecting souvenir saucers lining the walls. It's easy to hang out with your group at picnic-style tables, though it can be nearly impossible to hear someone three feet away when it's crowded. Hidden in back is a small refuge with low music, comfortable seating and a pool table.