Fox Liquor Bar

I used to love this place, but they started taking themselves just a little too serious for me. The drinks are tasty, but pretty expensive, especially given the slow service and manufactured line that they generate by keeping the bar pretty empty on Friday and Saturday nights. It used to be a little more casual and a little less stuffy… just not really my style. You’ll do better at C-​Grace or Foundation.

I’ve traveled the world in search of great cocktails and bar experiences and this place needs a bar rescue. They offer 12 custom made drinks for $ 11 – 15. These are prices you might find a a posh club in LA, New York or Chicago. There is nothing posh about it. It is a basement with some furniture from Target. A true mixologist is not going to use a measuring glass to measure out the booze. Would you like a whiskey and 7up? The don’t have 7up but they can make it with bar syrup. Bar syrup, makes all of their custom drinks excessively sugary tasting.
They have a 12 spigot bar tapper behind the bar that only has 3 beers. If they are looking to improve their bottom line and speed up serving customers, they need to add more craft beer, put in a soda gun to offer normal drinks (I wounder what they would charge for a double tall jack and coke), and have some crap bottled beers like Miller and Bud lite.

I had a seasonal cocktail, the Sloe Burro. It was delicious, spicy, and I loved the candied ginger garnish. One star for that.
The service, on a slow Wednesday evening was abhorrent. Drink orders were forgotten, tabs were given to the wrong patrons, several people in my party had to chase their drinks and tabs down at the bar. One person in my group gave up after never getting her drink.
Perhaps she was new, but our server seemed more unconcerned and inattentive than anything else.
The water refill man was on point. The other star is for him.
I know this place doesn’t need my business, so I will avoid it from now on.

One of our favorite Raleigh bars. Drinks are strong, even if it doesn’t taste like it! Try the Marie Antoinette!

Best cocktails in Raleigh, hands down. If you’re a fan of pre-​Prohibition style drinks, Fox not only has a speakeasy feel but the cocktails to boot.

Really cool vibe, really attentive and super friendly staff. The drinks are super good, well crafted, and unique. Prices are a little on the high end. $ 11-​$ 15 for one drink, which isn’t bad, but the sizes are a bit small. You could easily consume two to three drinks here before moving to the next bar, but that’s at least a $ 33 tab! They are known for their unique and old fashion way of crafting ice for the drinks. Be careful! The large amount of ice greatly displaces the amount of drink. Ask for it neat if you want more substance.
My favorite is the «Singapore Slang»

Easily my favorite bar in Raleigh. Every drink that I’ve had was delicious, and everyone at this bar is knowledgeable and friendly. Yes, it’s expensive, but you’re paying for the experience. It’s never crowded, because they only let so many people in. The drinks are expensive because they make a lot of their own ingredients (house-​made ginger beer, for instance). These make the difference between a good Moscow Mule and a fantastic one.

Behind Beasley’s, Fox Liquor Bar is marked by a simple vertical sign: «F – O – X». Passing through an open doorway, you descend a flight of stairs to your left. Once inside, you’ll be asked whether you have a membership (yours for one dollah). This «private club» approach is required by North Carolina law, since Fox only serves drinks, not food. They’re not trying to be big city pretentious.
The theme in décor reflects the ongoing trend in Raleigh’s newer bars: distressed urban chic. Think plush seating, a mix of bare brick walls and modern artwork. Lighting is romantic but dim, so any Instagram picture of your drink will thank you for sticking to the B&W filter, please. The layout is open, which makes for fun covert people watching on a date. If you want to increase the chances of conversation with another party, ask to sit at the communal table (great for parties bigger than four). The table is an especially useful place to sit if you’ve brought a deck of cards.
Something that stands out in functionality is their drink menu. Next to each drink is a tiny line drawing of the glassware your drink will be served in. If you’re a fan of stronger concentrated drinks, you’ll know to look for drinks with coupe glasses next to them. Conversely, if you don’t like to taste your alcohol and are still learning about what to expect from different cocktail ingredients, it’s easy to pick out drinks that will be served in greater volume.
We went earlier in the evening, at about 9:30, and were seated immediately. Staff was very attentive, almost to the point of buggy. At one point, three servers came by in the span of 1 minute.
Opinions on drinks were… mixed. We passed our drinks around to taste, and they were good, but not fantastic. The Negroni was a bit heavy on the Campari, and with three ingredients, it made me wonder what happened there. (To be fair, I was in San Fransisco during Negroni week, so my bar has been unwittingly high since.) If you expect a perfect drink every time you order, there are other places in Raleigh at about the same price point that will deliver more reliably.
Tl;dr: Fox is a fun solid player to add to your list in a night of bar hopping. Start here to avoid the crowds and lines, but don’t end here.

Well geez.
We hadn’t been here for a while and showed up at midnight on a Saturday night. No problem, sat right away by a hostess at an empty couch.
…
25 minutes later, we finally stop a female server and make a drink order… She sticks my husband’s credit card in her pocket and walks away…
…
20 minutes later, our drinks (a champagne and a beer) arrive. The girls across from us left full mixed drinks because they said they were disgusting and left after paying their tabs… After our drinks arrive we ask for our tab… getting the heck out of dodge!
…
The chick brings back our tab w/​out my husband’s credit card. We flag down another server and tell him she didn’t give our card back but had just stuck it in her pocket.
…
He comes back 10 minutes later with the card and said it had «got stuck».
To cancel the card now or later? ;) Not recommended.

Went here on Saturday evening. We sat at the bar. The bartenders were extremely attentive. I gave our bartender creative license to create a lady’s cocktail, all he needed to know what was my alcohol preference — rum. He created the perfect girly drink for me, named a Marie Antoinette with fresh muddled raspberries. Delicious. With such a great ambiance, we’ll most definitely be back.

Great place to go out with a group of friends for some awesome drinks. They shave and shape the ice cubes individually for each drink which adds a really nice touch. The cocktails are delicious but definitely on the higher end of price. I would say just worth it though given the quality of fresh ingredients. Fancy big city feel in the quaint city of Raleigh! Line can be very long so get there early. And membership required!

Let’s see… Where do I start… First, we’re in Raleigh, not Manhattan, South Beach, or LA, so if a membership is required then it better be REALLY good. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
Why make us wait outside on a Saturday night (11pm) when the place wasn’t even half full??? Really??? Fox liquor, please stop sending such delusional «cool/​crowded» messages to your guests by pulling such bogus acts.
Also, once we sat (on a half empty place) it took well over 20mins to get two drinks!?! Not to mention they were sub-​par (average at best).
Overall, to summarize: stuffy environment, sub-​par drinks, awful service, and an annoying/​bogus attempt to imitate a big city night scene.
If you want real service and drinks made just right, go to either Bittersweet or C Grace (in my mind, two of the best in the entire Raleigh area)

Reality check, we are in Raleigh, not NY. If I have to have a membership and wait 20 min to get into your bar, there better be a good reason.
Unfortunately, the reason was no one was inside and they wanted to make it look crowded, which was really annoying. Plus the ‘bouncer’ kid acted like you should be lucky to get in.
On the upside, the bartender knew his stuff. Sadly, we went for our friends birthday and when we decided to sing to her, we got shushed by the staff… so we decided to leave.

Fox’s is my go-​to pre-​dinner drink spot downtown. I love coming between 5 and 6 pm because they’ve just opened and you usually have the place to yourself — plenty of opportunity to ask the bartenders questions or just chat and watch them make drinks in a relaxed/​non-​rushed atmosphere. Don’t get me wrong, I love going to Fox’s any time, but this happy hour seems to be the sweet spot of fresh, not-​burned-​out-​yet bartenders, perfectly executed drinks (since yours is the only one in the queue) and your choice of seats — a stark contrast to this place at 11pm on a Saturday.
The menu has a mixed of delicous classic and inventive cocktails, always $ 11.The bar itself is clean and well stocked and it’s fascinating to watch the bartenders work. The atmosphere is very dark with brick walls and loungy couches scattered around. It is always disarming to leave this bar and emerge into day/​evening light. Definitely a romantic spot if it’s not too slammed.
Order the meat and cheese selections — great portion sizes to snack on while drinking.

While I’m more of a C. Grace and Foundation fan, Fox Liquor Bar can be appreciated and enjoyed if you know how to manage your visits. Given its popularity, I’m not coming here on any weekend night and later. But catch it in the early evening hours, Sunday to Thursday when you can have a peaceful conversation and not wait in line well, that works for me!
The interior seems to have been brightened up, the bartenders are as solid as usual and you will get some VERY fancy drinks here. Not cheap but worth the amount they charge. Given all that, I still prefer the more casual vibe of Raleigh’s other speak-​easy type joints. You’ll have a good time at Fox Liquor Bar, just be willing to deal with more crowds!

We were visiting from out of town last weekend and friends took us here. I absolutely loved the concept. Speakeasy style (the only thing missing was a secret knock) with an impressive array of cocktails available.
Whenever I go to a place that specializes in cocktails, I judge them by their ability to knock out the classics. Afterall, they are classic for a reason. The fads come and go but the classics have a timelessness that endures generation after generation.
I first tried their Veiux Carre, A New Orleans cocktail similar to a Sazerac but lesser known. It was happiness in a glass. Next came the Negroni which was just as good as any I’ve had. I was going to order another for our third and final round but decided to mix it up by ordering a Negroni with Tequila instead of Gin just for a change of pace. It was even better!
This place is another gem in Ashley Christensen’s impressive crown. It seems she is turning Raleigh into an International dining and drinking destination. All I can say to that is… more please!

What delicious drinks!!! Man, the drink repertoire at this place is incredible. I can’t say I’m an expert with cocktails and drink menus, but I was thoroughly impressed by the number of choices laid out nicely for those of us who have a hard time thinking of a drink from memory as well as the not so common ingredients in most of them. LOVE IT!!! I never thought I’d go with a cocktail which had a mild bitter and spicyness to it. Real neat. Fyi– not all of their drinks are off the wall! There’s a full bar so let your imagination run wild.
The atmosphere was also something to gloat about. The establishment is located in a basement with cozy couches for lounging, dim lighting, and cool unfinished basementy walls. It is a real nice place to relax and have some great conversation.
The wait staff were attentive and pleasing. I highly recommend having some drinks here! I’ll definitely be doing so again soon.

First time visitor, fan for life now.
It was cold last night. Or more accurately, it was windy. Really windy. The missus and I didn’t have ‘plans’ for Valentines, we just wanted to go out.
We ended our night at the Fox Liquor Bar. It had been on both of our ‘must go sometime’ lists for a long time.
We easily found it, There was a line out the door, about 10 people long.
We haven’t stood in line to go to a bar since… college. That was a long time ago.
It was definitely worth the 15 minute or so wait, even in the brutal cold/​wind.
We were led downstairs and to our seating area, some nice leather couch and chairs. Immediately (and throughout the night) our 2 water glasses were filled.
About 5 minutes later, we had our order taken.
The space downstairs is huge and perfectly laid out. This is our kind of place. Chill. And they were playing a ton of music from the ‘90s.which was about the last time we had to wait to get into a bar.
The drinks were as good as advertised — presentation and taste. We paid $ 33+tip for 3 cocktails. They could probably get away with charging more in other towns — but seems about right for Raleigh.
On our way out, the missus said, well this place definitely lives up to the hype. I couldn’t agree more. The service and ambience are as good as the drinks, if not better.

Last night was the first night when the stars aligned and there was no line of 20+ people waiting to get in, so my friend and I jumped on the opportunity. He didn’t have his membership on him so we had to wait for a bit, but once we were inside, life was great.
I had the Dark & Stormy, which was beautiful. I cannot adequately describe how perfectly executed this drink was. Layers of ginger playing with each other, and it all went down so smoothly!
My friend had the Penicillin which had notes of sweet citrus dancing over a bed of Scotch.
The staff was great — bright and all-​smiles, and they checked in with us just often enough.
The place was loud and lively but I could definitely hear the person I was with, so it was fine. I was impressed by how large the space was; I wasn’t too impressed with the décor and thought there was a lot of light, at least for a speakeasy.

I like that this place feels like a secret. I also like that they try not to let but so many in at a time. It can be a little loud but don’t be shy to ask the bartenders questions they know there stuff.
With cool ice cubes and even cooler drinks go check this joint out around the corner from Beasley’s!