Hoppy Endings — Restaurant in Raleigh

This is our dog’s favorite bar. He’s only six months old, so it’s hard to trust his palate just yet. Based on that fact (and my keen sense of avoiding litigation for contributing to the delinquency of canines), I will limit this review to the staff and the clientele.

Barking amazing!!!! I’ve spent the last 22 years searching for a bar where everybody knows my name and then promptly avoiding said bar based on my social anxiety.

This is my spot.

Extremely friendly staff who want to make sure you are taken care of without pushing beverages to fill up their tip coffers. I don’t think I’ve ever waited more than two minutes for my order and there’s always time to ensure that my hairy baby (that’s a dog metaphor, sicko) has freshwater. Kindness and efficiency aside, these folks know their stuff. I won’t pretend to be a bourbon connoisseur, but I’ve never been disappointed by any of their recommendations. The Hoppy staff is hands-down the best compared to any bottle shop or bar I’ve ever visited.

On to the folk, this is what really stands out for my dog. Everyone who frequents Hoppy is so chill and so sweet to my pup. Usually I’m a little creeped out by people who carry treats for minors in their pockets. I guess I’ll have to re-calibrate my kidnapper awareness because these people are just downright friendly with no ulterior motives. There’ve been a couple occasions where I’ve had to gently ask someone to stop rubbing my dog’s belly after about an hour. I guess it’s okay though because that hour has gone by so dang fast and we’ve been smiling and wagging our tails the whole time. Truly a hoppy ending.

Oh, and my wife loves...

Ive been to Hoppy Endings dozens of times, and I’ve always been the first to recommend it to any friend that wants to grab a drink in north Raleigh. Their selection of whiskey is second to none, and their prices were never gouge-y like any other place that would have a similar selection in NC. Their prices have creeped up on beer and well drinks over the years, but it has remained a solid choice.

I went today after a pretty crappy day and perused the whiskey list and found a barrel select rye for 6 bucks a full pour. Fantastic. I ordered a double, and asked to make an old fashioned of it, easy on the simple syrup. The drink was good, but when I went to cash out it rang up as $20. I asked about the price increase, wondering if the price on the list was out of date, but was informed matter of factly that their house old fashioned is $10, so the double is $20. Really? Four dashes of bitters and a quarter ounce of simple syrup is $8 extra? As in the price of a full pour of Buffalo Trace?

I want to be fair— if you want to drink interesting whiskies neat, this is the spot. For the longest time if you wanted a good value— this was the spot. I just don’t think my recent visits show that trend continuing. Kinda...

This place is like my second home. I love spending time here! The owners, Damian and Lydia Horne, make everyone feel like a part of their family. The bartenders also follow that creed. Damian noticed that I enjoy a specific beer (North Coast Scrimshaw Pilsner), which they keep in stock in bottles. So what did he do? He ordered a keg of it and put it on tap. My boyfriend loves Victory Golden Monkeys, but he highly prefers bottles over cans. Lydia went out of her way to get some bottles on the shelf for him, which wasn’t a simple task. These aren’t your average bar owners. They make it a point to be present at their bar everyday without micromanaging everyone and everything. They truly just want to be sure everyone is happy, safe, and well taken care of. In addition to all of that, their beer and bourbon selection is incredible! I also like the functional seating inside and out. I highly recommend...