The Green Light — Restaurant in Raleigh

I’m not normally one to write bad reviews because I know every bar/restaurant can have “bad days”—-however, my experience at The Green Light was one that I would use to teach anyone in the food and bev industry what NOT to do.

My New Year's Eve experience at The Green Light, which came with a hefty $108 per ticket price tag, left much to be desired. From the moment we arrived, there was a noticeable lack of engagement from the staff. No greetings, no explanations about the cocktails being served—just a cold and indifferent.

The ticket per person was advertised to include 4 course cocktail pairing with charcuterie and desserts. However, the menu was never provided ahead of time, even when we contacted the bar ahead of time. The cocktails were decent, but unfortunately that did make up for the overall disappointing experience.

The disappointment extended to the charcuterie board, or what was falsely advertised as such. Instead of an assortment of artisanal cured meats and complementary delicacies, we were presented with a meager board featuring lunch meat rolls, a solitary olive, and a quarter piece of celery. It was a school lunch rather than an upscale dining experience. You could pick up a better charcuterie board from a grocery store than what was served.

Attempts to communicate with the staff ahead of time regarding gluten-free options went unanswered, leaving us in the dark about potential accommodations. Understandably, catering to dietary restrictions on a busy night like New Year's Eve can be challenging, but the lack of responsiveness only added to the overall frustration.

The champagne, supposedly a highlight of the evening, tasted disappointingly similar to Welch's rather than a refined bubbly. As we ventured into the restroom facilities, the illusion of an upscale venue completely shattered. The state of disrepair—falling ceiling tiles, out-of-order signs—gave the impression of a run-down dive bar rather than the sophisticated speakeasy we had anticipated.

The experience was so far from upscale that it bordered on comical. The cumulative disappointments reached a tipping point, and we decided not to endure the mediocrity any longer, leaving before finishing our drinks.

Paying $216 for what can only be described as a joke of an experience was not just disheartening but also frustrating. It's regrettable to see such a promising concept fall short on execution. My advice: steer clear of this place, especially if you expect a memorable and enjoyable upscale...

Atmosphere was great, the service was awful, and the drinks were just okay. We arrived a bit late for our reservation, which is fully our fault (parking was a nightmare), but I apologized profusely. However, we did try calling several times to let them know, and to see if we could move/change our reservation or if there was a cut off x amount of time past when you reserved a table, and no one answered…

I’d heard how cool this place was and how you have to search for the entrance to this hidden speakeasy, and we were excited for the experience. There’s literally a host stand right outside the “hidden” bookshelf with someone who asks if you’re there for the Green Light, and then pulls the door open for you. Not much mystique there.

We waited over 20 minutes for our drinks. There were not THAT many other customers in there to justify such a long wait time. And then literally no one gave us the time of day after that. At least five employees were in and out of the room several times and everyone seemed more concerned about chatting than doing their jobs. I wasn’t impressed with my drink (5th Avenue), but my guy liked his (Honey Rose) well enough. I tried both and his was better than mine, but neither of them were anything special.

We never got offered the chance to try another round of drinks, as no one came to our table again, but the host did come to let us know our table had another reservation in 10 minutes, and to let him know how we’d like to pay. That was so incredibly rude and inappropriate. Why would you schedule another reservation at a table without informing people there is a time limit to how long you’re allowed to be there? What if we had wanted to stay and get another round and give this establishment more money? There were other groups that had been there longer than us and as far as I could tell, weren’t rushed to leave. In fact, they were ordering another round as we were hurried out. So incredibly RUDE.

I feel like this place thinks it’s way cooler than it actually is. From all the reviews, I expected much more, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend this place. It’s overhyped and everyone is clearly full...

This was my second time at this “secret” speakeasy. I came back because my first visit several years ago was amazing…full of mystery and unique craft cocktails in an intimate discreet venue. This visit was underwhelming. I booked a reservation for 5 weeks in advance. (The allure of this establishment is that you can’t just walk in; because of the size and nature of the venue.) The reservation process was easy and my reservation was confirmed. Having been to the establishment previously I knew somewhat what to expect. We waited outside the venue waiting for the green light to illuminate. It never did. A couple walking by paused by us and looked bewildered. They said they were looking for “green light” and I told them they had found it and asked if they had a reservation and they said they didn’t. They proceeded to go in and didn’t come out. I was surprised. Our party decided to also proceed (although the green light wasn’t it, or any light for that matter). The couple who just “walked in” were sitting at the bar enjoying their cocktails. We were escorted to a small table off to the side. While its a small venue and an intimate setting our table was way to small to accommodate 5 people. It took quite awhile for the waiter to come to the table and even longer to get drinks. Unfortunately the drink menu had not changed. Granted, the cocktails here are good, but since a number of years had passed since my previous visit I was hoping some new concoctions would be available. The others in the party who were here for the first time weren’t overly impressed. We had a few rounds and moved on. This visit wasn’t special and lacked the elements that were attractive which I...