Players Retreat

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105 Oberlin Road, Raleigh, NC 27605
Raleigh, NC 27605

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(919) 755-9589
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Bars, Pubs & Clubs

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Restaurants

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Food & Dining

Reviews
( 14 )
( 3 )
( 2 )
( 1 )
( 2 )

Best

My friend and I go to the PR at least 4 times a week. We have made great friends there with the regulars and the servers. Everyone is so real and very down to earth. The food is a...

Worst

So i heard it was the best burgers and a cool bar...we finally decided to stop by. I hate to say it wasn't the best experience. It wasn't crazy busy but still took a long time jus...

AM I in the right place? 3/26/2012

So i heard it was the best burgers and a cool bar...we finally decided to stop by. I hate to say it wasn't the best experience. It wasn't crazy busy but still took a long time just to get water and a beer. The food was i guess common pub food. Cheesesticks, potato skins, fried goodness. We got some apps. IF it was fried or baked it was overdone. Everyone i was with that got a burger said it was pretty good though. I never got to eat my turkey shelia sandwich. Probably because our server forgot to even put it in. She seemed a little distracted, personally. I thought getting a sandwich would get me fed faster... not at all. I like the feel of the place though. Like hangin' in someones den or game room. Sports at your fingertips. Cool nic nacs all around. I will go back again. Everyone has an off day. Second time's a charm, right? BTW, does anyone know how the turkey shelia is? more
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BEST BAR IN RALEIGH!LOVE THIS PLACE! 1/20/2012

My friend and I go to the PR at least 4 times a week. We have made great friends there with the regulars and the servers. Everyone is so real and very down to earth. The food is always yummy and the beverages are always cold! You better run, don't walk to this bar. It has to be the BEST BAR IN RALEIGH. Not your everyday boring sports bar at all, loaded with hospitality and personality! Love you PR! And thank you Gus, the owner, for keeping it in the same spot for over 60 years! WOW! more
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It's the reason I am on this earth! 1/12/2011

My Mom and Dad met at the P.R. they took me there as a baby to meet their friends and my friends and I still love to visit today. The P.R. is my favorite place to take company when they visit from out of town and it is the reason I am who I am. My first memory of the place was when I was 4 years old, after soccer my friends and their families would all head to the P.R. for dinner and the parents would drink. Now it is where those same friends and I gather to do the drinking and laughing. The P.R. is a place filled with wonder for me and I will cherish my time in those dark walls for the rest of my life. If you think the P.R. might just be the place you are looking for to call ""home"" trust me.... IT IS! more
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Those in the know call it “the PR.” 1/4/2010

The menu promised fresh Black Angus beef, ground on-site and cooked to temperature. Promise kept. A rare... more
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Those in the know call it “the PR.” 1/4/2010

michaelm1 Provided by Partner
The menu promised fresh Black Angus beef, ground on-site and cooked to temperature. Promise kept. A rare authentic medium rare, lavish in its flavo... more
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Best bar in Raleigh 10/29/2009

You can always find a seat at PR. It's filled with people not out to impress everyone. Solid bar food, specials are okay, but I usually go with the canned PBR. more
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Old school bar 1/26/2009

PR has great lunch specials--very affordable, ample parking in the lot across the street, which is amazing considering it's location so close to NCSU campus. They also have good drink specials--recommend martini special, which is on Thursday I believe. Great outdoor seating with TV's chained to the restaurant (ha). Inside, it's a little bit dark and sketchy--hasn't changed since my Dad hung out there in the 70's--pool tables, darts, fish tanks, mix of old and young. Wouldn't recommend sitting inside if you don't like to breathe in cigarette smoke. OH and the sign that says popcorn is not self-serve on the pop corn machine is EXTREMELY serious, DON'T TOUCH IT! I go here pretty regularly--order the stir fry over rice--and lately the service has sucked, which is a shame. It's always a fun place to go see the Canes! but the service is definitely taking a nose dive--sitting around 20 minutes with an empty beer meanwhile the waitress has disappeared, etc. Pros: Good food and drinks, inexpensive, great location Cons: Mean old man bartender, extremely smoky, gross bathrooms more
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Part of me 10/24/2008

My Dad helped open the joint in 1951. In fact, following my birth he slipped down from the old Rex hospital and had a celebratory beer! Bernie and Mickey were the best! It's changed hands a couple of times but it has kept it's charm. While I was at State, I guess I lived there most of my free time and always considered it home. Now following several ""ladder climbing"" ventures throughout the U.S., I find myself drawn back. It's changed in little ways...Bernie would have loved the scotch bar! I think it's the best place in town! Although I'm obviously predjudiced in my assesment, I think the guys there have done a great job in keeping the bar of Roman Gabreil and Nick Pond alive and well! Stay with it guys! more
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Worst service of my life, overcharged my debit card 9/22/2008

After living in Raleigh for the past 19 years of my life I finally decided to try out an old local hangout, the players retreat. After arriving there at 4PM on a Sunday I was finally able to leave at 6 o clock that night. It wasn't that they were busy is was just my waitress was the laziest waitress I've ever had. When I asked for a refill she acted shocked that I was asking here for a refill, it blew my mind away. It took 25 minutes before we were even asked if we were ready to order. The food sucked, the service was honest to goodness the worst in my life, and they overcharged my debit card! I was very surprised because of the reviews this place gets on this website, but I think those people must sit by the bar or something because if you are there just to eat get ready for the worst service you can imagine. I would NOT RECOMMEND the players retreat for anyone who doesn't want to pull out their hair at the horrific service. Pros: cool place on the inside Cons: lazy service, awful food, overcharged my credit card. more
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Love this place! 1/26/2008

We met friends there on a Saturday to get together after the holidays and catch up. What a great time! The beer is cold - draft beers filled completely to the rim and cold, cold, cold! Food was wonderful. They have the typical bar fare, however, they offer much more. Even the burgers are more than you would expect. They grind all the beef onsite, so if you prefer your hamburgers rare, this is the place that can truly deliver. Our server was attentive and humorous - wouldn't change a thing. There is so much history and atmosphere, if you would like a true taste of a NC State area bar, one that isn't just fluff, this is the place to go. Pros: Parking, service, menu more
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Relaxing Atmosphere 9/20/2007

Players Retreat has a great atmosphere for a more relaxing type setting. We had so problems with one of the bartender's attitude, but other than that we really enjoyed ourselves and the bar! Pros: Cool Atmosphere Cons: Not really any other than the attitude more
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Best burgers in Raleigh! 9/9/2007

The PR is my favorite bar in Raleigh. I try to head over for the Wednesday cheeseburger and fries special every week. The Scotch selection is outstanding (you can even join their scotch club), there are lots of beer choices, and the food is fantastic. There is convenient parking across the street and you can sit outside and enjoy your beer and food. You can also access wi-fi if you need to use your laptop (sometimes I need a beer when I study). Pros: Parking, food, beer, service, flat screens, etc. more
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Great Neighborhood Pub 10/2/2006

The PR has good wine, lots of liquor and tons of new beers on tap. There is also a non-smoking section and a great jukebox. They have pool tables and the crowd is really cool and nice --not your uppity Glenwood Sou. crowd. The service is excellent at PR, too. The waitresses are all really friendly and fast. Great cheeseburgers. I just moved from Charlotte and the PR is my new favorite bar in Raleigh. They also have really cool fishtanks. The bartenders are oldish men (not hot) but they're nice. more
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Great Drink and Food Specials 9/18/2006

Being on a student budget, this places rocks. Cheap beer and food. Best place in town to watch NCSU and the CANES on HD TV's. Mondays pints of Bud and Bud light are $1.00. House liquor drinks $2.50 on Sundays. Pros: $1 pints on Monday Cons: no more
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SCOTCH 9/18/2006

I love scotch and this place has a hugh selection. All the steaks are black angus and they don't cut them until you order them. They are great. Best burger and cheese fries Pros: SCOTCH more
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The best ribs I have ever eaten 9/18/2006

Very eclectic group of customers. In one booth is a guy drinking a $1.50 PBR and the next booth a guy drinking a $40 glass of Cognac. Great jukebox, pool and darts. Very extensive menu. Every thing on the menu is great and fresh. Pros: Ambience more
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Best Burgers, ribs, steaks and 42 brands of Single Malt Scotch 9/17/2006

Since Carolinagirls review, the place has been sold and powerwashed from top to bottom. Clean and cool!!!! New owners added outdoor seating, good wine, Black Angus Steaks cut to order and every type of liquor you could ask for. Every piece of equipment in the kitchen, except for one, has been replaced. Free high speed internet and 50' HD Plasmas. All the sports packages. Late night breakfast until 2am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.\r Carolinagirl should give it one more try.\r \r Pros: Great jukebox, pool tables, darts more
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Hole In The Wall Bar!! 11/27/2005

I met some friends there this past Saturday and it was not the ideal place to go. The sanitation grade on the wall was a 81.0!! Gross! Thank goodness we had already eaten. It was creepy. The bathrooms still had a reuseable towel thingy that rotates, uh nasty! Anyway to say the least, the place is in need of major dusting and a serious make-over! Will not go back, ever. more
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GREAT BAR!!! 1/26/2005

If you like trendy, ""glam"" bar where you can show off your new Prada attire, don't go to PR. If you like Chococherrymochagrande martinis, don't go to PR. If you like Carolina, don't go to PR, just kidding but I suggest you don't tell anybody while your there. However, If you like good food, go to PR. If you like good bartenders, go to PR. If you like good beer, cheap beer or both, go to PR. If you want just want to go to a damn good bar, I mean a real bar like bars are supposed to be, a bar like my dad went to when he was at State, a bar that makes you forget about all the bad stuff in life for a while.....Go to PR and love it. Pros: Food, Atmosphere, Inexpensive Cons: nope, nada, nil more
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Order a love on the rocks with no ice!!! 1/20/2005

WOW, after over 50 years the PR is still one of the most down to earth spots in all of Raleigh. Don't be surprised not to see the ""elite"" (ahem, overrated) crowd of Glenwood South, the Office and WCC. Do expect to feel as if you can spill your life story to one of the most personable (non-judgmental) bartender's around, especially LIBBY!!! Don't be alarmed by Pete the owner, but also don't get on his nerves. The dresscode is anything that would allow you to get down to some old school billy idol. You will be hooked!!! Pros: bartenders, juke box, food Cons: , none, nothing more
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Menu for Players Retreat


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Editorial

  • In Short
    Players Retreat is tucked away a few yards from Hillsborough Street, hidden just well enough to prevent the undergrads from swarming it. Hundreds of beer steins and exotic...

  • 10/3/2006 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: 11am - 2:30am
  • Payments: Master Card, Visa
  • Neighborhoods: Cameron Park, University
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