NCReview
photo credit: Alex Caterson, The Splinter Group
The Crunkleton
Craft breweries and taprooms are everywhere in the Triangle, but cocktail bars are still harder to come by. The Crunkleton is easy to miss on Franklin (the main street that runs adjacent to UNC’s campus), but it’s the best cocktail bar in Chapel Hill. If it’s your first time, you’ll need to sign up for a membership - North Carolina technically doesn’t allow bars, so any place that serves alcohol without food is classified as a “private club” - but it’s just a matter of signing a piece of paper and paying a $5 fee. Pick something from the leather-bound cocktail menu, like the Carrboro 75 (our favorite) or a mezcal sour, or have one of the bowtied bartenders make you something different.