Slim’s Downtown Distillery

Best dive bar ever… I go here after work atleast twice a week… as a new transplant it’s nice to have a place where you can meet down to earth non pretentious people… after coming in a few times the regulars pulled me in and made me feel at home… the bartenders are awesome… Allison is a gem

If you’re looking for a dive bar where the odor of thick smoke hangs heavy in the air (even though there hasn’t been smoking allowed inside for years), then this is the place for you! Maybe I’m too old, but I’m just not interested in such places.

Slims is what you’d expect from the alternative music scene. Loud, close and different. Don’t go if you’re not into the music but try it out if your tired of the same old music and people.

If you’re tired of the smooth, polished pretentiousness that is common in downtown Raleigh, Slim’s is probably your jam. It feels a little like a college bar in the 90s – dim, be-​stickered bar, tiny stage with Christmas lights to match.
Reasonable prices (yay dive bar!) and decent selection of alcoholic products for your consumption. There’s usually a band or two wailing it out on stage, and it’s worth the $ 5 cover just to people watch, if not for the talent.

Very divey and good selection of beers that were cheap. Wasnt too crowded when I went but took the two bartenders a very long time to serve me. They served other people right away though. I’d probably go back for a few cheap drinks but it wouldn’t be my first choice.

Came here based on a friends recommendation and it was everything he said. Divey, but cool as hell. Local bands playing on a Wednesday night. Great beers — including canned versions of Natty Bo and Schlitz. Great atmosphere and service.

If Slims is trying to be a dive bar where local shows take place and has a good selection of drinks aside from PBR, then it’s doing an excellent job at it. For the alternative music scene without the electronic dance jams, Slims is definitely the place to be.
This place was recommended to me from R/​Raleigh as a cool music venue to check out while visiting, so we decided to check it out. It wasn’t very busy but we were a little early for the show they were starting that night. The bouncer walked up to us and said we had to pay a cover. I asked him about the bands playing that night and what kind of music they were. I should have guessed he’s tired of this question by now since the answers were «they’re on the sign» and «it’s rock n roll». Good enough, I gave the man $ 5, he checked my ID, and let us in.
The venue is very small. Not the smallest, but it’s long and narrow. If it was a sold out show I’m sure it would get very intimate and probably uncomfortable. The music playing in the background was fitting, the crowd was a mix of local grungy guys in their 30’s and college kids from the bands that were playing. Since this was my only night to spend downtown, we decided to leave to check out the other music venues, but after a few drinks, we were back at Slims, head bobbing to the band, and drinking our PBRs.

It’s like a home away from home. The back patio is great on nights to just hang out and drink. Decent bartenders and always good times. Yes, it’s a music venue and I’ve seen tons of great shows here. The stage is a bit small but the sound is not. Great spot for beers and bands!

Slim’s touts itself as the oldest music venue in Raleigh, and with The Brewery gone, that might be the case. Slim’s is tiny for a music venue, which allows for a very intimate and personal experience if you so happen to be in the front row. If not, then you really won’t be able to see much of anything since the stage is also very small.
I would think that some bands that are made up of more than 3 members may have an issue fitting on the stage and more lively bands with good stage presence will probably find the stage cramped. The stage is also right along the path to get to the bathrooms/​outside patio and access to the second floor, so if the band is playing, people will sit on the stairs or crowd the hallway. This effectively creates a nearly constant traffic jam at it’s max capacity.
For smokers, they allow smoking out back. The only reason I’m giving this venue three stars instead of two is because the upstairs is pretty nice and usually less crowded. There’s a decent pool table and a nice couch to relax in. Listening to the live band while playing pool was pretty fun.
The drinks that I have had there have also been pretty decent and very strong. Overall, this is an OK place to have some heavy drinks, a large PBR, or to see a band if you absolutely cannot miss them play. Otherwise, there’s many places I’d rather go for both live music and drinks.

Good for a drink if they are asking for a cover and you don’t know the band I would say skip it. The bar tender is attentive and they have some nice sitting out back. One thing I have to give this place is that its got a clean bathroom. If this one a favorite for me to go I would give it another star but its not. Its good for a drink and a pee but not one of my favorite places to hang out.

Yuppies need not apply. Slim’s is traditional rock club venue. Its for people who like their PBR in a can and their whiskey straight up. There is a back patio and an upper room with booths and a pool table. Boxcar layout with a band area on floor level. I have spent many a night at Slim’s. Free parking in the parking garage right behind the place on nights and weekends.

I swear, everybody at this bar except my friend and me was drinking PBR. Seems to be the patron saint of beers here… they even have a neon guitar PBR sign positioned right by the band for full PBR Shrine effect! My cohort had scored some free tix, so we’d made our way downtown to check out some tunes. Unfortunately the first set (supposed to start at 10) didn’t go on till 11. And being the ‘old broads’ we are (the bouncer totally called us out on leaving before the headlining act!), we trudged out a little defeated at midnight. But the two hours I spent at Slims were still fun. They don’t have beer on tap, but at least you can get Big Boss by the bottle. Head upstairs for a game of pool or to grab a couch with some pals.
The crowd seemed to be a real mix of hipsters, young professionals, and old money who’d mistakenly wandered in from Café Luna for a post-​dinner nightcap. And then there were the band members’ parents (aw, cute!). You know, it’s not the best set-​up for live music — long and narrow, and if you don’t have a seat at the bar, you’re going to be right (I mean: right:) in front of the band… on the positive side, it’s up close and personal — a little like watching a band play in their living room; and on the other hand, you will require ear plugs to prevent shouting to hear yourself talk all day the next day.

You might assume the «Downtown Distillery» in Slim’s refers to industrial distillation used in the production of various petrochemicals such as kerosene, but the name actually stems from the large selection of spirits available from Slim’s at decent prices. I wish I hadn’t been the DD to this particular «DD» as the beer selection is not quite up to the same standards.
Another consequence of my poor decisions would prove to be a visit to Slim’s homage to the world’s greatest nation — urination. I’ve seen cleaner restrooms at the Philly greyhound station. There was so much piss on the floor that I feared using the urinal would give the impression that I didn’t respect local customs. I tried to plant my feet on some less soaked spots and leaned over the length of the stall, held up by one arm and prayed my shoes would not give way.
Lessons learned: take cab, bring adult diaper.

Sometimes, years after his passing, Phil Lynott helps. I’m parked at the corner end of the bar here on a crisp Raleigh evening, long enough to overhear a conversation between a gal who’s noticed that there is a photo of a gravestone back-​lit through a light board. She asks who it is and before he can answer I hear myself chime in «Thin Lizzy,» I say, and the bartender nods and the girl wanders off somewhere.
Said barkeep and I devolve over the course of a couple of hours into my theories on how Thin Lizzy was the perfect antidote to all of the incessant Michael Jackson sonic assault on the weekend that one given singer passed. A little Thin Lizzy, I reasoned, was enough to get you through most music tough spots. And seasoned barflies would sing along, happy for the change. They seem to attract regulars here and I can see why: it’s an unpretentious slot, a thin reed of a shotgun row of bar stools, and the company you keep these nights seems happy enough. And more days than not that’s an incident worth chancing.

As a bar, I think Slim’s is great. There’s no other place downtown that’s got the same level of old-​Raleigh clout combined with a casual atmosphere, cheap beer, and people who know what time it is.
As a music venue… I just don’t get it. They don’t have an actual stage, just a spot on the floor in the back designated for the bands. Because of the size and shape of the place it’s impossible for more than ten or fifteen people to crush in close enough to see the band, and — since the stage is set up at the entrance to the passageway leading to the bathrooms — you have to constantly be rearranging to allow people through. Sure, you can get close to the band and the place has a history; but this is true of a lot of places in Raleigh where you don’t have to sacrifice quite so much to get it.
I do really like the upstairs for hanging out before and after shows, and the patio in back is great in the summertime.

When I think of how to best describe Slim’s, I keep coming back to the bar equivalent of your favorite old pair of jeans. They might be a little too tight and smell like an ashtray, but they’re perfectly worn-​in, you love the way you feel in them, and every time you step into them a million nostalgic stories come to mind.
Like those old jeans, Slim’s has seen a lot in its day. It’s one of those places that can rightfully be called a Raleigh landmark. Hidden away in a Wilmington Street storefront, you might never know this place exists, but its stage has seen the likes of Raleigh’s most heralded artists as well as the occasional national act (Butch Walker can ALWAYS be found here after his shows in town). Walking in the door greets you with the smell of smoke, the sight of walls covered with rock memorabilia and alcohol swag, and the sounds of eclectic rock tunes from either the jukebox or the tiny backroom stage. The crowd can range from college-​age punks to emo kids to middle-​age locals to aging hipsters, and I’ve never been when I haven’t been chatted up by most everyone at the bar.
The bar service is great, the drink prices are cheap, and even when crowded it’s no harder to move around than most other venues in the area.
If you’re around the bar at last call, you’ll want to order a PBR in a can… it’s a bit of a tradition among the Slim’s crowd. Take a look down the bar and you’ll see that familiar red, white, and blue can in front of most every patron, signaling the end of one more great night at this time-​tested downtown hangout.
Slim’s is a delightfully cramped, smoky, unintentionally hip and low-​key oasis in the sea of downtown Raleigh. If you’re a Raleigh native who’s never been, I recommend you make your way there ASAP — and if you’re new to the area, now’s a great time to get your first dose of a Raleigh tradition.

A lot of my friends absolutely love Slims. I had never been to the bar until a few weeks ago. I walked in and it was like one of those movie moments where the music stopped and everyone was staring at me-​I was definitely out of place.
The place bills itself as a musical venue (in fact Ryan Adams got his start here if I remember correctly). It’s called Slim’s however I presume because the place is essentially a giant hallway. You could never stand more than 3 or four people side by side, and the stage is exceptionally small.
For a music venue, this is the worst place I’ve ever seen. There’s nowhere to move, and the place gets packed pretty quickly (I would be surprised if it could hold 100 people). I also walked out of the place smelling like an actual ash tray there were so many people smoking and absolutely no air flow.
They work themselves up from two stars to three because the bands that play here are usually pretty good, the cover is low, and the beer selection is plentiful and reasonably priced. On a less smoky and crowded night I might potentially like the place.

Slim’s is a legendary Raleigh bar (recently remodeled), in my opinion a bit better than Jackpot but along the same lines. I’ve been here several times and each time I’ve enjoyed the place more than the last.
I’ve never had to wait in line to get in, nor have I ever gone in and felt like I was at a «meat market», which is one of my least favorite things about going out to bars. Another cool thing about this place is that you can usually count on hearing some great tunes with your beers, most nights do feature a live band playing, and I’ve definitely seen some great bands here. This beats listening to Usher or whatever it is they play at some of the other area bars I’ve been to.
The only con I can name about this place has more to do with North Carolina liquor laws than anything else, namely that you have to be a member or with a member to get in. While I’ve never had a problem getting in, friends of mine have and felt a bit miffed. Just remember, it’s not Slim’s fault, it’s just another example of an antiquated North Carolina law.