Link to the Sociology Department Home PageLink to the Sociology Department's Sociology Graduate Program Home PageSociology Graduate Student InformationGoogle Search

Guide to Food, Entertainment, and More Near the Department

Originally compiled by Denise Bissler and Shannon Davis
Updated 2004 by Jenn Marks

Internet Resources
There are several decent websites which have info on area eats, goods, services, and activities.
  • triangle.com might be a good place to start. It's got restaurant reviews and listings as well as movie info.
  • A personal favorite is DowntownRaleigh.com. They are supported by the businesses listed on their site, but most of them are locally-owned, independent folks. This site will always have info about the First Friday gallery walks.
  • And then there's always triangle.citysearch.com, which is part of a broader, national chain of websites. The upside is that you can search on a multitude of criteria; the down side is somehow Subway is classified as "vegetarian" cuisine. So search with caution.
Stuff Near Campus
The following are places which are (mostly) within walking distance from campus.

FOOD
What About Where
Baja Burrito California-style Mexican food with specialities in tacos, burritos, and nachos. It has a lunch-type atmosphere. *cheap burritos, $5.00 and they are huge. MV
Bruegger's Basic bagel shop. Sandwiches & soups also. Indispensable for a quick bite or a lunch to go. H, MV
Cloos' Coney Island Hot Dogs Cheap/ Wonderful. It is an eat in or take out place similar to a burger stand. MV
CupAJoe Non-yuppie coffeehouse. H: great coffee, big indoor smoking section. MV: salads/sandwiches in addition to great coffee, free wireless access. H, MV
Dalat Deli & Subs / Oriental Restaurant Vietnamese deli & restaurant. Inexpensive and good. MV
Rock-O-La Local (Southern?) chain. Rock-n-roll memorabilia is their thing. Full bar, burgers, etc. MV
Abyssinia Ethiopian food - really good, really filling! Somewhat limited vegetarian entrees, but what they have is excellent. Things you should know in advance: no cutlery, portions definitely big enough to share! MV
Nur Grocery & Deli Indian and American foods in a deli style setting MV
Ruckus Pizza & Bar Sports bar with pizza by the slice and the pie. They have beer (mostly American and by the bottle) and they deliver everything on the menu MV
Upper Deck 2 Sports bar with lots of TVs showing every sport imaginable. They have beer on tap and in the bottle. It's a great place to watch a basketball game if it's an away game or you just didn't get tickets. They have a patio and serve lunch and dinner MV
East Village Decent pub food, popular undergrad hangout. Patio. H
Mitch's Great food. Full bar (famous for being featured in the movie Bull Durham). Vegetarians will always have options here. H
Sadlack's Live music, deck, subs. H
Subconscious I've heard it's the place for the best subs around. However, it is prone to robberies. Just be prepared to duck. H
Brothers Pizza, sandwiches, etc., fairly cheap. H
Two Guys Pizza, salads, pasta, etc., also pretty cheap. H
Frazier's Small restaurant frequented by an eclectic crowd. Often have "nouveau American" cuisine at great prices. Beware the frequently changing menu, though--don't get too attached to anything! H
Porter's Opened Summer 2003 by the owners of Frazier's. Gorgeous, some patio seating. Not a lot of vegetarian choices. H
El Rodeo Good, inexpensive, Mexican grub. The waiters will encourage you to practice your Spanish. H
Cafe Carolina Sandwiches/salads, breakfast, pastries/sweets, coffee drinks. CV
Foster's Tavern/restaurant...a few vegetarian options. CV
Village Draft House Outdoor seating, full bar. Pub food. Not many vegetarian options. CV
Village Deli Deli & grill. Quite good, but has a pretty big lunch crowd weekdays. CV
Moe's Southwest chain, made-to-order. Plenty of vegetarian options. Also a big weekday lunch crowd. CV

Groceries
Harris Teeter Your basic slightly higher-end full grocery store. They have some organic produce and a pretty big wine and beer selection. CV
Fresh Market Smaller, also higher-end store; they have sushi, flowers, spices, a bakery, and some hard-to-find and unusual brands of stuff. It's often an easier and quicker stop to make than Harris Teeter. CV
Whole Foods The place to get organic produce, a wide array of soy products, environmentally friendly household products...and so much more! This is where you can find Tom's of Maine toothpaste in flavors you never knew existed. They also have a cafe, sushi bar, and salad bar. Wade Ave.
Raleigh Farmer's Market Locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables, plants, Christmas trees and crafts...a great place to get pumpkins for carving and firewood in the winter, also. off Lake Wheeler Rd.

Entertainment
Mission Valley Cinema Movie theatre-they have the first-run features and sometimes more indy stuff as well. Student discount with your id-whoohoo! Also, they sell beer and will let you bring your drink from CupAJoe in with you. MV
Sadlack's Live music sometimes on their patio H
Schoolkids Records For all your music needs; buy/sell used CDs; they also sell tickets to local music shows H
Record Exchange For any remaining music needs...I find they're a little more expensive and have a smaller selection. H, MV
Blue Flame Tattoo Tattoos & piercings by great artists. Knowledgeable staff. Clean and professional. H
*MV = Mission Valley, H = Hillsborough St., CV = Cameron Village.
I would also encourage anyone to get out and explore a few other Raleigh 'hoods. Specifically: Five Points, Glenwood South, and Downtown. These areas are filled with shops, restaurants, and services that are independent and locally owned. Have a recommendation you'd like to add? Email Jenn Marks (jpgertei@sa.ncsu.edu).

How to get there: From campus...take Clark Street (runs parallel to Hillsborough, borders Cameron Village) past Cameron Village, where it will turn into Peace Street. After several lights, you'll come to the Peace/Glenwood intersection. To your left is an inspection station, to your right is a pizza joint called Mellow Mushroom which features a big patio for outdoor seating and occasional live music.
  • To get to the Glenwood South area, turn right. And you're there.
  • To get to Five Points, turn left. You'll go over a bridge, and you'll see the Rialto Theater on your right. You're there. It's called Five Points because, well, it's a 5-point intersection.
  • To get downtown, go straight. If you stay on Peace, it'll dead-end at the Krispy Kreme (there are worse places to end up!). But if you take a right onto Blount, you'll end up in the heart of downtown.
DownTownRaleigh.com has some good maps of these areas.

Some highlights...
    Glenwood South
  • Firefly Shoes - The only place I've found in Raleigh that carries Fluevogs! Also an art gallery. The owner, Ashley, is usually working and is super-friendly.
  • The Rockford - A wonderful, casual bar & restaurant. Vegetarian options including a daily garden burger. Really good food, inexpensive. It's a little tucked away...right near the corner of Glenwood and North, it's above Fly and Crazy Combs salons. Look for the barbershop thingie.
  • Hard Times Cafe - Several varieties of chili (including a vegan one!) served any way you could imagine. Also burgers, salads.
  • Stitch - Home of Holly Aiken Bags. They're not cheap, but they're super cool, indestructible, and hand made and designed by a local woman-an NC State grad, no less!
  • Sushi Blues - Sushi in a fun and funky atmosphere. Features a late-night menu and live DJs & bands some nights.
  • Cody's Chinese Bistro - Gorgeous interior, good Chinese food, they also do take-out and delivery, and I think feature karaoke some nights...
  • 518 West - Italian restaurant, a little more upscale but you can still wear jeans. Not too pricey.
  • Hibernian - Irish pub & restaurant, they feature a trivia night.
  • Helios - Coffee shop, wine bar, they have food as well. Also features live music sometimes. Great patio seating.
    Five Points
  • Third Place - Coffee shop, they also have sandwiches, soups, salads. Mostly, if not all, vegetarian. Frequently changing art on the walls. Comfy chairs to relax in or people watch outside
  • Lilly's Pizza - Indy pizza place that's a Raleigh institution. Can get pretty noisy, but the pizza's fabulous; plenty of vegetarian & some vegan options. Also great for people-watching. Indoor & outdoor seating.
  • NOFO - Nifty restaurant & bar downstairs (they do brunch on weekends), fun shop upstairs. Used to be a Piggly Wiggly supermarket, which explains the pink metal piggies.
  • Hayes Barton Cafe & Dessertery - I haven't had lunch or dinner there, but the brunch is great! 1940s-inspired decor.
  • Rialto Theater - Great independent movie theater. Also serve beer & wine.
    Downtown
  • Humble Pie - Bar & Restarant. Things to know before you go: they have a tapas-style menu, the kitchen is open late (11pm tues-thurs, 1am fri-sat), they have some great weekday specials (e.g., 3 tapas & bottle of wine for $35 some days-check their website).
    In between...
  • Moonlight Pizza - located between NC State and downtown on West Morgan Street, just a block off Hillsborough St. Great pizza, pasta, salads. Also a good (although small) bar.
  • Irregardless Cafe - also on West Morgan, a couple blocks closer to campus. Started out as a strictly vegetarian eatery, now offering meat, seafood, etc. also. They have a great brunch!
  • Atomic Salon - Next to Irregardless, hair salon for men and women. They can do everything from traditional, basic wash-n-wear to the most cutting-edge styles and color, if I may say so.
  • Jackpot - Located a ways down Hillsborough St. towards downtown. A "private club", which means you'll (probably) need a member to sign you in the first time...however, there are at least a few grad student members... you know who you are! Anyway, it's dark, it's smoky, and sometimes really loud, but sometimes that's just what you need. Full bar, pool tables.
Last updated: August 25, 2004.