Best breweries in Raleigh

Raleigh still has a deep bench of breweries, but it is thinner than it was two years ago. Since March 2024 the city has lost New Anthem, Funguys, Tobacco Road's Raleigh brewpub and Mordecai Beverage Co., and Axios reported in April 2026 that North Carolina closures have outpaced openings since 2024. The twelve below were brewing and pouring inside the city as of September 2026.

Coming down Louisburg Road or Capital Boulevard, the first stops are Heyday Brewing at 5401 North and Compass Rose Brewery near Spring Forest Road; R&D Brewing's Seven Saturdays taproom is on Capital just north of downtown. The rest are downtown, near Five Points or off Glenwood Avenue, and Trophy Brewing Co., the INDY Week Best of the Triangle 2025 winner for Best Brewery (brewed locally) in Wake County, is south of downtown on Maywood Avenue.

Use the list as a driving route. Each entry says whether there is a kitchen or only food trucks and flags anything we could not confirm.

How we chose

Only breweries that brew inside Raleigh count. Satellite taprooms for breweries based in Asheville, Durham and Winston-Salem were excluded, as were bars without a brewhouse and anything outside the city limits; Raleigh Brewing's Cary taproom and Bhavana Fenton are not part of their entries. Each brewery had to show a dated 2026 signal that it is open, with facts taken from its own site and awards named only with a year. Lonerider and Clouds were left off because their Raleigh taproom status could not be confirmed for 2026. Mordecai Beverage, Funguys and Tobacco Road Raleigh closed in 2026.

Entries are listed alphabetically and are not ranked. Hours and prices were last checked in September 2026; call before driving for anything an entry says is unconfirmed.

Brewery Bhavana

A dim sum kitchen, a bookstore, a flower shop and a taproom share one room on South Blount Street at Moore Square, open since March 2017. The beer is Belgian-leaning and yeast-forward, some of it wild or barrel-aged, and it is brewed at Bhavana's own production brewery two miles south of the Blount Street taproom, so it still counts as Raleigh beer. Founding brewer Patrick Woodson has been sole owner since 2023. The kitchen turns out pork bao and Peking duck; a second location, Bhavana Fenton, is in Cary.

Why we chose them

• Bon Appétit named it one of America's Best New Restaurants in 2017, as cited by Visit Raleigh.
• The FAQ says no dogs inside, citing North Carolina food-service law.
• Kids are welcome, and the library has a small children's section, per the FAQ.
• Reservations are taken on OpenTable for parties of six or fewer, and walk-ins are accommodated.
• A 20% gratuity is added automatically for parties of six or more.

Address: Raleigh — 218 S. Blount St.

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Compass Rose Brewery

Northeast Raleigh's first brewery, by its own account, has run a 5,500-square-foot taproom off Capital Boulevard near Spring Forest Road since 2015. More than 10 house styles are on at a time plus cider and wine, and the tap list is on Untappd, not the site, so beer names and prices are not published there; nctripping names Give a Mouse a Cookie, a milk stout, as the flagship. Compass Rose Kitchen is a full in-house kitchen with international dishes, including lamb with house spices and tzatziki.

Why we chose them

• Kids are welcome if supervised, and the lounge goes 21 and over after 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, per the About page.
• Oktoberfest and Emo Live Band Karaoke are on the events page for September 26, 2026.
• Line dancing is on the first and third Wednesdays of the month, per the site.
• Live music is a Friday fixture, per the brewery's weekly calendar.

Address: Raleigh — 3201 Northside Dr., Ste. 101

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Crank Arm Brewing

Bicycles are the theme at this Warehouse District brewery on West Davie Street, opened in spring 2013 by the owner of the Crank Arm Rickshaw company, which delivered beer by rickshaw at launch. The tap list ran to 15 beers in September 2026, including year-round Bike Pump, a 5.4% Czech pilsner, and Peloton, a 6.5% West Coast IPA, with cocktails, wine, seltzer and cider added since the downturn. There is no kitchen, but Videri Chocolate and The Pit are steps away. A Durham taproom is listed as coming soon.

Why we chose them

• White Wall Wit won bronze at GABF 2016 in the American-Belgo-Style Ale category.
• A Wednesday Night Ride leaves the brewery at 6:30 p.m., per Downtown Raleigh Alliance.
• The This Is Raleigh roundup from April 2026 calls it dog and kid friendly, which the brewery's own site does not confirm.
• It accepts the Downtown Raleigh Gift Card.

Address: Raleigh — 319 W. Davie St.

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Gizmo Brew Works

In the same northwest Raleigh industrial building off Glenwood Avenue since 2013, Gizmo was started by former customers who bought the space after the previous brewery there closed, according to Wikipedia. Core beers on the site are City of Oaks, a 5.2% lager, Beekeeper, a 5.5% honey wheat, Carolina Pine, a 7.1% West Coast IPA, and Hazetopia, a 6.2% hazy IPA, with 20-plus rotating drafts and a beer garden. Food trucks come through all week, and the taproom also sells THC-infused hop water and seltzer. A second taproom is on Shannon Road in Durham.

Why we chose them

• This Is Raleigh describes it as the smallest production brewery in Wake County.
• Wikipedia notes 2016 medals at the NC Brewers Cup and the Carolina Championship of Beers.
• Born to Bee was brewed with wild yeast from an NC State bee research project, per Wikipedia.
• The brewery's site carries no dated 2026 post, so call ahead.
• Dog and kid policies are not on the brewery's site, though This Is Raleigh says both are welcome.

Address: Raleigh — 5907 Triangle Dr.

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Heyday Brewing

Far northeast Raleigh's neighborhood brewpub sits on Tin Roof Way in the 5401 North community off Louisburg Road near I-540, where brewmaster Thorne Watkins makes a dozen house beers beside a scratch kitchen. The drink menu prints pint prices, rare for this list: Where's Hoffa?, a 4.8% American lager, runs $4 to $6, and Finger Paint, a 6.8% hazy IPA, $4 to $8. The opening year is not on the site, and regular hours are not printed there either, so call before the drive.

Why we chose them

• Taco Tuesdays bring $3 to $5 tacos and $5 lagers, per the drink menu.
• The Theatre of Dreams, a 3.9% dark mild, is priced at $3 to $5 a pint.
• The homepage says the brewery partners with Wake Tech on craft-beer training.
• Halloween on October 31, 2026 and National Drink Beer Day on September 28 are on the events page.

Address: Raleigh — 5301 Tin Roof Way, at 5401 North

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Lynnwood Brewing Concern

Midtown's brewpub on East Whitaker Mill Road, between Five Points and Wake Forest Road, opened in July 2013 and added a taproom in October 2015; brewing began that year at the Lynnwood Grill on Grove Barton Road. A 20-barrel brewhouse turns out house staples Czech Yourself and Lynnwood Light beside a rotating Beer of the Week. The beer garden has sun and shade, and Wilson's Eatery next door sends over sandwiches and flatbreads. The brewery's own contact page was down when we checked, so confirm hours by phone.

Why we chose them

• It took two Great American Beer Festival golds in 2016, for Once You Go and Drop Bear.
• GABF 2017 brought a gold for Saison Du Bois and a silver for Mosaic Pale Ale.
• Monday specials are $3.50 pints of Czech Yourself and Lynnwood Light, per the brewery's site.
• The site says dogs are welcome in both the beer garden and the taproom.
• The Lynnwood Grill site also claims a World Beer Cup medal without a year or category, which we could not confirm.

Address: Raleigh — 1053 E. Whitaker Mill Rd., Ste. 101

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Neuse River Brewing Company

Belgian styles are the point at this Pershing Road brewery in the industrial pocket off Wake Forest Road near Five Points, open since 2015: saisons and tripels, with IPAs such as Caleb's High Noon and Saturday Morning beside them. The Brasserie, added in late 2019, is a European bistro kitchen with a North Carolina slant, and the herb-garden patio looks toward the downtown skyline. The brewery's own site had no 2026-dated post when we checked, though Visit Raleigh lists current hours and Yelp shows an August 2026 update.

Why we chose them

• It was runner-up for Best Brewery (brewed locally) in INDY Week's Best of the Triangle 2025, Wake County.
• The same INDY 2025 edition named it runner-up for Best Neighborhood Bar.
• The taproom and Brasserie are closed Monday and Tuesday.
• Its Visit Raleigh listing says pets are allowed and children are welcome.

Address: Raleigh — 518 Pershing Rd., Ste. 100

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Raleigh Brewing Company

West Raleigh's brewery sits off Hillsborough Street near Meredith College, in a tavern room of about 45 seats that doubles as the production floor for 20-barrel and 3-barrel brewhouses. Thirty-two beers are on tap along with seltzer and wine; Hell Yes Ma'am is the flagship, and a local band once wrote an album around it, per Raleigh Magazine. The on-site Study Bar sells sandwiches from the company's JoCo kitchen, and food trucks come Wednesday through Saturday. This entry is Neil Street; the Arboretum taproom is in Cary, outside the city.

Why we chose them

• It won Best Trivia Bar/Event in INDY Week's Best of the Triangle 2025, Wake County.
• The Neil Street page states it is a dog friendly brewery with indoor and outdoor seating.
• Its media page says the brewery was featured in the Smithsonian's Brewing a Revolution exhibit in 2022.
• Weekly trivia runs Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m.

Address: Raleigh — 3709 Neil St.

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R&D Brewing

A converted CrossFit gym on Capital Boulevard just north of downtown holds the Seven Saturdays taproom, opened in February 2022 for a brewery that has been making beer on the same block since 2017. Sixteen taps pour flagships including Seven Saturdays IPA, hopped with Citra and Mosaic, Riviera Lager, a Bock and a Mexican Lager, under a Raleigh-skyline mural by Brian Crabtree. There is no kitchen, so food trucks rotate through the week, and Hammered Trivia fills Wednesday nights.

Why we chose them

• It was runner-up for Best Brewery (brewed locally) in INDY Week's Best of the Triangle 2025, Wake County.
• The taproom page states all guests must be 21 or older, so it is not a kids' stop.
• Its Riviera Lager co-brand with NC State was announced in August 2023 in the News & Observer.
• Seven Saturdays IPA took silver in American IPA at the 2019 U.S. Open Beer Championship.
• The taproom is closed every Monday.

Address: Raleigh — 1399 Capital Blvd.

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Standard Beer + Food

On the Person Street corridor at the Oakwood and Mordecai line, this bar and kitchen brews its own beer in-house under Whit Baker, brewmaster and co-owner of Cary's Bond Brothers, according to Raleigh Magazine. Thirty-plus rotating taps lean on crisp lagers, with stouts, double IPAs and barrel-aged beers behind them; Howdy Y'all is a ranch-water-inspired lager with lime and agave. The kitchen does a chili smashburger and truffle tots, and the Person Street location has a garden. A second Standard at North Hills pours beer that is still brewed only here.

Why we chose them

• The brewery is Craft Malt Certified and sources its malt from Riverbend Malt House in Asheville, per its own site.
• Person Street takes no reservations, while North Hills does.
• Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Person Street only.
• Dog and kid policies are not on the site, though This Is Raleigh says both are welcome.

Address: Raleigh — 205 E. Franklin St.

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Trophy Brewing Co.

The Maywood Avenue taproom is where Trophy makes its beer, south of downtown off South Saunders Street, with a patio and a daily food truck instead of a kitchen. Trophy opened on Morgan Street in 2013 as a 14-seat private club and moved production to Maywood in 2015. Trophy Wife, a 4.9% session IPA, and Cloud Surfer, a 6.1% IPA, were its first canned beers in 2017. The pizza rooms on Morgan Street and at Five Points are separate stops; this entry is the brewery.

Why we chose them

• It won Best Brewery (brewed locally) in INDY Week's Best of the Triangle 2025 for Wake County.
• Its own About page says it opened Raleigh's first craft brewery downtown.
• The site says the Maywood taproom is dog friendly, with rotating food trucks every day.
• Milky Way, a 5.3% salted caramel sweet stout, is on the current Maywood draft list.

Address: Raleigh — 656 Maywood Ave.

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Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing

Atop the Boylan Avenue bridge in Boylan Heights, Wye Hill brews small batches in-house next to a full kitchen and a patio with the downtown skyline laid out in front of it; Walter Magazine has named it among the top Raleigh bars with a view, per the site. Current house beers are Gazing Into Galaxies, a 4.4% chokecherry sour, Wavering Flame, a 4.7% session IPA, Work of the Wind, a 5.2% hefeweizen, and Light Under Leaf, a 5.1% sour with rhubarb, pink peppercorn and strawberry.

Why we chose them

• A Halloween pop-up called Witch, Please! runs September 18 through November 1, 2026, per the site.
• Table reservations are taken through SevenRooms.
• The Electric Owl Society is the brewery's beer club.
• Dog and kid policies are not on the site; This Is Raleigh says both are welcome.

Address: Raleigh — 201 S. Boylan Ave.

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Prices, hours and opening status last checked September 21, 2026. Call ahead where an entry says to.