Corpse Reviver Bar & Lounge

Delicious drinks and small plates.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Hello and goodbye, Conniption. My friend group wanted to get some festive drinks this past weekend, and we debated between a few places downtown. We've been regulars at some of the others, and had never been to Conniption as a group, so we thought we would try a new place out.

I always want to think that I'll enjoy something new, but I often wish I had stuck with an old favorite. So it was with Conniption.

When most of our group of 5 arrived, we headed to the hostess stand to request a table and get settled while the other two people found parking and made their way over. The hostess gave us major side eye, like we were asking for one of her organs or something, when we said we were a group of 5 and didn't have a reservation. However, you quite literally can not make a reservation unless you are a group of 6 or more. Not our fault that you don't know the policies as the hostess.

She said she could seat us on the sofas on the covered patio, and that sounded fine to us, so we got settled as best we could there. But, it was immediately obvious to me that those sofas could only seat two people each, so I was starting to wonder why she suggested them for our group. There was a tiny coffee table in front of the sofas for food and drinks, and it was not sufficient space for 4 people, let alone 5 people, to use. We actually ended up having to remove the small lamp, all of the menus, and the unused water glasses and placing them under the table to create more space. The table was also too low for the sofas, so you are constantly having to reach down, while the sofas are too short, so you can't really lean back and be comfortable either. I hope my PT isn't reading this review, because it was a nightmare for my lower back.

They were out of the two most appealing items on the menu, the pretzel bites and goat cheese balls, and we had to settle for random other things, which were just okay. We got there ~20 minutes after they opened, so I assume they just didn't restock these items from the previous day. The drinks were fine, I can only speak for the 'Hotta Chocolotta' from their seasonal menu. It tasted good but was not very strong. The food was also not very plentiful or filling, even though it was pretty pricey.

On top of all of this, the atmosphere of the patio was just *not* it. It was kind of noisy, cold but also too hot if the heaters were on, not nearly as festive as the inside, and just not really cozy whatsoever. I can't imagine ever having a date there.

The service left so much to be desired. On top of being shoved into a 4-person seating area, they took away the chair the 5th person was using, saying they needed it for another table. Apparently they needed every single chair on their patio and, there was not even one single extra one? Why say they could accommodate our group at all? We would have just walked 5 minutes to literally any of the other bars downtown and had a better time. Even though we had all the aforementioned things stacked under our table to make more space, they never offered to clear our table of any used glasses/plates. We had to keep asking them every time someone walked by. And each time, they looked utterly perturbed, as if asking for our super tiny table to be cleared was preposterous.

Then, the bill came. There was a 25% gratuity added for our group of 5. You mean the group of 5 that couldn't even make a reservation because a true 'group' is only 6+? You mean the group of 5 that didn't even merit having one single chair for our 5th person to sit on? Yeah. And 25%? Not even the standard 20% for groups. The taste in my mouth was acrid to say the least as we left. We probably spent close to $300 as a group there, and I can not think of a single reason why we would ever go back there.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 1

We sat outside even though it was cold and they had more than adequate heaters to keep the patio warm. What a great place.

Super disappointed. Not a huge drink selection let alone different alcohol distilleries. Food was fine seemed to be frozen and presentation was above average. The service lacked. Never got silverware without asking. Asked for napkins and was given cocktail ones. Quite humorous. Server was on her phone at the bar. Guess I was hoping for something more.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 3

Service: 2

Stopped in for an early breakfast and was highly impressed. Adrian was my bartender and his service was exceptional. Will definitely be my go to spot in RDU.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Holiday drinks were well crafted and the service was quite attentive. Will be back this season.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Properly themed for Halloween! Menu is genius as always. Even coffin ice cubes for the win!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Properly themed for Halloween! Menu is genius as always. Even coffin ice cubes for the win!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I couldn’t recommend this spot more! The drinks are exceptional and what makes them even better is that Conniption spirits are distilled right upstairs at Durham Distillery - every cocktail is crafted just steps from where you’re sipping. The vibes are amazing, and their Halloween pop-up is such a fun and creative experience. I love visiting for all of their seasonal menu changes - the Halloween pop-up was SO fun!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Extremely friendly staff, fun themed Tiki pop-up, and great atmosphere. Will be back again!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Good spot for a elevated cocktails or a nice date night

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5

good and respective service.

Such a great spot! (Please bring back the giant cookies)

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We had a fabulous time after the Durham Distillery tour on Saturday. This bar is fabulous and has a great vibe with well crafted cocktails along with wine and beer.
Service was fabulous and very attentive to our large party!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Cocktails Corpse Reviver Classic Martini Negroni Bianco Front, Pink G T, Gourmet Deviled Eggs, Seasonal Whipped Goat Cheese, Spiced Nuts

Perfectly crafted cocktails and wonderful atmosphere. We had twelve in our party who did the distillery tour before, it was really amazing trying all of their wonderful Gin’s and Liqueur’s. Will definitely be back!