The Velvet Hippo Bar & Lounge

Go for the glitter! Such fun drinks and small bites. Loved the atmosphere and the food!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Wait for no reason, no one danced, and the vibes were terrible. Definitely try somewhere else

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Great drinks! Pretty and good ambiance!

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5

Pretty neat and nice rooftop

Cracking cocktails, cool vibes. Sound staff. Rooftop area is a class touch. Worth a visit if you're in Durham 👍

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5

I’ve been here many times and always had a wonderful experience. The people ahbe great energy and the atmosphere is absolutely top notch. This is an incredible spot in Durham and you should go check it out whenever you can, as often as possible.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

always friendly & welcoming

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Always such a good time at this place! The food and drinks are always top tier, and the staff are super friendly.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great experience with mocktails and delicious food. Service was awesome, all good vibes. Will definitely visit again.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I just moved here and was told that it’s pretty much the closest you’re going to get to a gay bar in Durham. It was all straight when I visited, but the place has an excellent atmosphere, great cocktails, and great service. The rooftop bar is fabulous. Did some walking around downtown. When I moved here, so many people busted on it is being unsafe, but I found it anything but. Downtown Durham has a lot to offer, this place included. Thumbs up! UPDATE: Changed from a 5 to a 3. Be mindful of some of the obnoxious patrons that come here since this is the “it“ bar. Namely, on my second visit I had to deal with a group of businessmen that were crowding around the patio doorway and would not move to let people get through. I sent an email to the bar management, who responded positively. Still though, some of the patrons here are arrogantly disrespectful.

Atmosphere: 3

Service: 5

This is a really cool place to grab a drink with friends! They have dog friendly (not all hours) rooftop seating area that has heated lamps for the winter months. It is a bit hard to find as the signage isn't the best. It is upstairs from the escape room. There is a roadside sign that directs you to enter and start up the stairs.

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5

What a vibe! I was visiting from out of town and decided to stop by because I heard this place has the best craft cocktails. Couldn’t agree more! The bartenders are clearly expert at the craft, and the atmosphere and music made for a great experience all around.

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5

Had a terrible experience!! My girlfriends and I will not be coming back!! She went to the dj to see if she can request a song and showed the song on her phone and he pushed the phone down as if it was his phone. Did so in a VERY aggressive manner and pointed to the sign that WAS NOT even on and told her to read the sign !! We are a group of 30-35 year olds and this really rubbed me the wrong way speaking to her like that. Which I have a video of that sign being off. They later turned it on. A man should never be touching a females phone like that and disrespect her like that. That’s a whole nother level of boundaries broken. Shame on that dj for ruining the bars reputation because it seemed like a cool atmosphere

Came many times before and had an amazing experience. Drinks are always amazing as well as music choice! Tonight was a bad experience and I was there not even 5 minutes. Stood at the counter to be serviced and was ignored (the bar was mostly empty). The guy with the cat button up ignored my partner and I and sat some other people at the bar immediately. Quickly found out that was his family. Eventually when it was too hard to ignore us anymore his greeting was “do you guys need water” not hi, welcome in, or none of the other friendly spill that he gave his dad. I asked if they still had the apple bread that I really enjoyed last time and he immediately glances at his family and says “bread?” I then replied yes the apple bread. He informed me they didn’t have it and jokingly I said ah man I’ve been dreaming about it. He then responds with “well you should learn how to make it if it’s that important.”
His response was extremely off putting especially after we tried to ignore that subpar greeting he gave us. We left immediately.

The people here are wonderful, and last night the DJ's track selection was absolutely top notch.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5