Tobacco Road Sports Cafe Open on Glenwood South

Update - Tobacco Road has decided not to open to the public as soon as first thought, they are working out a few solutions and improvements to some issues and will announce an opening date soon.

It’s not just bar food for this sports bar. Tobacco Road Sports Cafe opened its doors on Tuesday night for a preview dinner and was crowded out the door. The restaurant is owned by the brothers behind Amras just a block away on Glenwood South.

The restaurant is broken into two spaces, one that is more of an “intimate” dining experience and the other which is focused around the bar and vast amount of televisions, including a full wall of televisions tuned to multiple channels of sports, sports, sports. The main decor of the restaurant is simple, painted walls with huge televisions. Essentially the televisions are the decor…take it or leave it, it is a sports bar….er, cafe. Plus, there’s a glass box which seems to hold an announcer for games and competitions in the bar.

The menu ranges from wraps and sandwiches to salads and a large selection of entrees that range from hanger steak to grilled tuna. We tried the hummous, green salad, black eyed pea cakes, scallops and hanger steak. There were minor issues with the entrees (i.e. the hanger steak and frites could have a complimentary sauce like most places, The Times, do…it would increase the taste of this dish a lot). Good attention to detail in the menu, especially for a restaurant themed around sports….Village Draft House, Hi-5, take note. Other than that and the fact that the food took forever (there were lots of servers available but the kitchen was obviously backed up), the experience was as nice as a restaurant with 50 televisions could be.

One other downside are the TVs in the window. While it’s daring to create an urban media edge with these televisions, the persons (us) sitting in the restaurant behind these televisions are stuck with the back of a television hanging almost at eye level. A view out to Glenwood would be much better. With a good beer selection on tap and bottle and this many televisions, Tobacco Road will definitely succeed on Glenwood South, especially because of it’s urban edge, something that most other sports bars on Glenwood South lack.

One final plus, the bar is non-smoking. This decision was made by a poll on their website where non-smokers outvoted the smokers 312-55. Great for us non-smokers but the fact that Tobacco Road is their name and the restaurant isn’t in Chapel Hill, Durham or a smoking spot is a bit interesting, dare I say odd.

~~Tobacco Road will officially open on Christmas Eve at 4pm for dinner and will be open on Friday December 26th at 11am for lunch and beyond.~~

Read more at Tobacco Road Sports Cafe’s blog.

Johnny12/24 01:45 AM

a $26 dollar entree item on a sports bar menu? demon deacon tuna? 50 televisions including covering the windows?

looks like the poor choices didn’t end at the name.

Jason!12/24 10:39 AM

A brief scan of the menu is enough to get me to go there instead of… well… any other sports bar in Raleigh. As a vegetarian, I’m pretty tired of being relegated to cheese sticks and fries or a sad veggie burger at sports bars. This menu is a huge step in the right direction.

And with 50 TVs, I might be able to get a little soccer or cycling or (dare I dream?) rally even during on-season times for the major sports.

Johnny12/24 08:37 PM

the cabbage rolls and pea cakes do sound good, but it’s still not a menu I would attempt to call veg-friendly.

better than most sports bars though agreed!

reid12/24 10:23 PM

i wish them well, but i smell an identity crisis. many on this site get all emotional when a bar sells beer and chicken wings. incidentally, the places that do survive. i’m not sure if this is a sports bar or a mid to high end restaurant with TVs. the signs said open late summer. at this point before the year end is possible. i will look forward to checking it out. happy holidays.

reid12/24 10:29 PM

just looked at menu. i would have liked to have seen a beer list instead of a wine list, but that’s just me.

jess12/25 06:17 AM

A beer list is to be posted soon. Also, johnny how is the name a poor choice? For those completely oblivious, the name tobacco road has nothing to do with tobacco or smoking.

jess12/25 06:18 AM

...also…the televisions facing the windows outward are placed there for the patio seated customers…patio is also coming next week.

Vivica Monroe12/25 03:03 PM

I really enjoyed the friends and family night. I think that having more tables instead of booths was an excellent idea it makes it much easier to see the tvs comfortably and you can pull them together as your party grows which often happens when watching games out

Servers were very attentive.

The food… The menu is very interesting. I love the concept. Everything has a little twist. I am a very adventurous eater although many are not i would try adding some classic bar food such as chz sticks or zucchini sticks would be nice with one of your creative dipping sauces..and where is the calamari everyone loves calamari…
I agree with one comment i saw ... you need some type of sauce to compliment the steak and pea cakes and other menu items just to give them a little extra flavor i love sauces and i think others do as well

I think this place will be a landmark on glenwood just a few tweaks to the menu and they will be good to go

ford12/25 05:57 PM

i biked past tobacco rd this morning, they have a sign taped up that says they will be open dec. 29th at 11:30 am

corey3rd12/26 12:11 AM

what is it going to take for one bar in Raleigh to dare name itself “Otis”?

James12/26 09:29 AM

As far as sports are concerned “Tobacco Road” is a basketball reference for the trip between the big four NC bball schools (NCSU, UNC, Wake Forest, and Duke). So a Raleigh location or a Winston-Salem location make as much sense as Chapel Hill or Durham. But it is funny that it’s a non-smoking place.

TheWaveLife12/26 04:48 PM

I attended the guest-serve on Tuesday night. The food was a let down. It had potential for certain. But every dish we tried we had to season or salt or wish for some final flavor to finish it off. The rockfish gorditas would have been delicious with lemon. The guac would have been great with more salt & lemon. The tuna was severely under-seasoned. The mac & cheese needed some manner of kick, maybe paprika. The real travesty is that there is so much potential to these dishes. They just desperately needed some finishing touches. The beer list was good, the wine list atrocious. But, t’is a sports bar. Ultimately, I will try it again after a few weeks to let them get their bearings. Hopefully it will all come together.

Horatio12/26 09:16 PM

I like sports as well as the next person, but why oh why does it have to be another sports bar?? I’m glad they have a section just for dining, separate from all the TVs. I will definitely give it a try and hope for the best.

MMI12/27 01:14 AM

Horatio, I’m guessing that it’s for lack of a DECENT sports bar in the immediate vicinity. Frankly, The VD House is the one joint I like as a “sports bar” inside the Beltline. I am hopeful that Tobacco Road can make that list, too.

I have always stopped short of endorsing Playmakers (now The Brickhouse) because I just didn’t love it there, and the food was middling, at best. Their setup is just, well, awkward. Hi 5 can’t decide if it’s going to be a sports bar or a dance club—Quite frankly, it sucks at both. The only other options are places with fewer TV’s—like Mitch’s or Cameron’s.

I’ll check this new place out and see what’s up.

Susie12/27 11:44 AM

Jess, are those tobacco leaves on the logo or am I completely oblivious and those are actually abstract Chuck Taylor shoe imprints? I understand wanting a local name and how hard that is without getting into a copy right issues or leaning to one school over the other. Sorry I don’t like the name but will give it a try. Food and service not the name will determine if I go back.

Jonathan12/27 06:56 PM

Agreed with MMI. I live downtown and there is nowhere within walking distance where I would go to watch a game, unless it was a soccer game (Hibernian, Oxford, Tir Na Nog, etc). I would always drive to one of the Carolina Ale Houses (although we’ll have one of these on Glenwood soon enough) or Buffalo Bros. This could be a great addition; will be checking it out soon during a Canes game.

MMI12/27 07:00 PM

Jonathan, that’s STUMBLING distance.

The only other option I could come up with was Sammy’s, which is fine, but not always the right match when you don’t want to be surrounded by undergrads.

Marie12/27 10:48 PM

I would invite anyone questioning Tobacco Road’s “identity” to check out the blog—the same one on which the no-smoking decision was made by a vote of potential customers. The name refers (as some of you realize) to an illustrious sports tradition in the region. The logo is a reference again to the local flavor that can be found here—more than 60 percent of the menu ingredients come from NC. To Johnny—they are trying NOT to be classified as a sports bar, but a sports-spirited RESTAURANT. Hence the $26 steak, etc. To Susie—They are Tobacco Leaves, though I think Chucks would defeat the whole “not a sports bar” thing.

I’m giving it a chance until something more significant pops up for discussion.

tj12/28 10:41 AM

Nowhere in walking distance? How about Woody’s in City Market, I would consider that a sports bar.

MMI12/28 05:22 PM

They are kind of short on TV’s at Woody’s, but you’re mostly right there. City Market is seriously pushing “walking distance” for me, but have at it!

DPK12/28 06:41 PM

You can also try the Cameron Bar & Grille or the Drafthouse in Cameron Village.

MMI12/28 06:50 PM

Or, you could read my post above to get that same information.

DPK12/29 12:56 AM

Whoops, lol. Selective reading I suppose.

ComeOn12/29 12:03 PM

Come on, people. We aren’t a bunch of bumpkins that only want bars that play nothing but Baby Got Back and Sweet Home Alabama (Note to Tobacco Road . . . please don’t play Baby Got Back and Sweet Home Alabama every Friday night at 10 pm).

The most crowded bar I see every night, including during the week, is Sullivan’s, which has good jazz during Happy Hour and is a little pricey. Let’s have a little class, Raleigh.

Lisa Jeffries12/29 12:25 PM

“Sammy’s, which is fine, but not always the right match”... Ugh - terrible food. Terrible (non-beer) drinks.

My party of four had a great time last week. We all ordered different menu items and sampled from each other. I especially loved how each menu item was appropriate for the venue, but not typical bar fare. The atmosphere was great and the service was excellent.

Tobacco Road - 1. Everywhere else - 0.

hackles1012/29 12:32 PM

Anyone heading there today at 3 for the wolfpack game? Im Looking forward to trying it out!!!

chili12/30 11:10 AM

Great logo design for a restaurant that does not offer smoking. That right there is a signal that the biz is starting off on the wrong foot.

hackles1012/30 11:57 AM

Everyone get over themselves. Its TOBACCO ROAD SPORTS BAR. We live on Tobacco Road…home of the best NCAA b-ball in the country.

With the shaky logic on here we should protest the Buffalo Sabres or the Oakland Raiders for promoting violence and supporting pirates with their logos.

hackles1012/30 11:59 AM

Im calling it a sports bar, no matter how badly they want to be a step above, when you put lazy boys in front of a wall of tvs….its a sports bar!

MMI12/30 12:52 PM

(continuing hackles’ point…)

Or, for that matter, that there are any Buffalo in said city. Did you also know that there is little, if any, gold in the Golden Isles of Georgia?

Methinks chili is just bitter that he/she can’t smoke in this one single establishment. People, STFU on this point and get on with it!!

Lisa Jeffries12/30 11:56 PM

The smoking/non-smoking was the only thing I haven’t been a big fan of so far. I personally am a non-smoker and I hate coming home smelling like smoke, but I also don’t want to oust smokers or make them less inclined to this give business a try.

I know, I know, it’s their perogative if they want to smoke and put themselves up for that and no one wants unsolicited second-hand smoke, but on that same note I’m also entitled to prefer non-smoking sections as opposed to not allowing smoking at all.

Maybe smoking at the patio seating only?

Otherwise, heard the crowd was great for the State game on Monday… wish the outcome of the game had been as successful!

MMI12/31 03:25 AM

Hey, I understand when people gripe about the Government telling them where they can and cannot smoke, but if it’s a private enterprise doing it, then more power to them! Tobacco Road and others are betting that the appeal of a non-smoking environment will bring enough people in to compensate for those who won’t frequent them because they CAN’T smoke.

I visit all kinds of places—smoking and non-smoking—but I am a patron more frequently at places like Raleigh Times, where I have the option of sitting in a large non-smoking bar.

GD12/31 09:44 AM

I am glad to hear its non smoking. As someone who recently quit, I hate that most establishments here are smoking - even when I did smoke, I wouldn’t smoke in a restaurant environmentas I felt it was rude as hell.

Knowing its nonsmoking will get a lot of business from myself and my friends. Most of them are ex smokers as well and have a hard time finding places to go - especiallly to watch a game.

Ben12/31 12:58 PM

We went to this place last night - what a great place. While it’s a definitely leading towards a sports bar, it’s classy enough to bring in those folks who could care less. If you’re a sports fan that doesn’t like a side of cigarettes with your beer or appetizer - this place is fantastic!!

Deb12/31 01:14 PM

For all of the wankers still bitching about the non-smoking choice by the owners - get over yourselves! Not only are there plenty of places you can go to smoke (and I’ll be the first one to suggest you go to them, but my friends and I will choose the places where we won’t come home stinking), but the owners actually POLLED their potential customers to make this decision. Guess what, they gave the people what they wanted! Newsflash to those living under ashtrays - you are a very slim minority.
For proof, see the poll on their blog for yourselves: http://www.tobaccoroadsportscafe.blogspot.com/ and please stop whining.

hackles1012/31 01:50 PM

I really dont think anybody is bitching about the bar being non-smoking, they are just making a weak attempt at calling out the owners for being non-smoking and having the tobacco leaf in the logo. Its a pretty silly argument!

corey3rd12/31 01:56 PM

They don’t let you smoke in the offices at the American Tobacco Campus in Durham

hackles1012/31 02:03 PM

The holes in their logic are limitless…no need feeding the trolls. Its a cool bar, seems like everyone (save a few) are happy about the smokeless air, and the logo is perfect just the way it is.

jameson01/04 10:27 PM

went there on saturday. not a bad spot. has anybody else had the wings? the ones we had were really tiny. if you’ve been to hooters, you know what small wings look like. these were like the ones that hooters threw back. they were tasty enough but very little. in saying that, they were not overpriced, just little. i told a friend, this would be a great place to break in a young sports fans. they are like training wings…..

hwy70e01/05 03:16 PM

This place lost 15 customers last night…probably for good. The owners clearly don’t understand that we live on ‘Tobacco Road” and its not just a catchy bar title.

How do you open a bar with this title in the heart of ACC basketball country, arguably the heart of college basketball, nationally, by many measures and on a night where TWO of the local teams are playing, do you choose to broadcast the audio of an NFL game over the basketball games?

Its not like Washington, Carolina, or even Atlanta were playing. It was Minnesota and Philadelphia…are you kidding me?

This is what happens when transplants move to North Carolina and think they can slap a catchy title on a bar but clearly don’t understand the history of college basketball in North Carolina…at all.

Furthermore, creme colored sheetrock with TVs is far from character. How do you not at the very least hang a few replica jerseys of Wake Forest, North Carolina State, North Carolina, or Duke?

A major disappointment. 15 lost customers at an average tab of $20-$30/each equals $500 in lost revenue in 1 night alone, probably for good. This money really could have helped actually make the place look like you understand what Tobacco Road really is…..

MMI01/05 03:28 PM

I’m not really disagreeing with you, hwy70, but my guess is that they valued a playoff game more than an early-to-mid-season ACC game. I would think that an in-conference schedule would have swayed them somewhat, but some people don’t seem to start thinking NCAA Hoops until the Official State Holiday that is the ACC Tournament.

It still beats the time I tried to watch the Cubs in a playoff game this year, only to find audio of a VICE-Presidential debate at one bar (Mitch’s), and techno music at another (Brick House).

hackles1001/05 04:03 PM

I agree with MMI!

This was playoff NFL football. I have a feeling they would gladly risk losing the 15 of you not to lose the 125 people there to watch the NFL playoff games.

So many people are trying to force this place into things (ie: smoking, college b-ball coverage) just because of their name. Its a clever name for the local area, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t able to subordinate two early season college b-ball games for NFL playoff football.

Every sports bar can have almost infinite TVs for different events, fact is there can really be only one main audio feed…and decisions need to be made. Sometimes those decisions won’t go your way, and in that case, watch that game from home if you really need the audio.

The only real solution for this problem is to get those individual audio boxs for tables. They usually never work, and are very hard to hear…but they help those that get their panties in a wad when the event they came to see isn’t the masses audio choice!

MMI01/05 04:19 PM

Well, I didn’t necessarily mean that the place was vindicated in choosing one over the other, since I have been in 70’s position before. I did mean that I somewhat understand the choice that Tobacco Road made. my guess is that hwy70 will think about going back once the passionate immediate response has waned a bit.

As for in-table audio options, Sammy’s has a system that utilizes portable speaker pods with channel selection. Buying a handful of those would keep a place from having to invest in speakers for every table, and they can be easily replaced when they malfunction.

hackles1001/05 04:23 PM

We are talking about the same audio boxs. Although I doubt you see these anytime soon, because throwing them on every table would be giving up the battle to be a non-sports bar, sports bar.

Im not really vindicating anyone…just saying that with 1 option a choice has to be made, and the bar chose the most popular event (nielson ratings) and went with it. Sucks that some people get offended, but thats the nature of the beast I guess.

G. Puyol01/06 04:15 AM

I was there for the Eagles/Vikings game with some friends and we definitely would have been pissed if they had turned off the NFL audio. Postseason football trumps early season hoops any day, any place.

As for the food and service at Tobacco Road, both were really good. We never had empty glasses and pretty much all of us broke our New Year’s resolutions by eating too much!! We’ll definitely be going back in the future. One or two more experiences like that and we’ll be regulars.

raleighsignshop01/06 03:00 PM

“Great logo design for a restaurant that does not offer smoking. That right there is a signal that the biz is starting off on the wrong foot.”

i partially agree - it may have been a better choice to use another element, but i honestly can’t think of any positive tobacco related items that could have been used. i do, however think that having a well designed logo with legible copy can make or break how well that firm’s brand recognition is built over time.

phil01/06 03:33 PM

This place is just another sports bar. Nothing special.

I just want to be on the list for one of the tv’s when they file ch.11.

hackles1001/06 03:47 PM

Haha…people predict a lot of failure on this site.

I don’t see this place going anywhere anytime soon. Not sure about their lunch business…and granted, NFL playoffs are going on, but this place is always packed, and $3.25-$4.25 beers go a long way towards the bottom line. As long as this place isn’t mismanaged…it should do very, very well!

Lisa Jeffries01/06 04:05 PM

Wooh… there is some high-quality hatin’ going on here.

I have now been twice - once with a large group of 14 (they were very accommodating and reserved the large semi-private room for us - I highly recommend that for business/social meetings, by the way) and every time was great.

As far as mismanagement goes, I can’t see that as an issue as long as the Amras retain ownership and management.

hackles1001/06 04:14 PM

I too have been twice…and enjoyed both experiences and will probably be there later this week and weekend for more games!

Amy Maurice01/06 05:25 PM

I can understand the debate about the name and the non-smoking policy. I have provided more info on our blog and should have communicated more earlier.

We have received many positive emails from guests that enjoyed the food, service and atmosphere. We have also received suggestions that we have been able to implement or incorporate. Thank you to everyone that has provided feedback so far. Constructive criticism is wanted and welcome.

As far as the Debbie Downers predicting failure/Ch.11. I AM that person that has been dragged to countless sports bars by my sports-nut boyfriend where the food is bad and the service is worse. Yes, I’m biased, but I do believe that Tobacco Road is NOT another sports bar. The food is fresh and, having worked in many restaurants, I can assure you that our attention to service exceeds most.

Amy Maurice01/06 05:26 PM

Here is a link to the name, logo and poll “explanation”:
http://tobaccoroadsportscafe.blogspot.com

susie01/06 06:42 PM

You are not going to please everyone. There are spots for Sysco shipped frozen mass produced food, buckets of beer, jerseys on the wall, bad service and to top it all off a side of smoke. Thank you for doing something differant. I stated before going that the food and service not the name will bring me back. And I have gone and returned and I will go back.

I feel like I got the logo conversation going as an earlier post said the name obviously has nothing to do with tobacco. Well it does. It is a complicated history (supported many and harmed many) and was well documented by a Duke grad student which PBS aired last year. Amy you touch a bit on that in your blog.

corey3rd01/06 07:23 PM

don’t go cracking on Sysco. Have you had a chance to taste what Thomas Keller can do with their frozen french fries at Bouchon?

Marie01/07 01:35 AM

The bottom line is this: negative people will always find something to complain about—even if the place goes above and beyond to exceed the norm. Whether it be the logo, the no-smoking policy, or which game is being broadcast, decisions have to be made that keep in mind the satisfaction and overall comfort of EVERYONE. I have heard nothing but positive “word-of-mouth” reviews, and had only good experiences with Tobacco Road in the less than two weeks it has been open. To Hwy70—I would imagine the owners/management at TR intended that the TV’s ARE the “character” (that and the fabulous food), and were not concerned about littering the walls between with cheesy posters and plastic memorabilia I could find on a dorm wall at University Towers. Anyone actually watching the game will likely appreciate this. To Phil—So, where do you work—Woody’s or Hi-5??

MissTerious01/07 06:14 PM

Went there over the holidays to check it out with a group of friends.

First impressions: I was a little turned off by the ambience of the place. The logo and blogspot have a completely different look than the actual establishment. To me, the logo say “history” and “rustic charm”... (think it is great by the way). But the actual decor is “gray” in all sense of the word. It didn’t have much character at all. Seemed almost unfinished. The only thing I found to be warm and inviting were the hostesses and the wall of leather recliners.

My service was terrible, but based on our table, the table behind ours and the managers reactions, I think that our waiter didn’t last another night there.

I thought the food was good and the fact that it was non-smoking, AWESOME. I would definitely give it another chance thought, just wish it had a bit more charm and personality.

MAKH03/13 09:40 AM

For those of you still complaining ( I bet you work/own other bars). If your service was half as good and your food was as excellent, you would still have your customers. Just because you can’t hack it and run a successful business, don’t look down on those who can. Stop the complaining. I wish the brothers much success!!!!!!!!

MMI03/13 03:31 PM

It’s true—the service I have seen at TR has been fantastic. In fact, they might even come by TOO often, if that’s possible. It’s hardly worth complaining about, though.

For the record, the food at TR has been phenomenal. Well beyond what one would expect of a similar establishment.

phil07/28 12:48 PM

Maybe they should open a spot in Holly Springs.

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Jedidiah Wednesday, December 24, 2008