Milltown

Sayson

North Carolina

4.7/5  rDev +12.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $

I've made Milltown a regular stop over the last few months. I sit at the bar. The service is attentive and knowledgeable. Ethan, the manager, is a true proponent of beer. In the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area, he gets the most interesting kegs, especially in terms of limited releases. It's rare that I see a beer at nearby Tyler's that wasn't at Milltown first. The lines are clean and well cared for. Some of the kegs are hard and pricey, so sometimes the price of a pint can be a surprise. The food is standard pub fare with a Belgian twist. The fries are especially good. If you're in Chapel Hill/Carrboro, Milltown should be on your must stop list. Also, parking is available in the lot next to the Army surplus store.

11-27-2012 18:07:51 | More by Sayson

Mantooth

North Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +3.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

My girlfriend & I hit this place three times in an overnight stay in Chapel Hill (2/11/12) and it did not disappoint once. We saw a gig at the Cat's Cradle - this place is just across the street. Their drafts when we were there:

Big Boss Angry Angel
Alagash White
Delirium Tremans
Duck Rabbit Baltic Porter (2011)
Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux
Foothills Total Eclipse
Foothills Sexual Chocolate (2011)
Foothills Sexual Chocolate (2012)
Founders Centennial
Fullsteam Hogwash
Guinness
Highland Gaelic
Kulmbacher Monchshof Schwarzbier
Lagunitas New Dogtown Pale
McChouffe
Miller High Life (Champagne of Beers)
Southern Tier Imperial Oat Stout
St. Bernardus Abt 12 & 8

The bottle list was even more impressive - heavy on Belgians (nothing wrong with that) but covering all aspects of beer too.

The vibe is great, laid back & bohemian.

We ate there twice, I highly recommend the salmon (which was on special so it may not be available at all times) and the nachos (be sure to get the house made guacamole).

The staff were super cool & knew their brews. I was told they're going to have a Founders blowout soon featuring CBS, KBS, etc...

If you're in the area - give this place a shot, you'll be happy you did.

02-13-2012 13:45:06 | More by Mantooth

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

I found Milltown to have the best selection of Belgian craft beer in the Triangle... including farmhouse/saison and sour. I was impressed by the menu - they do a really nice job of breaking it down by style/country/etc that makes it easy to see what is on it. In my opinion and on the times I have visited, the bottle selection has been more impressive than the draft selections.

I have only had the food at brunch and while it was good it was nothing spectacular.

On all of the times I have visited the vibe has been quiet and low key though it should be noted that I usually visit when UNC is out of session and frequently in the afternoon.

01-20-2012 15:41:58 | More by dbrauneis

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

4.6/5  rDev +10.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$$

Wow. My first trip was waiting for the Event Horizon release. I learned that Milltown is the Founders pipeline. They have it all. I actually purchased bottles of CBS, KBS (2011), Cantillon Gueuze, and Girardin Gueuze. Granted all were a bit pricey, but it is a bar. CBS alone was $32! I didnt complain because they still had it in December. If you want Founders and youre in the Triangle, go here. They have it all, probably in bottles and on tap. Their other selection is solid with a wide variety on tap. Their bottle list is endless and ever-changing. Just come in, you wont be let down!

12-03-2011 03:17:57 | More by VncentLIFE

Beerness

North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev -1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

I've been a few times, and I'm a fan of this place...well, I'm a fan of any place that puts beer where it belongs...on a pedestal. With a book for a beer list and a big chalkboard at the end of the bar listing all that's currently available. They have a very nice selection of Belgians, American craft, locals, and more. They usually serve the beer in proper glassware, which I appreciate more and more. And with the Belgians, that go great with their variety of mussels and fries, they have many on draft, which seems to be pretty rare in my area.

The staff is pretty knowledgeable overall...bartenders definitely, but the servers ain't bad in that department either.

Great variety of seating, with a nice patio, enclosed on three sides, bar, and some booths and tables. The patio is the best part of that, as it's pretty large and well buffered from the main street.

06-08-2011 02:54:21 | More by Beerness

chaz410

North Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +6.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I live in Charlotte NC and am originally from Chapel Hill. One time visiting home I heard of this great Belgian brewpub/eatery in carborro called Milltown. I've never been to an exclusive Belgian place anyways so I thought I'd give it a try. Man was I happy to stop by!! The place is decorated like a quaint Belgian eatery, has a great atmosphere, kind and knowledgable staff and a beer list that will make any beer nerd drool. A HUGE list of Belgian bottles and a tap listing of about 4-5 Belgians (Like Delirium and Kwak!) along with a handfull of NC micro taps and other popular micros from Avery, Dogfish, and Brooklyn. Food is amazing and the beer is reasonably priced for what it is. What was also impressive was that every time I've been there, no matter what I ordered to drink, it always came in the brewery's signiture glass, even the Kwak on tap came in the quarter yard kwak glass! The manager Josh is a top notch guy too and you can tell he wants only the best quality at his place. I truely enjoyed it and will be back EVERY time Im in the area!

10-06-2009 01:05:09 | More by chaz410

gyllstromk

Belgium

4.85/5  rDev +16.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5 | $$

This is the best craft bar in Chapel Hill/Carrboro. Plenty of good regular drafts, plus they get some limited releases that aren't really available anywhere else, like Ommegang Rouge, Paul's Day Off, and Hopslam. Awesome patio which rocks in the Spring and Summer. Prices are quite good for craft beers. Staff are friendly and know their stuff: you say, "give me the St. Bernardus 12" and the bartender says, "we just ran out of it but here's a free sample of Allagash Four, which I think you'll like". If you like good beer you belong here.

08-05-2009 23:55:45 | More by gyllstromk

jdubjacket

Georgia

3.74/5  rDev -10.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$$

Went to this place a few months ago with some friends while visiting Chapel Hill. One of the guys we went with did some research and came across this place, so we decided to check it out.

Walked in and the atmosphere struck me as sort of run-down establishment. Did not look kept up very well. Didn't expect a 5-star restaurant, but it looked a little dirty.

Beer was fresh. Didn't encounter any skunk beers during my visit there.

Business was slow that night so service was pretty good. Received alot of attention from the staff. They were generally pretty knowledgeable and made some decent recommendations. Had Allagash on top. The place specialized in Belgian and Belgian-styled ale... hence the Allagash. They also had St. Bernardus on tap. I enjoyed an Allgash, a St. Bernardus and a Rochefort 10 while here. However, some of the beers on the menu were not actually in stock.

Overall, a decent place. It was a little pricey though.

06-03-2009 22:29:11 | More by jdubjacket

andrewm190

North Carolina

2.42/5  rDev -42%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 1.5 | service: 1 | selection: 4.5 | food: 2.5 | $$$$

This used to be *the* beer establishment the area. Not any more. The selection, at first glance, appears top rate. Wrong. You will likely have to order a couple beers before the waitress comes back for the second time and informs you that they don't have that beer...again. They used to have a very impressive and reasonably priced "beer of the month." The beer of the month is still there, but it is no longer reasonably priced, and there is a good chance that they will have settled on Miller High Life for that month, as happened 3 out of the last 4 times I have been there (on separate months).

The waitstaff is hit or miss. Some are nice, others are particularly bitter about something, and don't mind sending you their vibe. The crowd can also be hit or miss; and occasionally includes beernerds - like us no doubt - and snooty "scene" kids that don't know beer but insist on smothering you and everyone around with their nonesense. This, however, I regard as a minor problem. The real issues are the ones listed above, and the exorbitant prices.

On the plus side, they do have a lot of beers that are hard to find, and they are all served in the appropriate glass - a quality I might be undervaluing do to my overall disappointment with how the establishment has sunk.

I used to love this place, and it took numerous times experiencing the problems listed above - consistently - before I decided to write this review. It's not what it was, and that's a shame.

05-07-2009 03:11:34 | More by andrewm190

BernardusHo

North Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

This hole in the wall is a Belgian beer drinker's paradise. The beer list is a book detailing the history of each beer and it's brewery. There is also a giant blackboard with a listing of all their bottled beers. Allagash 4 on tap, as well as Tremens, Bernardus(out), several other good ones. Service was slow but not too bad. Food was okay - cheese grit block different but good. Has a little courtyard with tables outside for good weather drinking. Will definitely return as their selection is as good as it gets for Belgians.

02-08-2009 17:01:01 | More by BernardusHo