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Busy Bee Cafe
225 S Wilmington St
Raleigh, North Carolina, 27601-1433
United States
// CLOSED //
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by dbrauneis:
Reviewed by dbrauneis from North Carolina
3.65/5 rDev -16.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4
3.65/5 rDev -16.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4
The vibe in the Busy Bee is a little too hipster for me, the music is overly loud and indie or ironic and you certainly feel like people are giving you the you are not cool enough to be in here looks.
The beer selection is good, while not extensive. The beers that are available tend to be very good beers and are definitely served properly. I have not been disappointed in any of the beers that I have ordered and received at the Busy Bee. I found the prices on the beers to be a little higher than some similar establishments in the same general area of downtown Raleigh.
The service at the Busy Bee has been very hit and miss for me. I have had servers that had extremely good knowledge about the beers but were inattentive or very slow, I have had servers that were great but knew nothing about the beer, and I have had servers that were attentive and knowledgeable.
The food has been solid each of the times I have been though not outstanding - some items are definitely better than others. The menu seems to change around about every 6 months so it is nice to try the different items as they appear.
Jan 20, 2012The beer selection is good, while not extensive. The beers that are available tend to be very good beers and are definitely served properly. I have not been disappointed in any of the beers that I have ordered and received at the Busy Bee. I found the prices on the beers to be a little higher than some similar establishments in the same general area of downtown Raleigh.
The service at the Busy Bee has been very hit and miss for me. I have had servers that had extremely good knowledge about the beers but were inattentive or very slow, I have had servers that were great but knew nothing about the beer, and I have had servers that were attentive and knowledgeable.
The food has been solid each of the times I have been though not outstanding - some items are definitely better than others. The menu seems to change around about every 6 months so it is nice to try the different items as they appear.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Docrock from Illinois
4.29/5 rDev -2.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
4.29/5 rDev -2.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
Had 18 beers on tap, mostly local but what was a big win was the bottle selection. Wide variety woth many styles including multiple barrel aged options and the pices for some of the rarer beers was very reasonable. Food was good and service staff was friendly and reasonably knowledgeable about most of the beers. Definitely worth a visit!
Apr 02, 2016Reviewed by ncbrewgator from North Carolina
4.66/5 rDev +6.2%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5
4.66/5 rDev +6.2%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5
Love this place, especially The Hive upstairs. Excellent variety of beers, both bottled and on tap. These guys are very well connected within the NC beer community and tend to get rare/limited kegs that others in the area cannot . Helped empty a keg of BOMB! during my last visit. :)
Jul 15, 2015Reviewed by jjboesen from Maryland
4.36/5 rDev -0.7%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25
4.36/5 rDev -0.7%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25
The Busy Bee was my first stop during an Easter vacation sojourn to the Tarheel capital city. The comfortable vibe hits you in the face the moment you enter; it is a small place: a single room with an average bar on the left; the ceiling is high and airy (there is a mezzanine section towards the back) with plenty of ducts and brickwork to satisfy the most picky of construction workers. The Bee offers 12 taps and one cask, along with a massive selection of bottled beer - some very $$$.
My visit coincided with a recent Finch Brewing event, since there were plenty selections from this Chicago-based brewer: Pale Ale, Fascist Pig and Sobelski. Also wetting my palate: French Broad Ryehopper, something from Stone, a stout from Asheville's beloved Green Man, and my first try at Founder's "Blushing Monk.
Excellent service, delicious grub (fish taco) and reasonable prices made this a sweet place to hang out, but not long enough to swing by Crank Arm. (See My Review.)
Apr 19, 2015My visit coincided with a recent Finch Brewing event, since there were plenty selections from this Chicago-based brewer: Pale Ale, Fascist Pig and Sobelski. Also wetting my palate: French Broad Ryehopper, something from Stone, a stout from Asheville's beloved Green Man, and my first try at Founder's "Blushing Monk.
Excellent service, delicious grub (fish taco) and reasonable prices made this a sweet place to hang out, but not long enough to swing by Crank Arm. (See My Review.)
Rated by CptBlackBeerd from Pennsylvania
4.74/5 rDev +8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75
4.74/5 rDev +8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75
One of my favorite beer places in North Carolina. Super tap & bottle selection, great food & service and all at a reasonable price.
Jan 30, 2015Reviewed by Penguins66 from Illinois
4.5/5 rDev +2.5%
4.5/5 rDev +2.5%
My wife and I came here twice during a long weekend in Raleigh--first for drinks on a Saturday afternoon, then for Sunday brunch. Beer selection was amazing. They had some beers on tap that I had only ever seen in bottles--Dogfish Head Red & White for instance. Prices were very reasonable.
On both our visits we sat at the bar. Service was pleasant--we had the same bartender both times. Sunday brunch was tasty although the ham biscuit I ate was way too salty for my tastes. Ambiance was fine--not too noisy, a long bar with an exposed brick wall behind it. Only negative is the location. Busy Bee Cafe is next door to a bus terminal so you may have to dodge some folks asking for spare change.
Nov 21, 2014On both our visits we sat at the bar. Service was pleasant--we had the same bartender both times. Sunday brunch was tasty although the ham biscuit I ate was way too salty for my tastes. Ambiance was fine--not too noisy, a long bar with an exposed brick wall behind it. Only negative is the location. Busy Bee Cafe is next door to a bus terminal so you may have to dodge some folks asking for spare change.
Reviewed by daryk77 from District of Columbia
4.5/5 rDev +2.5%
4.5/5 rDev +2.5%
I really enjoy this place. Great beer and great food. Love the servers, very knowledgeable. This is definitely a must stop if you are in the area. Great place to bring you non-beer nerd girlfriend/boyfriend since the cocktails and food are absolutely superb as well. It's a win all around.
Sep 16, 2014Rated by Mantooth from North Carolina
4/5 rDev -8.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
4/5 rDev -8.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
No longer in biz - it's now Trophy Brewing - great joint, check 'em out!
Sep 02, 2014Reviewed by Dreizhen from District of Columbia
4.89/5 rDev +11.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5
4.89/5 rDev +11.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5
I had the great pleasure of visiting the Busy Bee Cafe and the accompanying Hive on a recent trip through Raleigh. I can not say enough nice things about the place.
Food was very good and reasonably priced. Our group ordered a decent variety of items from sandwiches to desserts and everyone was pleased with their selections.
The beer selection was very impressive with a number of bottles I had never seen before. The waitstaff was great at making suggestions and steered our choices in the right direction. Wide variety of styles and prices. Very impressive list.
The atmosphere was lovely, the upstairs patio is gorgeous, and the bar has a fun yet tacitly reserved demeanor.
The service was absolutely incredible. I can't do justice for the experience we had with only a review, but know that the service was perfect. Ask for Catherine. The owner was incredibly hospitable and quite the gracious host.
It would be a crime to not visit the Busy Bee if you have the chance.
Aug 11, 2014Food was very good and reasonably priced. Our group ordered a decent variety of items from sandwiches to desserts and everyone was pleased with their selections.
The beer selection was very impressive with a number of bottles I had never seen before. The waitstaff was great at making suggestions and steered our choices in the right direction. Wide variety of styles and prices. Very impressive list.
The atmosphere was lovely, the upstairs patio is gorgeous, and the bar has a fun yet tacitly reserved demeanor.
The service was absolutely incredible. I can't do justice for the experience we had with only a review, but know that the service was perfect. Ask for Catherine. The owner was incredibly hospitable and quite the gracious host.
It would be a crime to not visit the Busy Bee if you have the chance.
Reviewed by clayrock81 from Florida
3.82/5 rDev -13%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75
3.82/5 rDev -13%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75
This is a good place but didn't have too much time so can't really say I got a complete layout of the place. Went around 6 on a Friday (for about an hour) during spring break so while place wasn't empty at all there were seats at the bar. Guess I would agree with "hipster" vibe as nothing but college kids with nothing to do were around (doesn't bother me). Bartender was quick and polite, no complaints about service, and while the bottle selection isn't the greatest or that cheap, the tap selection was pretty good as it mixes some local with hard to find domestic gems. Also, the draft beer prices, unlike bottle prices, were pretty even with rest of neighborhood. Seems like a good place to hang out if it doesn't get too crowded and enjoy a couple of drafts.
Apr 24, 2014
Busy Bee Cafe in Raleigh, NC
Place rating:
4.39 out of
5 with
69 ratings
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