Natty Greene's Pub & Brewing Co.

slowbie

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +1.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

For those that don't know, this is one of two Natty Greene's brewpubs and it is not the original. I've been to this one a few times and have only been to the one in Greensboro once. However, based on that brief experience and what the website seems to say, the Raleigh brewpub seems a little bit nicer.

This place plays up the historical theme but in a rather modern way. Pretty modern decor consisting mainly of stained hardwood everything. There is a big glass room in the middle of the place that separates the bar and dining room and holds the brewing system and a fermenter or two.

The food I've had has all been pretty good and reasonably priced. I've had a burger and a barbecue sandwich when I went and both were good. I've found it hard to find a truly good burger since moving to the area but theirs is as close as I've come so far.

Waitstaff are reasonably knowledgeable about the beer without being beer geeks about it, and have done a good job of taking care of a big group when I went with a bunch of people.

Last but certainly not least: the beer. All their beer that I've tried is at least decent. They have a good mix of styles, and quite a few unique ones that you don't often see from American brewers including doppelbock, dunkelweizen, and weizenbock. Not all their beers are German influenced though. I've had their Amber and Brown as well, and both were good beers. I haven't had anything that blew me away, but there are only a handful of restaurants in the area that have food and beer that are both this good, and all the rest are pricier.

01-12-2011 15:16:26 | More by slowbie

TheMadJack

California

4.05/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Was in Raleigh on a grey and rainy weekend and made a point of visiting Natty Greene's. We arrived just after 2pm on a Saturday and it seemed sufficient to miss the lunch rush. There were quite a few open tables in both the bar area and the restaurant. Music was classic rock kept at a muted volume. Both the bar and the restaurant were spacious and had plenty of room between tables. The restaurant was much brighter and that's where we opted to take our meal. My only complaint about the atmosphere was that the room was kept rather cool. It's understandable, given that weather is still closer to summer than winter here; it wasn't exactly a relief coming in from the rain though. I'm not docking them any points for it, just stating what was. Overall, the establishment presented very well on both aesthetic and utilitarian fronts but there was nothing striking about the decor or design, hence my withholding a 5.0.

My girlfriend and I were seated quickly by a friendly waitress. Looking back, I think we interacted with three different members of the staff throughout the afternoon. It seemed one took our order, then one would deliver it, another would come by and see how everything was, etc. It might be the way they divide labor there or it might have been that things were slow and they were all looking for something to do. Service hit that great middle ground I'm always looking for - they were attentive but not obstructive.

I ordered the American Strong Ale after seeing that the Ryes weren't on the menu (I had been especially looking forward to sampling them, such are the risks of a rotating selection) and that they were fresh out of Stout. Overall, they advertised about ten beers on the menu and had sold out of two, which is still a reasonable selection. The brew was served in a pint glass at an appropriate temperature and with no apparent spillage. I didn't have any paper on hand and so did not review the beer, but it hit all the qualifications and my sense of it was it would probably have scored in the high-3's/low-4's had I been prepared.

For food we both decided on sandwiches with the home-made chips on the side. My partner got a turkey sandwich with cranberry mayonnaise and was pleased. It reminded her of a sandwich special that she's fond of from a place called Baggin's in Arizona. I had one of the cheesesteaks and enjoyed it. Portions were good and not oversized and the food was hot, with the chips still sizzling a bit when the plates were set down. Chips were lightly salted and crisp, which is something that many places who fry their own chips can't seem to accomplish. Overall, food was good but unimaginative, but then again, what do you want? It's a brew pub and the food showcases the beer, not the other way around.

Check arrived without us feeling rushed or having to wait/ask for it and the price was very reasonable. For a beer and two meals we paid right around $20. I'll be going back when I'm in Raliegh again and looking forward to seeing what new beers are on tap.

10-01-2012 14:39:10 | More by TheMadJack

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +10.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Had a few different brews at this place with a late lunch.

It's a bigger open place, good size tables with good space between them and you can see some brewing vessels in the middle of the restaurant, although I'm not sure if they actually use them or if they are just for show.

The beer was good, the food was good. Service was fast and friendly. The menu was pretty diverse. The beer is just their stuff, but they have a lot to offer, 5 regulars, a seasonal, some other experimentals and even a couple high gravs from time to time. Reminded me of a smaller scale DFH.

01-02-2012 23:18:08 | More by Cylinsier

tdm168

North Carolina

3.73/5  rDev -7.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

I've been here several times over the past year or so. The atmosphere is light. They have a room with a few games in it, a separate bar area with tables and bar seating, and a separate dining room area. The menu is great. The food may be the best part about this place. My wife and I always end up sharing an appetizer and then a burger or sandwich. Though this is a brewpub, they offer a full bar which means my wife will be able to enjoy herself too without her pesky gluten allergy interfering. The beers that they keep on tap rotate often and there's always a seasonal to try. Any of the beers that are now Natty Green's staples (and get bottled in Greensboro) are on draft such as the Southern Pale Ale and Buckshot Amber. They always have a number of different styles to try as well. In the times I've been here I've had a marzen, IPA, Belgian Pale, Belgian Strong, Stout, Witbier, Pale Ale, and an Amber to name but a few. The beer itself is mediocre (maybe a B at best), but the atmosphere is fun and the food is great. This is definitely a place worth checking out even if it's only for dinner.

10-02-2011 15:14:41 | More by tdm168

jwhancher

Pennsylvania

3.41/5  rDev -15.4%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$

A large cavernous brewpub. Prices were reasonable. Beer selection was quite long but most of the beers I tried were average at best. Didn't have the food. Service was quite quick & attentive. I was expecting a much more intimate brewpub but got what seemed to be some sort of chain to be, or a business with a lot of money-eager investors. In other words, the overall quality didn't 't seem to be quite there for a craft brewpub. Overall profits appeared to be the motive, not the willingness to make great beer. More for the masses, not the indie favored palate. Should be fine for those new to craft beer, but likely not for the experienced craft beer drinker.

05-05-2011 02:50:48 | More by jwhancher

blackie

Virginia

3.95/5  rDev -2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

located in a large, spacious brick building next to the railroad tracks that was once - at least within my range of reference - Southend Brewery, then some garbage ultra-trendy sushi hole, and now Natty Greene's

The interior of the building is huge, cavernous even. Lots of dining space and a bar room with a big spread of wide round tables that seat 8 comfortably. To the side is a separate bar room with a few pool tables and shuffleboard. Good coverage of flat screen tvs around the bar area - seems like a great place to watch a game, actually. Brewing equipment encased in glass in the center of everything.

Pretty solid draft selection: at the time of my visit this was listed as 6 year-rounds, 6 seasonals, and 2 high gravity bottles, though they had actually run out of a couple. I had the Regulator Doppelbock, LightHorse Belgian Pale, and Southern Pale. Everything fresh and tasty, served in a shaker pint

Service was quick and efficient but not worth much comment otherwise.

Had a wide spread of appetizers to snack on with our large group. It's clearly bar food, but better than average, at least. Didn't much care for the artichoke dip, and the crab was over-cheesed. Wings were good.

Would have no problem returning here.

02-04-2011 02:35:11 | More by blackie

DiverJon

North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Greene's location in downtown Raleigh is withing walking distance to the museums and surrounded by other eating/drinking pubs/restaurants. Inside the predominant decor is wood and high ceilings. There is a bar, many tv's turned to sports and a backroom with a shuffleboard, 2 pool tables and 2 dartboards with an auxiliary bar for large crowds. Saturday about noon it was uncrowded. The waitress was pleasant and provided great service. Not hovering but coming back at regular intervals to make sure all was good. Time between ordering food and getting it about one glass of beer which was just right allowing you to settle in and talk a little without waiting forever or feeling rushed. The food was pub-type with a slight twist. Hot, homemade potato chips were great. Pastrami sandwich was very good and wings plus fries were also good with the amount more than we could eat at a fair price. No complaints there. The beer selection was not huge but had an example of enough types to please everyone I think from lager to stout and a saison. I tried the saison which was quite good and the dopplebock was also good. A sampler menu is available for $1.50 but I tried a brown ale and was not charged which was good because it was thin and uninspiring. Overall I was quite pleased and will return. I can certainly recommend this place as a stop for lunch, while touring downtown or on a "beer tour".

01-09-2011 13:03:26 | More by DiverJon

devilben02

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

My first impression was that this place is massive. I visited with friends as part of a weekday tour of Raleigh's breweries, so the place seemed especially cavernous, but the emptiness didn't make the place seem cold. Rather, the ample amount of wood used in the architecture makes it feel more like a comfortable saloon that we just happened to visit at an off-peak time. The TVs scattered around the bar area helped us keep up on the day's sports action, and the massive bar tables easily accommodated a big group.

The beer menu was extensive, especially considering that is was limited to the house-made beers. The sampler size glasses provided more than just a few sips, which made them a great way to sample a variety of the styles offered at a decent value. Of the beers I tried, they all seemed solid yet unremarkable. Overall, I would certainly be interested in returning to sample the food as well (along with a few more beers).

01-03-2011 17:36:20 | More by devilben02

LordOfTheBeer

Oklahoma

4.14/5  rDev +2.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Visited Natty Greene's late on a Wednesday night. This place is really spacious inside with a very good brewpub vibe. The brews created onsite are quite good. They would be outstanding if their ABV were a little higher. The pale, IPA and brown (closer to a porter) were unique enough to differentiate themselves. The Belgian Pale was a little out of balance. The hop/malt ratio was a little high on the hop side and fermented at a temperature that didn't let the yeast be itself. Service was very good at the bar. I love going to brewpubs for the first time and tasting all that they offer. The availability of tasters/flights is always appretiated. I will definitely go back and try their food and play some shuffleboard.

10-07-2010 13:00:37 | More by LordOfTheBeer

gixxerman

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

The first thing I noticed is how large this space is. I counted at least 3 large areas, plus an outdoor patio. I did not see any brewing equipment, they may brew elsewhere. I picked the room with a bar and sat there.

Freedom American IPA was available so I started with it, very good, not over the top, but hopppy enough to satisfy me.

My server was really on the ball, no complaints at all.
An order of crabs cakes, collards, and slaw <- all very good, and a Stamp Act Rye later and I was very full and satisfied.

Don't hestitate to bring a large group of friends here, they have the space and staff to handle it. The beers are fresh and they menu has enough items to please anyone.

08-04-2010 21:30:24 | More by gixxerman