Bass Lake Draft House

Bar, Eatery

124 Bass Lake Rd
Holly Springs, North Carolina, 27540-7620
United States

(919) 567-3251 | map
basslakedrafthouse.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.88
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
11
pDev:
7.47%
View: Place Reviews
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Photo of Radome
Reviewed by Radome from Florida

3.3/5  rDev -14.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
Had dinner here while in North Carolina visiting some family, based on the BA reviews. My experience was OK, but I wasn't overly impressed. It was much larger and more modern than I expected, given it's small town location and rustic name. It's actually a very large stand-alone building in the parking lot of a shopping center. Inside, it is wood-paneled, but bright and modern, with a bar area with tables and another room with dining tables. I was hoping for, and expecting, a rustic tavern in this rural area South of Raleigh, but this was more like a generic Applebees without any local color. It was also loud, with many TVs showing sports and a trivia contest just ending as we arrived. It did get a little more quiet after trivia finished, but the atmosphere was definitely of a sports bar, rather than a quiet place for a good beer and conversation.

The menu had some basics but wasn't very exciting; however, the food my party had was good, and reasonably priced. Our server was friendly, but not overly attentive.

On the good side, they did have 34 beers and ciders on tap (4 being mass-market lagers). The selections was split roughly 50/50 between local NC and regional brews and some larger, nationally known craft breweries, like Founders and Left Hand. There were probably 6-8 that were truly unusual and interesting to me that night. I ended up having two beers from NC breweries I was not familiar with and enjoyed both. Both seemed fresh and well-handled, with no quality issues.

Overall, this was a decent place to grab an out-of-the mainstream beer and a simple meal in a sports bar environment. there's nothing wrong with any of that, but I won't necessarily go out of my way to get here again.
Jan 13, 2023
 
Rated: 3.55 by EvilTweety from North Carolina

Feb 09, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by kjkinsey from Texas

Jan 24, 2014
Photo of RWLawman
Reviewed by RWLawman from North Carolina

4.35/5  rDev +12.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
This laid back, friendly draft house has become my favorite place to grab a pint and eat some delicious food while watching my favorite sports games. I probably visit at least once a week. The food is better than simple "bar food", and they have a wide array of options, and a constantly changing menu to keep the variety going. The revolving taps are a nice touch, because it gives you a chance to try what's in season or something you may not have otherwise thought of. There are over 30 selections to choose from on tap, and then your common domestics available in bottle.

Breweries like Left Hand, Young's, Aviator, Carolina Brewing Company, Big Boss, Red Oak, Smuttynose, Sweetwater, Anchor, etc. are common among the many options from day to day. Also, the service is friendly and fast.

Check it out.
Sep 19, 2012
Photo of Luigi
Reviewed by Luigi from North Carolina

3.78/5  rDev -2.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
This bar has been a great alternative to the crowded Ale houses in Cary, NC or Raleigh, NC,

This bar just happens to be located on the way back home from work. There is nothing flashy about is bar. This bar is laid back, less crowded, and still offers from great beers on tap.

34 beers on tap at one time. Well known brewery's like Anchor, Magic Hat, Sierra Nevada, Samuel Adams .... ect are always fresh.
This bar supports local brewers as well. Beer from the Carolina Brewery (located in Holly Springs) are always fresh on tap. And, the new brewery making noise, Aviator brewery and pub in Fuquay-Varina are consistent with fresh brews on tap in this Ale house Good thing about the local beers, they are always on special!

The food is very good and past the standard of pub food. Everything from burgers to pot roast is served till closing time.

Overall this pub is laid back and less crowded. Yet at the the same time offers a decent selection of beers. Overall this is a great place to enjoy a great beer and relax.
Jan 22, 2012
Photo of CWiggins
Reviewed by CWiggins from North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -7.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3
I stopped by this extension of the Bag Of Nails group while on a little trip to the Carolina Brewery, where I picked up two sixers: Oktoberfest and Imperial Pilsner. Before this trip, I hadn't been to this part of the state, even though I only live and work about 30 minutes away. Holly Springs appears to be a nice area, with Jordan Lake only 15 minutes to the northwest. My only frustration was with the construction, which kept traffic to a slow crawl for several miles along Hwy. 55. Bass Lake Draft House was easy to find using their address and Google maps.

Although it sits in a strip mall, BLDH is plenty roomy. My hunch is that it fills up during the evening. I was there in the mid-afternoon (about 2:30pm), and only one of the many tables were being used. I decided to sit at the rather large bar--perfect for my newspaper--where I could watch any one of seven or eight wide-screen TVs. Four other patrons were seated at the bar.

The list of taps was impressive: seven or eight domestic macro drafts, the same number of imports, a list of ten-ish rotating brews and a another list of ten-ish micros and imports. More than thirty taps in all, and spaced in a weird way around the bar area. Here's a list of what was available today: Carolina, Otter Creek, Victory, Rogue, Spaten, Foothills, Saranac, Red Oak, Sierra Nevada, Pyramid, Stella, Guiness, Boddington's, Ska, Left Hand, and Abita. (Many of these had two beers on tap.) I sampled two Oktoberfest beers: Carolina and Otter Creek. They were served in a generic pint glass by a very nice female bartender.

The food was unremarkable, but edible. I had a specialty burger and salad. The burger was big, thick, and nicely presented. The salad, however, appeared to by the remnants of what one might find on a Mexican dinner platter. There were diced tomatos and cheese slivers on what should have been a nice salad. Oh well. My only complaint was with another patron at the end of the bar; he talked incessantly on his cell at an annoying high decibel level and tossed several coasters around the bar in a dangerously flippant manner. A real moron.
Sep 12, 2007
Photo of daliandragon
Reviewed by daliandragon from Maryland

3.95/5  rDev +1.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Headed in yesterday with the girlfriend on our St. Patty's pub crawl, which meant that it was loaded both with pseudo-Irish psychosis and NCAA basketball loopiness since they have a ton of TVs and the tourney was in full swing. Not exactly the place for a quiet pint or romantic dinner but I guess that's fair enough.

Solid beer selection posted on an oversized blackboard at the end of the bar, sensibly including several from Holly Springs' local boys down the road; I started off with a Carolina Spring Bock and followed that up with an 8 Ball Stout, which I like better in the bottle. Food and service were both solid but not spectacular. When I asked about a beer I wasn't familiar with, our waiter admitted he didn't have a clue but did offer a sample, which is always a plus. I had a bowl of chili and a burger that was a bit overcooked but I'm finding that's how they like them here in NC. Overall a solid place to watch sports and quaff a few decent brewskis.
Mar 18, 2007
Photo of pjwaldron
Reviewed by pjwaldron from North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
A typical taproom/sports bar atmosphere with way too many TV's for me. Unless you're there to watch a game, it's hard to enjoy beer and dinner with friends without being distracted by the magic picture box. A good, standard selection of 30+ of the usual suspects on tap, with frequent special guests for repeat visits. I've had several different servers who offered informed opinions on the beer, and the bar is with it enough to offer specialty brews in the proper glassware (I once lucked into a Chimay special and was happy to get it in a goblet). The service is generally good, and the food is good but not outstanding--a step above Friday's and Ruby Tuesday's level. Sadly they seem to have dropped the outstanding Pepper Jack Mashed Potatoes. Sigh. Overall above average for this area.
Dec 17, 2006
Photo of beerinator
Reviewed by beerinator from Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +7.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Bass Lake is another great location for the Bag of Nails group. These guys know how to set up and run a taphouse.

There are about 30 taps available, most of them craft brews. They keep the selection varied, with most of the "big name" beers that are available in the area represented.

The food is great. Much like their other locations, they make a mean burger. There are lots of TV's which normally are a distraction to me for my drinking experience, but if you want to watch a game and you're in the area, this would be an excellent place to do it.

Also, as others have noted Bass Lake is in close proximity to the Carolina Brewing Company. So it's difficult for me to make it to one without dropping by the other.
Mar 22, 2005
Photo of Ninjaworm
Reviewed by Ninjaworm from North Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +4.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Visted Bass Lake after a tour of the Carolina Brewing Company.

They have a variety of taps which have some nice picks mixed in. The service was quick and very attentive, actually knew how to take care of customers.

The place is very large it seemed, though we were there during the middle of the afternoon on a weekend so it probably seemed more spacious because it was quite.

I thought the food was rather good while others thought it was average. The portions were filling.

Would visit again if looking to get a good pint and some good grub.
May 10, 2004
Photo of GCBrewingCo
Reviewed by GCBrewingCo from North Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +5.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
The Bass Lake Draft House is a comfortable spot in the middle of Holly Springs. The atmosphere is tap room meets sports bar, but it is not a noisy place.

I did not count, but the website lists 36 taps. Most of the taps were standard fare, but there were a few gems in the mix. There were two Carolina Brewing Company beers on tap, their Pale Ale and a seasonal, the Spring Bock.

The bartender appeared to also be the afternoon waitress and she did a very good job keeping everyone in beer and food. She arrived when you needed more beer or water and was able to split the checks as requested when the initial order was take. Impressive!

The food was a smidge better than average. I think out of the whole Bag-O-Nails series the food here is not on par with a few of the others. Village Draft House is the best followed closely by Harrison's and Sawmill.

I would certainly go back if in the area. Good solid taps, decent food, great service. No reason not to visit if in the area.

Visited after a tour at CBC in Holly Springs with fellow BA's.
Apr 25, 2004
Bass Lake Draft House in Holly Springs, NC
Place rating: 3.88 out of 5 with 11 ratings