Thank you so much for the wonderful review, Jerry! Calling our house cocktails the best in the RDU area is quite a compliment, and we know our bartenders will love hearing that! We take a lot of pride in our cocktails, bourbon selection, and scratch-made food, so it means a lot when guests appreciate what we do. Thanks again for the kind words and for supporting The Oak Raleigh. We look forward to seeing you again soon! Cheers! 🥃
We’re delighted to know that the food, service, and atmosphere all hit the mark during your visit. Our team puts a lot of care into creating a great experience from the kitchen to the table, so your perfect ratings mean a lot to us.
We truly appreciate your support of The Oak Raleigh and look forward to welcoming you back again soon! 😊
Fun atmosphere, great food and drinks!
The service, drinks and food are all amazing! My favorite thus far is the risotto with salmon. It's a great place to meet up before a Canes game!
Date of experience: 02 October, 2026
My husband and I have been coming to The Oak at least once a year since 2021, and we love it! The food and drinks somehow get better every year. It will forever be our favorite spot in Raleigh!
Thank you so much for this wonderful review, and especially for continuing to come back year after year since 2021! Hearing that The Oak has become your favorite spot in Raleigh means more to us than you know. ❤️
We absolutely love that you feel the food and drinks keep getting better, because our team is always working to make each visit even more memorable than the last. Loyal guests like you and your husband are such an important part of what makes The Oak Raleigh special.
Thank you both for your continued support and for all the 5-star love. We’ll look forward to keeping your Oak tradition going for many years to come! 🥃
Barbara Knott2026.09.16
Food is delicious with good portions. Service is friendly and professional.
Justin and Quay are awesome!
Barbara, thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the delicious food and generous portions. Our kitchen team puts a lot of care into every plate.
It’s also wonderful to know our team made you feel welcome with friendly and professional service, and that you could relax and enjoy conversation in a quiet, comfortable setting. That’s exactly the kind of experience we hope to create.
We truly appreciate your support and look forward to welcoming you back to The Oak Raleigh again soon!
Cassandra Schultz2026.09.15
It was absolutely wonderful. Went for the Rockstar Connect networking event. They had delicious food, friendly service, and an excellent selection of bourbon. Very laid back classy.
Thank you so much for the wonderful 5-star review, Cassandra!
We’re so glad you joined us for the Rockstar Connect event and had such a great evening. “Laid-back and classy” is a combination we’re very happy to hear, and we love that you enjoyed the food, friendly service, and bourbon selection, too!
Thank you for coming out, connecting with the Raleigh community, and spending the evening with us at The Oak Raleigh. We hope to see you again at our next Rockstar Connect networking event on Monday, October 5th. We’d love to welcome you back! 🥃😊
Here is the Eventbrite sign-up link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-the-oak-raleigh-networking-rockstar-connect-event-october-nc-tickets-2001266983420
We’re delighted to see that you gave top marks to the food, service, and atmosphere at The Oak Raleigh. It means a lot to our entire team to know you had such an enjoyable experience. Thank you for spending time with us, and we hope to welcome you back again soon for another great meal!
🥃🍽️😊
We truly appreciate you taking a moment to show The Oak Raleigh some love. Knowing you had a great experience means a lot to our entire team, and we hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back again soon. Cheers! 🥃😊
Thank you for taking the time to rate your experience, Bo!
We’re so glad you enjoyed our service and atmosphere and truly appreciate the 5-star ratings for both. We noticed the food didn’t quite earn the same marks, and we’d love to know more about what we could have done differently. Guest feedback is incredibly helpful to our kitchen team as we continue to improve.
Thank you for visiting The Oak Raleigh, and we hope to have the opportunity to make your next experience a 5-star one all around!
Bobbie Spruill2026.08.30
We celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary....Quay was our server and her and her team were very attentative to our party of 11. Service was quick, quality of food really good. The grits were AMAZING! Will be going back! The brunch is a must!
Bobbie, thank you so much for choosing The Oak Raleigh to celebrate such a special milestone! We’re truly honored that you spent your first wedding anniversary with us, surrounded by loved ones. ❤️
It makes us especially happy to hear that Quay and our team took such wonderful care of your party of 11 and helped make the celebration memorable. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with Quay. She’ll love knowing that her hospitality made a difference on such an important day.
And we have to smile at the AMAZING grits! We love them too, and hearing that our brunch is a “must” is about the best compliment we could receive.
Happy first anniversary to you both! 🥂 Thank you for allowing The Oak Raleigh to be a small part of your celebration. We hope to welcome you back for many more Sunday brunches, and many more wonderful anniversaries, along the way! ❤️
Ariel Gardner2026.08.30
Decent food but somewhat overpriced. The atmosphere was a little off. Seemed like they were going for cozy/moody but came off just dark and somewhat dingy. But not in a divey way.
Service and drinks were excellent. Server was extremely knowledgeable and informative about bourbon. Accomodated a mocktail variation which was nice. Probably wouldn't go back but it wasn't bad overall.
Thank you, Ariel, for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re glad you enjoyed the drinks and especially appreciate your kind words about your server’s bourbon knowledge and willingness to create a mocktail variation for you. Providing knowledgeable, accommodating service is something we take a lot of pride in.
We’re sorry our atmosphere wasn’t quite your style, but we wanted to share a little about the intention behind it. As a bourbon bar, The Oak Raleigh was designed around the dark woods and rich tones of oak bourbon barrels, creating a cozy, intimate environment for dining and enjoying whiskey. While the darker atmosphere may not appeal to everyone, we would never want that aesthetic to be confused with our high standards of cleanliness of the dining space.
We also understand your comments about pricing. As a small, independent restaurant with a true scratch kitchen, we source many of our ingredients locally and in small batches whenever possible. We work hard to keep our menu competitively priced while maintaining those standards. Unlike larger restaurant groups and chains, we don’t benefit from the same purchasing power and volume discounts, so balancing quality, portion size, and value is something we take very seriously.
Thank you again for giving The Oak Raleigh a try and for recognizing the service, cocktails, and things we did well. We genuinely appreciate the thoughtful feedback and hope you might consider visiting us again sometime.
Michele2026.08.30
Very Nice customer service! And the food was very good. I had the bourbon sliders and the pork shoulder plate. Very good!
Thank you so much for the wonderful 5-star review, Michele!
We’re thrilled you enjoyed your experience at The Oak Raleigh, from the friendly service to the food and atmosphere. The Bourbon Sliders and our classic Braised Pork Shoulder are two longtime favorites, so we love hearing that both were a hit! We’re also glad you found the atmosphere comfortable and easy for conversation.
Thank you for spending time with us, and we hope to welcome you back for another delicious meal soon! 😊🥃🍽️
Jessy B.2026.08.30
Verified
This place appears to be a local favorite and fills up quick with reservations on the weekend. Packing is in a lot throughout the shopping center.
The staff who greeted us was extremely friendly and accommodating. We were sat with the stipulation that there was a reservation behind us in an hour and a half which was very doable for us.
I do not partake in alcohol so I was appreciative of the zero proof menu options. I ordered the Jesse and it was sweet but sour, it balanced itself very well. My fiance loved his old fashioned with an orange and fig bourbon.
Our waiter was direct and down to business, likely because they were busy, but a great waiter none the less.
The food was excellent! Elevated American bar food that was cooked to perfection and had some nice fusion flavors: sesame tuna with edamame, goat cheese, walnuts and a special kind of beet that made my salad fresh and earthy. Truffle and onions with smashed burger dipped in bubbly cheese is a comfort food dream. Same with the Mac n cheese with bacon, really tickles the indulgence fancy!
I do recommend this place, especially if you have friends who love bourbon or other kinds of whiskey!
Thank you so much for the wonderful 5-star review, Jessy! We’re delighted you and your fiancé had such a great experience at The Oak Raleigh. We especially love hearing that our zero-proof menu gave you something fun and thoughtfully crafted to enjoy alongside your fiancé’s Old Fashioned!
We’re thrilled the food was such a hit, too. We're so glad you enjoyed our Grain Bowl with Seared Tuna, and we love your description of its fresh, earthy flavors. It sounds like the Big Dipper Meltdown and mac & cheese satisfied the comfort-food side of the table, too!
Thank you also for sharing the fantastic photos of your zero-proof cocktail, Oak Old-Fashioned, and food selections. We always appreciate when guests capture and share their Oak experience. It means a lot to our entire team.
Most of all, thank you for recommending us to others. Whether someone loves exploring bourbon and whiskey or prefers a great zero-proof cocktail, we want everyone at the table to have something special to enjoy. We look forward to welcoming you both back soon!
D'Ariel M.2026.08.29
Verified
We came right after opening at 4, and nobody was really inside. We were sat in Tracy's area. She was knowledgeable and friendly. I ordered the Pirates Garden. It was very tart like cranberry and not very strong. I also ordered the grilled chicken sliders no mayo or tomato. It came with two. They were tasty. Slightly overcooked, but the cheese helped enough. I also had to order fries on the slide, which was slightly disappointing because the two sliders are already $15 and fries $8.50, even though I didn't order the side sauces that come with it. It felt $2 overpriced in both instances. I don't know if I'd get again, but the fries were seasoned well.
My fiancé ordered the braised pork shoulder. The meat was tender and had a decent flavor. The mac and cheese was okay, nothing special. Overall, the dish was drowned in too much barbecue sauce to the point he felt he was eating more sauce than the entree. He subbed sprouts with fries, which were tasty. He wouldn't order again. It was a big portion though.
Service was good. Music was okay, a bit random, but still fun.
Thank you, D’Ariel, for taking the time to share such detailed feedback about your visit. We’re glad Tracy took great care of you and that you enjoyed the chicken sliders, seasoned fries, Brussels sprouts, and the tenderness of our Braised Pork Shoulder. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with her!
We also appreciate your comments about value and wanted to provide a little context. The Oak Raleigh is a small, independent restaurant with a true scratch kitchen. We prepare our food fresh in-house and source many ingredients locally and in small batches whenever possible. We work hard to price our menu competitively while maintaining that commitment to quality. Unlike larger restaurant groups and chains, we don’t have the purchasing power or volume discounts they often receive, so we take balancing quality, portion size, and price very seriously.
We’re sorry, however, that some aspects of your meal missed the mark. Your chicken shouldn't have seemed overcooked, and we want guests to enjoy the balance of flavors in every dish, including the sauce on our Braised Pork Shoulder. If something isn’t to your liking, please let your server know while you’re with us. We’re always happy to address it and, when appropriate, remake a dish rather than have you leave disappointed.
Thank you again for trying The Oak Raleigh and for recognizing our service and what we did well. We appreciate your thoughtful feedback and hope you’ll give us another opportunity to provide an experience that earns those extra stars next time.
PenguinChild Figueroa2026.08.28
This place was beautiful, but the bartender was so rude, my steak came burnt and no one checked on how the food was. I didn’t even get asked for a drink after they brought me a water. 0 out of 10 will not recommended.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re very sorry to hear about the experience you described. However, we believe this review may have been intended for a different restaurant with a similar name.
We are The Oak Raleigh, a bourbon bar and scratch kitchen located off Lake Boone Trail in West Raleigh. We do not currently have steak on our menu, so it sounds like you may have dined at The Oak Steakhouse in downtown Raleigh, which is a separate restaurant and is not affiliated with us.
We take great pride in the hospitality our team provides, so we were particularly concerned to read your comments about the service until we noticed the reference to your steak.
If your experience was indeed at The Oak Steakhouse, we would greatly appreciate it if you would remove this review from our Google page and, if possible, repost it to the business you visited. This will also ensure that the appropriate restaurant has an opportunity to hear your concerns and respond.
Thank you for your understanding, and we hope you’ll have the opportunity to visit The Oak Raleigh sometime. We’d be happy to welcome you!
Mark Mayes2026.08.27
Stopped in here for the first time. For the food, not the alcohol.
It was delicious. Brussel sprouts, beef sliders, and bread pudding.
Thank you so much for the fantastic 5-star review, Mark!
We’re thrilled you decided to give The Oak Raleigh a try and that the food made such a great first impression. While we’re certainly known for our bourbon, our scratch kitchen is every bit as important to who we are, so we love hearing that the Brussels sprouts, beef sliders, and especially the bread pudding hit the spot!
We truly appreciate the perfect scores for food, service, and atmosphere. Thanks for spending some time with us, and we hope this was the first of many visits! 😊🍽️
Tyler Kaune2026.08.20
Sat at the bar and let Justin guide our meal. He created an Old Fashioned with both spicy and grapefruit bitters that I couldn’t get enough of. Def the most knowledgeable bartender I’ve met in 5 years. We will be back.
Thank you so much for the incredible 5-star review, Tyler!
We love hearing that you put your experience in Justin’s hands and that he delivered! His passion and knowledge behind the bar are a huge part of what makes The Oak Raleigh special, and calling him the most knowledgeable bartender you’ve met in five years is quite a compliment. We’ll absolutely make sure he sees your kind words!
That spicy, grapefruit-bitters Old Fashioned sounds like Justin worked a little magic for you. 🥃 Thank you for spending your evening with us, and we’re thrilled to hear you’ll be back!
Sarah Pybus-Elmore2026.08.17
Absolutely love the oak. The food and drinks are always so good, plus the service and vibes are phenomenal. The inside is really cool, and it's a spot that's a great date night pick or just a casual hang. I always get the love is in the bubs cocktail (which is saying a lot because I don't really drink) and my bestie always gets a bourbon flight. The truffle parmesan fries with the homemade malt vinegar aioli are the best fries on the planet. We almost always get Shaun as our server, and he's fantastic. 10/10 check this place out.
We absolutely love hearing from guests who come back again and again, and it means so much to know that The Oak Raleigh has become one of your favorite spots for everything from date night to a casual night out with your bestie.
We have to admit, calling our truffle parmesan fries with house-made malt vinegar aioli the “best fries on the planet” definitely made our day! 😊 And we love that you each have your Oak favorites: Love Is in the Bubs for you and a bourbon flight for your bestie. That sounds like a pretty perfect pairing to us!
We’ll also make sure Sean sees your wonderful shoutout. He’ll be thrilled to know that his hospitality has helped make your visits so memorable.
Thank you for being such a great supporter of The Oak Raleigh and for the enthusiastic recommendation. We can’t wait to have you both back for another round of cocktails, bourbon, and, of course, those fries! 🥃🍟🥂
Shontera G.2026.08.13
Verified
Sean our server was outstanding! Great food and atmosphere The appetisers and drinks were unique and refreshing.
Thank you so much for the wonderful 5-star review, Shontera!
We’re thrilled you enjoyed the food, drinks, and atmosphere at The Oak Raleigh. We especially appreciate the shoutout for Sean and will be sure to share your kind words with him!
Our team loves creating unique cocktails and dishes that make a visit to The Oak Raleigh different, so it’s great to hear that the appetizers and drinks stood out. Thank you for your support, and we can’t wait to welcome you back again soon!
Matt P2026.08.09
Grabbed dinner without a reservation on a Wednesday night and was seated right away. Been here a handful of times and it's always great food and fantastic service. Relatively quick service, too, especially for the quality. Highly recommend the pork shoulder, mac and cheese, and fried brussel sprouts.
Thank you so much for the rave 5-star review, Mark!
We love hearing from returning guests, and it means a lot to know that you’ve consistently enjoyed great food and fantastic service at The Oak Raleigh.
We especially appreciate the shoutout for our classic Braised Pork Shoulder entree. It’s been a longtime favorite, and we’re thrilled it’s earned your recommendation! Combining it with our mac 'n cheese and fried Brussels sprouts with roasted garlic always make it a guest favorite.
Thank you for your continued support, and please come back to see us again soon! 😊🍽️🥃
Frequently asked questions about The Oak Raleigh
How many reviews does The Oak Raleigh have?
The Oak Raleigh has 1,702 reviews on Trustindex, collected from Google, Yelp and Trustindex.
What is The Oak Raleigh's average rating?
The Oak Raleigh is rated 4.4 out of 5 based on 1,702 reviews. 68% of reviewers gave five stars.
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