Downtown Cary, formally known as “Cary Downtown”, is starting to grow up beyond banks and longtime storefronts and is now attracting a variety of tenants including the newest: Sidebar Drinks + Company.
Proprietor Matthew Bettinger, who you might recognize as the general manager from Downtown Raleigh’s C. Grace and Empress Room, has paired his cocktail savvy with his wife’s talented eye for aesthetics and put together a beautiful 21+ gathering space with an experienced cocktail menu and bountiful behind-the-bar selections.
Located at 215 East Chatham Street, Sidebar is open Wednesday-Friday at 4 p.m. (closing at midnight Wednesday-Thursday, 2 a.m. Friday) and opens at noon on Saturday and Sunday (closing at 2 a.m. and midnight, respectively).
We visited on a brisk Sunday afternoon and since we had Delta Dog along for the visit (our consistent Sunday companion), enjoyed a few rounds on the patio.
Sidebar is a pretty little corner bar that neighbors Pro’s Epicurean Market & Cafe as well as Bond Brothers Beer Company. Since we visited on a Sunday afternoon, the other neighboring businesses (brewery excluded) were closed, so there was ample parking in the surrounding business center lots.
Be sure to plan a visit on an evening when Pro’s is open and grab an incredible charcuterie plate to enjoy with your cocktails, but a word of note, the brewery was hoppin’ while we were there, which means lots of unattended minis making the business center sidewalks their personal playspaces and they were not using their “inside voices”. Buyer beware. 😉
While there, I selected two of the “House Cocktails” to enjoy and both were downright delightful:
Seven Amazing Benefits – $10
Vodka, Lemon Syrup, Tamarind, CucumberBruleed Greyhound – $10
Gin, Grapefruit, Burned Sugar, Lime, Salt
I’m definitely a garnish girl as it is, but that “Burned Sugar” on the Bruleed Greyhound was stupid good. I’d come back again for that itself. Cocktail on the side, please.
Final Take: Do check out Sidebar in Cary when you get the chance. It makes for a nice afternoon stop. Tell Matt that Lisa sent you!
PS: Yes, I found a way to work TWO Snoop Dogg gifs into one blog post. Perfection!
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