Neuse River Brewing Co. is one of my favorite breweries in Raleigh. I didn’t think it could get better but it did. It now has a brasserie in it, and today I tried it out for brunch.
The brasserie opened fairly recently, (November), but I only now got down there. Yeah that is slower than I usually like to be about checking out a new place but better late than never, as they say. And apparently I’ve been missing out on a good thing!
Enter through the big double doors with “NRBC” on them, and to your right is the new dining area. If you’ve been there before, then you know where the bar is. If you haven’t been there before, well, the bar is to the left of the new dining area.
The tables and chairs are set up in front of the 2 windowed garage doors. This is where picnic tables used to be, before the brasserie moved in. It’s a fairly small dining area. Maybe about 15-20 tables. My guess would be that once the temps are pleasant enough to leave garage doors open, they might set up more tables and chairs out in the “driveway”.
I opted for the brunch special, a duck dish which came with roasted potatoes, mushrooms, and fried egg. Today seemed like a good day for a Bloody Mary, and I’m really glad I got it. It was excellent! Peppery and strong! If I recall correctly, the server said they add rum to this classic vodka bevy.
Overall, food, drink, & service were excellent, and you gotta appreciate the fresh flowers at each table. What a nice touch.
This may seem small or insignificant but what I liked about the brasserie which is also what I’ve always liked about the brewery, is that it’s less overtly masculine than most breweries seem to be. Breweries to me, have always been very much a guy’s place and they tend to look it. However, here, it’s something right in the middle. No, nothing overtly feminine, but just the right balance which I think is rare at breweries.
I was happy to learn that they serve brunch on both, Saturdays AND Sundays. 12-3pm.
I’m looking forward to coming back for more brunches, but I also plan to come back and try their dinner menu. Brunch is often a good way to get a feel or rather, taste, for what to expect.
Neuse River Brewing Co. Brasserie
518 Pershing Road, Ste. 100 Raleigh, NC 27608
+1 (984) 232-8479