The Willard Rooftop Lounge Info
Amenities
Service options
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Outdoor seating
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Dine-in
Highlights
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Great beer selection
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Great cocktails
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Great wine list
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Live performances
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Rooftop seating
Accessibility
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Wheelchair accessible entrance
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Wheelchair accessible parking lot
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Wheelchair accessible restroom
Offerings
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Alcohol
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Beer
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Cocktails
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Food
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Food at bar
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Hard liquor
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Wine
Dining options
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Seating
Amenities
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Restroom
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Wi-Fi
Atmosphere
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Cozy
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Trendy
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Upscale
Crowd
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Groups
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LGBTQ+ friendly
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Tourists
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Transgender safespace
Planning
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Accepts reservations
Payments
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Credit cards
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Debit cards
Parking
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Free street parking
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Paid street parking
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Parking
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Valet parking
Other
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LGBTQ+ friendly
Best KPortal Reviews
The Wonderful Willard!!! Today, I visited The Willard for a birthday celebration. Our party of 4 was served by Charlton. From the very beginning, he was ready to serve with great knowledge about drinks, cocktails, and appetizers without looking at any notes or the menu. Charlton only has one goal, and that is to exceed expectations, and he did in every way!
Management circled around frequently and was very active in keeping the atmosphere positive. Didn't get to meet the bartenders, but they KILLED!! All drinks were made to perfection and served in a timely manner.
Tonight, we ordered the Duck wings, Bourbon Shrimp, and the Conch Shrimp. Everything was served hot, fresh, and in a timely manner. We then ordered 3 Build Your Own Burgers and enjoyed every bite!!
As in most things in life, it's all about location, location, and location, and today was no different. The scenic views give The Willard an ambiance unlike any other.
As always, I recommend this establishment for adults, couples, families, and groups. Alcohol is served, but there is something here for everyone. Happy eating, and I hope your future experience is as great as ours was. We will DEFINITELY return to this establishment.
Bon Appétit!!!
Absolutely atrocious. We had a reservation for a party of 8 at noon and we were the first and only people. Three of our meals came out, sat on our table as we were waiting for everyone’s food, and it was a solid 20 minutes before the rest of the meals came out. Three of the orders were wrong, and then the cheese wasn’t melted. Also, there were two additional burgers that we didn’t order?
We complained to the manager that the original three meals were cold now by the time the last five meals came out, and they said “we’re a tapas restaurant, it’s hard for us to get eight entrees out at once” well then why did you take a reservation for eight in the first place?
The waitress very rarely came around and was just not attentive, plates never got taken up, drinks other than water were not refilled. She literally didn’t ask us how our food was. I will be telling people to not go here.
The only reason I would give this 1 star instead of 0 is because of the rooftop / location. The food is gross and also on top of it, served cold. We got half of our parties food out 25 minutes prior to the rest of the food, and when we spoke to the manager about it, he said it was difficult to get a party of 5s food out all together at once (ridiculous), even tho we were the only people here in the entire restaurant. When all the food finally did come out, it was still wrong. On top of it, the waitress had grossly long finger nails with food and dirt stuck underneath them that you could clearly see / should not pass a sanitation review. I would not come, not worth the view. Save your money and time and go elsewhere.
I enjoyed the Willard. It’s a very relaxed hotel rooftop located in the posh AC Hotel. This hotel smells heavenly. I live for pleasant fragrances. If you’re looking for a place to “turn-up” with a live DJ, this isn’t it. This is strictly for the Grown & Sexy. The Willard offers a very relaxed ambiance & a bird’s eye view of Oak City. The staff here is very friendly and courteous and that makes for an enjoyable experience.
Granted, it was Christmas Day, and they were short staffed. But the food was just okay, nothing impressive. It was a $20 burger. The views were nice. It would be a great place to have drinks during the summer.
First class experience and atmosphere; visited on a Saturday evening around 8:00 p.m. and the place had a lively vibe already.
Loved the outside patio area with views of the Raleigh skyline. Inside, they're a variety of seating options at the bar or at the mini sofas and tables throughout the interior.
The service was excellent and my bartender made sure that I had everything I needed and was warm and welcoming.
Highly recommended...
My two times at the Willard Lounge the service has been great. Friendly and attentive staff, wonderful. If I’m being honest the cocktails are just okay when adjusted for cost but sometimes you need to have a cocktail on a rooftop patio and you’re just not gonna beat the rooftop patio at the Willard if you’re in Raleigh. The drinks taste better because of the atmosphere and feel a little cheaper too.
Let me begin by saying this was for a graduation celebration And I had reserved it over two months ago, and it had to be held with a credit card. Let me also mention the restaurant was not busy. We were the only ones there for the first 20 minutes, and then other tables slowly dwindled in.
Let me also be fair and saying the only good aspect of the whole lunch was the view. And it was very nice.
After that, everything goes downhill. It was in the hotel where we were staying. So we also had drinks the night before. The Mojitos were flat and did not have much flavor. Maybe two Mojito leaves that had not been muddled were in there. And about four pieces of ice. My recommendation would be to have beer or wine there and enjoy the view. That would probably be a nice evening. For two, not more- due to poor service. Do not get any food. It will be mediocre and the service with it will be terrible
So for lunch the next day, we literally all ordered hamburgers. What could be easier! Let’s begin with they came out in stages. Two came out, and we thought the other six were right behind them. So after about 10 minutes, we begged those people to go ahead and eat theirs before they got cold. And then we still waited another 10 minutes for the rest of them to come out. Please see the pictures for the so-called toppings that you paid an extra two dollars for each. So my Two daughters had pretty much finished their burgers by then. It had been awkward for everyone as they ate and we “watched”. And then it was awkward for the two of them again as six of us ate and they sat there. We were never asked how our food was or did we need a refill on drinks? Literally not one time. And mind you, they were not busy. And we observed bar wait staff inside, chatting it up, cutting up limes. If the wait staff had indeed been busy, which they were not, could the bar staff have not helped out At least refills and getting condiments requested? And the other Things we did ourselves happened twice. We literally cleared our own table. We had ordered appetizers and they never retrieved those dishes. Where were our lunch dishes going? So we stacked them all in the center thinking the staff would see them and come and get them. No. We had to shove those over to the side when the first two plates came. You would think they would get them then. No. They sat there. Until the other six burgers came. And then it was awkward for the staff to try to be putting plates on the table and taking plates off the table at the same time. After lunch, it didn’t get much better. We stacked the plates again thinking they might come and get them. No. So finally, we ourselves put them on a table close by. We had cake that we wanted to serve to celebrate and we had nowhere to put it , because there was no table space until we cleared it ourselves
Conclusion. If it’s just you and your date, go for beer or wine, not a cocktail as you will be disappointed, and enjoy the view. Don’t count on a cocktail being good. But the view is. But you do have to stand up to really see it. The walls are pretty tall around the sides.
And whatever you do do not leave a credit card to hold a reservation. There was nothing good about this lunch. Except for being with family and enjoying the view. But the view is not worth this headache.
Quick Facts About The Willard Rooftop Lounge
Today
Opening Hours
| Sunday | 02:00 AM - 09:00 PM |
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| Monday | 02:00 AM - 11:00 PM |
| Tuesday | 02:00 AM - 11:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 02:00 AM - 11:00 PM |
| Thursday | 02:00 AM - 11:00 PM |
| Friday | 04:00 PM - 12:00 AM |
| Saturday | 12:00 PM - 12:00 AM |
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