2025 Centurion Award winner
Player's Retreat
Best Neighborhood Bar in Raleigh · Raleigh, NC
Best Neighborhood Bar in Raleigh · Raleigh, NC
The Players' Retreat has poured drinks near NC State since 1951, a wood-paneled tavern the regulars call 'the PR.' Beyond the burgers and cheese fries, it's a serious drinking institution — over a hundred wines by the glass and one of the South's deepest single-malt scotch selections.
Billed as one of the oldest continuously operating taverns between Washington and Atlanta, the PR is a Raleigh classic where students, professors, and lifers have shared the same booths for over seventy years.
Each Centurion Award is a dated record tied to one year’s evaluation — earned annually, never carried over. Open a year for the full citation and verification details.
Awards run one calendar year and renew only if the business clears the bar again. Selection is by published criteria, never for sale.
Visit Player's Retreat
This page is the standing record for Player's Retreat (2025). It was not bought, voted on, or sponsored — only winners are published, and an award that stops holding up is revoked, not quietly removed. For hours, bookings, and live reviews, go straight to the business itself.
If you’ve put in the years, you may already clear the bar. Evaluation is free, private, and never for sale.