This place is a paradox. It is without a doubt the crappiest building I have ever encountered. The floor looks like it has been used for testing jackhammers for the last 50 years, there are no beers on tap, there is a deep groove in the middle of the shuffleboard table that is almost inescapable (I dub it the gravity well), and the face of the dartboard we were using fell off twice. Also, the dartboards were so old that darts didn't stick very well in them and often bounced off, cruelly arcing back towards my foot. I seriously had two darts stick into the ground roughly 5 inches from my foot. It was frightening.
All that being said, the bartender was incredibly nice and awesome. Everyone there was super friendly, and there is actually stuff to do there, unlike most bars in Durham. I'm guessing that if pool is your thing this bar would be better. Pool is not my thing, so I just played the other bar games. Their beer bottle selection is great (though somewhat expensive). The bathrooms were surprisingly nice and super clean and the people weren't sketchy at all (like a million times less sketch than the tavern)
Overall then, I understand that they are going for a particular vibe. It is supposed to be a dive. That being said, leave the floor alone, don't paint the walls, and keep serving the beer out of a fridge. However, you really need to replace the shuffleboard and the dart boards. They are so old they are unusable, and especially the dart boards are not terribly expensive to replace. It would greatly improve the experience and would make me want to come back even more.
My home bar.
Is it fancy? Â No. Â Beer and soft stuff only, well-kept tables, sandy shuffleboard, and the constant presence of owner/operator Mike D. are the staples holding it together, but The Green Room stands alone as the best pool hall I'll likely ever step into.
I'm still not sure I know why.
The Green Room has this... thing... about it, a feeling that this Durham landmark has always been there, and will always be there, outside trend and time. Â Just like the city, though, it's gone through some changes. Â I remember when you could still smoke inside The Green Room, and I remember too when they instituted their own smoking ban 6 or so months before the government-mandated one took effect, perhaps to make the transition easier, perhaps just to do it on their own terms.
Individuality is something this place will never lack, not under the current management (and may he reign in perpetuity). Â This place is as inviting a one as I can imagine, and a perfect place to make memories of your own. Â So go out and grab a $2 bottle of PBR, and pay with your card if you wanna, just heed the $5 minimum with plastic. Â And say hey to Mike for me.
Great old school pool room with good selection of beers. Â What seals the deal in making this a great place is the complimentary worn out shuffle board table. Â Jukebox has an eclectic selection plus a comet pinball that is in decent shape. It's a bit rough around the edges but a very cool place to hang out and have an IPA and play some suffleboard. Â Only problem is a very dank bathroom but you can't have everything.
Review Source:I wish I was at The Green Room right now. And I feel this way very often.
They have a great beer list, nice bartenders (who ring a bell when they get tips), shuffleboard (for FREE), pool (not for free, but extremely reasonable AND prorated), a jukebox with music you didn't even know you wanted to hear, chess, dogs, dogs playing chess...WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE?!
This place deserves even more love. Fah serious.
Whoever is responsible for picking the beer selection at this joint is a genius. Always something awesome available and just a quick flip of the bottle opener away. The atmosphere and the usual crowd is more or less what you'd expect... which is: awesome. Haven't met a dull bartender yet.
So many pool tables and plenty of space to catch up with friends.
Why on Earth it is that I'm not there more often is unbeknownst to me, but what else is there to say? This place is great.
This place is the shit. Â It's gorgeously smokey, has plenty of pool tables, lots of good corners for hanging out, and a kick-ass jukebox.
I'm not one for going out with large groups, but when we have friends come into town, this is where we take them. Â Plenty of room for everyone to enjoy.
WOOT!
Awesome Dive Bar! They got pool tables and this thing called a shuffleboard! Never seen that in my life before. They also have this super funny sign above the bar area titled HOUSE RULES. Definitely check it out when you go.
Fun place to go with a group of friends to have a chill time. A huge group of us went to hear Michael Wall play. AMAZING musician :-).
Cheap beer, pool and music? Sounds like a plan!
Oh, be still my heart.
I love dive bars for the random-people-watching-and-encountering, and this one is the best in Durham for rubbing elbows with people from all different walks of life. Â As others have said, the atmosphere is fantastic. Â I kinda miss the old days when it was foggy with cigarette smoke, and you had to squint your eyes to get a clear look at your pool opponent, but then again, I appreciate the lack of injury to my lungs, and lack of ashtray smell on my hair/clothes.
There's a pulpit in the corner if you ever get the urge to preach to distracted pool and dart players. Â And the requisite pinball machine. Â The music is also kickass, exactly to my indie taste.
The bartenders are universally friendly and good-natured. Â I brought a friend to this place who yammered about requiring a woman of certain sized hips in order to handle the power of his ejaculation, and the bartender just cocked his eyebrow and joined me in making fun of him. Â I'm a terrible pool player, but this place gives me such warm fuzzies that I barely notice my repeatedly bruised and battered ego each time I pick up the cue.
I love, love, love The Green Room! Â It is a dive, but sometimes, a dive is what you need. Â I love that it looks like the floors haven't been mopped in 15 years, and the bathroom makes me feel dirtier, just for being inside it. Â They have a fantastic selection of beer, it's fairly priced, and the jukebox rocks. Â Pool rates are very reasonable, and shuffleboard is free. Â The owner is one of the sweetest men I have ever met, and remembered my fiance and myself from our very first trip inside. Â Everyone needs a place they feel at home, and the Green Room without any pretension fits that bill!
Review Source:Officially my favorite dive bar in the triangle. It is the perfect place to hang with a bunch of friends and it has everything I need. Beer, darts, pool, shuffleboard, a tv to watch the game on. The bartender is super nice. He treated me like his favorite sister. The sketchy appearance from the outside makes it all that more pleasant once you enter the Green Room. Gotta love it!
Review Source:If you want atmosphere, there is no better place. The regulars are kind and welcoming to strangers but there is little tolerance for ne'er-do-wells. The owner is fastidious about maintaining a good atmosphere almost as much as the cues and table felt. There are a few leather pocketed vintage tables which just adds to the character, but they were just re-finished this month and are the best tables in the triangle IMHO. There is a few dartboards and shuffleboard table but as I'm not familiar with either, I can't comment on them like the pool tables.
The jukebox is second to none and crosses the gamut from motown to rock. If no one is plugging money in the jukebox than you are at the mercy of overhearing the bartender's ipod. It's a good thing they appear to have good taste in both music and beer. The bottle selection is small but diverse and I've never been disappointed.
It's true, the bathrooms are a bit scary, but no worse than your local Shell station.
I second the jukebox compliments and just want to add that the Green Room has been delightfully smoke free for a couple of months now! Â The owner, Mike D, banned smoking here way before the mandated date in NC and my lungs and wool sweaters are so thankful.
It may indeed be a dive and the bathrooms might not have been cleaned since the mid-90s but the Green Room is the best and I don't even play pool. Â but I do play shuffleboard, that touchy porn game and drink beer. Â Thus, like all humans, I love the Green Room. Â
(also, five stars for Mike D! Â what an awesome guy)
Definitely the best bar in Durham, maybe the world. Keep in mind I first went there in 1993, have been a steady customer ever since, and I also worked there while in college. If you take those out of the equation I am a completely objective reviewer.
Nowhere in Durham will you see so many races and strata of Durham life coexisting peacefully side by side...doctors, auto mechanics, students, migrant workers, retirees. People instantly feel at ease there, and the beer is cheap enough you might think you have stepped into a time machine.
The people complaining about the smoke are right...it is really bad. I went there with my girlfriend for a few hours and she couldn't get the smell of smoke out of her BRA. Comes with the territory in a town built by tobacco I guess.
In any case, put on some clothes you don't need to pay to dry clean, and check it out.
i go mostly for the shuffleboard. the boards are pretty worn and curved, and on weekends, there's usually a line for it, but some lucky weekday nights, we get it all to ourselves for nonstop shuffling fun. you can grab some cheap bottled beers and challenge us to shuffle board, grab a pool table, play foosball, darts, or grab a table and play chess.
it's definitely smokey and pretty run down, but i like it that way. it's comfortable, and i don't worry about putting my feet on the table.
Do your lungs a favor and don't come here. My clothes smelled like smoke even after I washed them. The Green Room has plenty of tables, two dart boards, foosball, shuffleboard, and a bar with mainly beer. Everything in here is a little run down; this is definitely a dive. The biggest drag for me were the guys who would brag about their pool prowess and offer advice, but couldn't shoot to save their lives.
Review Source:I felt a part of the local crowd the night my sister, brother-in-law, his sister, and I hung out here for beer and pool. Â My brother-in-law and his sister are locals so they felt a home hanging out here again and the new owner totally remembered him even though he hasn't been back there in a long time.
Expect smoke, ashes, and only bottled beers. Â Follow the simple rules posted and enjoy the local beers - you will have a great time!
By the way, they don't open until 5PM so don't try to come earlier like we did.