There’s a door tucked behind the Hibernian Pub on Falls of Neuse Road that most people have walked past without a second glance. It doesn’t announce itself with a marquee, velvet rope, or neon sign. But what’s behind that door makes for the kind of experience you will want to wash, rinse, and repeat.
The Dry Cleaners opened in October of 2025. In that short time, it has already established itself as a genuine, unhurried cocktail experience in a setting that feels like it was designed for exactly the kind of evening you’ve been longing to have. “There are no cocktail bars or speakeasies or anything like that in North Raleigh,” says general manager Sue Kempen, who has been with the Hibernian Hospitality Group for 12 years. “There’s no place like this.”
She’s right. And the story of how it got here is as good as anything on the curated menu.
For many years, the space next to the Hibernian Pub was exactly what the name suggests: a working dry cleaners. When the business moved out in 2019, the building sat empty, attached to one of North Raleigh’s most beloved Irish pubs. Hibernian owner Niall Hanley acquired the full property, and the question became what to do with it.
Craft bartenders offer guests an unhurried, truly personalized experience.
The answer, as Sue tells it, came from a simple but pointed observation from Niall: “What doesn’t the North Raleigh area have?” And so the former dry cleaners was gutted, refitted — new plumbing, new bar, new everything — and transformed into something the community didn’t know it was waiting for.
So while the name stayed, The Dry Cleaners is now no starch and all spirits.
Deep grays and low light, red velvet and wing-back chairs, and table lamps that cast amber pools of light immediately establish the atmosphere. “We have little lights that go over each mirror in the building,” Sue explains. “We don’t have any overhead lights. Everything is table lamps.”
The effect is precisely what you’d hope for from a speakeasy: intimate without being cramped, atmospheric without feeling overdone. Clusters of seating are arranged around coffee tables — couches that seat three, flanked by a pair of generous wing-back chairs — so that a group of friends can settle in for the evening and feel like they have their own private corner, even when the bar is full. “You can have intimate, cozy conversations yet be in a room with a lot of other people,” Sue says.
The Velvet Berry
With 10 bar stools and seating for approximately 50 guests, The Dry Cleaners is notably more spacious than your average speakeasy, but the mood, as Sue describes it, is still “smoky, sexy, intimate.”
If the space sets the scene, the bartenders write the story. Sue — who worked as a bartender and describes herself as “old-fashioned, Manhattan, martini, and all that” — is the first to acknowledge that the four craft bartenders behind the bar operate at an entirely different level. “It’s the difference between being a cook and a chef,” she says.
The menu leans into the classics while leaving plenty of room for imagination, and the cocktail program includes one feature that immediately distinguishes The Dry Cleaners from most bars in the area: the dealer’s choice. Bartenders don’t simply ask what spirit you prefer. They ask questions. What flavor profile are you drawn to? Do you like something smoky? A little sweet? Any allergies? Floral notes — yes or no? “They actually will talk to a guest and get a feel for what the vibe is that they want to drink, what their flavor palate is, and come up with something from there,” Sue says.
The tool chest behind that process is impressive. The Dry Cleaners stocks what Sue believes is one of the largest selections of bitters in the city — roughly 20 varieties, spanning Japanese, smoked, orange, cocoa, and floral options. “We have real pros in here,” she says simply.
And while the speakeasy concept carries all the intrigue of Prohibition-era passwords and hidden entrances, Sue is straightforward about the barrier to entry. “It’s not the type of speakeasy where you need a password. You just need to find us, and we’re happy to show you where we are.”
The same philosophy behind the cocktail program informed the recently launched small bites menu. Sue and kitchen manager Kelly Wilmes approached it with the guiding principle that every bite should belong in a cocktail bar, which meant thinking carefully about how food interacts with what is in the glass.
Seating is intentionally intimate and designed so guests can get comfortable.
Garlic, for example, was ruled out. “Garlic does not go well with cocktails at all,” Sue explains. Instead, a smoked salmon BLT is finished with citrus aioli, a natural complement to the spirits it is served alongside. Classic pub staples from the Hibernian have been elevated for the setting: Guinness-battered bangers replace the standard cocktail frank; Perios and A whiskey barbecue slider with house-made sauce and crispy onions takes the place of a more straightforward version. The smoked salmon canapé — brown bread, cream cheese, salmon, capers — arrives assembled rather than deconstructed. “You don’t need silverware. It’s very shareable. It’s small. It’s not going to fill you up,” Sue says.
The food menu is designed to augment an evening, not anchor it.
Ask Sue who The Dry Cleaners is for, and she doesn’t hesitate: everyone. On any given night, a group of seniors might be settled into the couches while a table of younger guests dressed for the evening claim a corner of the bar. Couples. Groups of friends. People who wandered over from the Hibernian looking for something quieter. People who have never set foot in the Hibernian. “We are all inclusive,” Sue says. “Anybody is welcome in here.”
The one firm boundary is that it is a 21-and-over venue, exclusively.
Two private events have already been hosted, including a holiday party for the Canes that filled the space on a night when the doors stayed closed to the public. Private cocktail parties are available any day of the week, with a minimum of 25 guests for off-night bookings.
For now, The Dry Cleaners is open Wednesday through Sunday starting at 4 p.m. In mid-fall, the team is expected to grow.
But The Dry Cleaners will be exactly as you found it: low-lit, unhurried, and very glad you found that door.
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@drycleanerscocktail
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