November 24, 2009
One of several chains in and around the south, this particular establishment is located a few blocks west of the downtown area - and a short walk from Moore Square, home of the World Beer Festival that brought me to town. If you can get past the large patio area that overlooks the so-called warehouse district, you enter into a very large room with high ceilings; there is a long worn looking bar to the right and above, and all around you can see the eponymous saucers. "Eponymous?" Look it up. The beer list is outstanding and too big to describe in detail; let’s just say if it’s not here, you probably don’t need it. There are represented a good array of regional brews, many of which I enjoyed the next day at WBF. In any case, I enjoyed: Founder’s Dirty Bastard, Aviator Old Bulldog ESB, Sierra Nevada Torpedo (DIPA) and the always nice Racer 5. Extensive bottle list from all over - as I said, "outstanding." The food was tasty - at least my Bratwurst platter war sehr gut. I guess the Germans have much in common with the South: they both lost wars they started. (Yikes) But enough of politics. What I also liked were the very reasonable prices, at least for me being from the DC area. The majority of beers cost less than $5.00; Flying Saucer offers a multitude of weekly specials, for example $2.75 pints on Mondays; this is certainly enough get down here more often. Another interesting item is the very cute female waitstaff all tightly adorned in plaid miniskirts and garters. A very likable beer bar, one that was worth the trip to Raleigh alone.

August 15, 2009
Visited on a recent business trip to Raleigh. Decent downtown location although parking can be a bit of a pain. Service was great (what’s not to like about hot females in very short plaid skirts serving you beer). To be fair to the guys working here I did sit at the bar and the male bartender that served me was knowledgeable and attentive. With 81 taps there is a large selection but I will complain that too many of the selections are ordinary. I did find a few harder to find on tap selections here so it’s hard to complain but so much. Food was decent and fairly priced. The prices on beer were great; since I was there on a Monday night pints were $2.75 (that’s outstanding for a Duck-Rabbit Schwarzbier and Foothills Seeing Double). This is probably THE place to go in Raleigh for beer. It’s just a notch or two below Tyler’s in Durham in my opinion but still a great place.

August 4, 2009
I love going down to visit friends in Raleigh if for no other reason than getting to visit the Saucer. A great selection of beer and a pretty knowledgable staff. Food wise all I had was the pretzel, but it was pretty damn good. We sat outside, but it is smoky as hell inside. Oh, and the uniforms for staff are a plus.

June 23, 2009
Great place to go hang out and drink craft beers while enjoying excellent scenery (inside, not out.). POSITIVES: The beer list is huge with a mix of draft and bottles, on the order of a 100+ beers. The menu’s organized by style, with new releases and seasonals posted on a big chalk board over the bar, making it easy to find what you want. They hit the common micros, as well as new and hard to find brews. The pretzels with cheese dip are perfection. Whoever came up with the idea of populating the wait staff with college girls and making them wear plaid skirts with knee-highs is brilliant. NEGATIVES: Very smoky. Perhaps because the beer list is so huge, they aren’t able to stock everything on the menu, so I’ve occasionally ordered 3 or 4 beers before finding one they had in that day. The waitresses are attractive, attentive, and quite friendly...not normally beer experts. Asking for suggestions doesn’t usually work out very well.

May 4, 2009
Though I was rather drunk when I arrived, several things stood out. Good beer list, good food and HOT waitresses. Was able to get Duck-Rabbit Paul’s Day Off, and a tasty sandwich served by a gorgeous brunette in knee high socks and a short plaid miniskirt. Yes it was rather busy between WBF sessions but we got taken care of rather nicely. I’ll definitely go back next time I’m in town!

May 3, 2009
Great place, great beer, great food, and, at the risk of sounding horribly sexist, lovely waitresses in short plaid skirts. Service only suffered a bit during the most busy times, and the waitstaff we spoke to knew the beer menu pretty well. I want to dig it up and put it in my backyard.

April 28, 2009
I loved this place. A few of my friends took me down there for my 21st birthday, and my official introduction to real beer, and this place did not disappoint. The beer selection was almost obscene in its length, which would have been overwhelming if I hadn’t a) been warned, and b) had some friends there to guide me through it. The staff was friendly and helpful (the miniskirts could be a bit distracting, but I can’t say that I minded all too much), and they took good care of everyone at the table, even those who weren’t drinking. The only drawback was that it got packed, though that is to be expected in any bar worth it’s salt on a Saturday night. The prices were about average, the real reason to go is the very large selection.

March 24, 2009
Great place...the staff is amazing and very knowledgeable. Beer menu changes with new arrivals several times a year. Each night have something on special. Check out the website for more details. Highly recommended. Ask about becoming a beer knurd....lol.

February 6, 2009
One of my favorite places to go in Raleigh. A huge beer selection with a great variety. The food is alright but at a place like the Flying Saucer it will always be second to the beer. A nice ambiance and I personally like the benches. The servers are surprisingly knowledgeable about the beer. If the weather is nice, sitting outside is a must.

January 11, 2009
Huge beer selection with good service. The waitress always kept the glasses full. Menu is average and not the greatest food selection, but I was there to drink, not eat.