Sadlack's Heroes: A Raleigh hangout like no other
If ever there was a bar in Raleigh worthy of the moniker “institution," it would undoubtedly be Sadlack’s.
Considered a nightly staple by some, a midday sandwich lunch stop by others, it’s certainly a neighborhood watering hole with a fun live music scene for all. Characters of all types, origins and status find their way to Sadlack’s at one time or another. And once there, you quickly realize it’s one of the most disarmingly friendly plots you’ll stumble upon in Raleigh. Professors, students, blue collar shifters, burgeoning musicians, fledgling artists and nearby dwellers all cross the Sadlack’s threshold and walk away with a story or two to tell.
To call it just a bar doesn’t do it its fair justice. It is, after all, a sandwich spot that was founded in 1974 to be just that – a great deli known for its fresh bread and delicious meats and cheeses culminating in the most delectable Hero sandwiches around. That was Dr. Frank Sadlack’s plan. Originally from the North, he found his way to the South by way of Chapel Hill and picked the corner of Hillsborough St. and Enterprise across from NC State University's campus as the home of his taste of NY deli.
Building the ultimate hero back then was a science, and vestiges of the methodology remained as the business changed multiple hands over the years. A Sadlack’s employee in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, Brent Wilson can recall being taught how to layer a sandwich, steam it and make it fit for devouring. To this day, Sad’s kitchen doesn’t have a microwave, but yes, the steamer is on hand, and they still stock the Greek spices. In honor of its founding father, you can order up the “Dr. Frank’s Special," a loaded Italian sub just the way the doc would’ve wanted it (6” for $6, 12” for $8).
Besides a combination of over thirty sandwiches and burgers along with multiple beer options including ten rotating beers on draft, what Sadlack’s has the most of are legendary stories shared among customers that have become a sort of family. Some of the stories are tall tales, some are stranger than fiction, and some are just strange.
Ask about the days in the early ‘90s when a regular would bring their pet goat by Sad’s. That goat was a friendly one, and she’d step up on your table and greet you happily. Then, there are the many insider tales from the locals of when Ryan Adams (now rocker extraordinaire, formerly with Whiskeytown) used to work at Sad’s.
One story as told by one of the bartenders is that of a regular customer who remembers a visiting couple commenting on a Whiskeytown song playing while they were there eating. The regular customer comments to them that he can remember sitting in Sad’s back when Adams was working there and writing that song. Impressed, the visitors thought that was a cool experience, but the regular customer, well, he was less star struck. He simply summed it up by saying, “Yeah, but he was supposed to be making my sandwich!”
Here, you leave your attitude at the door, grab a cold one, and roll with it.
HelloRaleigh Tip: Nothing beats winding down on the Sadlack’s porch listening to live music ranging from bluegrass to hard rock to punk. The bands play for tips and the beer is cheap, which makes for a combination too good to pass up.
Posted by Angela Risko
