Anyway, I made my boyfriend take me we finally decided to go the other day. It was hot outside so we weren’t able to sit out on the small patio area available. There were a few umbrellas but they were already in use. I sat down for a few minutes but the glaring sun was too hot so we went inside.

Lilly’s is a funky and retro cafe. I liked that they had posters up for local concerts and seem supportive of local starving artists (musically and otherwise).

Price wise, Lilly’s is up there with most non-chain pizza pie restaurants. A two-topping large (cheese plus your fave) will set you back about $15 while a large specialty pizza will cost a bit more, ranging from $19-23 depending. Lilly’s also offers a gluten-free alternative and several vegetarian options.

We each ordered a medium create-your-own. I was tempted with a variety of toppings (they have a LOT of toppings!) but realized once I created my Pièce de résistance with about 5 unique toppings I would have had to chuck out about $20 for a small pizza. I settled on extra cheese.

It didn’t take too long to make the pizza, but the wait for me was quite painful. The smoky atmosphere from the kitchen burned my eyes and my nose. If I didn’t know the smoke was from the food cooking I may have got on all fours to crawl out. By the time we left the restaurant, my hair and clothes smelled of burnt something.

The pizza was okay: it had a thicker crust than I was expecting. I had spent two years listening to two of my friends rave about how amazing Lilly’s pizza was and I have to tell you: it was a big let-down for me.  The top portion of the dough was pretty doughy tasting and appeared much more undercooked than my boyfriend’s was. The sauce was unremarkable and so was the cheese.

In all, I wouldn’t make the trip here for mediocre pizza. I have to tell you that I would be willing to give Lilly’s another try just in case it was an off day in the kitchen. However, I really didn’t care for the crust style, and I definitely didn’t enjoy the way-too-smoky atmosphere. I may have a more sensitive nose than others but the smoky atmosphere alone keeps me from returning. The restaurant would do well to invest in some sort of ventilation system!

Otherwise, everything here was organic or homemade, a welcome change to the prepackaged, ready-made or frozen ingredients other pizza joints might use. For me, the time and effort and cost wasn’t worth the trip or the food.

Our only other complaint was that there was no soap by the sink. The sink that is located outside the restrooms for everyone to use. That was quite a put-off when you start wondering how staff and other patrons wash their hands… Ew.

We’d already had dinner earlier in the evening (518 on Glenwood) and then we were off to see Mumford and Sons (my favorite band in the whole world but that’s beside the point). After braving the heat before, during and after the concert, we’d both sweat off the calories from dinner and were in need of some grub.

He suggested Tobacco Road which seemed an odd name for this non-Carolina girl but I was game. We weren’t too far and were able to find a decent parking spot at 222 Glenwood Avenue, in a nice little part of town with a few restaurants and specialty shops.

Tobacco Road is a true sports bar with numerous television sets and a little area that even includes several recliners. I wasn’t here to watch any ESPN, however, so we sat down and browsed through the menu.

It was almost 11 at night so we didn’t want to eat too much food, but we were considerably hungry and an appetizer just wouldn’t do. We settled on the fresh pico de gallo with chips. It was absolutely delicious except we didn’t realize there were decent sized chunks of jalapeno in there (with seeds) so we each got a little more burn than we’re used to. (If you like the burn, you’ll probably love this appetizer).

We each ordered a soda, and then one beer and a mixed beverage (or two).

We also decided we’d share a burger instead of each having a full meal. We ordered the Durham Bull burger (medium well) which has bacon and bbq sauce. We also added cheddar cheese.

The burger was delicious. DELICIOUS.

Tobacco Road had a great atmosphere. There were couples together, a few groups of friends hanging out at the bar or at a table. Some folks watched the TV while others just chatted quietly. There was a family that came in with their kids and they seemed to have fun too. One of the servers put on a children’s channel on the tv closest to their table which I thought was really nice of her to do. (Although why someone had their kids out and about at midnight to eat I’m not sure. Just sayin’…)

Our tab was just under $30 after tip, which wasn’t too bad for the food we got as well as a few bar drinks. We’ve been back several times because we enjoyed the atmosphere and food so much. Definitely a neat date place or if you want to watch the game and chow down on some really good food.

We got inside and sat at the bar for a minute waiting for our friends. We were immediately greeted by a super friendly bartender who explained the beer selections. I’m more of a mixed drink kinda gal and let my eyes wander over the many liquors stocked on the bar shelves. (Busy Bee also has their own specialty mixed drinks for the more adventurous.)

Our friends arrived and we moved to a cozy table. Two of us settled on mixed drinks for the evening while everyone else picked from the special beer menu.

Although we’d already eaten, we had the munchies. This is when we discovered that Busy Bee has the world’s best Tater Tots. Well, maybe not the world’s best since we can’t compare, but they were awful good. Maybe Raleigh’s best.

Our server was incredibly friendly and personable. We all chatted like friends for a minute about some trending topic from the day’s news and were happy to note that he kept our glasses full.

It was a fairly easy-going crowd the night we went: one gal worked on her computer, another fellow read through the newspaper. A few friends chatted it up here and there and the upstairs seemed to hum with activity.

We had a great time hanging out and I can see how this would easily become a favorite gathering spot for friends to grab a drink and unwind in a great environment. I can imagine the servers knowing repeat patrons on a first-name basis, maybe even knowing their favorite drink or dining fare.

We didn’t have a meal from the menu, but the choices look delicious and are very reasonably priced.

I can’t wait to get back to the Busy Bee for a little relaxing of my own. By “relaxing” I really mean “having a drink with great friends in a great spot while eating great Tater Tots.”

=)

Check out the Busy Bee Cafe’s website here.