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New Prohibition-era cocktail & cigar lounge opening first NC location in Durham

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Red Phone Booth, a new speakeasy opening in Durham, serves craft cocktails and rare spirits.

Red Phone Booth, a new speakeasy opening in Durham, serves craft cocktails and rare spirits.

Courtesy of Red Phone Booth

A new, private speakeasy offering craft cocktails and cigars will open soon in Durham.

Red Phone Booth, named for the restored London-style booth that marks the entrance to the club, will make its North Carolina debut in downtown Durham.

The approximately 4,100-square-foot location will be owned by local dentists Ralph Mensah and Michael Thomas. It is expected to open in June, joining existing Red Phone Booth locations across Atlanta, Nashville, the Dallas area and Miami. Another is opening soon in Tampa.

Durham’s new Red Phone Booth cocktail and cigar lounge will feature dark leather seating, fireplaces and a private room.
Durham’s new Red Phone Booth cocktail and cigar lounge will feature dark leather seating, fireplaces and a private room. Courtesy of Red Phone Booth

Mensah visited a Red Phone Booth in Nashville several years ago and wanted to bring that experience to Durham, The News & Observer previously reported.

He thought that the combination of craft cocktails, a cigar lounge and Italian food served under one roof was a unique experience that would do well in the Triangle, Mensah told The N&O in a call.

“This will be the premier speakeasy in the Triangle,” Mensah said.

Select members at Red Phone Booth get access to a humidified cigar locker with a personalized, engraved nameplate.
Select members at Red Phone Booth get access to a humidified cigar locker with a personalized, engraved nameplate. Courtesy of Red Phone Booth

Upon entering the Prohibition-era-inspired lounge via the phone booth, guests will find vintage decor, custom Italian leather seating, fireplaces, a honey onyx bar, and hand-painted ceilings and art by Christian Waggoner.

Red Phone Booth prides itself on its “world-class service,” a concept that provides a luxury nightlife experience.

Red Phone Booth spirits & cigars

Red Phone Booth will offer a curated selection of more than 200 cigars, with inventory rotating.
Red Phone Booth will offer a curated selection of more than 200 cigars, with inventory rotating. Courtesy of Red Phone Booth

Its beverage menu is expansive. Red Phone Booth will offer more than 400 premium spirits, including rare bourbon, whiskey, tequila and Japanese whisky.

Careful attention is paid to cocktails. Juices are freshly squeezed. Garnishes are made to order. Tinctures and bitters are prepared in house. A double-reverse osmosis purification process is used to make ice.

Guests can also snack on Italian-inspired small plates and Neapolitan pizzas, designed to share.

Neapolitan-style pizza and other Italian-inspired dishes are on the menu at Red Phone Booth.
Neapolitan-style pizza and other Italian-inspired dishes are on the menu at Red Phone Booth. Courtesy of Red Phone Booth

Red Phone Booth offers a continually rotating inventory of more than 200 cigars, stored in a temperature- and humidity-controlled, walk-in humidor. Needlepoint bipolar ionization technology creates a cleaner, safer lounge environment that circulates fresh air into the space.

“With Durham’s creative energy, walkable downtown and culture of innovation, it’s the perfect home for Red Phone Booth,” Red Phone Booth founder Stephen de Haan said in a news release. “The city’s mix of universities, technology and vibrant nightlife provides the ideal backdrop for our immersive Prohibition-era experience.”

Red Phone Booth membership

Inside Red Phone Booth, guests should expect vintage decor, hand-painted ceilings and fine art.
Inside Red Phone Booth, guests should expect vintage decor, hand-painted ceilings and fine art. Courtesy of Red Phone Booth

Memberships are now on sale for the Durham location, at 125 Orange St. A membership, which is not required to visit, offers priority entry at all Red Phone Booth locations, sofa reservations, special pricing on cigars and invitations to special member tastings and events.

There are several options available, for individuals and groups, starting at $400 per year. The most expensive option, a Corporate Membership, provides membership for six people and costs $4,000 annually.

Red Phone Booth is now hiring for the Durham location. Between 20 and 40 people are expected to be hired, Mensah said.

Durham’s Red Phone Booth will offer guests hundreds of spirits, craft cocktails and a walk-in cigar humidor.
Durham’s Red Phone Booth will offer guests hundreds of spirits, craft cocktails and a walk-in cigar humidor. Courtesy of Red Phone Booth

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Renee Umsted

The News & Observer

Renee Umsted is a service journalism reporter for The News & Observer. She has a degree in journalism from the Bob Schieffer College of Communication at TCU. 

Renee Umsted

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