Bittersweet

About

Located at 16 East Martin St. in Raleigh.

Open for dessert, cocktail and coffee service: Wednesday thru Saturday starting at 5pm.

BRAND NEW MORNING COFFEE SERVICE!! Visit our coffee window! OPEN MON-FRI: 7am-1pm. We have coffee service you can order from the sidewalk! Full espresso bar and drip coffee, iced coffee and tea PLUS morning pastries like organic blueberry muffins, cinnamon-sugar doughnuts and banana bread.

Bittersweet is a terribly wonderful dessert, coffee and cocktail lounge with an all-natural, seasonal menu. We are a place where you can get bourbon with your pie, champagne with your cake and Irish whiskey in your coffee. Our menu changes each season, with drink and dessert pairing specials offered regularly. We have a full coffee and espresso menu—everything from cappuccinos to pourovers—with beans from our pals over in Durham, Counter Culture Coffee.

Desserts are baked in-house daily by owner, Kim Hammer of bittycakes and our in-house bakers. You will nightly find Kim behind our bar plating tasty treats, next to our mad-skilled bartenders.

Bittersweet offers a seasonal cocktail menu, local beer and wine…especially bubbles—champagne, cava, prosecco—our motto is “champagne saved is champagne wasted.”

Join us for dessert, drinks and late night banter—that’s right, we said banter and we meant it. We expect some magnificent banter.

Sample Menu

(year round and seasonal items—menu will consist of year-round standards & rotating menu that will change with each season)

Desserts

classic apple pie: double crust, organic apples, fresh ground spices
cinnamon-carrot cupcakes: organic carrots, cream cheese frosting
brownie sundae: Videri Chocolate brownie, vanilla bean ice cream, bourbon-caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, bourbon cherry, sugared pecans, sprinkles.
key-lime pie: graham cracker crust, whipped cream
winter-on-the-farm cheesecake: local goat cheese, raspberry syrup, rosemary sprinkle
red velvet cake: big, fat double-layer, cream cheese frosting
cheese plate: rotating cheese and fruit platter, sugar/spice nuts
strawberry-crème fraîche ice cream with flourless chocolate cake
punk-rock strawberry shortcake: lemon-basil poundcake, fresh strawberries, basil whipped cream
triple-crème affair: lemon scone, triple crème brie, wine-poached plums
jacked-up gelato: chocolate-hazelnut gelato drowned in coffee, cinnamon churros
can’t catch me: gingerbread with bourbon-caramel sauce
flowers in winter: vanilla butter mini cupcakes, lavender-gin buttercream

Bar Snacks

edamame: soybeans, ginger, salt
moonshine caramel corn
spicy ramen noodle bar mix: crunchy ramen noodles, pecans, peanuts, wasabi peas, cornflakes
peanut brittle
sugar rush frosting shot: shot glass of vanilla buttercream

Cocktails

classics: old fashioned, vesper, manhattan, negroni
rusty nail: scotch, Drambuie
thin mint: mint liqueur, vodka, Videri chocolate, milk
Laura Palmer: vodka, lemon, black tea, Chambord
James Joyce: Jameson, vermouth, Cointreau, lime
Sherry O’Cherry: sherry, lime, sour cherry syrup
seasonal lemonade: fresh lemonade with choice of vodka, ouzo, rum, or tequila and seasonal syrups (i.e. strawberry, blackberry)
toasted almond: amaretto, coffee liqueur, cream
gingerbread martini: ginger liqueur, rum, vanilla, coffee liqueur, honey