401 Main
401 Main Street, Carrboro
Monday–Friday 3 p.m to close, Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to close
Dogs are not only allowed but encouraged at a new late-night bar and sandwich shop in Carrboro, which invites customers to enjoy a beer on the patio with their best four-legged friend.
401 Main opened today in the space formerly occupied by Cafe Carrboro. It is the latest venture of Al Bowers of Al’s Burger Shack who runs the business with his friend Chris Baldwin, of Chapel Hill.
“Carrboro is such a vibrant community, and we are thrilled to be right in the middle of it,” Baldwin said in a statement.
The upscale dive bar offers shareable snacks, a selection of local and international beers, as well as wine and cocktails. And of course, doggy treats.
The seafood-focused menu features an array of po’boys like the 401, the bar’s signature sandwich stuffed with fried grouper, bacon, “dirty” slaw, tomato, pickles, and jalapeño ranch, or more classic options like fried oyster or shrimp, with crispy cauliflower as a vegetarian substitute.
There’s also “Dawg Bites”—fries, shrimp, bacon, and pimento cheese.
Patrons are encouraged to bring Fido and sit outside on one of the two large patios to enjoy special treats (sorry, for dogs only). The restaurant’s logo depicts a cocker spaniel, and the Instagram bio reads, “Home is where your dog is.”
As the INDY reported in July, the news arrived soon after the closure of Al’s Pub Shack, Bowers’ “neighborhood hangout” venture that offered traditional pub fare in Governor’s Village in Chapel Hill. Bowers shut down the Pub Shack after just one month in business and reopened it as another Burger Shack location for better brand awareness.
The Pub Shack menu included Luke’s Fried Pickles, which will get a second life at 401 Main, same as the beer-battered grouper with slaw will in the signature 401 sandwiches.
To learn about other dog-friendly bars, check out our Ten Best Dog Bars in the Triangle.
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Al’s is one of the most overrated burger joints I’ve ever been to and Al himself is an absolute turd of a person.