Yes, and thanks for asking! When you enter The Velvet Hippo, you are agreeing to our other House Rules as follows:

1. Everyone should be treated with respect

2. Guests must be 21+ with physical ID to enter (Not a safe place for kids, sorry! Infants in carriers allowed)

3. Absolutely no weapons allowed

4. If it’s illegal outside this bar, it’s illegal inside this bar

5. You are responsible for your own self (and your friends, if they need you!) We are not responsible for any shenanigans you may get into while you’re here or after you go back out into the world

6. No outside food and drink allowed. Exceptions made for birthday cake; cake cutting fee applies if you need forks, plates, etc.

7. Smoking and vaping are allowed on the upper deck only

8. Tabs left open will have a 25% gratuity applied at closing time

9. Well-behaved dogs welcome on the deck 12pm-6pm Saturday & Sunday - use stairway 2 doors down!

10. No clothing reading "Security" or "Event Staff" or anything that implies an official role at the bar

When you start a tab with us at the bar, our credit card processor places a $40 hold on the card. It’s just a hold, and it will drop off in a day or so.

Forgot to close out? No worries, we go through and close all open tabs at the end of the night. A 25% gratuity applies.

Ensuring that our guests and staff have a great night and get home safely is our whole jam. To do that, we check IDs to make sure everyone is of legal drinking age and has a real, valid ID. In early August 2026, we made some changes to the system we use in order to better balance balance safety with the need for privacy we all feel in the current environment. Details below!

Our system DOES:

• Check for fake IDs (this is NOT checking identity databases like DMV; it's checking the tech and markings on the presented ID)

• Make sure guests are of age (21+)

• Let us internally flag the ID of anyone who threatens the safety of our staff or other guests. *Not all flags are permanent - we know people can grow up :) Also, all of our flags are private...our rules apply to our bar only.

It does NOT:

• Read anything but name and date of birth on the ID (we've turned off everything else)

• Store any data on unflagged IDs (we've turned off data retention for all IDs except those that get flagged for violating our safety rules)

• Take your photo (we've disconnected and removed the camera that came attached to our system. These photos we used to take were only ever used internally to identify someone if they caused a problem, but we understand the discomfort it caused some folks)

If you have any questions about our systems, feel free to contact us at hello@velvethippodurham.com and we’ll be happy to answer them!

Our dress code is “come as you are!” The only exception being that we don't allow any shirts reading "Security," "Staff" or anything that would similarly imply that someone is a member of our team. This is to prevent any confusion that could lead to an unsafe situation for our guests.

In General, we care a lot more about how you act than how you look, so please act cute, y’all :)

We are dog obsessed, actually. We just have to control ourselves and play by a few rules, due to the nature of the building we’re located in.

Dogs are welcome on the upper and covered areas of the deck — just not inside (since we serve food). To access the outdoor area directly, take your pup up the stairs two doors down to the left. (if accessibility is an issue for you, just let us know and we will adjust.)

Because the rest of our the building is office space, we can’t have dogs during the work week. Our “Yappy Hours” are Saturday and Sunday from 12pm to 6pm. For everyone’s safety and comfort, we do ask that you take pups home after 6pm for everyone’s safety (dogs, darkness, and drinking are not a great mix).

Registered service animals are not subject to the restrictions above.

We are a 21+ bar, and because we have lots of bar-related hazards (glass, tipsy people, stairs, the edges of rooftops), we can’t allow kids in the bar. We do understand that new parents need a drink sometimes though, and we will make an exception for infants who are held by (or strapped onto) a parent for the duration of their visit, provided that it is before 9pm.

First and foremost, we are a neighborhood bar, and it’s important that people can count on our doors to be open when they come to see us. With that in mind, we do full buyouts very, very rarely. If you have a special event that you think would be just perfect in our space, email events@velvethippodurham.com.

Yes! We are able to accommodate groups, depending on the day of the week and the needs of your group. We are happy to host semi-private events on regular weeknights or anytime on Sunday. We generally don’t accept event bookings on Fridays after 5:30pm, Saturdays after 2pm, or any day when we have a special event already in house (Latin Night, Music Trivia Bingo, etc). Get started by filing out our Event Inquiry Form on the “Events” page of our website.

Because we are but a humble watering hole, we don’t have a reservations system and aren’t able to take reservations for groups under 20. If you have a smaller group, we’d still love to have you visit us! Feel free to give us a call before you come to see how busy it is in the bar and on the roof.

Yes! We have a lovely menu of snacks and light bites, including some vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. Visit our Menu page for details.

Sure do! Visit our Menu page to see our selection of non-alcoholic cocktails, beers, wine, and more.

Because we offer a food menu, we can’t allow outside food. We do make an exception for birthday cakes, since we don’t serve those (and we love birthdays). If you are going to need a knife to cut it, plates to serve it, and forks to eat it, we are happy to provide for a standard $20 cake fee.

Cigarette smoking and vaping is limited to the upper deck (not in the lower covered area). Thanks for understanding!

Yes please :) We are a 21+ establishment and we ID in accordance with NC laws, which require a physical document to be present (we can’t accept a photo).

We are always taking resumes! If you have a background in high-volume bartending, barbacking, or culinary, we’d be happy to keep you in mind for our next opening. Email your resume to hello@velvethippodurham.com.