A downtown Chapel Hill staple long known for its appeal to both UNC students, Tar Heel fans and visitors recently landed on a national list.
The college football staff for The Athletic — a sports journalism magazine under the New York Times’ umbrella — named the 112 1/2 West Franklin Street bar He’s Not Here among its top 10 college bars for 2025.
“An unforgettable moniker for a place known for Blue Cups — 32 ounces of beer, cider or seltzer at $5 a pop,” The Athletic wrote about the bar. “No liquor, no food, just an enormous outdoor patio teeming with Carolina blue, popular bands, students, alumni and celebrities.”
The piece noted an urban legend about the origin of the bar’s name: that people called the bar looking for Michael Jordan, and the standard phone greeting became “He’s not here.” However, the bar actually opened several years before Jordan came to Chapel Hill. As The Athletic shared, though, the actual origin story is that the bar’s original owners were both going through divorces in the business’s early days, and would say “He’s not here” often when their spouses called.
“These are the places the college kids can bring their parents, grandparents and younger siblings,” The Athletic writes. “These are the places they pop in for a drink before standing in line to cram into a meat market with 500 other kids and try to talk over thumping bass that leaves them with headaches. These are the places they hit the next morning to nurse the headaches.”
Another bar in the Carolinas — and in the town of an ACC opponent — also made the list, as Clemson’s The Esso Club was recognized among the staff’s personal favorites.
To read The Athletic’s full top 10 college bars of 2025, click here.
Featured image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Brighton McConnell
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Related Stories
‹
News Around Town: Halloween on Franklin Street in 2025Read a conversation between Chapel Hill mayor Jess Anderson and 97.9 The Hill's Andrew Stuckey about Halloween on Franklin Street.
![]()
Chapel Hill: Franklin Street Plans and Halloween SafetyEmily Powell, the fire and safety educator for the Chapel Hill Fire Department, drops by to speak with 97.9 The Hill's Brighton McConnell on Thursday, October 28. She shares plans for the town's emergency services on Halloween night, which include not immediately closing down Franklin Street for any wandering community members.
Chapel Hill Encourages No Halloween Gatherings on Franklin, Offers 'Safer' AlternativesIn non-pandemic years, there has been a longstanding tradition in Chapel Hill to dress up in costume and traverse East Franklin Street Halloween night. This year, however, the Town of Chapel Hill announced it will not preemptively block off the the busy downtown street. Town representatives cited financial costs and the desire to keep Franklin […]
Town of Chapel Hill: No Holiday Parade, Halloween on Franklin Street Due to COVIDThe Town of Chapel Hill said it will not be holding any large gathering through the end of the calendar year in an effort to protect public health, cancelling events such as Halloween on Franklin Street and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Holiday Parade. In a release on Friday, the town said it wants community members to practice […]
![]()
Busy Roads Expected for Holiday Travels, State Groups Promote SafetyThis week is one of the busiest travel periods of each year, and many North Carolinians are hitting the road to see family and friends. A record-breaking number of North Carolinians are projected to be traveling over the next two weeks. AAA of the Carolinas predicts most travelers will be driving to their destinations, with […]
![]()
Homegrown Halloween Crowd Continues Decreasing in SizeApproximately 15,000 costumed celebrators took to Franklin Street for Chapel Hill’s Homegrown Halloween on Tuesday night. That number is continuing a trend of the event decreasing in size since peaking with an estimated crowd of 80,000 revelers in 2007. Concerted efforts by town staff have increased police presence and shortened the amount of time costume-clad […]
![]()
Reducing The Halloween Crowd On Franklin StreetFranklin Street is well-known in the Triangle as a Halloween hotspot; but police try to downsize the party more and more each year.
Water Main Break Causes Emergency Repairs, Lane Closures on E. Franklin Street in Chapel HillPart of East Franklin Street in Chapel Hill was shut down Friday morning as crews respond to a leaking water main that spilled water onto the road.
Shooting Near W. Franklin Street Injures 1; Chapel Hill Police Arrest SuspectThe Chapel Hill Police Department is investigating a shooting along West Franklin Street Thursday evening which sent one person to the hospital.
Chapel Hill's He's Not Here Among The Athletic's 'Top 10 College Bars' for 2025A downtown Chapel Hill staple long known for its appeal to both UNC students, Tar Heel fans and visitors recently landed on a national list. The college football staff for The Athletic — a sports journalism magazine under the New York Times’ umbrella — named the 112 1/2 West Franklin Street bar He’s Not Here […]
›
