Good Fortune elevates Chapel Hill's cocktail scene
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Good Fortune's bar is padded so customers can lean in comfort. Photo: Mary Helen Moore/Axios
Good Fortune, a Chinatown-inspired cocktail bar, quietly opened on Franklin Street in April with an eye-catching design and a meticulously crafted drinks menu.
Why it matters: Good Fortune adds a polished new cocktail destination to downtown Chapel Hill, and it's building an audience during the slower summer season.
Zoom in: The bar took over the space Schoolkids Records vacated in 2024.
- The interior is drenched in red, with carved ceiling tiles, a wooden bar and an abundance of art. It's upscale and dramatic without sacrificing comfort.
- According to Good Fortune, the design pays homage to "two great iconic bars from Los Angeles" — Chinatown's Yee Mee Loo and Los Feliz's Good Luck Bar.
- Its owners, Whisky-Kings, have three other bars in Greensboro and Winston-Salem.
What we ordered: The plum blossom spritz ($12) and Garden Party ($14) — both well-balanced with intriguing flavors.
Fun fact: The bartender serves welcome drinks as you peruse the cocktail menu. Ours were shot glasses of a refreshing vermouth mixture.
If you go: The bar opens at 4pm on weekdays and noon on Saturday and Sunday.
- 🕑 Closing time is always 2am.
- 📍 405 W. Franklin St.
