Ram’s Head Rat

It was a tradition. It was a U.N.C. tradition. It was a Chapel Hill tradition. The place was, of course, the Ram’s Head Rathskellar — aka “The Rat” to generations of students and locals. Inside the heavy wooden door on Amber Alley off Franklin was the dark, earthy interior atmosphere that welcomed its first customers in 1948. Thousands of Rat-goers carved their initials into the wooden tables over the years, while scarfing down the legendary “Double Gambler” steak or an original Rat-style pizza. Washing it all down with the pitchers or sweet tea on the tables. The bar was an immediate right upon entrance, and who remembers the pinball machine and big fish tank? After 60 years in Chapel Hill, the Rat gave it’s final call in 2008 when the doors closed for good.