The Matthews House has a long history in Cary, dating back to 1915 when the house was built. It was a private residence as well as home to some small businesses like a florist, salon and dress maker.
In the early 2000’s The Matthews House transformed into an event space and by 2016 the Chung family purchased the historic home, taking on renovations and uplifts. Today, The Matthews House hosts events, weddings and more, right in the heart of Downtown Cary.
That event schedule meant the beautiful and historic venue often sat somewhat empty on most weeknights, until Sarah Chung and her team at The Matthews House has an idea.
“The thought process was that we do a lot of weddings here. We do some corporate meetings and things during the week, but for the most part, the house is sitting empty during the week. And the feedback I got all the time when I’m doing a tour for a wedding or I have people come in is that they’ve lived here for years. They’ve driven by, but they never knew what was behind the brick fence and they’ve never actually been in. So, we were like, what can we do that will bring more people in? And a cocktail bar in the house just seemed like such a fun thing to do,” said Sarah, the Owner and Lead Coordinator for The Matthews House.
Photos courtesy of The Matthews House and Prohibitive Cocktail Bar
With that, Prohibitive Cocktail Bar was born, a weeknight hideaway and a place for cocktails and shared plates, located within The Matthews House.
“It’s nice and kind of serene here, kind of calm, which is nice. We joke a lot that it’s a bar where you can come sit and have a conversation. You can have a date night or you can have a meetup with some friends,” added Sarah.
The schedule at Prohibitive is Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 4-10pm.
“From a food standpoint we are creating dessert and savory charcuterie boards as well as small plates like crostini and weekly specials. We have a lot of fun specialty cocktails with classics on the menu using different twists, of course, all while sourcing North Carolina spirits where we can,” said Sarah.
The vibe in there is cool and calm, and between their events, cocktail bar, and specialty tasting nights, it’s definitely worth a weeknight trip over to the Prohibitive Cocktail Bar to visit this gem tucked away in the heart of Downtown Cary.