Celebrated Cuisine
Durham's most widely acclaimed chefs and eateries - Regionally or nationally reviewed, not part of a chain, and independently-owned. Noted for unique regional cuisine or a custom menu designed by a Durham chef.
Alivia's Durham Bistro
900 W Main St
(919)682-8978
Bon Appétit says this "coffeehouse-cum-bistro opens early to serve up the area’s best espresso-and-breakfast duo. Eleven bustling hours later, chef Matt Hardner cooks up spicy pan-seared sea scallops, grits cake, and tomato concassé."
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Amélia Café
905 W Main St, Brightleaf District, Downtown Durham
(919)683-5600
Brazilian-Italian café offering chocolates, pastries, and coffee in a cozy cafe atmosphere. Amelia's menu also includes quiche, chocolates, and specialty cakes to order, plus more than 100 after-dinner cordials from around the world, Brazilian coffee, natural Brazilian juices, and Brazilian cheese bread.
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Anotherthyme Restaurant & Bar
109 N Gregson St
(919)682-5225
With a wine list recognized by The New York Times, Anotherthyme features a sophisticated bar and a flavorful cuisine of multicultural, all-natural ingredients selected by chef-owner Mary Bacon.
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Bullock's Bar-B-Que
3330 Quebec Dr, I-85 Exit 173
(919)383-6202
Southern Living says "at Bullock's, the lines form early for chopped or sliced pork great hushpuppies too." Chef-owner Tommy Bullock displays a "Wall of Fame" with all of the celebs who have dined on Bullock's best.
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Chamas Churrascaria
905 W Main St, Ste 115, Brightleaf Square,Downtown Durham
(919)682-1309
Chamas Churrascaria offers the culture and food of southern Brazil with its rodizio, a popular Brazilian style barbecue, and a wide variety of different cuts of slow-cooked beef, pork, lamb and chicken, which is carved at the table. Winner of Wine Spectator's online Award of Excellence.
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Dillard's Bar-B-Que Restaurant
3921 Fayetteville St
(919)544-1587
Sam Dillard's Bar-B-Que Sauce, on sale here, made this cafeteria-style Durham mainstay famous for its barbecue, which Food Network’s Rachael Ray calls "amazing."
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El Pariso
111 S Alston Ave
(919)680-4728
Gourmet Magazine writes that El Parsio's "tamales, not mentioned on the menu, are terrific, very good barbacoa, addictive gorditas (thick tortillas) with chorizo and chicharrones (pork cracklings), and two superb homemade salsas, smoky brick-red and spicy green".
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Elmo's Diner
776 Ninth St, Ninth Street District
(919)416-3823
Food Network’s "$40 a Day" host Rachael Ray proclaims that Elmo’s is an "awesome pick. Everything here looks great! Try some eggs in their infinite variety...." Breakfast is served all day, plus there are lunch and dinner favorites.
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Fairview Restaurant & Bull Durham Bar
3001 Cameron Blvd, Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club
(919)493-6699
The Four-Diamond restaurant and its executive chef Jason Cunningham are most noted for "regional neo-American" specialties. Fairview's award-winning wine list offers a vast and varied selection of the finest vintages.
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Fishmonger's Restaurant and Oyster Bar
806 W Main St, Brightleaf District, Downtown Durham
(919)682-0128
According to The New York Times, Fishmonger's "is a gritty old bar and restaurant in downtown...fine for a quick, if caloric, lunch...you can't go wrong with the cleanly fried fish and chips."
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Foster's Market
2694 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd
(919)489-3944
Country Home - "As owner of the beloved Foster's Market…, Sara Foster has built a reputation with her special brand of homey, delicious food." Foster honed her skills as a caterer and former chef for Martha Stewart.
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Four Square
2701 Chapel Hill Rd
(919)401-9877
Bon Appétit calls Four Square "exciting" and remarks, "The plates going back to the kitchen were licked clean." Owned and operated by executive chef Shane Ingram and his wife, former pastry chef Elizabeth Woodhouse.
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George's Garage
737 Ninth St, Ninth Street District
(919)286-4131
Recognized by Meridian Magazine as "arguably the best sushi bar in the Triangle area." George's, the namesake of restaurateur Giorgios Bakatsias, features a variety of cuisines with an emphasis on seafood and steak.
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Guglhupf Bakery & Pâtisserie
2706 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd
(919)401-2600
"Food Finds" (Food Network) describes Guglhupf as "a little bit of Europe in the middle of North Carolina." Bakery features handcrafted artisan breads, pastries and desserts. Serves continental fare, featuring a full coffee bar with wine and beer. Enjoy the striking architecture of the café and courtyard for outdoor dining.
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Hog Heaven Bar-B-Q
2419 Guess Rd
(919)286-7447
According to Our State, Hog Heaven's chicken and dumplings have "...the right texture on the tongue...." The magazine also noted that the restaurant, while known for its eastern North Carolina-style, hand-chopped barbecue, "...puts containers of its own Lexington-style sauce on all the tables."
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Jamaica Jamaica
4853 NC Hwy 55, I-40 Exit 278
(919)544-1532
Noted as a "rhythmic and savory restaurant" by Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine, Jamaica Jamaica serves authentic Jamaican food such as jerk fish, jerk chicken, rice n' bean, and yellow plantain.
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Locopops
2600 Hillsborough Rd
(919)286-3500
Feted by Food & Wine as a wildly popular Mexican popsicle stand selling paletas in both traditional Mexican flavors, such as mango-chile and tamarind, and quirky ones like honeydew-lavender and chocolate rosemary.
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Locopops
115 Market St, CCB Plaza
(919)286-3500
Feted by Food & Wine as a wildly popular Mexican popsicle stand selling paletas in both traditional Mexican flavors, such as mango-chile and tamarind, and quirky ones like honeydew-lavender and chocolate rosemary.
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Magnolia Grill
1002 Ninth St, Ninth Street District
(919)286-3609
Magnolia Grill, one of "America's Best 50 Restaurants," and its chef-owners Ben and Karen Barker are well-known for flavor and flair. The James Beard Foundation has named Ben "Best Chef in the Southeast" and Karen the nation's most "Outstanding Pastry Chef."
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Nana's Restaurant
2514 University Dr, Rockwood Building
(919)493-8545
Once named one of the best new restaurants in the nation by Esquire. Chef-owner Scott Howell, "a man of formidable talent," (Food & Wine) serves Southern regional cuisine with strong Italian and French influences.
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Nasher Museum Café
2001 Campus Dr, Duke University Central Campus
(919)684-6032
Food & Wine writes, "The outstanding new Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University has an ever-changing exhibit of culinary art at its restaurant." Chef Giorgios Bakatsias provides a contemporary menu of seasonal recipes with fresh ingredients. Admission to the museum is not required.
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Papas Grille
1821 Hillandale Rd, Loehmann's Plaza Shopping Center, I-85 Exit 174-A
(919)383-8502
Winner of the Distinguished Restaurants of North America’s 2006 Award of Excellence, Papas Grille serves Hellenic and Mediterranean-rim cuisine and ensures that every facet of the dining experience from the silverware and place settings to the wait staff and cuisine is impeccable.
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Parizade
2200 W Main St, Erwin Square
(919)286-9712
According to Southern Living, "The doors open into a fantasy world the menu whirls you through the Mediterranean. The ebullient atmosphere reflects the personality of longtime Durham restaurateur Giorgios Bakatsias." Restaurant closes weekdays between 2:30 and 5:30pm.
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Piedmont
401 Foster St
(919)683-1213
Condé Nast Traveler listed Piedmont on its Hot List of the world's newest, hottest, sexiest restaurants, calling the eatery's rustic Italian and French influences "...an appealing combination of farm-fresh earnestness and contemporary style."
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Pizza Palace
3218 Guess Rd
(919)620-9700
African Americans On Wheels said of Durham's oldest pizzeria, The veggies were fresh; the crust’s texture was just right. Also serving a full menu of appetizers, traditional Italian dinner plates, salads, and sandwiches. Live music and karaoke weekly.
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Pop's, A Durham Trattoria
810 W Peabody St, Brightleaf District, Downtown Durham
(919)956-7677
Recognized by USA Today within weeks of its opening, this former warehouse located in Downtown's Brightleaf District, now has high ceilings, an open kitchen, and wood-fired oven perfect for preparing northern Italian cuisine.
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Rick's Diner & Catering Co.
4015 University Dr, BB&T Plaza
(919)419-0907
The authors of Kids Love North Carolina suggest Rick’s secret recipe meatloaf, beef burgers, or Carolina pork bbq. The combination of its casual atmosphere with its traditional menu makes Rick’s a favorite student and local diner.
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Rue Cler Restaurant
401 E Chapel Hill St, Downtown Durham
(919)682-8844
A Parisian-style restaurant and bakery, Rue Cler’s classic bistro cuisine combines the freshest ingredients and delicious French wines at a reasonable price during lunch, dinner and brunch. Food and Wine praises the hot, powdered sugar covered beignets they sell by the dozen.
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Super Taqueria
2842 N Roxboro St
(919)220-9884
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Taquería La Vaquita
2700 Chapel Hill Rd
(919)402-0209
"The barbacoa is so good at Taquería La Vaquita-so juicy and dark and perfectly seasoned-that it might almost be some long-cooked daube at a reputable bistro in Provence", writes Gourmet Magazine.
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Taquería Lopez
3438 Hillsborough Rd, University Shopping Center
(919)383-1917
Gourmet Magazine calls Taquería Lopez's tacos with irresistible fillings and a platillo of carnitas and jalapenos "spectacular. The combination of flavors and textures was wonderful"
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Taverna Nikos
905 W Main St, Brightleaf District, Downtown Durham
(919)682-0043
According to NC Home and Garden, "Taverna Nikos is proof once again that, in North Carolina at least excellent, excellent cuisine is not a monopoly of big cities or fat wallets." Greek Cuisine in an historic atmosphere.
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The Original Q-Shack
2510 University Dr
(919)402-4227
If chili-rubbed sliced brisket, hand-pulled pork, smoked turkey, and ribs aren't enough, the desserts "expertly prepared by two serious pastry chefs take this barbecue restaurant to another level," says Southern Living.
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Tonali
3642 Shannon Rd
(919)489-8000
According to Food & Wine, Tonali's "expertly executed Mexican staples (fish tacos, shrimp fajitas, corn salads) and modest prices ensure a packed house on most nights." Tonali's head chef, Andre Macias, was formerly a sous chef at Durham's acclaimed Four Square restaurant.
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Twisted Noodles
4201 University Dr, Parkway Plaza II
(919)489-9888
One of five Tokyo-style U.S. noodle bars singled out by Bon Appétit, Twisted Noodles offers "authentic home-style Thai dishes that put an emphasis on seasonal ingredients and smart design.
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Vin Rouge French Café & Wine Bar
2010 Hillsborough Rd, Ninth Street District
(919)416-0406
Named one of Durham’s best restaurants by The Boston Globe and given 3-1/2 stars by The Raleigh News & Observer, the French bistro Vin Rouge offers provincial cooking and an extensive wine selection.
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Watts Grocery
1116 Broad St, Ninth Street District
(919)416-5040
Food & Wine writes, "local chef Amy Tornquist will bring her special brand of locally inspired cooking to this casual Broad Street spot." Watts Grocery received acclaim even prior to opening, based on Tornquist's reputation as chef at catering company Sage & Swift and, formerly, at Nasher Museum Café.
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