The Bull City: where tobacco money built a restaurant scene James Beard can't stop calling.
Free cancellation on most tours, with live prices on the partner's site.
Durham earned its reputation the hard way: a string of James Beard winners working out of a mid-size Southern city that, not long ago, still smelled of cured tobacco. Ricky Moore's Saltbox Seafood Joint put coastal NC fish-shack cooking on the national map. Matt Kelly's Mateo brought Spanish tapas to W Chapel Hill Street. Michael Lee's M-restaurant group opened an omakase counter, a tempura bar and a Korean pocha within a few blocks of each other. The throughline is a serious kitchen culture that traces back to Ben and Karen Barker at Magnolia Grill and never stopped producing talent. Underneath the acclaim sits a broader city that still feeds itself on Eastern NC whole-hog barbecue, pimento cheese, collard greens, and fried fish plates at lunch counters that have been running since the 1950s. The American Tobacco Campus revitalized downtown and anchored a craft-brewery and cocktail-bar corridor that is, by any measure, one of the most impressive per-capita bar scenes in the South. The Durham Farmers Market at Central Park, producer-only since 1999, feeds chefs and home cooks from the same stalls on Saturday mornings.
Private tour · 2 hours
Take a walking tour around historic Durham. Visit the city's attractions while also hearing intriguing stories of crime and punishment through the ages from your guide.
Private tour · 7 hours
Discover the history and culture of Durham on a guided walking tour. Visit the Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle, and enjoy coffee and cake at a local café and a beer...
Private tour · 4 hours
Explore Durham on a private walking tour. Discover the city's history, visit the UNESCO-listed Durham Cathedral, and enjoy coffee and cake at a local cafe.
The plates that define eating in Durham.
The Saltbox fried fish plate changes with what NC coastal fisheries have available: catfish, mullet, flounder, spots and croaker rotate through the menu by season and by catch. Ricky Moore's achievement is making the fish-camp tradition legible to a national audience while maintaining its honest working-class character. The fish is hand-battered to order, fried in a clean oil at the right temperature, and served with slaw, the house hot sauce and the option to add Hush-Honeys. At $14-22, it is the best value-per-quality meal in Durham.
Where Saltbox Seafood Joint
Where to eat Fried Fish Plate in Durham →Gocciolina's cacio e pepe is the dish that gets written about most frequently in early reviews of the restaurant: a pasta that in lesser hands becomes gluey or greasy, executed here with the correct emulsification of sheep's-milk pecorino, butter and pasta water. The pasta is made in-house daily. That a restaurant in Durham is producing the best cacio e pepe many Triangle diners have eaten would have been a strange claim a decade ago; Gocciolina makes it unremarkable.
Where Gocciolina
Where to eat Cacio e Pepe in Durham →Dame's Chicken & Waffles introduced a build-your-own model for the dish that became nationally influential: choose the bird preparation (fried, grilled, smoked), the waffle style (classic, sweet potato, gingerbread, oatmeal), the schmear (chicken gravy, maple butter, sriracha honey) and the drizzle. That modular format let the kitchen serve every dietary preference within the dish's logic while keeping the preparation fresh across dozens of table visits. The sweet potato waffle with fried chicken and spiced honey butter is the combination most associated with the restaurant.
Where Dame's Chicken & Waffles
Where to eat Chicken and Waffles in Durham →A handful of the places we send friends to when they are in Durham.
Matt Kelly's Spanish tapas room has anchored Durham's fine-dining scene since 2012, with multiple James Beard Best Chef Southeast semifinalist nominations.
OrderSalt cod croquetas, Jamón Iberico, Wood-grilled octopus
Ricky Moore won the 2022 James Beard Best Chef Southeast award at this counter-service fish shack, elevating NC coastal seafood traditions nationally.
OrderFried fish plate, Hush-Honeys, Fish tacos
Matt Kelly's steakhouse at American Tobacco Campus features tobacco-leaf bar inlay, Prime beef and wood-fired dry-aged cuts at the centrepiece.
OrderDry-aged ribeye, Chopped salad, Tobacco leaf bar cocktails
Chef Preeti Waas's upscale Indian restaurant was Eater NC's Restaurant of the Year and earned two James Beard Best Chef Southeast semifinalist nods.
OrderBaby brinjals, Duck breast curry, Roasted cauliflower
The Triangle's first omakase counter, M Sushi brought Japanese precision to downtown Durham using domestic and sustainably sourced Japanese fish.
OrderOmakase nigiri, House-made tofu, Seasonal sashimi
Michael Lee's tempura specialist earned a Bon Appetit Best New Restaurants spot, with former Top Chef contestant Savannah Miller leading the kitchen.
OrderVegetable kakiage, Soft-shell crab tempura, Dashi broth
The revived core of Bull City: cocktail bars, chef-driven restaurants and the American Tobacco Campus along Blackwell Street.
Best for: Fine dining, Cocktail bars, Brunch, Farm-to-table
West Main Street warehouses converted into restaurants, wine bars, ice cream shops and the original Brightleaf Square complex.
Best for: Wine bars, Pizza, Mexican, Greek
Durham's indie corridor: bakeries, Vietnamese spots, a legendary donut shop and the city's best independent coffee.
Best for: Bakeries, Coffee, Casual lunch, Vegan
Residential streets between Ninth Street and Duke's campus with neighbourhood restaurants, German baking and a beloved French bistro.
Best for: French bistro, German bakery, Neighbourhood dining
Former tobacco manufacturing district east of downtown; home to arts studios, craft breweries and emerging restaurants.
Best for: Craft beer, Taprooms, Casual dining
The anchor of Durham's downtown revival: 1.1 million square feet of converted tobacco warehouses now packed with restaurants, offices and performance venues.
Best for: Soul food, Steakhouse, Puerto Rican, Food halls
Fried Fish Plate
The Saltbox fried fish plate changes with what NC coastal fisheries have available: catfish, mullet, flounder, spots and croaker rotate through the menu by season and by catch
Cacio e Pepe
Gocciolina's cacio e pepe is the dish that gets written about most frequently in early reviews of the restaurant: a pasta that in lesser hands becomes gluey or greasy, executed here with the correct emulsification of sheep's-milk pecorino, butter and pasta water
Chicken and Waffles
Dame's Chicken & Waffles introduced a build-your-own model for the dish that became nationally influential: choose the bird preparation (fried, grilled, smoked), the waffle style (classic, sweet potato, gingerbread, oatmeal), the schmear (chicken gravy, maple butter, sriracha honey) and the drizzle
Downtown Durham
The revived core of Bull City: cocktail bars, chef-driven restaurants and the American Tobacco Campus along Blackwell Street
Brightleaf District
West Main Street warehouses converted into restaurants, wine bars, ice cream shops and the original Brightleaf Square complex
Old West Durham
Residential streets between Ninth Street and Duke's campus with neighbourhood restaurants, German baking and a beloved French bistro
American Tobacco Campus
The anchor of Durham's downtown revival: 1
A sample of Durham hotels from our booking partner, who list 217 here. Live prices and availability open on their site.
Super 8 by Wyndham Durham/University Area NC
When you stay at Super 8 by Wyndham Durham/University Area NC in Durham, you'll be near the airport, within...
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HomeTowne Studios by Red Roof Raleigh - Durham
With a stay at HomeTowne Studios by Red Roof Raleigh - Durham in Durham, you'll be within a 5-minute drive ...
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OYO Hotel Durham West Hills
Located in Durham, OYO Hotel Durham West Hills is within a 5-minute drive of Common Ground Theatre and Benn...
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Sleep Inn Raleigh Durham Airport
Located in Durham, Sleep Inn Raleigh Durham Airport is in the suburbs, within a 5-minute drive of Research ...
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Days Inn by Wyndham Durham/Near Duke University
When you stay at Days Inn by Wyndham Durham/Near Duke University in Durham, you'll be next to a golf course...
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Comfort Inn Research Triangle Park
When you stay at Comfort Inn Research Triangle Park in Durham, you'll be in the business district, within a...
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Candlewood Suites Durham, an IHG Hotel
When you stay at Candlewood Suites Durham, an IHG Hotel in Durham, you'll be in the business district, with...
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Sonesta Select Durham Research Triangle Park
Located in Durham, Sonesta Select Durham Research Triangle Park is in the business district, a 1-minute dri...
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SpringHill Suites by Marriott Raleigh-Durham Airport/Research Triangle Park
When you stay at SpringHill Suites by Marriott Raleigh-Durham Airport/Research Triangle Park in Durham, you...
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Residence Inn by Marriott Durham-Research Triangle Park
Located in Durham, Residence Inn by Marriott Durham-Research Triangle Park is within a 5-minute drive of Re...
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Also compare: Holidu in Durham from USD 62/night · LateRooms in Durham · Expedia in Durham
Stays are listed by our booking partners, not editor picks. We earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Every restaurant, cafe, market and bar we cover in Durham, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
Peak food season: April to June and September to November. Spring brings the farmers market into full swing with strawberries, asparagus and early greens; autumn delivers sweet potatoes, muscadines and the best weather for the outdoor food events. Summer is hot but counter-service BBQ joints and seafood shacks thrive year-round.
Local dining hours: Lunch 11:00-14:30, Dinner 17:00-22:00. Many downtown spots open later on Friday and Saturday, with bars serving until 02:00. Brunch is a serious weekend sport from 09:00-15:00 at multiple spots.
Tipping: 15 to 20 percent is standard at sit-down restaurants; 20 to 25 percent at fine-dining tables. Counter-service spots have tip prompts; $1-$2 per drink at bars is the local norm. Credit cards accepted almost everywhere.
Durham's signature dishes include Hush-Honeys, Eastern NC Whole-Hog BBQ, Salt Cod Croquetas, Fried Fish Plate, Cacio e Pepe. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.
TableJourney editors map Durham by district. Downtown Durham, Brightleaf District, Ninth Street, Old West Durham are among the strongest for food, each with its own guide.
Editor picks in Durham include Mateo Bar de Tapas, NanaSteak, Cheeni, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.
TableJourney covers 2 editor-picked food tours in Durham, with what each shows you and how much to budget.
TableJourney's Durham dietary chapter covers vegan, vegetarian, gluten_free, halal venues, each editor-picked with what to order and how to ask.