Chicken Hut ★ 4.4
Open since 1957 and Eater-named one of America's best in 2022, Chicken Hut does weekday lunch only and sells out before mid-afternoon. Arrive before noon.
Try: Southern fried chicken
Pie Pushers is a pizza budget eat in Downtown, Durham.
A by-the-slice pizza counter on W Main Street at $3-4.50 per slice. Rotating styles and toppings from classic to creative; Wednesday is 50-cent wing night.
Editorially verified June 24, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Address: 117A West Main Street, Durham, NC 27701
Open since 1957 and Eater-named one of America's best in 2022, Chicken Hut does weekday lunch only and sells out before mid-afternoon. Arrive before noon.
Try: Southern fried chicken
Open since 1957 and Eater-named one of America's best in 2022, Chicken Hut does weekday lunch only and sells out before mid-afternoon. Arrive before noon.
Try: Southern fried chicken
Open until 04:00 every night since 1995, Cosmic Cantina on Perry Street near Duke is Durham's definitive budget late-night. Burritos and tacos under $14.
Try: Build-your-own burritos and tacos
Ninth Street institution serving the full Durham demographic since the 1980s. Pancakes, eggs and sandwiches at honest diner prices; coffee is bottomless.
Try: Pancakes, eggs and sandwiches
Hand-pressed corn tortillas fuelling tacos and tamales at Brightleaf Square's best prices. Named Eater Carolinas Restaurant of the Year 2021.
Try: Tacos al pastor and tamales
At $14-22 for a James Beard winner's fried fish plate with signature Hush-Honeys, Saltbox offers the best value-for-accolade ratio in Durham. No reservations.
Try: Fried fish plate with Hush-Honeys
Lunch pricing for Puerto Rican food made from scratch at American Tobacco Campus. Empanadas and pernil under $12; the lunch crowds say it all.
Try: Empanadas, pernil and rice-and-beans