Places to Eat in Durham

Welcome to Durham-- We Hope You're Hungry!

Durham was recently named the South's tastiest town by Southern Living magazine. The New York Times agreed with its "36 Hours in Durham" article earlier this year. If this will be your first trip to Durham, or even if you haven't been here in a while, we hope you'll take a good opportunity to check out all the local eateries. Here are some of our favorites:

Barbecue
To our Northern friends: we have spent enough time in the South to be converts-- Barbecue refers to a food, not to an event or a thing! In the South, people are passionate about their favorite styles of BBQ. In NC, the styles range from tomato-based (Memphis-style) in the west to vinegar-based in the East, including Durham. Here are our two favorite places in town:

Q-Shack: 2510 University Drive, Durham. Also serving fantastic brisket, fried okra, and macaroni and cheese.

Hog Heaven: 2419 Guess Rd, Durham. Simple and no-nonsense, order up a plate with hushpuppies and a side of collard greens! Closed Sundays.

Mexican/TexMex
Dos Perros. 200 N. Mangum St., Durham. A classy TexMex restaurant with a good variety of tacos, burritos, and other Mexican entreés such as "Chorizo con nopales y poblano." (That's smoked sausage with cactus and spicy peppers).

Cosmic Cantina: 1920 Perry Street, Durham. Every Duke student in the last decade knows about the walk from East Campus to Cosmic for a late night burrito. Climb the decorative stairs and get yourself a 14" Giant Chicken Burrito, or a fried chimichanga. Open until 2 AM most nights!

Los Comales de Durham: 2013 N Roxboro Rd, Durham. For a more authentic mexican taco experience, head to this place just off of I-85 in North Durham, featured in the NY Times article linked above. Try the chorizo tacos with some extra spicy salsa!  Be aware, the menu is in Spanish, but the cashiers do speak some English.

Durham Specialities
Dame's Chicken and Waffles. 317 W. Main Street, Durham. This place is a city treasure. As the name suggests, meals are out-of-this-world fried chicken served atop fluffy waffles of different varieties. It can be tough to seat a large party, especially on the weekends, but it is highly recommended! A belt with extra holes is a good idea as well.

Bull City Burger and Brewery. 107 E. Parrish St, Durham. Also featured in the NY Times article, this is a relative newcomer on the Durham food scene, built into one of the old tobacco warehouses downtown. All of their meat is butchered on site, and therefore they have some of the freshest burgers in town. For a side, grab an order of fried pickles.

Watt's Grocery. 1116 Broad Street. Despite the name, this is an upscale "locovore" restaurant that defines Durham's devotion to sustainable food. The menu changes constantly, but one thing you can count on is fresh, well-prepared ingredients. It is one of the pricier restaurants in Durham, but for a good deal check it out for brunch!

Elmo's Diner. 776 9th Street, Durham. Speaking of brunch, Elmo's is the best choice for breakfast foods any time of day. Great pancakes, french toast, and biscuits and gravy! If you're there for lunch, also try out their Trifecta sandwich: turkey, ham, swiss, cheddar, and provolone on rye with cole slaw and 1000 island dressing. Yum! The line can be a little long on Sunday mornings.

Unique Fast Food
Cook-Out. 3624 Hillsborough Rd, Durham. The best burger deal on the planet is the CookOut tray-- for $5.95 it comes with your choice of burger (Matt recommends Cheddar Style, Rebecca prefers The Original), and two sides. The sides could be fries or cole slaw-- or even chicken nuggets and a corn dog! You can also upgrade to one of their amazing shakes. You could get a classic like Oreo or Peanut Butter, but if it's in season, be sure to try the Watermelon shake, made with fresh local fruit!

Bojangles. 3558 Hillsborough Rd, Durham. It's Bo time! By far the best fast food fried chicken, and an essential southern experience. Rebecca and Matt both recommend the Cajun Chicken Biscuit combo, with fries smothered in Old Bay. It's also the best place to find sweet tea, the super-saturated iced tea concoction that's so good you don't even notice your teeth have rotted out. The three piece meal is also a great deal!