13 Best Craft Breweries in Durham

“Great place for delicious beers! Great atmosphere and staff! Will definitely be back now that they’re in Gastonia“

“Lovely place to hang out. They have huge outside sitting and good amount of inside sitting too.
The staff was friendly and beers were great. Some friends had cocktails and they loved it too.
We went with our own food and snacks but couldn't eat as they serve food and outside food is not allowed. That is fine, we just realize they serve food too.“

“Chill and eclectic inside, this is a nice place to grab a beer and snack. Ash was very friendly and a quick server. I ordered the Double Opacity, it was tasty. They have lots of themed nights and events, will have to come back and check some of them out“

“Service, beer and food was outstanding. Thank you to who ever thought of brewing something for the Blockhead. My wife was like, we are going once she found out there was a NKOTB boc. Haha. I can’t wait to share with my beer friends. #runforbeer #swabeerfinder“

“This place is excellent. They've built a really great community spot. There's bar trivia, disc golf, karaoke, food trucks, board games, live music, etc. This is the sort of small business everyone should want to support because it makes a huge impact in the community.“

“Super fast and friendly service, clean. And most importantly delicious food and beers!“

“Great spot to hang out and big or small groups. Manager Jessica is fantastic and her staff is Top Notch! Shout out to JM, Jake, Mark, Flan, Rachel, Kristin, Chris, Danni, Zoe, Zane & Emily“

“Crank Arm is rad in a world that is full of bad.

This place is so much more than a bar. The run club is huge, supportive, and chill; trivia welcomes all kinds of nerds; the Wednesday bike ride has grown exponentially; and Crank Arm is constantly supporting bike, walking, accessibility, and advocacy events across Durham.

They’re genuinely dog-friendly, with treats and good judgment about keeping everyone safe and happy. There’s pinball, shuffleboard, cornhole, great music, excellent TVs, NA options, and—very importantly—chips. The Saturday early karaoke is also not to be missed.

The staff, especially Adam, understand that bars can be third spaces and community spaces. They’re welcoming, responsive, and actually care about making people feel comfortable and included. Need to organize an event? Adam makes the whole process weirdly painless and pleasant.

And can we talk about the bathrooms? Four clean, spacious, single-occupancy locking bathrooms. As an aging punk, I appreciate the nostalgia of gross bar bathrooms, but I am officially over it.

Sure, occasionally someone gets grumpy because 30+ happy cyclists or runners inconvenience them for three seconds. But honestly: come join us instead.

Great beer, great people, great community, and a place where you’re allowed to show up as a whole imperfect person. Crank Arm rules.“

“Lovely bar with delicious beers. Lots of games and comfy seating and dog-friendly!“

“The food is great. Very well managed. I’ll definitely go back!“

“Awesome spot for beers or a not bored bev after a long day at work. Great patio that provides shared options on the hottest of days. They have a pool table and arcade games. Cheap cold drinks and friendly people. Just what I needed on a hot August day. There's a big LED business access sign that helped me find it. I'll be back for trivia!“

“We called 5 different restaurants to accommodate our party of 27 people for a surprise birthday party and were turned down because of the size of our party. We called Flying Bull Restaurant and Brewery and they not only said yes.. but heck yes! The service was amazing and the food was top notch! Can not recommend enough. Thank you for making our special persons birthday amazing 🩷“

“Starting off a self-directed food tour here at Bull City and we were the first ones in when they opened at 11:15. This was a great spot to start, get in the vibe and have something to eat. It's friendly and it's relaxed. We sat at the bar and were well served and had a good time.

We started off with the jalapeno poppers which were tasty even if they didn't have much hot to them. Five stuffed jalapeno peppers which were tasty but unspicy. The buttermilk dip on the side is great for cooling down the heat but it wasn't needed today.

It's super that they pour half pint beers which was a real plus when you're just looking for tastes and not a huge meal. The burgers did look tremendous and well presented with a 6 ounce patty, which is a bit more than a third of a pound making for a big meal. Too much for us on this trip today, but I am sure that I'll be back.“