39 Best American Restaurants in Durham

“This place is a true GEM to Durham! I celebrated my birthday here with a group of 17 people and from the initial conversation with the staff they were extremely efficient, professional and accommodating! And the food…the food was incredible! The drinks were made perfectly, the service was top notch and the atmosphere was very accommodating. I 100% recommend this place, no matter the occasion! Thank you all for accommodating my large group and making sure we had an unforgettable evening.“

“Our first time dining here and definitely won’t be our last. Everything was exceptional best fries, delicious beet salad. Great gluten free options. Staff super friendly and efficient. Atmosphere was jazzy cool. Our waiter Ryan was great and made the best Arnold Palmers. 10 stars“

“Had very relaxing time with family. The food was enjoyable.“

“Absolutely delicious food and amazing service!!! 10 out of 10 !!!“

“OUTSTANDING!!! my family and I were there for the art exhibit and we had dinner there. the food was amazing and the staff was kind and accommodating. Do yourself a favor and spend a little time in this wonderful Cafe you will not be disappointed !!“

“They have fire live music! R & B night every Tuesday night, and live jazz every Wednesday. And it’s worth mentioning it that their breakfast selection is top notch as well.“

“Great ppl and great place. I have not eaten here i have attended and event here. The place is very clean and owners are very professional, while at the event I hade ppl ask for info about renting. Keep the good work up guys,good to see a business that cares about community and not just profits. I'll be bck and tell others . Thanks for a great experience.“

“I was picking an order today.
What a great atmosphere to be in. It is bright, the people that work there are full of welcoming kindness.
They did a great job with the food, and the brownies, are just delicious!! Absolutely delicious!!!
Thank you for a warm greeting, excellent service, snd a brownie that meets all the sweet tooth needs!!!
Illl be back🌻🌻

I called to let them know how much I love the brownie this evening.
I spoke with Sterling, and he was another example of outstanding customer service.
I appreciate you!!“

“We experienced excellent service in a beautiful setting. We especially appreciated the creativity in terms of the menu and presentation. All of the dishes were superb, and the fresh approach to food is something we really appreciated. It's obvious the chef was thoughtful about the menu and truly tried to give guests a unique and delicious experience.“

“I love a good ribeye, Tony Roma's served me the best, most perfectly cooked, tender ribeye I have EVER eaten in my life! The mashed potatoes and green beans were perfect as well! This was a fantastic meal and our server Vee was fantastic as well. we left miserably full and we will be going back!“

“Always friendly service and delicious food at the Amelia Island location!“

“It’s my first time eating here and I loved the food. I had egg and cheese omelets, home fries, bacon, and a fish patty. It was all very good. The staff were friendly and the I liked the atmosphere of the cafeteria. The only con I can think of is that I live so far away. I stopped by here on the way to a doctor’s appointment and I’m glad I did. I apologize for posting a photo of a partially eaten breakfast but I was enjoying this meal before I thought to take a picture.“

“Good food, great staff, and good comedy on Monday nights.“

“Had a great experience here ! Taylor was a great server , will definitely be back and will be asking for her !!“

“First time eating there this morning.I ordered the Grilled Chicken. Sandwich and Onion Rings! ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!! THE STAFF WAS AMAZING! NOW I NEED TO TRY THE BREAKFAST“

“This place is amazing. We go there a lot and never leave disappointed. Katie is the best server and today a new cook Chris cooked our steak and it was the best filet I have ever had“

“great food and customer service“

“I want to express praise and gratitude to Desmond at the Durham Hotel. I had been calling the rooftop restaurant for a couple of weeks to try and modify a reservation for a birthday party and after five or six attempts, they had not called me back. I eventually called the hotel and Desmond answered and even though it is completely separate and outside of his job responsibilities, he took down all my information and reached out to them on my behalf . Desmond was able to modify my reservation so that I did not have to drive down there an hour each way. He was very professional and I enjoyed talking with him. He is definitely in the right line of work because I felt like I was talking to a friend. Details matter, and Customer Service should still matter. Thank you, Desmond!! Sincerely, William / reservation 9546“

“I love Ally 26, the atmosphere is wonderful. The staff is always friendly and knowledgeable. The drink selection creative with many great options to choose from.“

“I had one of those Hawkdogs this past Saturday at our Neighborhood’s Block Party. The hot dog tasted incredible and that chili was out-of-sight. I can’t wait to see what the hamburgers taste like. I will definitely be buying from them again!“

“Loved the friendly atmosphere and dog friendly“

“Absolutely delicious! Wish you had a location in Greensboro,NC !!“

“First time here! Blown away by the kind service from Emma and Dylan, not to mention the food was well priced and plentiful! I would not hesitate to recommend this restaurant. If you are in the area or staying at this hotel, give this place a chance! They really do a great job!!“

“I don’t usually choose hot dogs for lunch but yesterday 8/7/25 my co worker recommended we go to the dog house.i was confused but went along with it.first of all let me say service was perfect but also fast.Norma not only was nice but very funny. I never thought placing an order would be so fun! Any ways im not gonna ramble on but for winch and a show i would definitely recommend the dog house on latte road Durham NC. And make sure Norma is there!“

“I don’t usually choose hot dogs for lunch but yesterday 8/7/25 my co worker recommended we go to the dog house.i was confused but went along with it.first of all let me say service was perfect but also fast.Norma not only was nice but very funny. I never thought placing an order would be so fun! Any ways im not gonna ramble on but for winch and a show i would definitely recommend the dog house on latte road Durham NC. And make sure Norma is there!“

“Always amazing hot dogs. This particular one is the only one I like to go to. The service is always great and food is hot and made to order. You can get the tailwagger(2 dogs, fries, and a med drink) for $8 and some chamge before tax. I got the bull dog(mustard, chili, and onions), and the ol' yallow(mustard, cheese sauce, and bacon bits). They also sell by the pint, quart and gallon(slaw, brunswick stew, bbq).“

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

“good presentation on food and God customer service. No wait.“

“Twinnie’s has quickly become one of my favorite eateries at Duke! I come here at least once a week and it is always a pleasure to see the team. Special shout out to Jack who never fails to make my day! He is so kind, fun to chat with, and full of great recommendations. The food is top notch (cafe style entrées and drinks); seriously everything here is delicious. I’d recommend trying the daily specials or the classic Chicken Pita. Also, the seasonal pumpkin latte is back! I just drank it for the first time today and it won’t be my last. Check out Twinnie’s for good food and good vibes :)“

“Great experience but a little pricey.“

“Excellent food and service. Always a pleasure.“

“A whole vibe for sure . Loved JJ. Will be back“

“Atmosphere is awesome and food was good“

“Food was good and served quick. Service was outstanding. We sat in the bar area and our server was quick“

“Stayed at the hotel for the weekend. They warned us at checkin that the dining hadorw limited hours.

The bar was set from 4pm-11pm and the kitchen from 5pm-10pm.

We had gotten in around 9pm and a lot of people were just lounging on the area without food, so we approached the bar to ask for a table to eat, they told us we could sit anywhere, then came right over with a menu and took our drink order.

We ordered the Stuffed Avocado and Cheesecake.

I didn't love the stuffed avocado. It was more like salsa with avocado and sweet potatoes and onions.

Obviously that did not pair well with the cheesecake!

So we ate out veggies, cleared our pallettes with our drinks, and then chowed down on the cheesecake served with ice cream. That was delicious. Nothing out of the ordinary, but fresh and served with two spoons to share.

They were very attentive, keeping the water glasses full and asking if we would like more drinks as we would finish.

Overall, recommended!

Distinguish yourself as a person interested in food or drinks, else you will be assumed to be part of the lounging crowd.“

“Visiting the night of a show we thought place would be busier so we added our names to online waitlist for next available table (in or out). We were pleasantly surprised to be seated immediately but hostess didnt bother asking our preference to in or out so we were ushered to the patio. Not a big deal but would have been nice to be given a choice since they were not busy. Order was taken and food arrived with good service but not great and good food, but not great. Burgers were very pink when requested Medium Well. Fried Green Tomato BLT didnt have mich flavor beyond the bacon. Fries were good. Refills of drinks were not offered until empty and we asked. But here's what got me: upon paying they use hand held card readers which is fine except they give you zero time or privacy to chose a tip amount when the machine is just shoved towards you (they dont let you hold it) while they watch over what tip you chose as if daring you to chose anything less that the top amount (25%) which is already lit up as the default choice. Trust me it was not 25% service given but i felt pressured to choose it anyway. If thats not rude enough, I am still waiting on my receipt that she had to go and get from somewhere. I finally left since we had a show to get to. So I dont even know if we got the show discount which dpac promotes them giving. Very disappointing.“

“Looking for lunch one day and thought I would try Cafe Meridian. One time is all it took. My new favorite lunch spot. Everything I have tried is tasty. Tried the Fiesta chicken. Would eat that daily! Yum.“

“I have ordered several custom cakes for special occasions and they have all been delicious! I have a gluten and dairy intolerance and they do an amazing job accommodating both and taking the time to discuss with me my options for cake, frosting and filling flavors. The rest of my family (who can eat gluten and dairy) even LOVE these cakes. They say that they can't tell the difference! The chocolate cake is our favorite.“