Great food, drinks, service and atmosphere. Very small and intimate. Loved the ambiance
Michalis Georgiou
Food was great, service and atmosphere was not. Place was cold, people had jackets indoors. We never ordered second drinks, dessert or even got waters. The Braised Beef with Risotto was just amazing.
Casey Roe
This is my partner and my absolute favorite date night restaurant. We love the atmosphere of sitting at the bar. Highly recommend a seasonal cocktail, the broccoli, mac & cheese and burger. The staff are super talented and helpful. Can’t get enough of Bar Virgile!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon, Fried Broccoli, Cocktails and Food, House Burger
C. D.
Came here playing where’s Waldo in ‘24. Good whiskey selection.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Andrew L
TL;DR: Food was a big miss last night.
My gf wanted to have a chill but nice birthday dinner and it had been a little while since our last visit to Bar Virgile. And it was a plus that they're open Mondays. The bartenders are always great - we've never had a cocktail that missed. Nice atmosphere - cozy, a little loud, but not so loud that you can't have a conversation.
The food unfortunately was a pretty big miss last night. The fried oysters were overfried to the point of being chewy - not juicy or tender at all. Also ordered the shishitos and fried okra which were par for the course - nothing super special, but solid. The okra was tender and halved lengthwise down the middle instead of cut into rounds, which was a plus. The bottom bun of our burger was straight up burnt - not just a little overtoasted. Otherwise it was a good cook on a medium burger.
The biggest disapointment was the "buccatini carbonara" - the pasta was cooked poorly and not al dente (it wasn't quite mushy, but had absolutely zero bite). And I think the sauce was pretty heavily cream based - difficult to tell if there was any egg yolk. It didn't have the amount of cheese I would expect from a dish that's supposed to have 5 ingredients. I also have doubts that the meat was actually pancetta as the pieces were quite thin, not lardon sized I wouldn't be surprised if it were bacon. So then... why call it a carbonara at all?
We'll definitely be back for drinks at the bar - we've always enjoyed that. But at $100 before tax/tip, ~$130 out the door? I question if we want to order dinner again anytime soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Matt Jones
It's a bar... the food is bar level food... nothing amazing.
Bar staff wasn't overly rude but not overly friendly either...
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Natasha Mehta
Our favorite place in Durham for creative, fresh and not-too-sweet cocktails. Today we tried the pumpkin cheesecake which is easily the best we’ve ever had in our lives. Love the seasonal menus and the ever-changing nature of the cocktails.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cocktails and Food
Kimberly Vazquez
Steak salad was amazing and we loved the atmosphere! Can’t wait to visit again
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Daniel P
Excellent drinks and atmosphere but not the greatest service. The host was extremely rude and confusing. He did not even seat us. Also, this place was dishonest with prices and the 3% surcharge for using a debit card.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Cocktails and Food
Malia Fredrickson
Risotto was excellent!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cocktails and Food, Brussels Sprouts
Food was great, service was not. We came for dinner last night & our server forgot about us. We never ordered second drinks, dessert or even got a refill of waters. Both of us are restaurant industry workers & it was disappointing. The Mac & Cheese was amazing. The Braised Beef with Risotto was just as amazing. We wish the service was as well :( We might give it another try but decide to sit at the bar next time
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Mac &Cheese, 4 Cheese Mac and Cheese
Malcolm Norton
One of the best places I’ve been in years. Its a been regular for two years now and my partner and I have never once had a bad experience there. Drinks are top notch, delightful staff and bartenders, and the food is always great. Cant recommend Bar Virgil enough
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: 8oz BV Cheeseburger, Cocktails and Food, House Burger
Sarah Azimi
We had the best experience at bar Virgile primarily because of Chris … he was beyond attentive and helpful… even though there was a slight wait for a table, he made sure we had drinks in hand and when it was time to move he went behind the bar to make sure we got our bill quickly and were able to move to the tables soon… he continued checking on us and was just super friendly and Helpful ..
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Courtney Jordan-Steele
Bar Virgile serves my favorite smash burger in the Triangle! They also have unique and well crafted cocktails. If you like smoky drinks, my husband recommends the Duck Hunt. We typically order the burgers with fries (great fries too!), but we also enjoy the fried oysters, devilled eggs,
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mussels and Frites, House Burger
Anne Zhao
One of the best restaurants in durham serves one of the best burgers in the triangle. Chef’s kiss. Having been here twice in a week, I’m obsessed!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hanger Steak Frites, Mussels and Frites, House Burger
Great food, drinks, service and atmosphere. Very small and intimate. Loved the ambiance
Food was great, service and atmosphere was not. Place was cold, people had jackets indoors. We never ordered second drinks, dessert or even got waters. The Braised Beef with Risotto was just amazing.
This is my partner and my absolute favorite date night restaurant. We love the atmosphere of sitting at the bar. Highly recommend a seasonal cocktail, the broccoli, mac & cheese and burger. The staff are super talented and helpful. Can’t get enough of Bar Virgile!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon, Fried Broccoli, Cocktails and Food, House Burger
Came here playing where’s Waldo in ‘24. Good whiskey selection.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
TL;DR: Food was a big miss last night.
My gf wanted to have a chill but nice birthday dinner and it had been a little while since our last visit to Bar Virgile. And it was a plus that they're open Mondays. The bartenders are always great - we've never had a cocktail that missed. Nice atmosphere - cozy, a little loud, but not so loud that you can't have a conversation.
The food unfortunately was a pretty big miss last night. The fried oysters were overfried to the point of being chewy - not juicy or tender at all. Also ordered the shishitos and fried okra which were par for the course - nothing super special, but solid. The okra was tender and halved lengthwise down the middle instead of cut into rounds, which was a plus. The bottom bun of our burger was straight up burnt - not just a little overtoasted. Otherwise it was a good cook on a medium burger.
The biggest disapointment was the "buccatini carbonara" - the pasta was cooked poorly and not al dente (it wasn't quite mushy, but had absolutely zero bite). And I think the sauce was pretty heavily cream based - difficult to tell if there was any egg yolk. It didn't have the amount of cheese I would expect from a dish that's supposed to have 5 ingredients. I also have doubts that the meat was actually pancetta as the pieces were quite thin, not lardon sized I wouldn't be surprised if it were bacon. So then... why call it a carbonara at all?
We'll definitely be back for drinks at the bar - we've always enjoyed that. But at $100 before tax/tip, ~$130 out the door? I question if we want to order dinner again anytime soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
It's a bar... the food is bar level food... nothing amazing.
Bar staff wasn't overly rude but not overly friendly either...
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Our favorite place in Durham for creative, fresh and not-too-sweet cocktails. Today we tried the pumpkin cheesecake which is easily the best we’ve ever had in our lives. Love the seasonal menus and the ever-changing nature of the cocktails.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cocktails and Food
Steak salad was amazing and we loved the atmosphere! Can’t wait to visit again
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent drinks and atmosphere but not the greatest service. The host was extremely rude and confusing. He did not even seat us. Also, this place was dishonest with prices and the 3% surcharge for using a debit card.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Cocktails and Food
Risotto was excellent!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cocktails and Food, Brussels Sprouts
Restaurantji Recommends
Food was great, service was not. We came for dinner last night & our server forgot about us. We never ordered second drinks, dessert or even got a refill of waters. Both of us are restaurant industry workers & it was disappointing. The Mac & Cheese was amazing. The Braised Beef with Risotto was just as amazing. We wish the service was as well :( We might give it another try but decide to sit at the bar next time
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Mac &Cheese, 4 Cheese Mac and Cheese
One of the best places I’ve been in years. Its a been regular for two years now and my partner and I have never once had a bad experience there. Drinks are top notch, delightful staff and bartenders, and the food is always great. Cant recommend Bar Virgil enough
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: 8oz BV Cheeseburger, Cocktails and Food, House Burger
We had the best experience at bar Virgile primarily because of Chris … he was beyond attentive and helpful… even though there was a slight wait for a table, he made sure we had drinks in hand and when it was time to move he went behind the bar to make sure we got our bill quickly and were able to move to the tables soon… he continued checking on us and was just super friendly and Helpful ..
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Bar Virgile serves my favorite smash burger in the Triangle! They also have unique and well crafted cocktails. If you like smoky drinks, my husband recommends the Duck Hunt. We typically order the burgers with fries (great fries too!), but we also enjoy the fried oysters, devilled eggs,
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mussels and Frites, House Burger
One of the best restaurants in durham serves one of the best burgers in the triangle. Chef’s kiss. Having been here twice in a week, I’m obsessed!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hanger Steak Frites, Mussels and Frites, House Burger
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