Coffee Bar at The Durham

The owners hate Jews more than they want to feed people with food insecurity.

I didn’t order food. But the beverages were great! The special drink “the cure” was amazing. The atmosphere and music is perfect for reading and doing some uni job!

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5

There it stands, clean and bright, The Coffee Bar at The Durham. A good place, a true place, where the marble bar runs cold and long and the La Marzocco machine hisses like a dozen angry cats at dawn. 315 E Chapel Hill Street. Remember it.

The walls are corrugated metal, blue as the Spanish sky, and the floor - God help me - the floor is a geometric red and white affair that would make a sober man dizzy. But it is good. It is all good.

You come at 7, when the sun is barely up and the laptops glow like fireflies. The WiFi is strong and free, like America should be. The baristas are good people. They know the coffee and they know the gin. Both are necessary. Both are true.

By day it is a place of work and quiet contemplation. The espresso is hot and honest. But at 4, just before the cruel 5 PM closing time, something changes. The cocktails appear, garnished with lime wedges fresh as a young man's dreams. The small plates come in black bowls, dark as a bullfighter's eyes.

It sits in a hotel lobby, yes, but it is not a hotel bar. That would be too simple, too clean. It is something else. Something that scores 4.7 stars on Google, though stars mean nothing in war or coffee. The wooden stools hold locals and travelers alike. No one asks which is which. It doesn't matter here.

But remember - and this is very important - it closes at 5. Always 5. In this world of lies and compromises, The Coffee Bar at The Durham keeps banker's hours like a religion. It is their way. And it is good.

Would you like me to tell you about the way the light hits the bottles in the afternoon, or shall we drink our coffee and know that some things are better left unsaid?

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

I did not expect to find an upscale coffee shop located within a hotel. The Coffee Bar at The Durham Hotel is a wonderful choice, especially for alternative style coffee drinks. They use quality Counter Culture beans and add some upscale chef inspiration. I will definitely be back. Grab a drink and a snack and sit back and relax. This place is still exceptional. Love coming here.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The lattes slap and the service is primo.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Not sure what was going on, but there seemed to perhaps be only one server for Saturday brunch. We waited over 45 minutes for our drinks to arrive. We had to flag down the server to order food. Luckily the servers' station was in the middle of the restaurant bc we had to get our own silverware and water refills.

The Brunch food and surroundings were really lovely. But the service was much to be desired. We asked for more time to look at the menu, and then struggled to get anyone's attention for a good 10 minutes. It's really loud at brunch, which didn't bother us. But it's something to keep in mind if you are hard of hearing or you prefer a quieter brunch place. Most likely we won't be back.

This was our first time at The Durham. I'm always apprehensive about eating at hotel restaurants because the food quality is not that good. We decided to ty it out based on the reviews here and are glad we did. When we arrived we were seated right away and drink orders taken. We started off with the grilled Halloumi Cheese, it's a hard and somewhat salty cheese, so it doesn't melt. It came out with some "burnt" grill marks on the cheese, but it seemed to make the cheese taste even better. It came with pita and salsa, a good start to the meal. I ordered the Seared Steelhead Trout, served with potato pancakes and a cucumber tartar-like sauce. The skin was crispy and everything was piping hot/freshly cooked. My wife ordered the Jamaican Jerk Braised Chicken and asked if she could have the local corn "ribs" instead of the sweet potato's. The cob was cut in quarters length wise, spiced with paprika and when cooked, the corn bows up looking like a rib...they were really good. The chicken portion was a boneless breast (juicy and tender) and leg-thigh quarter, all covered with jerk pesto which was just-right spicy for her. We are glad we tried out The Durham and highly recommend you try it too.

The food was fine, if not inspired. There were no appetizers available during the brunch menu, so ordered a bunch of toast and preserves for the table. Not the best food I've ever had, but definitely not the worst.

This hidden gem has the greatest vibe. Walking in, the massive open coffee area was a lol bright sunlight with eclectic style while playing Frank Sinatra. Absolutely loved every second of this place. The service at the coffee bar was excellent and quick. The lady at the front entrance walked me to the coffee bar and stated she was glad I came to try the place out. Absolutely gorgeous place! The music matches the quirky, cute, eclectic, style this place completely.

Wheelchair accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Sugar Cake

We had oysters on the half shell from Beaufort, NC that were delicate and briny.... So good! My risotto corn and burrata dish was creamy and delicious. My husband had the Vera Luce Heritage pork back rib with blueberry maple glaze which was super tender. He's not a big salad lover but he loved the slaw that came with it. The local corn ribs were delicious albeit a little hard to eat. The service was great and the manager even stopped by to say a few words. Many folks were headed to the roof for the jazz group (which we caught later) but am so glad we had a delicious dinner first.

We were there for the tomato themed dinner. The food was exceptional and the price was very reasonable. The service was flawless, friendly, and fun. We really enjoyed the experience and will definitely be back.

The local tomato special menu was creative and delicious. Great service and enjoyed chatting with our server about the different courses and nerding out about our love of tomatoes!

Fantastic food, great drinks, wonderful staff. This restaurant is fantastic every time I visit, never had any negative experiences or less-than-absolutely-stellar food. This is my default when I want to really treat my friends and family to a fantastic meal.

We arrived for our reservarion and were promply seated. Our server took our drink order and was very gracious. We had the Seasonal Tomato menuu which was incredibly delicious. This is definitely a great place to eat prior to or after attending DPAC or anytime!!