I've had three or four dining experiences at Mateo across a few years, and all of them have been superb. I often come here before an event at DPAC as it's a convenient option and you can park in the Corcorcan street deck / surface lot equidistant between the restaurant and DPAC. The food is very tasty and inventive, the wait staff is very high quality, friendly and knowledgeable and the ambiance is lively and warm, without being uppity or overly loud. Also the food comes out quickly if you mention you have a show to get to (but you're not rushed in other instances). Highly recommend the pan de tomate, beet dish, any of the salads and the patatas bravas. Had the olive oil cake this time and it was delicious without being overly sweet or heavy. Always a great place for out-of-town guests or a date night.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pan Con Tomate, Charcuterie, Patatas Bravas
Mr No
I must thank the woman behind the bar who served us last week. What a kick a55 service! She knew the food and wine inside out and really made an experience out of it. She knew all about a wine from the Alicante region where I live. The food was truly excellent. I was very happy she popped a bottle of my favourite, extra sweet, Pedro Jimenez in the chiller, so it was perfectly chilled for dessert time. Also advised us the short ribs were back on the menu following a long absence. The calamari Andalusian style were just as good as the best in Spain. Super impressed and I'll be back one day for sure! Saludos
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
David
We had reservations, and were immediately seated at the high-tops on arrival. The server was attentive and friendly, making tapas recommendations along the way. The pork belly and fried rice were incredible. We also enjoyed the stuffed figs. Everything tasted great and was well-paced.
Hana Williamson
Every thing we had here was great, highlights were the dates, chocolate mousse dessert, empanadas and pork belly tacos. Staff are incredibly friendly and great at what they do.
Very cute ambience! Chicken croquetas were not good. The menu needs some new items.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Anna Lobastova
Mateo's bar is a great spot for a Euro-style aperitif experience in Durham. The whole team is lovely, but I'm especially thankful to Emily the bar manager -- she expertly guided me through food/bev pairings, and immediately knew what dishes could be made vegetarian-friendly.
Service: 5
Nancy C.
One of the best meals I've enjoyed! Loved the Marrow plate!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Marrow
Adam Trotter
Had an excellent meal with a group of friends here last night. Our server, Aidan, took great care of us. She took plenty of time to explain the menu (most of us were new to tapas), and knew the dishes inside and out. I enjoyed the boquerones (fresh anchovies) and the pulpo (octopus). We also shared a mixto ham and cheese board, a meatball and grits dish that was so good we ordered it twice, and a fried okra special. Great atmosphere, great service, I look forward to going back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Leticia
A wonderful experience from start to finish. Our server Emily was friendly and professional. The food was excellent- boquerones, croquetas, jamon y queso mixto, and the pulpo. It wasn't too loud to have good conversation while also enjoying the music. Will definitely visit again.
Janet
It was amazing!!! We celebrated a birthday in a quiet and wonderful atmosphere. Great food and drinks. Who can ask for more? It was super nice...even the lighting was perfect. The service exceptional!!! 10/10.
My overall experience was good. The food and service was solid but not outstanding. No complaints but my experience did not a stand out experience. I would go back. I enjoyed the food, environment and the location. I'm a guest that doesn't need much but I would have appreciated more attention from my server but that wasn't a huge deal in to my rating.
Adam
Our server, Aidan, was absolutely wonderful. She took time to go through the menu with us (most of us were new to tapas), and she was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about all the dishes. The food was excellent. I had the boquerones and the pulpo a la plancha, and both were delicious. The albondigas (meatballs with grits and corn) were a big hit, we ended up ordering two. We also enjoyed the mixto ham & cheese board, chicken croquetas, and a fried okra special. And the prices were quite reasonable for food of this quality. I look forward to visiting again soon.
Ross
Mateo is consistently good - we've been several times. We always take the Pan con Tomate with manchego - it's great. In the ham and cheese categories, the Serrano ham and the Los Cameros cheese are both excellent. Our favorite dish was Almejas - clams in a light butter sauce. The wine list is excellent, and we had an excellent Canary Island red. Service was excellent.
Timothy
My partner and I were seated promptly by a very friendly host. We originally booked seats at the bar, but she told us she had a table that was available, but reserved in 90 minutes. Since we had tickets for Emmylou Harris at 7:30, our 5:30 seating was perfect. Our server Kel and a training server gave us incredible service. Sorry, I forgot the second server's name. The food, incredible! We chose 4 tapas to share and we each got our own desserts. We had a great experience here at Mateo's.
Jennifer
We had an excellent time!! The staff was all amazing! I personally didn't love ALL of the food but I still enjoyed some of the items. This is no reflection of Mateos, just a personal preference. Overall, it was a fantastic experience:)
I've had three or four dining experiences at Mateo across a few years, and all of them have been superb. I often come here before an event at DPAC as it's a convenient option and you can park in the Corcorcan street deck / surface lot equidistant between the restaurant and DPAC. The food is very tasty and inventive, the wait staff is very high quality, friendly and knowledgeable and the ambiance is lively and warm, without being uppity or overly loud. Also the food comes out quickly if you mention you have a show to get to (but you're not rushed in other instances). Highly recommend the pan de tomate, beet dish, any of the salads and the patatas bravas. Had the olive oil cake this time and it was delicious without being overly sweet or heavy. Always a great place for out-of-town guests or a date night.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pan Con Tomate, Charcuterie, Patatas Bravas
I must thank the woman behind the bar who served us last week. What a kick a55 service! She knew the food and wine inside out and really made an experience out of it. She knew all about a wine from the Alicante region where I live. The food was truly excellent. I was very happy she popped a bottle of my favourite, extra sweet, Pedro Jimenez in the chiller, so it was perfectly chilled for dessert time. Also advised us the short ribs were back on the menu following a long absence. The calamari Andalusian style were just as good as the best in Spain. Super impressed and I'll be back one day for sure! Saludos
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had reservations, and were immediately seated at the high-tops on arrival. The server was attentive and friendly, making tapas recommendations along the way. The pork belly and fried rice were incredible. We also enjoyed the stuffed figs. Everything tasted great and was well-paced.
Every thing we had here was great, highlights were the dates, chocolate mousse dessert, empanadas and pork belly tacos. Staff are incredibly friendly and great at what they do.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Patatas Bravas, Chocolate Mousse
Very cute ambience! Chicken croquetas were not good. The menu needs some new items.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Mateo's bar is a great spot for a Euro-style aperitif experience in Durham. The whole team is lovely, but I'm especially thankful to Emily the bar manager -- she expertly guided me through food/bev pairings, and immediately knew what dishes could be made vegetarian-friendly.
Service: 5
One of the best meals I've enjoyed! Loved the Marrow plate!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Marrow
Had an excellent meal with a group of friends here last night. Our server, Aidan, took great care of us. She took plenty of time to explain the menu (most of us were new to tapas), and knew the dishes inside and out. I enjoyed the boquerones (fresh anchovies) and the pulpo (octopus). We also shared a mixto ham and cheese board, a meatball and grits dish that was so good we ordered it twice, and a fried okra special. Great atmosphere, great service, I look forward to going back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A wonderful experience from start to finish. Our server Emily was friendly and professional. The food was excellent- boquerones, croquetas, jamon y queso mixto, and the pulpo. It wasn't too loud to have good conversation while also enjoying the music. Will definitely visit again.
It was amazing!!! We celebrated a birthday in a quiet and wonderful atmosphere. Great food and drinks. Who can ask for more? It was super nice...even the lighting was perfect. The service exceptional!!! 10/10.
Restaurantji Recommends
My overall experience was good. The food and service was solid but not outstanding. No complaints but my experience did not a stand out experience. I would go back. I enjoyed the food, environment and the location. I'm a guest that doesn't need much but I would have appreciated more attention from my server but that wasn't a huge deal in to my rating.
Our server, Aidan, was absolutely wonderful. She took time to go through the menu with us (most of us were new to tapas), and she was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about all the dishes. The food was excellent. I had the boquerones and the pulpo a la plancha, and both were delicious. The albondigas (meatballs with grits and corn) were a big hit, we ended up ordering two. We also enjoyed the mixto ham & cheese board, chicken croquetas, and a fried okra special. And the prices were quite reasonable for food of this quality. I look forward to visiting again soon.
Mateo is consistently good - we've been several times. We always take the Pan con Tomate with manchego - it's great. In the ham and cheese categories, the Serrano ham and the Los Cameros cheese are both excellent. Our favorite dish was Almejas - clams in a light butter sauce. The wine list is excellent, and we had an excellent Canary Island red. Service was excellent.
My partner and I were seated promptly by a very friendly host. We originally booked seats at the bar, but she told us she had a table that was available, but reserved in 90 minutes. Since we had tickets for Emmylou Harris at 7:30, our 5:30 seating was perfect. Our server Kel and a training server gave us incredible service. Sorry, I forgot the second server's name. The food, incredible! We chose 4 tapas to share and we each got our own desserts. We had a great experience here at Mateo's.
We had an excellent time!! The staff was all amazing! I personally didn't love ALL of the food but I still enjoyed some of the items. This is no reflection of Mateos, just a personal preference. Overall, it was a fantastic experience:)
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