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    Fairview Dining Room

    4.1 (139 reviews)
    Open 6:30 am - 9:30 pm

    Fairview Dining Room Photos

    FAIRVIEW DINING ROOM ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Upscale
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Fairview Dining Room

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    Birthday treat
    Amanda K.

    I've never met an afternoon tea I didn't like, and Fairview didn't change that. I loved the assortment of sweet and savory, which I thought was a nice balance. I loved that we got two flavors of scones, and getting clotted cream is always a pleasure. The little jam jars are adorable and you can't go wrong with bonne maman. The only thing that slightly disappointed me was that there wasn't a jasmine tea on the menu, but there were a lot of great options to choose from and I found something else I enjoyed. The service was great and the vibes were classy but not stuffy. They even gave me a special birthday plate! The price was pretty midrange and I thought it was fair. I would definitely come here again!

    Sally M.

    Every year, I have Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner at the Washington Duke resort. Year after the year, they never disappoint! The food is prepared and brought to your table with care and love!

    Carla O.

    This restaurant is located inside the Duke Inn & golf club and it is wonderful. Once you step in , it is a beautiful elegant decor , transports you to earlier years and the service is top notch. To start I had the Brussel sprouts and artisan salad - the Brussel sprouts had a sweetness to it that was amazing !!! For entree I had the short rib rigatoni - the meat just melted in your mouth and the sauce was incredible. Everything was so good I could not leave without dessert . I had the vanilla bean crème brûlée , it was perfection! It is no wonder that this place has awards for its dinning . Definitely try it out !

    Waiting on dessert
    Melisa S.

    Made a reservation for the Fairview, knowing nothing about it except that it was in Duke University's campus. Parking is a breeze and there is plenty of it. You can even valet, if that's your jam. The restaurant is towards the back of the hotel and since it is December, it is decorated beautifully. They literally have Christmas trees in every corner. Service was impeccable from checking in, to checking out. Very professional, very top notch. You would bring someone here to impress them. We were a party of three and were seated in a booth, which was perfect for us. They had someone playing the piano, which was a nice touch. Our food came out in a good amount of time and everything was a good temperature and tasted delicious. We did have dessert and the serving size of that was just right. We left full and happy and commented on how we would definitely return.

    Tropical coconut torte
    Kyle R.

    I was here for an event and it surpassed my expectations. The service was phenomenal and the food was absolutely delicious. The soup was small but a good appetizer size (wish there was more seafood in it), the filet mignon was fantastic though the greens were a bit salty, and the dessert was very filling to end off the meal. It didn't seem crowded but the food took a bit of time to come out. The only thing to make it even better would have been live music, but was still a fabulous meal!

    Rabia A.

    So I came here because I thought the reviews were good. When we got here, although it's an old building..it's very antique. The appetizer was a warm pimento cheese and some Crackers which was pretty good. My husband got the ribeye melt which sucked. And I got the crab cakes which also sucked. It was the same seasoning on both of them. The crab cake was really dry. Although the manager took it off the check and offered to make us another one, I just didn't want it. And thankfully we didn't take it home because both me and my husband have an upset stomach now. For dessert, they gave my husband a warm brownie with ice cream for his birthday and the coffee creme brûlée which was absolutely delicious!! As far as the service goes, it was just really really slow. Our waiter barely came and checked up on us.. not the way I wanted my husband to spend his birthday dinner!

    Kristin H.

    The first thing you must know about the Fairview Dining Room is that it is located in the renowned Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, a Durham institution that has served the community for nearly 100 years, first as the Washington Duke Hotel, and as the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club since 1988 following their move to their current location The Fairview Dining Room is a AAA Four-Diamond rated restaurant, and is one of the most prestigious restaurants in Durham Their weekend brunch slots are highly coveted, so if you're looking to try out their award-winning fare, you better book it ahead of time! Their coffee is supplied by ROAR coffee, and the quality truly shines through! I ordered a vanilla oat milk latte, and I can safely say that they give ole Starbies a run for their money! We started off with their weekly rotating housemade pop tart: this weekend, the chef was offering a decadent yet light cookies and cream pop tart. I must say, though: the word "pop-tart" truly doesn't do this flaky treat justice! We followed the pop tart with the Monte Cristo breakfast sandwich and the Quiche of the day. I can safely say that the Monte Cristo sandwich is probably the most ingenious brunch creation that I've ever had the pleasure of sampling. Set between two powdered-sugar dusted brioche pain perdues (French toasts) is a healthy heaping of San Giuseppe capricola, heritage farm Black Forest ham, Lusty Monk Mustard, cave-aged gruyère, lingonberry jam, and dukes Mayo. Personally, I'm not much of a mustard person and so I tried half the sandwich without the mustard and half with a light layer of it, and it's incredible how much of a difference even a slight amount of mustard makes! We also tried the quiche of the day, which featured prosciutto ham, tomatoes, and onions. The quiche is fresh made every morning, and positively dissolved in your mouth. It was incredibly flavorful and provided a nice balance to the sweet Monte Cristo sandwich All in all, the dining experience at the Fairview was exceptional, and our waiter was very knowledgeable and absolutely fantastic. We will absolutely be going back, and I would recommend to anyone looking for an out-of-this-world brunch experience! *Note: I received a complimentary brunch in return for my honest review*

    Entrance to restaurant and bar
    Lexi M.

    I was really happy to see that they had a good restaurant connected to this golf club. What we realized, was that the bar area is the place to be to have dinner. The menu was great and the cocktails menu was good. I would like to come back here. It not during COVID as they had some strange rules.

    Salmon*
    Juliet M.

    The food is so unique and flavorful, and the staff is incredibly accommodating, friendly, and prompt. We sat outside overlooking the course and watched the sunset as we ate. It is so peaceful and beautiful. I couldn't recommend the Duke Golf Club restaurant more!

    French  Shaved Ribeye Melt
    Holly V.

    The is a must go to in Durham. Right near the Duke Campus, this historic establishment was an excellent place to have dinner. Now during this pandemic, we have felt very uneasy about eating out. This place has extremely high standards for their employees as well as their guests. Mask have to be worn at all times unless you are eating or drinking. Even when your waiter comes up to the table everyone needs to be masked. Excellent safety protocols. Now let's get to the food!! The food is delicious. We had the warm pimento cheese dip which comes with crackers and homemade pickles. A must have. We also had the onion dip and homemade chips. Also delicious!! For our entrees, we had a pork chop which was extremely juicy and perfect. We also had their chicken dish which was great. It also had sweet potato mashed and another vegetable that I can't remember. We have been to this restaurant multiple times now and have enjoyed it every time. We would recommend it to anyone! Also their menu changes quite a bit so make sure to check out their website before you go!!

    Fairview Chicken Salad

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    4 years ago

    Excellent food, attentive service, nice ambiance.

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    It's a Southern thing: Kitchen and Bar - Waffle Bites, Cheesey Grits

    It's a Southern thing: Kitchen and Bar

    4.0(719 reviews)
    2.3 mi
    $$

    I love this place for consistently tasty food and a warm, inviting atmosphere. Every visit feels…read morerelaxed and welcoming, and the service is always on point. It's one of those spots where you can walk in anytime and know you're going to have a good experience. If you're looking for recommendations, the wings are a must‑try, and pairing them with a Bloody Mary never disappoints.

    So I asked yelp to recommend a place for a birthday dinner. This was the first on the list. So…read moresince I couldn't get a reservation on my birthday to the place I originally wanted to go, we decided to come here. There is plenty of parking on the backside of the building, paid parking out front, and be careful not to park in the apartment spaces on the side...they sounded pretty serious about towing. I had made a reservation but it was probably unnecessary as it was pretty empty when we arrived (it was about 5pm on a Saturday.) The waitress brought a bottle of water to the table and took our drink order. And I know that this place is literally call it's a Southern thing but can I mention how much I dislike drinking out of mason jars? I ordered the chicken n biscuits, my husband got the country hamburger steak plate, my BiL got wings, and my SiL got the crabcakes. We also orders charred jalapeno & sweet corn hushpuppies and frickles as an appetizer. I was VERY excited about my food. Y'all...the only thing that impressed me were the Frickles. Everything else was distinctly underwhelming. I also ordered Blackberry Betta Have My Money which was not that great. My SiL ordered a espresso martini that they said didn't come from a mix but she said it tasted like it was. The bathrooms were very clean. The decor and the vibe were great. Cute even. I really enjoyed that part of it. After dropping off our food, we never saw our waitress again unless we flagged her down for drink refills. It was especially frustrating since there was automatic gratuity added. And since the place wasn't that busy, it felt like she didn't feel the need to earn her automatic tip. Overall I was disappointed in my birthday dinner. I won't be coming back here.

    Photos
    It's a Southern thing: Kitchen and Bar
    It's a Southern thing: Kitchen and Bar - Fried Green Tomatoes

    Fried Green Tomatoes

    It's a Southern thing: Kitchen and Bar - Dinner menu

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    Dinner menu

    Dame's Chicken & Waffles - Sweet potato waffle, two drumsticks, peach schmear

    Dame's Chicken & Waffles

    4.0(2k reviews)
    3.9 mi
    $$

    Dame's chicken and waffles is pretty good. The smears are delicious with so many options. The…read moresyrups also have options and would have loved to try the Calypso syrup but they ran out. We did get there at 3pm for a very late lunch so that's on us. Definitely recommend getting there earlier to make sure you get the sides and syrups you're interested in trying. The service was a little on the slower side but that's kind of what I expect with a popular place like this. It was still plenty of diners despite how late it was! There's a decent amount of seating and it's definitely on the cozier side with squeezing folks in. We are happy we were able to try this place and would definitely love to try it again in the future.

    Dame's is in a new setting, serving tasty food and kind service…read more Maria was a helpful and friendly server who brought me the Buff Brahamas dish. Two large slightly-spicy and well-breaded chicken cutlets sat on my good waffle. The whiskey cream drizzle (syrup) added some gentle, earthy sweetness and I put the apricot shmear butter to brighten my waffle. I also got some collard greens to balance my flavorful meal. I also tried the Orange-Speckled Chabo chicken and waffles dish on sweet potato waffles with honey Dijon mustard that added mustard tang to complement well the chicken. For a treat, (we had lamented that we hadn't tried the gingerbread waffle), a kind staff person brought us some yummy gingerbread waffle for dessert. Yum!

    Photos
    Dame's Chicken & Waffles
    Dame's Chicken & Waffles - Macaroni and cheese

    Macaroni and cheese

    Dame's Chicken & Waffles

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    Elmo's Diner - Delicious bowl with sweet potatoes and other yummy treats.

    Elmo's Diner

    4.1(830 reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    Delicious food, great prices, and very friendly waitress! we were visiting from out of town and…read morewere so hungry and were so happy to find elmo's diner. the menu is very large and diverse. we especially enjoyed the malts

    We ended up at Elmo's Diner as we were traveling through Durham, and the place we originally…read moreintended to go had a massive wait, so found our way just up the street here. Even though there were people waiting, it's a large place and people were being taken care of very efficiently, so it was only about 15 minutes for us. Walking in, you can tell Elmo's Diner is steeped into the fabric of Durham's culture, and particularly Duke University. Has the vibe of a place that has been long enjoyed but multiple generations. Once we got seated, service was very efficient and we had hot food in front of us within 15-20 minutes which was excellent, since we had a road trip ahead. We both ordered specials, and I can't 100% remember their names for each. Hers was a lemon blueberry pancake platter, which she would have liked with a strong lemon flavor, but I thought was just right. Mine was a breakfast bowl, but unlike any I've been served before. The base was cornbread, sweet potatoes, and black beans and from there you had eggs, sausage, avocado, red chile sauce, sour cream, and pico. It was truly delicious, and a flavor combination I wasn't sure about when ordering, but after the first bite was totally ready to devour. Nary a bite was left. I would definitely recommend this spot!

    Photos
    Elmo's Diner - One seat at the back can see all!

    One seat at the back can see all!

    Elmo's Diner - Chicken Burrito

    Chicken Burrito

    Elmo's Diner - Omelet with massive biscuit and taters.

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    Omelet with massive biscuit and taters.

    Aaktun Coffee & Bar - Bacon egg and cheese

    Aaktun Coffee & Bar

    4.4(163 reviews)
    2.8 mi
    $$

    English: TL;DR: Beautiful atmosphere, fantastic coffee and…read morefood, thoughtful modern Latin flavors, amazing breakfast/dinner spot, and Fernando, the manager, is awesome. We've been to Aaktun in Durham multiple times for both breakfast and dinner, and it's honestly become one of our favorite spots. I'm Peruvian and grew up with Peruvian cuisine, so seeing lomo saltado -- a classic Peruvian dish -- on the menu immediately made me happy. Having also grown up in Mexico and lived in places like Miami, I really appreciate what they're doing with the menu: a modern, delicious take on Latin flavors that feels creative without losing what makes those cuisines special. The atmosphere is absolutely beautiful. You walk in thinking it's a stylish little coffee shop, then head toward the back and the whole place opens up -- gorgeous bar, tropical touches, cozy alcove seating, really cool vibe. One time we went with friends for a special dining experience they were offering, and it was excellent. The food, drinks, and whole experience were made even better by Fernando, the manager, who has always been incredibly warm, helpful, and accommodating. Highly recommend Aaktun for breakfast or dinner. Still haven't made it there for lunch somehow, but at this point we'd be shocked if it wasn't great too. Spanish: TL;DR: Lugar precioso, café y comida excelentes, sabores latinos con un toque moderno muy bien logrado, y Fernando, el gerente, es increíble. Ya hemos ido varias veces a Aaktun en Durham para desayuno y cena, y sinceramente se ha vuelto uno de nuestros lugares favoritos. Soy peruano y crecí con la cocina peruana, así que ver lomo saltado -- un plato clásico peruano -- en el menú me hizo muy feliz. Además, habiendo crecido en México y vivido en lugares como Miami, me encanta reconocer cómo integran sabores latinos con una propuesta moderna y de fusión. Se siente creativa, diferente y sobre todo riquísima. La atmósfera además es espectacular. Entras pensando que es una cafetería bonita y acogedora, pero luego caminas hacia atrás y el lugar se abre por completo: un bar hermoso, detalles tropicales, mesas tipo alcove... una vibra buenísima. Una vez fuimos con unos amigos para una experiencia especial de cena que estaban ofreciendo y la pasamos increíble. La comida, las bebidas y toda la experiencia fueron aún mejores gracias a Fernando, el gerente, que siempre ha sido súper amable, atento y servicial. Recomendamos muchísimo Aaktun para desayuno o cena. Todavía no hemos ido para almorzar, pero honestamente nos sorprendería mucho que no estuviera igual de bueno.

    **Update 5/12/2026 - I made a reservation to take my mom to brunch on Sunday at 10:15. When we…read morearrived, the hostess said the reservation had been made for outside. I explained and showed her that I booked standard seating and she said that meant outside, which I thought was strange because I was very careful not to book either option that was clearly labeled outdoor. I told her that we wanted a table inside and she said "I have a table that has a reservation for 11:30, can you be done by then?" I laughed and said "sure" but thought to myself that would be up to them! She asked another hostess to seat us, and after we were seated, we waited about 15 minutes and watched staff walk by our table multiple times and no one came by. The original interactions had already put a bad taste in my mouth, so I called another restaurant downtown and asked how long the wait would be for two. They could seat us in the bar area right away, so we got up and left Aaktun to head there. The first two experiences that I had at Aaktun were great. I'm glad I got to try their food because I won't be back after Sunday's experience.

    Photos
    Aaktun Coffee & Bar - Iced autumn blaze latte with cold foam - lifewithhanny

    Iced autumn blaze latte with cold foam - lifewithhanny

    Aaktun Coffee & Bar - Iced dulce de leche latte with cold foam - lifewithhanny

    Iced dulce de leche latte with cold foam - lifewithhanny

    Aaktun Coffee & Bar - Jerk chicken

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    Jerk chicken

    Fairview Dining Room - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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