I absolutely love the vibe at PRESS, it is an upscale coffee shop and restaurant that is modern and…read morechic. Everything we ordered was pituresque with the tables favorite being the country hash crepe. The combination of eggs, bacon, hoop cheese, breakfast potatoes, green onion, avocado, blistered cherry tomatoes, mojo sauce, and sausage gravy make every single bite and experience. If you are getting anything get this. But honestly not sure if you can go wrong with anything here because the berries & cream crepe and the lox & toast were great as well. Make this restaurant next on your list, it is a must!

I started with the sweet potato old fashioned, which was excellent and definitely on the strong…read moreside. For my second drink, I ordered the cherry kiss mimosa and enjoyed that as well. The cocktail program was easily the highlight of my visit. The food, however, didn't quite live up to the drinks. I ordered the carne asada crepe, which was just okay and lacked the flavor I was hoping for. I also ordered a blueberry and lemon curd crepe to go and shared it with my sister. Unfortunately, neither of us found it very enjoyable. The restaurant itself is beautiful, clean, and well maintained. There was a long wait to sit at the bar, but it was around 1:00 pm on a Saturday, so that was understandable.

Loaf is tucked away on a not so popular street but thanks to their yummy treats, they are known all…read moreover Durham as the place to grab a sweet or savory when you need it. What I also love about Loaf is that if I am unable to go downtown, Loaf items are all over Durham, namely at the Coop and so many other businesses. It makes it easier to access and grab when you are on the go. Staff are always so friendly and welcoming. We always appreciate their warmly decorated business that is cozy but also smells of fresh, newly baked bread (or cookies!) We always look forward to stopping by to see what they have for the day!

Loaf is an excellent bakery! I walked down the Durham streets to Loaf this morning. I had a…read moredelicious pistachio roll - sweet, nutty, crispy. I then devoured a cranberry frangipane torte with a rich creamy almond center. I washed it down with hot coffee. Delicious!

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.

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!

Lovely outdoor eating area, great for a warm day. Had the Turkish eggs, a biscuit and chicken…read moresausage and split a salad. The food was great and very tasting and filling. Tip is included. Would return!

YUMMMMMM. Breakfast was fantastic here!!! Placed an order for pick-up (prepare for a longggggg line…read moreduring breakfast time on the weekend, pickup seems to be the easiest). I tried an egg, bacon, and cheese sandwich, on a salt bagel. You could tell the bagel was fresh, and the texture of it was light and airy, with the right amount of salt. Bacon was perfect crispy, and over medium egg was cooked properly. I tried 2 of the donuts- the glazed and the apple cider one. I thought the glazed one was basic, but the apple cider one was DELICIOUS. Donut was sweet (not too sweet), was super soft and fluffy (not dense), and the cinnamon sugar thoroughly coated the donut. Would definitely recommend this place for breakfast!

Really cute cafe/ upscale gift shop. I've only ordered variations on the cheddar biscuit breakfast…read moresandwich. The biscuit is so flaky and crispy, and you can sub avocado if you don't want bacon. They have a number of other breakfast and lunch choices plus a coffee bar. They have a ton of cute gifts for all occasions and audiences from bath and beauty products to cookware and specialty foods plus a selection for baby and kids.

We have been at the previous P&O location and this location but had not ordered food here. Stopped…read moreby on a Saturday particularly to eat instead of shop. We got a cheddar biscuit with bacon and eggs, and my wife wanted the salmon bagel but they were out of bagels so they offered to make it on sourdough bread. We found a place in the seating area and waited for them to call our name. My biscuit was delicious and filling, and my wife's salmon was so large she ended up taking part of it go. Don't forget to poke around their retail area for gifts, cookbooks, wines and more. They also have occasional sales. It's now become a Durham institution.

Amazing breakfast sandwich. You HAVE to get one with chicken in it- I first tried the bacon and mac…read more& cheese on a biscuit sandwich, and it tasted bland (lacked flavor and seasoning). Next I tried the famous "righteous chicken sandwich"- fried chicken, with pickles and "Boom Boom" sauce- and was thoroughly pleased. The bread was fresh and fluffy (as was the biscuit on the first sandwich), the chicken was lightly breaded, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the flavors popped. Easy to see why this is their most famous sandwich. I would definitely return for breakfast/brunch again! Note- location in downtown Durham is to-go orders only! (Online or at the kiosk inside the store.)

Some of the best biscuits you'll find anywhere! Better yet, they have an amazing biscuit cinnamon…read moreroll. So amazing that I had to eat one on New Year's Day despite my plan to eat healthy. I blame Rise for the demise of my NY resolution! My nephew loved the chicken basket, including biscuits, that he requested to go back the next day before heading to the airport. The fries were perfectly seasoned and cooked. The 2 egg biscuit sandwich was tasty and protein packed with 2 scrambled eggs. I had it on a cheddar biscuit, which was wonderful. Bottom line: Eat at Rise! Every morning.

Keep coming back to the Grub because food here is consistently delicious and you can't go wrong…read morewith The Rocket breakfast! I love that they don't just give you crappy melons and grape like in other places for fruit. Here you get fresh blueberries, strawberries and pineapple. Also, that biscuit I will add, depending on when you go, get ready to wait. The line is sometimes out of the door. The service and the prices are good. Also, there's plenty of seating downstairs, outside or in the deck upstairs. Hope you check it out!

What a cute little brunch spot in the heart of Durham! The concept is one where you order at the…read morecounter and then the servers bring out your items. This worked well until we were asked to wait several minutes for drinks because they were busy with food orders. The food itself was very good. We were all pleased with our meals and especially with the smoked wings. They have a house made ranch that is also top notch. I tried the cinnamon roll and wasn't impressed. The flavor was almost like it had a citrus hint to it. It says there are nuts in it on the menu but when I asked the server she shared there are in fact no nuts in the roll. Parking here can be a challenge due to the tiny lot but there is street parking available as well. I will definitely be returning here when in the area.

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!

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.