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The Can Opener

4.3 (31 reviews)
Open 7:00 am - 10:00 pm

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Kong L.

I finally had the chance to visit this area, and it is such a cool spot! It's a food truck lover's paradise, featuring a wide variety of options that ensure there is something for everyone. I especially loved that the main building houses a bar and a coffee shop, providing a great place to sit. I'm already looking forward to my next visit for a bite or a drink.

Bulkogi- Kimchi Bul-Fries
Andrea A.

The Can Opener food truck park is such a wonderful addition to the Durham food scene! I've been able to try all of the food trucks here, and there has not been even one miss. I definitely need to come back soon to try their coffee and drinks. Here are my recommendations: - Bulkogi: My favorite item to get here is their Kimchi Bul-Fries with spicy pork- such an amazing explosion of flavors & textures. Definitely make sure to try all their tasty sauces! - Chick-N-Que: Enjoyed the Wicked Chicken Sandwich (basically a fried chicken sandwich with buffalo sauce)- recommend getting their creamy mac-n-cheese to balance the tartness of the buffalo sauce. - Gussy's: To try a little bit of everything, suggest getting the Zeus Platter- my favorites from the platter were the perfectly grilled chicken and crunchy falafel. - Queen EggXpress: Really liked the ChoriQueen burrito & especially appreciated that there was a good amount of veggies in this option. - Andia's: New top contender for best ice cream in Durham- from their signature flavors, I love ube and rose pistachio. Ambiance is awesome with tons of indoor & outdoor seating. Service at all of the trucks is fast; you place your order on the iPads in front of each truck. Lots of free parking is available on the adjacent W Pettigrew St. 10/10 would recommend!

Inside
Rahima J.

This is such a cute place! A coffee shop surrounded by outdoor and rooftop seating where you can get food and drinks from a bunch of food trucks. The staff was very kind and it's a great vibe for large groups and families

Bulkogi Rice bowl
Chelsea P.

The Zeus plate was on point!! I can't wait to go back and have it again. Love the bar area with a nice draft list and cocktails plus it's a super casual spot with outdoor and indoor seating. The bukogi rice bowl was ok but I would get the sauce on the side because for me it was too sweet and not balanced. My resident culture IPA was wonderful and the fries on that Zeus platter had the best spices on them. It's a counter service set up so it's great for a group with different tastes. The ice cream after dinner was incredible! That spicy marg ice cream was so incredible!! I also loved the non dairy Ube Wich was so unique. Even if you only went for ice cream it's worth it! Parking is really easy right across the street

Natika G.

The can opener is a great place to grab some friends and enjoy some great food! They have about four food trucks, comedy shows, karaoke and more depending on the day you attend. Parking is limited because it's closed to downtown but across the street is a parking garage and a parking lot. There is something here for everyone! They have drinks, tacos, Greek food, ice cream and more!

Cappuccino
Sweta S.

The coffee shop here is amazing! This place is a wonderful place to read a book, do labtop work, chat with friends , and chill in air conditioning. I love this place! The staff is prompt and professional. I ordered the strawberry latte iced, and it was tasty and rich. They have free Internet and always have a lot of available chairs. It is also open on Monday!

Chocolate overdose
Amy F.

Cute outdoor area with drinks and food trucks. Several choices on food. The server behind the bar was very friendly. I had ice cream from Andia's truck.

Michelle M.

A unique experience in Durham! A small venue for beer, coffee and tea with food trucks! A food truck park! Enjoying the Blueberry Wheat Bombshell! Love the selection of food trucks and the ambience!

Gussy's at The Can Opener
Randy P.

The Can Opener is a unique Durham foot court served by semi permanent food trucks. The Can Opener is located on Gregson Street right beside the famous bridge and offers a variety of food trucks including Bulkogi, Chick-N-Que, Gussy's, Andia's Ice Cream, and Queen Eggxpress. We chose Gussy's for our main course. Gussy's serves great traditional Greek Food. My friends ordered a Gyro which came out in 2 minutes. They had finished eating before I got my Souvlaki platter - oh well, that's life, and just something to be aware of. Afterwards we had Ice Cream from Andias, in the Double Decker Bus. Very good Ice Cream. Overall, the Can Opener is a great gathering spot.

"Can-opened" ice cream bus
Rosa L.

This place brings together so much of what I love about Durham: food trucks representing diverse cultures and cuisines, repurposed buildings, and the Can Opener Bridge. I have been driving by this place for months watching it come together, and I stopped for lunch when I saw that they were open. Turns out it was opening day for them! Or at least the soft opening, as they stress test and work out any kinks. There is TONS of indoor and outdoor seating, so don't be afraid to come by in the heat of summer. It is air conditioned inside! Inside has ample seating (though I'm curious how clean the fancy plush chairs will stay), along with a coffee/tea bar. I also saw a wall of dozens of beer taps and several bottles of wine, but there was no menu up for those yet (I'd guess it will come later once they're open-open). Outside has lots of picnic table seating with colorful umbrellas for shade and some ceiling fans as well. The food trucks today were Gussy's (Greek), Chick-N-Que (chicken sandwiches, tenders, wings), Bulkogi (Korean), and Queen Eggxpress (breakfast), plus a purple double-decker bus with the top peeled open (a la Can Opener Bridge) serving Andia's ice cream. Based on what I read in the Indy Week, the Queen Eggxpress parking spot may rotate through different food trucks, but the others will stay put. We had some delicious Greek food (my favorites were the salty-herby fries and fluffy falafel) and Korean BBQ (spicy beef, even more umami spicy with Joe's Spicy sauce). We were also hoping to get ice cream, but they are not open for lunch during the weekdays (2PM opening for weekdays and noon for weekends), so we'll have to come back again. The staff were super friendly and welcoming, even though I bet it was super hot inside those food trucks! My only note for improvement is that it would be nice if there were water jugs, napkin dispensers, and more trash cans around the space. Otherwise, our visit went super smoothly, which is extra impressive for their first day. If you have small children: The ladies' room had a changing table in the handicapped stall (I didn't go in the mens' room to see if they had one too). Parking: As far as I can tell, they don't have their own dedicated parking lot, but they're just a block from Brightleaf parking, which is free for 2 hours. The West Pettigrew Parking deck is just across Gregson street from them, and there is free street parking on some of the random side streets around them.

Food trucks
Glenn G.

We've been here several times now, including the first weekend they were open. We've had a few coffees from the bar, some ice cream from Andia's, some breakfast from the breakfast truck (sorry, forgot the name). We haven't tried the other food trucks yet but know them by reputation. Seating is indoor or outdoor (with plastic hung up during winter to ward off some of the cold), including an upper terrace. There is also a little bit of seating on top of Andia's truck. There is plenty of parking across the street in the Duke lot. We've only been there on weekends when it's free, so I don't if you have to pay during the week or not. Their coffee offerings have improved since they opened and we're glad to see that. Definitely a fun, family-friendly neighborhood vibe. Plus, there's always a slight chance you might see/hear a truck crack into the nearby overpass (hence the name "can opener").

Matt S.

Great place to hang out and grab a coffee, beer or even some grub from the food trucks! Great outdoor space that is covered the place got really crowded after we were there a bit and several people had dogs with them, so my guess is the outdoor space is dog friendly. There were water dispensers and cups available outside for self service. Super chill vibes and I enjoyed having a couple of beers during my visit.

Scott K.

Awesome food & beverage depot in downtown Durham! They have an extensive drink menu including coffee, tea, juice, beer & wine.. all with quite a variety of options in each category. Rachael was delightful as she took my order & returned within a flash with my teas. In the afternoon on a Saturday the atmosphere is a bit of a blend between coffee cafe, food court & food truck. Lots of families, couples & friends all hanging out. Awesomeness!

The Can Opener Sign

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1 year ago

The coffee is great and the food trucks are wonderful, particularly like the breakfast food truck, which is based on Hispanic or Latin food

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2 years ago

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11 months ago

if you're ok with paying 6 bucks for a thimble of lemonade, or 6.50 for a splash of green tea and ginger beer, go to this place.

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2 years ago

Wonderful spot that has plenty of options! Really enjoy the vibe and laid back atmosphere. It's a perfect little spot for lunch or dinner!

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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)
0.2 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.

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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)
2.2 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!

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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(829 reviews)
1.0 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!

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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)
1.0 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.

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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

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Jerk chicken

The Can Opener - foodtrucks - Updated May 2026

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