We had an extremely memorable experience at Alley Twenty Six, in large part to our amazing server,…read moreAnthony! We made a reservation for a Saturday night dinner and he made sure we were well taken care of all night. We started the night with their James Bears award winning cocktails, and every drink we ordered was a hit! Spiced strawberry mule, Sunset Sipper, and the table favorite: Earl Please. The latter two drinks were mocktails and they were still standouts! As for the food, the Alley burger was perfectly cooked: juicy patty paired with truffle cheese and simple toppings that really highlighted the burger itself. And shoestring fries are always a good choice with a delicious burger. Ricotta gnocchi was also very good. As our server Anthony said, let's get this burger nominated!

It's always exciting to go to Alley26, namely for their food. Out of all the options in a block…read moreradius (with the exception of sushi nearby), I will always chose Alley26. Over burgers, over French food, over ramen, over Indian. Why? Because Alley26 serves delectable oysters, succulent burgers, and incredible tin fish. Yes, tin fish. If you haven't seen their extensive menu of fish, you must! While it's not for everyone, it is a tinned fish enthusiasts heaven! I go here to celebrate milestones with a good friend and we always have a mini feast, paired with a glass or two of wine. My favorite time to go is when the weather is comfortable and we can sit in the alley way, it's soooo chic that it feels like you're sitting outdoors at a meal in Italy of France. Service is always on point and I forget the bartenders name that is super knowledgeable and super kind. When I remember, I'll circle back to update this review. If you're thinking about this place, definitely check it out! The only inconvenience though is that I believe is 21+ over, at least at night it is.

Yum! My boyfriend and I split some dishes at the Federal and thoroughly enjoyed our experience. We…read morechose the classic cheeseburger with Swiss cheese and sauce on the side, a cubano, and the fried artichoke salad. Both the cheeseburger and cubano came with hefty servings of French fries fresh out of the fryer. Despite being a little salt heavy, they were flavorful and complimented the sandwiches well. The cubano and burger were both 3/5 for me but I enjoyed both. I'm not a huge meat fan... My boyfriend said they were excellent though! The fried artichoke salad is where I feel like I found my peace. The olives, tomatoes, salad dressing, and all other salad components were awesome. It tasted fresh and the ingredients complimented each other. The fried artichokes were a nice crunch too! I would be back to the Federal for the hot food and good vibes. Service was excellent here as well.

Bartender tonight was so accommodating. I came to watch the Duke UNC game and it was standing room…read moreonly. I'm 7 months pregnant and my feet started to hurt. There were customers at the bar who ordered a drink and thought that was enough to sit there the entire time. The bartender nicely asked them that if they weren't going to order more food or drink it would be polite if they gave up their seats to paying customers. I finally got to sit down and rest while I enjoyed the game. Great food and even better service!

Decent breakfast. Better deal than hotel breafast. I had a bisquit and a veggie scramble which…read morewere pretty good. Kid had eggs that were a tad under-cooked. Service super friendly. Biscuit was good. Nice diner vibe.

First time at this place. Didn't have to wait too long for a Sunday brunch. Have to say that this…read moreplace was a little slow on service. Took them a while to get our order in. The ambiance wasn't bad. Food wasn't all that great. I think as a food person it was pretty bland. Didn't have too much flavor in any of the dishes. It maybe for some people but for us it wasn't that great but wasn't horrible.

OpenTable may have dropped the ball on our Easter Sunday reservation, but Local 22 turned it into a…read moregreat experience. When we arrived, the restaurant was completely full, yet Paul handled the situation with genuine kindness and calm. He asked us to hang tight and, true to his word, had our party of four seated within five minutes. The food absolutely delivered. The standout was the apple cinnamon hush puppies, crispy, warm, and just the right balance of sweet and savory. Truly delicious. A huge thank you to Paul for his outstanding hospitality. He made what could have been a frustrating situation feel effortless and welcoming. We'll definitely be back.

My first time visiting Local 22 Kitchen & Bar and it was sooo good. I cannot wait to return. Our…read moreserver Matthew was awesome and very nice and knowledgeable. We ordered the charcuterie board with local cheeses, prosciutto, and the smoked trout dip . Freaking delicious would definitely order again. We also ordered the skillet cornbread with honey bourbon butter (I think). Soooo goood. I ordered the quinoa salad with blackened shrimp. Super amazing so glad Mat recommended the blackened shrimp to go on top. My date ordered the spicy chicken sandwich with tots. Definitely spicy but delicious. We ordered drinks as well and let me just say they were delicious and STRING. For dessert we got the pecan pie bread pudding. That was just okay for me not to sweet. I can't wait to go back and try other items. Oh and the vibe was good we dined outside.

I have been very well pleased with the food and the service…read more Company is clean and presentable to the public as well as accommodating.

We arrived just before the lunch rush - and wow this place got very busy on a Friday!…read more I had The Rancher with spicy jalapeño dressing. Loved it! They have a lot of different refreshing drink options. I tried the pineapple mint - yum!

Absolutely phenomenal brunch! Truly everything on the menu is ten out of ten!…read more The short ribs were so tender you didn't need a knife! The grits were super creamy and paired well with the crab, the ricotta pancakes were the fluffiest most addicting pancakes and arguably our favorite thing on the menu. I feel like there was so much attention to detail in each dish we tried. The menu did a great job of having variety without having an overwhelming amount of choices and everything was reasonably priced. I came here years ago and it was not nearly as good. The new executive chef and new menu has now made this our go to place!

Came here for a brunch in honor of Mother's Day. Unfortunately, I do not have great things to say…read more We had a reservation for noon, but it took 20 minutes to get slated. We were seated at a table that was clearly not meant for six people and we were crammed together. The room we were seated in had blinking lights due to an electrical issue, and it was extremely irritating. Our servers were very nice, but unfortunately were all over the place, so we had to keep making the same requests over and over again. It was not a crowned at all, so we were very confused. Now, on to the food, it was just not worth the visit. I did not take pictures because our meals just didn't look that great. Three of us ordered the chicken sandwich and agreed that it was the most flavorless chicken sandwich we'd ever had. The gochugang was no where to be found. The other two ordered the crab and shrimp grits. It looked like white mushers, you'd be served in prison. My family members said there was no seasoning beyond butter.

We popped in for a drink while strolling the Brightleaf area. The staff were attentive and…read morefriendly, the place was super clean with a cool vibe. There are some arcade games and TVs. We didn't try the food today but I'm hoping to update this soon when we go back.

Had a quick couple beverages at Clouds Brewing. I'd call it a cool, bright sports bar with a lot of…read moreTVs to catch games, some arcade-type games and what I'd call pub grub. The service was friendly on a somewhat slower mid-afternoon. The mushroom appetizers were amazingly good: made fresh in the kitchen, you could tell. I'd put this on the list if you're looking to catch some sports on TV with your friends - a good spot.

Listen... Was I forced to carb load this meal? Yes. But did I have a good time while doing so? Also…read moreyes. As a vegetarian, there were admittedly pretty limited options, but I was aware of that going in and still wanted to try out this Durham institution. You get complimentary Focaccia (not once, but twice!), with perfectly crusty outside, bouncy inside, and a wonderful olive oil. If I had known this beforehand, probably would not have ordered the Dinner Rolls- nonetheless, they were delightful (pillowy soft and came with an airy butter). As an appetizer, we got the Little Gem Lettuce, which was a little too salty for my taste, and I felt the citrus accentuated the saltiness even more. However, my friends thought it was seasoned well so take this with a grain of salt lol. But I did enjoy the creaminess of the dressing and the crunch from the topping; also, it was pleasant to eat along with some bread. For my entrée, I got the Spaghettini. This was my first time trying shaved black truffle and I was underwhelmed, but I loved the pasta itself, which had a really unique bite to it and was rich but not heavy. The pasta dishes are on the smaller side with regards to portion. Last but definitely not least: the Hot Chocolate Soufflé. Oh my gosh. When I say this was heavenly, I could literally hear angels singing as I took my first bite. The hot fudge was velvety but not overwhelming, the soufflé soft, and perfectly balanced by the cool bourbon-caramel ice cream. This is assembled table side so you get a fun little show as well haha. We were taken on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster because apparently they were having trouble with the oven, but so grateful that could be fixed. Service was amazing (shout out to Beza!), very friendly and appropriate timing. Ambiance is superb, literally the epitome of modern elegance and probably the best in Durham for a fancy night out. Highly recommend getting a reservation. I could see parking being tricky on busy weekends, but I was able to snag a spot in front of the restaurant. Overall, I had a good experience with some minor room for improvement with dish execution but definitely would appreciate more vegetarian and vegan-friendly options (although, I suppose I didn't ask if modifications to dishes was possible). 9/10 would recommend!

Food: excellent. The food is delicious, expert chef. It is expensive. Plus they add a surcharge for…read moreuse of credit card, which is surprising given the premium pricing which averages $100 per person. Service. Poor. Waitress Broke the wine cork, forgot to serve bread (blamed an ongoing wine dinner) and did not serve olive oil, when bread was served after making request. Ambience: Cozy with tables close. I came away annoyed. There are few restaurants of this quality in Durham, but they need to do better for me to return.

Great sandwich and better dessert! We went there for a…read morecommunity meal after church. Service was good and food was great!

I've driven past Foster's many times on the weekends and there's always a large crowd, so when a…read moredear friend suggested going for brunch I jumped at it. We arrived around noon on a busy beautiful Sunday! There's plenty of seating both inside and on their outdoor wrap around patio. Foster's has an old rustic charm, kind of like a general store but on a larger scale. So, you order at the counter with one of their many staffers, they call your name when it's ready if you ordered to go, or they walk around to the tables calling out your name if you choose to dine there! I had the Farm Plate, which was 2 eggs your way, a meat, their famous herb biscuit and your choice of grits or potatoes. I chose scrambled hard with cheese eggs, chicken sausage patties and cheese grits. It was just ok. The food was good, not like OMG! My friend had the Breakfast Burrito and it was again, just ok. They have a variety of options to choose from. Maybe we just picked the most basic ones. Nothing is out of the ordinary. Everything looks delicious and we really should have tried a dessert, but didn't. I would go back to give them another chance, but I'm not rushing. They have local goods, like honey, jams, chocolates, sauces for sale as well as wine and lots of other goods. It's super family friendly and a great place to sit and enjoy someone's company or your own, o just didn't have a spectacular experience.

I've been hearing about this Bull City Burger spot for over two months, (noted for their tasty…read moregrass-fed beef) and in watching the reviews -- I figured that the experience should be very pleasant; to the eyes and the palate. I was hoping I would not be disappointed. Downtown Durham on Parrish Street I do believe. I went there midday and there was a sparse lunch crowd already seated when I arrived. The warmly lit space presents nice aesthetic as you walk into the restaurant. A very chill and comfortable atmosphere. I love the bar and the mirrored wall nestled behind it. The spot is pretty laidback and very clean, but has a bit of a rustic nuance to it as well. I like that. The serving staff were extremely nice and helpful towards advising me in making my selection -- with me being a first-timer and all. I kept it simple...I chose the Classic Burger (pink) with pepper jack cheese, bacon marmalade, and as a side, I had to go with the Dirty Fries -- 'cause that's how I roll y'all. About the food: I have to say, the burger was staunchly built and crafted with artistry. Nice and tall with a seriously tasty bun encapsulating everything. Perfectly well-seasoned meat and the first bite was simply delightful. I noticed as I got towards the center of the meat, it was bit less juicy than the surrounding parts of the burger, but nevertheless still tasty. My Dirty Fries were delicious In the end; the experience as a whole was quite delightful and I would definitely like to go there again -- perhaps try a different burger to expand upon my experience with this place. Gotta try out That Bar y'all! I do recommend it for those who haven't had a chance to go by there to check it out.

I'm going to open by saying that the fun and humor of this restaurant is amazing. The interior is…read morenice and vibrant, with a perfect mix of minimalist and maximalist designs in the building (especially with the brewery apparatus being visible--which is awesome!!). Even before me an my party entered we could hear music playing from the building, which kept the vibes up! Moving onto the food, a certain menu item caught my eye. Something that I'm legally obligated to keep quiet about... but let tell you- this burger was Gooood. This "Signature Secret Burger" was rather unique, as it was like you took a pretty simple egg burger, and just ramped it up. My initial thought when I first tried it was that it was a burger squared, the mystery ingredients amplified the flavor to make such a savory meal. It wasn't to overbearing like many other burger places that I've visited, not immediately making me feel fat and full after taking a few bites. Our party also ordered a whole quart of fries, and they were SO GOOD!!! I'm a sucker for good fries, and you knocked this out of the park! Your fry soft was nice and mellow and complimented the fries perfectly. (And even afterwards, the fries warmed up really well and were still Really freakin' good!) Finally, during my visit, their anniversary event (Happy 15th By The Way ) and they were offering FREE DESSERT for someone who happened to sit in a randomly chosen seat. And by the luck of the gods my little brother found his way onto the seat! It was just really awesome to see a restaurant doing such awesome things for their birthday, y'don't see that every day! Overall, this place is definitely a place to stop by if you're in Durham. If you're in the area visit IMMEDIATELY if you love good fun food!