Home Plate is a great choice for southern food! The food is served cafeteria style, you just let…read morethem know what you want in your tray and they will load you up. It's a homey restaurant and you can eat your food there or take it to go. The staff is friendly and helpful. The meals are very reasonably priced; you get a main, 2 sides, and your choice of hushpuppies or a roll for $9.20 (as of March 2026). The tray of food was really heavy, they really pack it full! The BBQ Chicken was tender, juicy, and perfectly seasoned. I enjoyed both my sides, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy and Squash & Onions. The Hushpuppies were perfectly fried and delicious. I also tried their Banana Pudding, I loved the chunks of banana and the cookies. The menu/offerings change by the day and are posted on their website. I can't wait to try something new on my next visit!

Food poisoning the first and last time I go here. I had the fish. Other people I was with had the…read morefish but didn't get sick.

My Afro-Latina heart was so happy…read more I've been searching for really good Latin food since moving to North Carolina, and Boricua Soul absolutely delivered. From the moment we walked in, the vibe was on point. They were playing great music that made the whole place feel lively and welcoming, and I loved that you can choose to eat inside or enjoy the outdoor patio. My husband and I both ordered the Boricua Soul Bowl. He got the chicken, and I got the pernil. The pernil was incredible it was tender, juicy, and packed with flavor. The bowl came with arroz con gandules, collard greens, mac and cheese, and I chose the tostones. I had honestly given up on finding good tostones that I didn't have to make myself, but these were exactly what I'd been craving. Crispy, perfectly cooked, and absolutely delicious with the Guava Lava sauce. Since, I couldn't pass them up, we also ordered a side of maduros, and they were perfectly caramelized and sweet. The empanadas easily made my top five. Crispy on the outside, flavorful on the inside, and gone way too quickly. Also don't skip the watermelon lemonade, it was so refreshing and paired perfectly with everything we ordered. We'll definitely be back. There are still so many things on the menu I want to try, but I already know I'll be ordering the Boricua Soul Bowl. One tip for first-time visitors: if you're sitting inside and trying to get back outside , the exit is the same door you originally came in through on the far glass door. There is a sign, but we watched three different people accidentally try every other part of the glass first, so hopefully this saves someone a little confusion.

I'm from Charlotte and my friend was in the southeast visiting so we met up in Durham. ChatGPT…read moresuggested Boricua Soul as a part of our girls day. First stop. We never made it anywhere else lol! I'm so excited to write this review!! We chose it because when I reviewed the Yelp reviews they were stellar. But mostly I was super intrigued by the sweet potato cheesecake empanada and y'all it was everything I hoped it would be. It's small, you can maybe get 4 or 5 bites. The filling is sweet but not overpowering, good balance. The crust, crunchy and delicious. Came with a side of whipped cream. Drizzled in caramel sauce. I had the restraint to save it for last. We opted to split the shrimp sandwich and house made chips because we weren't too hungry and wanted to save room for the empanadas. Perfect plan. The sandwich can be ordered with a garlic, jerk or buffalo sauce. We were given a sample of the jerk to determine spicyness. Super spicy (which I loved) but my friend doesn't so we went with buffalo which wasn't spicy at all. The shrimp were a nice size, coated and seasoned well. The restaurant itself is small with about five tables but there is an abundance of outdoor seating shared with other businesses. We knew we planned to relax and catch up so we opted to eat outside. Despite the 90 degree weather, the entire area was shaded with a little wind so perfect. We got a number and our food and drinks were served to us. (Peach passion froze----yum!) Now. Boricua Soul is a great example of why I love seeking out and patroning local restaurants. The founders, Serena and Tori Fredericks, were both present, Serena managing the front, Tori managing the kitchen and both in and out of the restaurant serving people outside as well as inside. They were all over! Very welcoming. We were there for four hours and Serena's smile never left her face. She personally checked on us throughout. It felt like hanging out at your family's for the day. When we came in just a few people there, no line. Serena was at the register. I told her I came from Charlotte and she graciously gave us samples of the mac and cheese and collard greens as she described the menu. Both by the way, amazing! I don't think I've ever been able to find delicious perfectly seasoned greens with no meat. Before we knew it the line was to the door. By then I had the chance to experience her love for what she does and her heart for the community. Clean restaurant, beautiful and personable decor. Clean gender neutral private bathrooms. I took pics of the article on the wall about them, well worth the read. You too will drive miles to experience this Caribbean and Southern inspired restaurant! Im coming back and bringing people. There's so much more for me to try.

This is a decent four-star Southern bar near the Duke campus. We were driving through town, and we…read morestopped here before visiting the local botanical garden. There's plenty of paid street parking in the area. The interior is a bit dark inside, minimal ambient light from the outside, TVs around the bar. Lunch arrived quickly, I had the patty melt which was a bit over salted, but not too bad. Service from Makena was overall decent, nothing exceptionally bad or good. Pricing for lunch averaged just over $20 per person, including the "included gratuity." It's a fine Place to get standard bar food.

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.

I took my family to Dames for the first time and everyone was pleased and haven't stopped talking…read moreabout their food since. We drove from Charlotte NC to try them and they had a line out the door. Of course we waited and it was worth every minute. I had the chicken wings with sweet potato waffle and almond vanilla schmear. I almost ate the plate But seriously if you're thinking about trying Dames don't think any longer, Go. Just make sure you make that reservation

Although I'm not a fan of sweet with savory, I finished everything on my plate : )…read more We had never tried chicken with waffles before and our server took us through the options and even brought out tasting samples of the different types of butter which were all amazing. It does seem like I'm mixing up brunch and dinner food items though in terms of the flavor profiles. However, the waffles were excellent and the fried chicken had incredible flavor. I'm still not completely sold on the combination but everything on the plate tasted perfect. Highly recommended.

This is the way that BBQ should hit!!…read more We stopped in the "Shack" while visiting Durham. Having been huge fans of North Carolina style BBQ, we were not disappointed.My wife and daughter enjoyed the Pork Plate. By for me, I went with the two meat combo with Pulled pork and brisket. The pulled pork was spot on. It was perfectly smoked and almost melted in my mouth. With a touch of spicy vinegar sauce, I was gone to Carolina in my mind for the rest of the day. The brisket might have been some of the best I've ever had. It had a nice fat layer and was also "melt in your mouth" and juicy. The brisket didn't need any sauce at all. It was that good. The hushpuppies were the star at the table. My family considers themselves to be connoisseurs of hush puppies, and these were ranked in the top five. A respectable ranking from such a discriminating hushpuppy panel. The sides we sampled included collard greens, mac and cheese and BBQ beans. The collards and Mac and cheese were out of this world. I should have ordered a double serving of the collards. However, the beans were a huge disappointment. They were more like a bowl of sub-par chili than BBQ beans. If we return, they will not be selected. A great BBQ spot when you are in Durham. Highly recommend you stop by, if only to taste the brisket!

I ordered the 2 meat combo with brisket and pulled pork, with mac and cheese and beans on the side…read more It also came with toast, pickles, and fresh onions. The meat was very tender and juicy, and I liked that the BBQ sauces and beans were flavorful without being overly sweet. The place has a cozy feel, with both indoor and outdoor seating. It can get pretty busy around lunch, but overall it was a great meal.

I was very fortunate to have a southern grandmother with a heart of gold, who cooked the most…read moreamazing meals usually all from scratch. Soul food (when done right) is expensive, time consuming, but most importantly a labor of love. Our Kale's Kitchen food didn't taste like business. It was something akin to what you would expect granny to serve Sunday after service. Our orders of Turkey Wing, and Stuffed Chicken were each accompanied with green beans and mac and cheese. I also ordered a side of yams. The Turkey Wing was tender and flavorful. The green beans (from a can, I believe) were cooked in a broth of some kind and well seasoned. Mac and cheese buttery and loaded with a mild cheese(s). The stuffed chicken is a very large breast stuff with a more complex cheese mixture similar to perhaps an artichoke dip. Yams thick not watery and well seasoned. Very, very, very good! Fun fact: I used to really be out here ordering from these Instagram chefs and Kales Kitchen was one of them. I think it was a 10 meal prep for less than $100.00. We had a quality issue and she was quick to respond and resolve and I love to see the growth. With that being said, you will have to be flexible. They are still working through process issues. However, for me, the food justified the inconvenience. Considering all the hype that isn't an easy feat. Soul Food 4.7

Was excited to try a new place but beware, their hours vary by day. I arrived where their website…read moresaid they were open till 3:59am only to be told they closed at 8:30pm on a Saturday... I was also told the menu changes daily... whenever I'm on this side of town maybe I'll give them a try but I won't go out of my way to visit a place that says download Instagram to see if they're open/what they have for the day. You're a restaurant with a website wasting a domain ... at least ATTEMPT to keep that accurate! Also, to clarify: If you check sanitation scores like I do - they used to be listed as KALE'S KITCHEN but are now listed as KALES AT JOE'S DINER. They do have a good grade though!! Just something to be aware of if you check places frequently like I do.

Solid BBQ, good prices…read more Needed some Carolina BBQ for takeout and they had a nice family meal that was more than enough to feed four people. In fact, there were enough left overs for another round. Their service was quick, and the chopped pork was solid. The fried chicken was also good. The mac and cheese was nice and creamy, and the coleslaw was not too watery. I definitely recommend them for feeding a crowd at an economical cost.

I wanted to love this place but it just missed the mark for me. The food didn't have a lot of…read moreflavor--though their bbq sauce was good. The service was professional but nothing to write home about. It's a small place and didn't really seem to have an identity with decor, that's okay, as long as the food is great and I'm not sure if we went on an off day or what but the food was underwhelming. I hope to try it again at some point and have to update this with a better experience next time.

Great experience and visit for the first time receive this information in the Major Taylor cycling…read moreconvention recommendation. And we were happy to visit and enjoy the delicious food. The food portions were large. We could've shared one plate. There were great delicious options for any appetite. the service was excellent and enjoyed our meal. Tip , please bring cash as this is a cash only business.

Wow! I don't know where to start. Everything about the Chicken Hut was a five out of five, from the…read moreservice, the cleanliness, and the food. I had read many yelp reviews before going in, and all of them described it to a T. They make you feel very welcomed and cared for. They treat you like family. I told the owner that I am not a foodie. I pretty much eat to live where others might live to eat. The Chicken Hut turned me into a foodie. My eyes got big when tasting all the food I chose. The chicken was soft and tender and delicious, the potato salad tasted homemade, and the peach cobbler was to die for. If I am ever back in Durham, I will definitely find my way back to this restaurant. Thank you to all the staff! You all made our day and week!