Chef Oscar Diaz refined his cooking skills at Alizé, a Michelin-starred French restaurant in Las Vegas, before making his mark in Raleigh at Jose and Sons and Cortez Seafood + Cocktail. Eager to bring his unique fusion of Mexican/American cuisine to Durham, he opened Little Bull in the former Jetplane Coffee space. It now boasts a homey bar serving seasonal cocktails, interesting dishes cooked over live fire, and a sleek, cozy outdoor patio that creates the perfect ambiance for a place that aims to offer diners something special.
Went in a group of 9 for Sunday brunch on 12/1/24. Really great experience with the deco, food and drinks, and they even have gf dishes listed on menu as well.
I was completely stunned by the amazing blue corn shrimp and grits (and it completely changed my view on grits), and everyone was really happy with our food in our party. The only thing was that one of the grits might have been forgotten and came out 20 minutes late, but other than that everything else was on point!
For a sit down restaurant little bull serves really great Sunday brunch with really friendly price. I recommend anyone to try the Sunday brunch, and hope to get to try dinner here at some point
Valentin Senicourt
Nov 26, 2024
3
⚠️ Huge variance between dishes, your experience can be 2⭐ or 5⭐ depending on what you order, some plates are very small (~$16 a plate). I think they need to change their menu until everything is solid.
Staff says ~ 3 plates / person for a good meal (~$60) but half of the plates were a dud or just "fine" so it feels like you may get $30 of actual food that was worth it. For those prices you may wanna go elsewhere.
Some plates took a -very- long time to come out, staff gave or named the dish incorrectly a few times, we accidentally ate our friend's dish once.
Here's my personal ranking of what I tried with a large group:
++
Ceviche, with its plantains (everyone loved it)
Brussel sprouts (unexpected)
Arepas
+
Barbacoa (good amount of food for small plate)
Pastelito (tasty, warm, great texture)
Capirotada
-
Mole puerquito (good but $40 is a lot for not that much of it)
Scallops crudo (I found them boring but others liked them)
--
Birria dumplings. Soggy noodle with tasteless meat inside, even with a lot of birria. 2 dumplings per $16 plate, no one at our 8 people table liked it, some didn't even finish. This should absolutely be removed from the menu until improved.
We did not try the charred octopus because several reviews explicitly called it out.
Cameron Garrison
Oct 23, 2024
5
Oh wow, this place is so wonderful. An absolutely beautiful space, really attentive and friendly staff, and delicious food. We had two cocktails, the barbacoa (favorite), ceviche (favorite), octopus and arepes (both really good). Also had the bread pudding for dessert and it was to die for!! Pricey ($150 for two), but definitely worth it for special occasions. Highly recommend this lovely restaurant! PS. Lots of GF options.
Samuel Edmondson
Oct 17, 2024
5
It was one of the best meals I've ever had! The bloody Mary was amazing, and I loved all the spices I got in there. The birria ramen was the best birria I've had, and I loved dipping the taquitos in there. The bread pudding was amazing, and the ice cream went perfectly on there. The carnitas were delicious, and i loved making the tacos. The duck chilaquiles were pretty good and so was the coffee. The waitress was also really nice.
Nicole Gentles
Aug 28, 2024
5
Best meal of my life! Great experience from first gen culinary artists dedicated to changing the game. I’ll DEFINITELY be back, with people. Goat birria?!?!? Anyone from the African diaspora KNOWS! Keep doing gods work. 😌🥰
Scott Jablonski
Aug 17, 2024
4
My wife and I decided to finally check this place out. I’m glad that they have finally added some vegetarian options. The drinks were okay, but not worth the price. Overall the food was stunning and very tasty. However the birria dumplings were not good. The goat meat was very chewy and decided not to eat it. Better to skip that dish. Customer service was on point.
Overall a great experience, but at the cost of a high price tag. I don’t think we will be back with those kinds of prices. We dropped over $130 for dinner.
Joe (MrSchnydes)
Aug 10, 2024
4
I had high expectations for this unique eatery but the food on this particular day didn't really hit the mark for us unfortunately...maybe just an off night? The place is great and eclectic with cool pictures throughout and a modern vibe. Drinks were great and we really enjoyed the unique wines. Service was also prompt and pleasant. The attempt at Americanized, Spanish tapas didn't spin well for some of the dishes for us and some dishes were off tonight, like the birria dumplings which came out more like soup than dumplings and the barbacoa was fatty and flavorless until you dug deeper into the banana leaf. Hats off to the chef for the crudo and octo, both fantastic.
Kiara Ruth
Jul 16, 2024
4
My friend Whitney and I were excited to have our girls' night out at Little Bull in Durham. While Whitney had visited before, it was my first time, and I was excited about the experience as it had been on my list for a while.
Upon our early arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the host, who graciously accommodated our request to sit inside instead of at our scheduled outdoor reservation. Despite arriving 30 minutes before our reservation time, she assured us it was not an issue.
Our server, whose name eludes me but hails from Spain, was exceptionally kind and knowledgeable about the menu. She attentively ensured our water glasses remained filled to the brim, a gesture we appreciated. Patient and courteous, she guided us through the menu as we deliberated on our meal choices.
Bottle of:
GAMBAS A LA PLANCHA
shrimp/salsa piquin/onion/ciabatta
GRILLED OCTO
octopus/cannellini beans/butter beans/field peas/pink eye peas/parm herb salad
CORN (not currently listed on the menu)
BOTTLE OF LAMBRUSCO
The food was good, although I found the Gambas to be slightly salty. My friend and I thoroughly enjoyed the Lambrusco, a favorite that I often purchase from our local wine store. The ambiance exuded intimacy, making it an ideal spot for a romantic date night.
While I appreciated the cozy atmosphere, I wished the lighting had been brighter for better photo opportunities. The weatherproof patio seemed inviting, offering a pleasant outdoor dining option. Surprisingly, towards the end of our meal, they opened the windows, a feature I had not been aware of. In hindsight, I would have chosen to sit by the window if given the opportunity.
Overall, my experience was positive, and I would definitely consider returning for another visit.
Stephen Mutz
Jun 29, 2024
4
My wife and I recently ate here on a date night, and probably don’t have the full view of the atmosphere since we ate outside. The food was great, but from a price and flavor perspective, we probably prefer Mateo, still it was good! Out of everything we got, we really liked the pork tacos, and the bread pudding. If you like octopus, you would probably enjoy that dish as well, it was good and very true to Spanish flavor!
The hand roll and potatoes were underwhelming.
Roseo (sp?) was our waitress and she was incredible!
Vanessa Horn
Jun 16, 2024
5
Absolutely delicious! We went for brunch and we absolutely loved everything we ordered.
Lobster sandwich
Grits
Duck Chiliquilas
French Toast
Steak and Eggs (my fave!)
Barbacoa
For appetizers we ordered the Ceviche and it was to die for!
Elizabeth Chu
Jan 5, 2024
4
Really love the atmosphere here! Very cozy and chic. Service was excellent and the drinks were SO good. My favorite dishes were the tuna hand roll, bone marrow, and broccolini. We got the burrata but it was too sweet for me. Dessert was great—I recommend getting the Taiyaki.
