Mateo Bar de Tapas
Phone: (919) 530-8700
Mateo has had a Spanish heart with a Southern soul in downtown Durham since 2012. The first solo venture from James Beard semi-finalist Chef Matthew Kelly of Vin Rouge, Mothers & Son’s, Nanas and the beloved Saint James Seafood (RIP), is housed in the old Book Exchange building in the heart of downtown Durham. The menu blends the flavors of Spain with beloved ingredients and dishes of the South, with one of the largest sherry collections in the country and a large Spanish wine collection. Alton Brown called it the best tapas bar in the country, posting a pic to social media before taking the stage at DPAC.
Cuisines
- Casual Dining
- Celebrated Cuisine
- Farm To Fork Restaurants
- International
- Southern/Cajun/Creole
Hours
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 5:00 – 10:00 PM
Wednesday: 5:00 – 10:00 PM
Thursday: 5:00 – 10:00 PM
Friday: 5:00 – 10:00 PM
Saturday: 5:00 – 10:00 PM
Sunday: Closed
Tuesday: 5:00 – 10:00 PM
Wednesday: 5:00 – 10:00 PM
Thursday: 5:00 – 10:00 PM
Friday: 5:00 – 10:00 PM
Saturday: 5:00 – 10:00 PM
Sunday: Closed
Map
Google Rating
-
Great experience. Can't go wrong with any of the tapas, but a few of my favorites were the ribs, the farmers cheese, seafood paella, dates, and all the drinks. The atmosphere and service was great, which added to the experience. Would highly recommend and would visit again. -
Absolutely delicious!!!! Perfect way to start a movie date night. The food is delicious but you won't feel so full that you are uncomfortable. Friendly staff with good drinks as well. Highly recommend!
-
If you don't like dried meats don't even bother coming here 😂, if you do you're welcome to read the rest of this.
Seems kind of upscale, but really isn't. A lot of people will be dressed up and lot of people will look like morning joggers. The staff are super friendly and proactive. I don't think my glass of water ever had the chance to be empty 🌊. This is a great place to talk and eat, just order the Mixto and it'll feed anywhere from 2-4 people (it comes with this really nice jam, these amazing roasted nuts, and bread that really makes everything come together). I ate the:
- Serrano: A thin cut that has a bit of bite to it
- Chorizo: Super thin cuts that were good, but not my favorite thing on charcuterie board
- Surryano: A super rich fatty cut of pork that I think was my favorite
- Carolina Moon: A really flavorful and slightly sweet cheese that's kind of like Brie (I think their cheeses are seasonal, but I'm not sure)
- Pan con Tomate: 2 amazing slabs of sour dough that honestly doesn't need the tomato to make it better. I was really surprised by how good it was
- Almejas: Probably the most underwhelming thing I've had, the clams were a little bitter and fishy but not bad overall
- Chocolate Mousse: I mean dessert always tastes good, but the flavor is super inconsistent. Some bites had me saying "Wow" and others had me thinking "Where 👀" -
Wow. It’s very difficult to find high quality and authentic Spanish food, but this place made me miss Spain. The ham croquettes were delicious, the bechamel was creamy and there was the perfect ratio of jamón to bechamel. The meatballs were juicy and flavorful, to the point where we asked for another order. The gambas al ajillo were perfectly cooked and dipping the bread in the oil was the cherry on top. The tortilla de patata was good, would have liked a softer center and could’ve done without the cheese and chives, but overall great execution. The patatas bravas sauce was out of this world and the ribs were my absolute favorite.
Can’t recommend this place enough. Viva España! -
Food and atmosphere were really great! Lower rating for a few things: we were sat 30 minutes after our reservation. We had a bar reservation and it seemed the restaurant still lets folks who are waiting for a proper table to wait at the bar? Which created a bottleneck and significant delays. The bartender served us, he was super friendly and lovely. Asked about dietary restrictions and someone in our party is vegetarian, which we shared, to which he graciously offered to mark up a menu for us, which we declined and said we’d be happy to Google anything unfamiliar. Since it’s tapas we planned to share everything so all selections needed to mind this. Ordered the dates, which unknowingly had ham on them, not noted in an obvious way on the menu. The ingredient listed on the menu was “Serrano” which is also a commonly known pepper. Anyhow, we let our server know we couldn’t eat it. He took it back almost totally uneaten except for one bite. We were still charged in the end. Totally get that the restaurant doesn’t owe us a menu with full notations with V or GF or whatever, but if they offer to “mark up a menu” for you, take them up on it. Hate to leave a negative review but these are all things we would’ve liked to know before booking, so sharing in case it’s helpful for others. Otherwise we really enjoyed the food, and the vibe. The seasonal offerings were off the charts in terms of flavor! Do recommend overall.
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