Food & Drink

Eat your heart out.

If our community and culture define Durham, our restaurants, breweries, bars and craft beverage makers are where we pull up a chair and share it. Believe the locals and the press —Durham’s restaurant scene is the best in North Carolina, and our beverage scene has led the way in the South with awards and innovations in spirits, craft cocktails and breweries.

Alert: Due to water conservation requirements under the City of Durham's Stage 2 Water Shortage response, restaurants have been asked to serve drinking water only when a customer asks for it. Customers should be advised that, although some aspects of service may look a little different, drinking water is available.

Our chefs, restauranteurs, brewers, bartenders and distillers have built on a legacy of legendary businesses that came before them. From Bon Appetit to The New York Times to Food & Wine to the James Beard Foundation and, as of 2025, the MICHELIN Guide American South, our restaurants, bars, breweries and distilleries have received well-deserved recognition.

Earning your stripes as a Durham foodie takes more than hitting a top-ten list; it's about knowing the stories and traditions that make our flavors sizzle. Meet the farmers growing fresh, flavorful produce for seasonal menus, get to know the cultures that inspire our small business owners who put their hearts into every dish. From award winners to authentic holes in the wall and everything in between, Durham’s food and drink scene excites even the most discerning palate. Come, explore, and taste what makes us known as a foodie capital and the South’s tastiest town.

Discover a delectable and delicious Durham.

A Guide to Durham’s Nightlife

Durham's vibrant bars and nightlife spots keep the party going strong with the best music, drinks and atmosphere around. The city comes alive when the sun goes down.

Cheers!

Award-Winning Restaurants

For a small city far from the glittering culinary scenes of New York, New Orleans and Los Angeles, Durham punches far above its weight when it comes to food and drink. It's why visitors are as likely to book a trip for a good meal as they are to catch a Broadway show. Earn your foodie stripes by checking out Durham's most award-winning restaurants and bars.

Durham’s Best Cocktails and Cocktail Bars

Cocktail connoisseurs know, Durham’s bars and restaurants are serving up drinks to impress even the most discerning palate. With three James Beard Award-nominated bar programs on a single block and dozens more bars and restaurants where you can order an expertly made drink, Durham’s cocktail scene is on par with its brewery and food scenes.

Durham’s Best Coffee Spots

Durham's boldness is brewed fresh at these gems, and all are approved and raved about by locals. Find your new favorite cafe for a pick-me-up, a quiet place to work or a spot to socialize.

Sip and Savor

Durham’s Essential Restaurants

From fine dining to paper tray gourmet, find Durham restaurants perfect for celebrating milestones, satisfying cravings, a late night bite, a quick meal with the kids, or a date night that will solidify our city in your heart, mind and stomach as an unforgettable place to eat and a place where no meal is ever wasted.

Durham’s Best Pies and Pastries

In the mood for sweet, creamy, crunchy goodness? Durham's bakers are cooking up pies and pastries to satisfy your sweet (or not so sweet) tooth.

What Durham Top Chef Contestant Oscar Diaz Loves About Durham

Durham chef Oscar Diaz, owner of MICHELIN Guide-recommended Little Bull, along with Aaktun and Tataco, stars on Top Chef season 23. We sat down with him to hear about what he loves about the Bull City and how it has influenced his cooking.

The MICHELIN Guide American South

On November 3, 2025, Durham officially became a MICHELIN City as the inaugural American South Guide, its first regional guide in North America. Find out which Durham restaurants were honored on the international stage by the culinary world's most prestigious guide.

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Durham es Delicioso: The Bull City’s Latin Food Takeover

Durham's Latin restaurants represent an eclectic range of cultures, from Columbia and Cuba to El Salvador and more. Hear all about the dishes you can taste in the Bull City from award winning documentarian and food historian Von Diaz.