Durham is the hipster smaller brother city to the larger city feel of Raleigh, and neighbor to the cute college town of Chapel Hill. I spent a little over two months in Durham and even though I’ve been to Raleigh before, I somehow didn’t make my way over there during this trip. I did spend a few weekend afternoons exploring Chapel Hill though, so here is a long list of some of the places I ate & drank at during my stay.

Downtown Durham

The Favs:

Bar Virgile - My favorite bar in town, which means they know how to make a damn good cocktail. The kitchen is also top notch, but sadly don’t have anything vegan. However if you’re willing to be vegetarian, you’ll have some delicious options. I spent many an evening here enjoying a beverage and people watching at the bar.
- There is also a club called Annexe (same owner) downstairs that caters to more of a younger, dance crowd on the weekends.
Bull City Burger & Brewery - Two caveats here: 1) I don’t drink beer so half of the appeal of this place is lost on me and 2) My cousin-in-law is one of the brewers. That being said, they do a great job of offering some very tasty vegan burger options, along with great ones for the meat-eaters out there as well. If I’m looking for comfort food and a chill place to hang out downtown, this hits the spot.
Mateo Bar de Tapas - Two words: Vegan Paella. Couple that with a very cool bar, great overall ambiance, and a nice cocktail list and I was sold. Did I order an entire vegan paella just for me and eat it right from the pan with a ginormous spoon? 100% yes. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. Definitely check this place out for their tapas as well, everything I saw getting delivered to the tables around me looked great, but once I had my paella I was happy as a clam and stopped looking at anything else!
Pompieri Pizza - A sister restaurant to Bull City Burger, this spot makes delicious and inventive pizzas. And most importantly for me, they offer actually delicious vegan pizza options which include their house-made dairy-free cheese. I wouldn’t recommend the ambiance for a date, but for lunch or dinner out with friends, or especially for take out, this is a great option.

Everywhere else:

Alley Twenty Six - Good cocktail bar catering to an older crowd (read older than Duke students), which is nice when you are no longer a college youth. There aren’t a lot of places for a great cocktail in town, so this means it gets REALLY crowded on the weekends. Book ahead if you want to go at a reasonable hour.
Dashi - Very cool Japanese place on the same street as Alley 26 & Kingfisher. I had a lovely meal here, and the ambiance is pretty unique for Durham so it’s worth going.
Kingfisher - On first look this cocktail bar looks very cool. It’s underground, the lighting is super moody, the cocktails are pretty good. But what I actually found was that this was the place was where all of the older duke students went out to feel sophisticated. On a weekend evening it is overflowing with young twenty-somethings crowding the bar to get a tiny cocktail that they might not even have a seat to enjoy. Overall, if you can go during a non-busy time, this would be a great moody hangout. But if you’re there during the semester or on a busy weekend night… maybe avoid if you’re over 25 and don’t want to be in a crowd that young.
Luna Rotisserie & Empanadas - Solid South American / Latin food, and they have vegan options! Their jackfruit is great.
Neomonde Mediterranean - I think this is a chain, but they have a very convenient location right in the middle of downtown. Lots of classic Mediterranean dishes, so for all my vegans out there you know that means you can find a falafel and all the usual sides here. Good for eat in or takeout
Torero’s Mexican - Cousin and I had a craving for Mexican one night and we headed here. They have all the basics you would expect to find at a standard Mexican place, not much on the vegan front but definitely options for vegetarians.
Viceroy - British empire Indian food….? Essentially it’s an English pub crossed with an Indian restaurant (portrait of Queen Victoria on the wall and everything). Definitely an odd vibe choice. Most things were pretty spicy but tasty so just keep that in mind when ordering.
106 Main - A solid industry bar, this is where you go for a beer, a straight up pour of one of their many bourbon options, or oddly enough, one of their many special martinis (the “Almond Joygasm” entertained me). If you want a cocktail go around the corner to Bar Virgle, but if you just want to hang out with some friends and have a low-key drink, this will fit the bill.

North & West Durham

Earth to Us - Great Latin food, and all vegan to boot! There are so many good options, but I love their arepas.
Monuts - Who doesn’t love a good donut place? They also have bagels and lunch specials, including lots of vegetarian options.

South Durham

The Boot Room - Liverpool / soccer bar! You can order a basic veggie burger or some other standard sports bar esque food. Great beer selection.
Foster’s Market - Everyone in town loves this place… it’s like a country store met a deli. They have a few different counters and offer everything from sandwiches to prepared foods to a full bakery. Finding vegan options here is harder than it should be but if you want to pick up lunch for a large group and do more of a family style sharing option, this is a good spot to do that.
Neo-China - Everyone needs a solid Chinese takeout spot and this was mine while I was in Durham.
Only Burger - You want a delicious greasy burger and fries, and maybe a vegan option of that for your friend as well? This is your spot.
The Refectory Café - This one is a bit weird. If you type in “Vegan food” on a google map of Durham, Refectory will inevitably come up (especially after you scroll past the couple of fried fast food only vegan places). And yes, they do have some vegan options on the menu, and generally have a “healthier” take on a lot of their dishes. Sadly, the quality of their vegan options just didn’t cut it for me. I went once solo and again with family, and while everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals, mine always fell very flat. I don’t know if their understanding was that even things as simple as spices weren’t safe for vegans or what, but most things I got were bland and just generally unappetizing. If you’re non-veg, by all means this spot has some great food. But for the vegans out there looking for a sit down spot… this isn’t it.

Chapel Hill

Brandwein’s Bagels - Nothing will compare to a true NY bagel for me, but this place does a pretty solid job. And on top of that, they had my holy grail: dairy-free cream cheese. Did I drive all the way from Durham to Chapel Hill on multiple weekends just to get my fix of a good schmear? You betcha.
Grata Café - Tucked behind a cool old factory / warehouse turned indoor shopping area, this was a lovely little café that had some very nice veg-forward options.
Rise Carrboro - One sad weekend I drove all the way to Chapel Hill for a bagel and found Brandwein’s was closed / on vacation. Luckily this spot was nearby so I was able to grab a veggie sausage biscuit. This is definitely a vegetarian breakfast sandwich and not a vegan one, I don’t think you can avoid some dairy in your biscuits and cheese. But if you’re open to some dairy… get your breakfast biscuit here.

Thanks for checking out Durham & Chapel Hill with me. Let me know below if you’ve been to any of these spots, or if you found any other cool places I need to try out next time I’m in town.

~ Happy traveling, V ~

Photo note: all photos taken with a 1st gen iPhone SE

Cover Photo also of Bar Virgile