If you're looking for a fun weekend date that feels cozy, elevated, and a little different, Weldon…read moreMills in Durham is such a standout. My husband and I visited recently for a bourbon tasting, and the entire experience exceeded our expectations. Our mixologist, Berkay, was incredibly knowledgeable and engaging. He shared the history behind each spirit and walked us through the tasting notes in a way that was easy to understand and genuinely enjoyable. The food menu was another big win, especially as someone who eats vegan. They offered vegan options, which made the experience feel inclusive and well thought out This is a fantastic spot for date night, a girls' night, or celebrating something special. They also host tastings, cocktail classes, private parties, and bachelor or bachelorette events, which makes it a great option for future plans. Highly recommend if you're looking for a memorable experience in Durham that feels both fun and thoughtfully done.

We had some friends in town from San Diego and wanted to show them a few places we've been meaning…read moreto try. It was a Monday evening and it was pouring down rain. We weren't even sure anyone would be inside Weldon Mills - thankfully they were. As you walk in it's just such a big space, lots of seating areas and visual interest. The bartender was very welcoming, and we think that he was happy to see us. We got our cocktails very quickly, and the bartender even explained some things about the distillery to us. We had such a nice time just relaxing and getting out of the rain. Sadly, I did not take note of the names of the cocktails that we got, but it is nice to see. They have a rotational menu. The drinks were fall themed. We will definitely come back!

I visited Aaktun for this Saturday's coffee shop Saturday…read more There's street parking and a few nearby lots. Aaktun has indoor and outdoor seating for the coffee shop and a restaurant that I didn't see. It's super cute inside. The staff is friendly and eager to help. I asked a few questions and ordered the Churruna pastry and The Waves Latte, hot. I decided to sit outside because it was an absolutely beautiful day. I took a bite of the Churruna and it was absolutely delectable. The Waves Latte was also so perfect. I was immediately in awe of Aaktun. They have so many options, I can't wait to go back!

Aaktun is a lovely, tiki-inspired restaurant hidden behind an unassuming cafe storefront. Upon…read moreentering the cafe, go to your left and walk down the decorated hallway to teleport yourself to Mexico. The vibes of the seating area were very cool, with plants dispersed throughout and a live DJ playing music. Our party of 4 came in for a Sunday lunch with no reservation and got seated right away. Drinks - we ordered different lattes and Cafe de Olla to try, all were good and nicely presented, and came from the cafe in the front. Food - Breakfast sandwiches were very fluffy and the brioche bread was rich: ordered the B.E.C. and Shrooms sandwiches. Also got the Totchos Supreme which is essentially nachos with tater tots instead of chips. Great breakfast item and the tots were nice and crispy! The star of the show was the shrimp and grits made with purple grain: the sauce had lots of flavor and a kick to it, and the shrimp cooked perfectly. The ambiance combined with the quality of food and drink makes Aaktun an easy brunch favorite in Durham!

We had an extremely memorable experience at Alley Twenty Six, in large part to our amazing server,…read moreAnthony! We made a reservation for a Saturday night dinner and he made sure we were well taken care of all night. We started the night with their James Bears award winning cocktails, and every drink we ordered was a hit! Spiced strawberry mule, Sunset Sipper, and the table favorite: Earl Please. The latter two drinks were mocktails and they were still standouts! As for the food, the Alley burger was perfectly cooked: juicy patty paired with truffle cheese and simple toppings that really highlighted the burger itself. And shoestring fries are always a good choice with a delicious burger. Ricotta gnocchi was also very good. As our server Anthony said, let's get this burger nominated!

It's always exciting to go to Alley26, namely for their food. Out of all the options in a block…read moreradius (with the exception of sushi nearby), I will always chose Alley26. Over burgers, over French food, over ramen, over Indian. Why? Because Alley26 serves delectable oysters, succulent burgers, and incredible tin fish. Yes, tin fish. If you haven't seen their extensive menu of fish, you must! While it's not for everyone, it is a tinned fish enthusiasts heaven! I go here to celebrate milestones with a good friend and we always have a mini feast, paired with a glass or two of wine. My favorite time to go is when the weather is comfortable and we can sit in the alley way, it's soooo chic that it feels like you're sitting outdoors at a meal in Italy of France. Service is always on point and I forget the bartenders name that is super knowledgeable and super kind. When I remember, I'll circle back to update this review. If you're thinking about this place, definitely check it out! The only inconvenience though is that I believe is 21+ over, at least at night it is.

Juju is the perfect spot for a night out. The ambiance is dark and moody, but perfect to enjoy all…read morethe various dishes that are amazing for sharing. It is hard to pick a favorite, I would easily eat all of these dishes again and again. We started with the sweet chili cucumbers, a great combination of sweet and a touch of spice and the crispy brussels sprouts, also on the sweeter side. For our main dishes we enjoyed the garlic ramen noodles and mongolian beef. The ramen had a beautiful presentation, that let's you choose your own combination in every bite. The beef is paired with fingerling potatoes and got rave reviews from the whole table.

Food: 4 Service: 1…read moreWent in for lunch. Place not busy at all -- maybe 6 small tables of 2 or 3. Server interrupted...and interrupted...and interrupted. Friend ordered the Midnight Clove cocktail and I ordered a G&T with Conniption gin. Server returned to interrupt us and say they were "out of" the Midnight Clove cocktail. Friend ordered something else. Server returned to interrupt us and say they were out of Conniption gin-- which is made literally a mile and a half away. Another server interrupted our conversation to deliver something we hadn't ordered.... They just seemed surprised and completely unprepared to be in business. Food was great, though, especially the soup and the best tofu I've ever had. Bahn mi was served on soft bread a bit like ciabatta --I'd have preferred the more traditional crusty bread.

This is a seat yourself spot with QR codes at the table to order food and drinks. They have few…read moredifferent sections to sit with lots of tables. This was my first time sitting inside since it was such a cold day. Food came out very fast and was good. The Burrito Bowl is a lot of food, and I had plenty for leftovers.

We are all entitled to our own opinions, right? Well here's mine:…read more Parking: 5 Location: 5 Decor/ambiance: 5 Customer Service: 5 This is one of Durham's best-kept secrets. If everyone knew about this spot, then there would be a line that stretched from Durham to Florida.

Bar Virgile is a must-visit in Durham. The drinks were top notch--crafted really well and…read moredefinitely stand out. The burger is easily one of the best in town, cooked perfectly and full of flavor. We also tried a couple appetizers and they were amazing, especially the deviled eggs--honestly some of the best I've ever had. The overall vibe is great too, just a really solid atmosphere to hang out and enjoy a good meal and drinks. Definitely recommend checking this place out if you are in durham

I go there quite often with friends and it's been great. Tonight, four of us went there for drinks…read moreand dinner, and was very disappointed in the amount of time it took from when we ordered one appetizer, then we ordered dinner entrees and it took one hour for our meals to come out. Tables around us, who came in after us, got their food before us. The server said it was because the printer stopped printing but she saw that and told the kitchen what our order was. We finally got our appetizer snd They took our appetizer off the bill and that was nice but that was for one person in our party. We finally got our entrees an hour from ordering! Not one time did anyone come out and address our concern which is very unusual! Most places, management would have been out and spoke to us but nope. I love this place but had a bad experience tonight

We stopped by to watch the Army-Navy game. Prices were reasonable. Our bartender, Ryan, was…read morefriendly. My nachos were delicious. It is really low-key and gives off a dive bar atmosphere without the smoke. It looks much smaller from the outside it actually is. I also e joyes their selection of local beers/ciders/seltzers. Only Suggestions that I could think of for improvement was the amount of toppings on the nachos. The ratio of toppings was way too large for the amount of chips you got. I had to leave half of my toppings because I ran out of chips. This is super close to our new house though so we will be back for sure.

I came here last night for the first time and I think I found my new hangout spot. This place stays…read moreopen until 2am. Don't be fooled, it looks a lot smaller from the outside but on the inside it is spacious and has it all. Plenty of parking spots right next to the entrance. I sat at the bar and as it was my luck, they had Karaoke . They have pool tables on the main floor with some arcade machines near the stairs, which lead you to the second floor. The second floor has more games including darts. Everything is spaced out great, so no one is on top of you as you are enjoying some games. I ordered some drinks and food. Got the cheese curds and the fried pickles. They were pipping hot and yummy. Got to chat with some of the locals and the bartenders were hilarious. Plenty of options on the beer and drink menu. The prices are super reasonable. May this be why this place was happening last night. Oh, and I got up and sang 2 karaoke songs. One with a regular patron who I just met there. Why not, right? Everyone was having a great time. Definitely will be coming back. Worth checking out!! Karaoke is Thursdays and Saturdays!

Great vibes, great food, very chill and comfortable atmosphere. Will definitely be going back…read more Also thanks Fawn for always making me good drinks, definitely check her out when you go.

First time here... atmosphere is fine. It's nice to have options for late night dining or a place…read moreto hang. Food was ok, possibly some more fresh options or hand crafted plates. Service was SSSLLLOOOWWW. It felt like our server was not interested in serving tables. Even basic things like topping off our water, seemed like it took forever. He needed some training on etiquette, when our bill came he was hovering over us paying, it felt like being bullied to tip him a certain amount. Honestly the tip was forced, for the service we got it wasn't worth much of a tip. Then only after paying did we noticed charges that were never told to us while ordering. Why would a server not notify you if something is extra or an up charge? When we brought it to his attention he seemed to not care that we didn't know or that he didn't say anything, nor did he take the initiative to correct the problem. Management may need to spend some time on upping the servers game. Training is key to success. Meh experience.

Food was fairly good. Bad experience with server. There were eleven of us and we had made a…read morereservation. At the end of the meal, our server informed the table that we were more than two hundred dollars short of their $65 per head minimum. We had read that that was a penalty for no shows, not a requirement if eating there. The manager waived the extra charges, but we think they should make this policy clear when you sit down, not after the meal.

Not for me. Visited last evening and had pleasant service. The food and flavors were not to my…read moreliking. The salt and pepper shrimp were battered and cooked with the shell remaining. That didn't work for me. The dumplings were ok. The wontons had a flavor not to my liking. Expensive for the experience.

The brewery staff was great, the pizza staff was rude.. I have been here many times because I love…read morethe pizza and sour offerings. We have many breweries closer to home but we drive 30 minutes out of our way for the pizza. I always tip them well even though they don't serve you. Today when I went to pick up our pizza, one of the staff members was rude and snarky towards me. I don't driver 30 minutes out of my way for that. I will patronize a local business that's closer to me next time.

Took an impromptu trip to a brewery we've passed numerous but didn't know the name, turns out it…read morewas Ponysaurus! I've been to the Raleigh location as well, check out the review if you want to know more. Panysaurus over all is a cool place (either location) but they have drastically different vibes - which in my book is a good thing. The Durham location brings you an awesome patio scene! The bar itself is a bit small but their indoor/outdoor approach makes it seem huge. The patio is two floors, both covered, one just off the bar and the other right about that which has a few TVs for those interested. Off of the patio is a nice size "beer garden" sitting area complete with picnic tables and a great view. If you are looking for chill family friendly patio vibes this is the place to be! I really love Ponysaurus beer, their pilsner is nice but their kolsch is my favorite. If you've been to the Raleigh location, the Durham menus is not the same. Yes they have pizza but it doesn't seem to have the same options - still good though. We went with a hankering for the hummus we got at the Raleigh location, again the Durham location had hummus but a different variation. One thing that's consistent with both locations is the amount of pita that came with the hummus, there is nothing worse than getting a huge bowl of hummus and only a few pieces of hummus or chips. Both locations knocked it out of the park. Plenty of WARM pita for everyone. This location is somewhat self-service, the bartender obviously poured out beer and there is a cute window for picking up snacks but no table service.