Taylor L.

Off the bat the restaurant is super cute and conveniently located right next to our favorite music venue. We stopped in for a bite before the show. The wait staff there are very good and attentive, they also do a great job of explaining every dish. There wasn't that many options to choose from, I wanted the skirt steak but they were out of that. We ended up getting the short ribs and tuna tartare - the dishes were yummy and were played beautifully. I also tried their lychee lemonade and it was amazing - definitely recommend getting that. Other than the tables being super close to one another and the lack of food options I think this place was pretty good!

Arvian D.

My niece decided that she wanted to go to a restaurant to celebrate her birthday this year, so she made reservations at Krill. As there would be over 20 people consisting of family and friends in attendance, she spoke with the manager to ensure that we could be accommodated. The manager, Jonah, was very nice and accommodating and said that we could have the entire patio for our dinner celebration. On the day of our Thursday reservation, I was the first to arrive and had my parents with me. This was our very first time at this restaurant, so I was excited to see what they had to offer. In fact, of the large group that was going to be in attendance, only a couple of people had previously been to this restaurant so the majority of us were going to be experiencing it for the first time. Upon entering, it had a small cozy type of vibe to it. We were greeted professionally and with a smile before being taken back to the area we would be having dinner. Once we got to the patio area, I was immediately impressed by the presentation. The set up was beautiful! The tables were put together longwise that gave the effect of one single large table, there were floral presentations on the individual tables, and decorations hanging from the roof. It was the perfect set up for our birthday celebration, and it was adequately warm. They really took the time and put some care into ensuring that we would be comfortable, and the arrangements were appropriate. The rest of the dinner party slowly came in after a short while and were equally impressed by the set up. There were 21 of us total; there was initially 24 but 3 couldn't make it at the last minute. Q was our server and did his best to try to accommodate us. He took our orders in stages starting with the drink orders followed by the small plates/appetizers and lastly the large plates/dinner order. Q also checked on us periodically. As this was a very large group with only one server, it became a little bit challenging for Q, but he managed. Unfortunately, this meant that things did take a little longer than anticipated. The food was incredible! From the appetizers to the dinner, we had dishes that were a bit unique in the combination of various flavors and taste. Everything was cooked perfectly with the right texture and moistness. The presentation of each dish was professionally done and aesthetically pleasing. Everyone enjoyed their dishes. It really was a great food experience. It was also a bonus for the restaurant to provide parking validation so that guests could dine comfortably without worrying about paid parking. This was a marvelous gesture! I am not sure if this was their first time accommodating this size group or not but I am only giving this restaurant a four star rating because there are some efficiencies needed when managing a very large group like ours was; specific areas are for getting the orders in and managing the bill more efficiently. Additionally, they were already out of wings and steak before we even got to order anything. Other than those hiccups that I mentioned above, this restaurant truly deserves a five star rating just based on the food alone, and the accommodations made by the manager, Jonah. I will definitely visit again and encourage everyone to try their food at least once.

Celia Monique W.

When I tell you, I am STILL thinking about the entree I had DAYS after dining here... It left that much of an impression on me. Initial thoughts on the ambiance? Cozy, welcoming, and somewhere I could stay awhile. The murals were quite colorful, I really admired the one of Anthony Bourdain as well. The hosts/hostesses were super friendly. Eliza was our server. He was great!! SO sweet and personable. With the exception of one person, it was our first time dining here, so his patience was appreciated as we had tons of questions. While most of the menu had shareable dishes, we each ordered separate entrees and appetizers. For drinks we started off with Lychee Martini's, now I only trust one restaurant, and one restaurant ONLY with making a good Lychee Martini, so I was a little hesitant on trying theirs. To my surprise, I really enjoyed it, so much that I ordered 2. For apps, we each ordered the Ayam Goreng (fried wings) and....wow, the sweet chili sauce that was paired with it? my gooooodness!!! I am such a chicken-wing girl so naturally I had my eyes on that for my starter. My Auntie ordered the Singkong Goreng (fried cassava) that was really good too, the sauce that it's paired with was a little on the spicy side fyi (if that's not your thing). For our entrees, 2 of us ordered the Short Ribs Kare-Kare, still drooling over how good this was! The short ribs were nice and tender, the coconut sticky rice and Boy Choy pairing? PERFECT. 1 ordered the marinated skirt steak, which they were very satisfied with, that was paired with roasted sweet potatoes, and my other Auntie ordered the tamarind salmon, she wasn't too crazy about that, she wanted it to be a little more tender. On our way out, I remember one of the team members had mentioned that there was another bar attached to the restaurant, so I asked him to show me before I left. I think it was called the Bar @ DBCO- they mentioned they have game nights there, and it looked super dope. I will definitely be returning to Krill for eats, and the Bar @ DBCO for afterwards next time I'm in Durham.

Glenn G.

We had dined here previously but wanted to revisit the restaurant now under new Filipino ownership. We made reservations for brunch and were the first ones in the door. It took a little while for them to finish brewing coffee, but it eventually came (seemed like they were training some new staff). We had the arroz caldo (congee) and si-si log rice bowl and both were delicious and filling. It's nice to have something unique like this place in Durham. We will be back to try more of their offerings.

Mher M.

We walked in and luckily got seated during their sold out Kamayan Experience. They serve authentic, homemade Filipino food. A bit on the pricey side but their intent was to elevate the Filipino cuisine. And yes, the ambiance does feel more luxurious than the usual hole in the walls Filipino restaurants. Not the typical carinderia style. I would not go there everyday since I can get the same food for free during parties and have Sharon (if you know what I mean *wink*). But I would definitely bring guests who want to try our Filipino dish here. Since their night was busy, they ran out of a lot of menu items. We got to try the pancit bihon with shrimp, lumpiang sariwa (which was oddly wrapped in pancake instead of the usual lumpia wrapper - but it worked well!), tapsilog, and oxtail pares. Everything tasted great. They also have the local beer - San Miguel and Red Horse. Wish there were more menu items available that night. I would like to try the street food one day since those are what I always crave for. One of the managers/owners who found a table for us chatted with us for a while and asked for our feedback. We love the place, we love the staff, we love the food! Hope this place continues to grow.

Heather S.

The ambiance was very beautiful and really transported you to a different place. There are a few things I didn't think they excelled at that prevented 5stars. 1. Bathroom it's clean but not that great and I always judge the bathroom as a representation of the kitchen. (I have no prof of what the kitchen looks like this is just in my head) 4 out of 5 2. We went to the brunch the price was up there. $9 for a limeade and over all cost of $60-$70 for food that didn't exceed that price range for a brunch. Yes it is Filipino food reimagined but I think the listing needs to add another $ to sound right to the price tag. - the Limeade top tear!!! I loved it soo much I wish I got another but after seeing the price happy I didn't. 4out of 5 - Longanisa, egg and cheese it's kinda like a burger but with Filipino sausage as the meat patty. It most definitely needed a sauce and wish they had their own sauce to go with it to make it unique to want it but nothing, and the waiter didn't inform me of options they had. So over all quite dry and boring; but I think there are ways to fix that issue. 2out of 5 - Si-si-log now this was well done with the garlic rice egg had a nice runny yoke and meat had a well loved kick really did carry this dish. By far well worth coming back for. 5 out of 5 Over all Food 3 out of 5 3. Parking during the weekends there is free parking on the street. Other wise you will need to pay to park on the road (small options very tight fit) or pay to park in the spot beside the restaurant 24/7 this to me feels like a rip off and I am sure it is a normal thing for big cities but if I am coming into your restaurant and ordering I wish there was a way to refund the customers making me want to eat there.... 1 out of 5 the reason I think they own this land is due to the sign they have in that lot about specials. 4. Service This is a sit down fancy place and we just came down from hiking so I think we got the wrong idea until we showed up. But the people were nice and ran a much slower pace. We never saw the same person twice and we had to ask for our bill so we could leave. Also didn't really tell us about sauce for sandwich. So with that 3.5 out of 5. I hope we can go back and try the dinner options and see how they have spiced up traditional Filipino dishes outside of just brunch.

Allan K. C.

Where do I begin!!! Everything was super exceptional with the experiences especially being first time experiences at this krill Filipino / Asian fusion restaurant. Will add plenty to this review putting this down as a placeholder for now.

J G.

Krill is my go to restaurant in Durham! I send everyone who is looking for a nice new restaurant to try here! My friend and I went on a busy Friday. We throughly enjoyed our food and the service. Shawn was our service and went above and beyond when it came to letting us know about the predatory parking lot and checking for my friend's allergies!! The restaurant is nicely decorated and very vibrant on the inside. I love the crab koi soi and highly recommend. 10/10 for the entire experience!

Renee B.

I was excited to try this restaurant because I haven't had good Filipino food in years, and I noticed they have certain days of the week that they serve common street food. Unfortunately, it looks like the restaurant is under new management because the server didn't know what I was talking about when I mentioned the street food options on the website. I tried the chicken wing appetizer and rice noodle stir fry. Neither had much flavor which or reminded me of Filipino flavors. The ambiance and plating of dishes were beautiful, and I would possibly go back for drinks.

Shirley Z.

Came in on a Friday night, so didn't expect to get seated immediately at all. But when I went in, they didn't accept walk ins and only took reservations. The host was a little rude, but I understood because he seemed stressed, not really directed towards me. Not sure if this is representative of every Friday/weekend and a reservation is required every weekend, but they did say they were having a Duke graduation event. I decided to get take out instead. I really wanted to try the crab khao soi as I saw rave reviews, but realized they took it off the menu which was super sad. Instead I got the tapsilog. My food took around an hour to be prepared for to go, but the bartender was great company, I didn't mind too much. He told me the Resturant is short staffed and that's why the wait is longer than usual. The dish itself was okay, meat was pretty tough, definitely not mind blowing, felt like a dish I could make at home to be honest. I thought the decor and ambiance was really fun though. I'd definitely want to try this place again, maybe go at a less busy time and try something else.

Daniel B.

I enjoyed our dinner at Krill. I found this place thanks to Yelp. I give it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Good food and service. This is an Asian restaurant from the Giorgios restaurant group, a group that has grown to well over a dozen restaurants in the Triangle. I know them best for Chapel Hill restaurants Bin 54 (steakhouse), Kipos (Greek), and Osteria Georgi (Italian). I think this is their first attempt at an Asian restaurant. Krill opened on July 22, 2022 next door to Durham Bottling Company in downtown Durham. Free parking is available in a dedicated gravel lot next to the restaurant. The restaurant is named after krill, a type of small crustacean, illustrated in the restaurant's logo (looks like shrimp). This restaurant isn't "authentic," traditional Asian, but more Asian with a twist. I've seen this place marketed as "Southeast Asian," but we had some dishes here that were East Asian, such as gua bao (Chinese) and soba (Japanese). If you couldn't already tell from the pictures and other reviews, this is a hip and trendy spot. There are multiple indoor and outdoor dining spaces including a sidewalk patio, a covered and enclosed patio, the main dining room, and a separate indoor bar room. Asian/Asian-inspired artwork and Asian lanterns decorate the industrial-like spaces (e.g., exposed brick, exposed ductwork). My friend commented the interior "looked a bit like a Friends set," meaning the decor looked 2000s. It wasn't too busy during our Tuesday 7-9pm visit. The crowd trended late middle age, which I thought was kind of interesting. I see more of that in Chapel Hill, not downtown Durham. Most of the staff looked young. I booked our reservation using OpenTable. Book your reservation using OpenTable and earn dining points which can be used to redeem restaurant discounts, Amazon gift cards, hotel stays, and magazine subscriptions. Krill is open for dinner only. Our server, Michelle, told us the menu changes constantly. She also said Krill is best experienced when everyone at the table shares family-style (the Asian way). During our visit, the food menu was straightforward with about a couple dozen dishes, from Peking Duck Lumpia Rolls ($14) to Crab Khao Soi noodles ($22). The drink menu was full bar, featuring local and imported beer, wine, cocktails, and a small sake list. Here's what my friend and I shared: Cold * Chilled Soba and Dashi Broth ($12) - edamame, daikon radish, ginger Hot * Pork Belly Bao Buns ($14) - pork belly adobo, pickled vegetables, cucumber, pork floss Wok * Stir Fried Bok Choy ($14) - shimeji mushroom, Fresno pepper, hoisin oyster sauce Grill * Coco Adobo Drumsticks ($16) - papaya relish Large Shares * Whole Fish with Pineapple Ensalada (Market Price = $36) - red onions, tomato, fish sauce, scallions, cilantro I also got a Lychee Limeade ($9) for myself. It was made with lychee puree, lime oleo, and lychee Calpico. Before putting in my drink order, Michelle warned me that other customers thought the Lychee Limeade was too sweet. It was indeed sweet, but I didn't have a problem with it. I thought it tasted good and refreshing, full of lychee flavor. It came with a fresh lychee on top. Overall, everything was good. In hindsight, we probably should've gotten a side of Jasmine Rice with Furikake ($6) or Miso Potatoes ($8) to go with our bok choy, chicken drumsticks, and fish. I recommend doing that. The only dish I wouldn't order again, out of convenience, is the Whole Fish with Pineapple Ensalada. We knew what we were getting into when we ordered the fish, but it was still just too many bones for me (a lot to pick through). The fish was red snapper. It was fried nice and crispy and had good flavor. The pineapple salsa was very good, colorful with generous portions. The Chilled Soba with Dashi Broth and the Pork Belly Bao Buns were terrific. They were my two favorite items. Soba is a simple dish and Krill does it right. I'm used to mori soba where the noodles and broth are separated, but Krill serves their soba as a noodle soup (cold). It's yummy and full of umami. I was impressed with the Pork Belly Bao Buns. Over the years, bao has popped up on more and more restaurant menus. However, in my experience, they've been hit or miss. What impressed me about Krill's bao was the quality of the ingredients (fresh, high quality) and the execution. The pork belly adobo was pretty much perfect. Thick, rich, succulent slices inside fresh, fluffy buns. In addition to the customary pickled veggies, I appreciated the added touch of pork floss (something I grew up eating a lot as a kid). The Stir Fried Bok Choy and Coco Adobo Drumsticks were solid. The bok choy was fresh and the portions were plentiful, including the other ingredients like the mushrooms. Yum. There were four Coco Adobo Drumsticks and they were tasty and meaty. The flavoring was salty and savory. Satisfying. Michelle did a great job. All of the staff were polite and attentive.

Carlo W.

So anxious to try this place and unfortunately, so disappointed. DO NOT expect Filipino food. There is zero semblance of the Philippines in this restaurant. The description of the restaurant is Filipino Reimagined. What they really mean is Filipino Removed. Based on the relevance to Filipino food, I would give a 1 Star. If you have NO expectation of Filipino food, then the food is pretty good. Our family of 6 visited on a late Saturday night. The dining area is warm and cozy. The service was average. The food was good, but the quantities are small. Prices are high. The ceviche was good, but difficult to eat. The calamari was average, but both bowls of appetizers were lettuce filled bottoms. It made no sense, other than skimping on portions. My son's wings came out with the apps, even though we stared that was his meal. The flavoring was good, but they were 8 tiny wings. He'd need 3 portions for a meal. My wife enjoyed her Kare Kare. My sons Sisig was prolly the best meal. My ribs were very tasty, but 5 ribs and Cole slaw for $25? It clearly had no Filipino influence as only one dish was served with rice. A Filipino would never serve a meal without rice. The Ube bread pudding had no Ube flavor. They may as well just add food coloring. It was tasty though. We will not be returning.

Alex C.

My friend and I were extremely excited to try this place out! We are both Filipino and grew up in the Philippines, so we were thrilled to find out about this place, especially since Filipino restaurants are hard to come by in NC. Now, because we are used to home-cooked Filipino meals, our standards are definitely high. I was amazed by the menu items.. I mean squid adobo and bagoong fried rice?! The last time we had these was in the Philippines! We had to order them right away. We also had Pandan cocktails, tuna kinilaw, short rib kare kare, cassava cake, and ube tiramisu. Although all of the items we ordered are generally great, they were okay per our 'Filipino standards'. The squid adobo needed more of that adobo flavor, the cassava cake could use more cassava, and the ube tiramisu just tasted like a delicious regular tiramisu (couldn't taste the ube). I was also shocked to find out that they didn't serve their main/large dishes with white rice! I saw someone eating kare kare by itself in the restaurant, and I hope someone at least advised them to order a side of white rice to eat with it because, otherwise, the meal isn't balanced and can taste too rich/oily/salty. The tuna kinilaw and bagoong fried rice, on the other hand, were on point. Overall, we would rate the food 3 stars but adding another star for the service, ambiance, and unique menu items.