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    The Blue Note Grill

    3.9 (264 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

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    THE BLUE NOTE GRILL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Very loud
    Casual
    Live music
    Dogs allowed

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    Maxim C.

    Good dive bar feel. Seems to always have live music. I would come back with a group of guy friends again. I'm currently here on a Friday night at 6:30 and there's not many people but maybe later in the night when the music starts at 7:30 It gets more lively.

    Blanchfield K.

    Food was fine, sides acceptable, service quick. Overall average but not exciting, a fair three-star review.

    Pulled Chx Plate, Collards, broccoli
    Natalie Y.

    a great spot for a bbq dinner! they had a live folk band playing when we went and it was really cute and wholesome. people got up and danced too!! the food was yummy and the vibes were vibing~ the broccoli side was unironically my favorite. they only offered it since they ran out of green beans. but it was buttered perfectly and not overcooked! the hush puppies were also delish. it was my first time trying it and I was very pleasantly surprised :)

    cheesesteak eggrolls
    Ashlee M.

    ** Long Post Alert** As a Durham native, this was my first time to the Blue Note Grill. I have always seen it so busy and thought that I would try a local restaurant with my family. Well last Wednesday, I see that all of the hype must be for the open mics and live music, because it sure can't be about the food. In all honesty this was the saddest dinner I have had in a very long time. Because we did not want to attend open mic we sat in the dinning room which was great, but our table was dirty. We ended up ordering the cheesesteak egg rolls (3/5) and deviled eggs (3/5) for appetizers. The eggs were okay, however it was disappointing that there was no cheesesteak in the egg rolls, but instead chunky hamburger meat. As an entree we ordered shrimp po boy (2/5), shrimp basket (2/5), and I the pulled chicken plate with baked beans and mac & cheese. It took about 15 minutes for the food to come out and I was disappointed. My pulled chicken did not look like the pictures or pulled chicken. Instead it was chicken rib meat. After our waitress explained they had mad changes recently, I sent it back and got the pulled pork bbq sandwich instead. The shrimp on the po boy and in the basket barely had flavor. Not to mention the breading kept falling off the shrimp. For this to be a bbq joint my pulled pork didn't taste like it was made with love. It barely had any smoke flavor, it was a little on the dry side and my cole slaw was heavy on the celery seed. The cole slaw in the shrimp basket on the other hand was not edible at all. We won't even talk about the hushpuppies. The only thing we enjoyed was the french fries. The quality of the food needs to be way better.

    Pimento Cheese Dip
    Karen C.

    For lunch, we went in search of BBQ and found @bluenotedurhsm on @yelp. We were sad we could not go back for live music, but the BBQ was outstanding! Our server was super sweet and chatted with us about the different dishes. We ordered: Pimento Cheese Dip - came out hot and served with tortillas Half Rack BBQ Ribs with Cole Slaw and hush puppies - meat fell off the bone, I would skip the hush puppies next time Rib Sandwich on a brioche bun and Mac & Cheese - all delicious, especially with the vinegar based bbq sauce added!

    Inside. Check-in counter and daily events blackboard. Bar and dining/music room to left, "Rib Room" to right. They have two patios too.
    Daniel B.

    We enjoyed our time at The Blue Note Grill in downtown Durham. I think the food is three stars (okay), but the live music, laid-back atmosphere, and friendliness of both the staff and the patrons bumps this business up to four stars (good) for me. Barbecue, ribs, and music succinctly sums this place up. We ended up here because we were looking for a barbecue restaurant in Durham that was open for dinner on a Wednesday night after 8:00pm. There weren't many options. We didn't know about the live music aspect of The Blue Note Grill until we arrived. This place is popular. We showed up and checked in around 6:45pm. They don't take reservations. We were told the wait would be about 30 minutes and I was given a pager. The estimated wait time was pretty much spot-on as we were seated around 7:15pm. On a Wednesday night, we were told the main indoor dining room and bar - the one with the stage and live music - was full. If we wanted to sit in there, there would be a $5 cover charge per person. Our other options were the fully-enclosed patio and the open-air patio. I asked if I could see all three options before making a decision and one of the staff obliged. I ended up choosing the open-air patio for our small group of three because: (1) We wanted to catch up and the music was too loud inside. Sitting inside is for those who primarily want to enjoy the music. (2) The enclosed patio was actually warmer and stuffier than the open-air patio. We ended up liking the open-air patio, even though we had to deal with flies and mosquito bites, because we could hear each other easily and still enjoy the live music coming from the inside. The patio was decorated with plants and string lights. It had picnic tables, most of which were covered by umbrellas. We got the only table that was under a canopy. By the way, I also noticed another indoor dining room called the "Rib Room." It's to your right upon entering. There was no one in there and it appeared to be closed. Maybe they didn't have enough staff to open that room. The night of our visit, it was "Brett's Open Mic," 7-10pm. "Brett" being Brett Chambers, who's been doing Open Mics since September 1996. Go to https://www.thebluenotegrill.com/events to see all upcoming events. According to The Blue Note Grill's website, they've been around since 2010 and moved to their current location at 709 Washington St in June 2015. They have live music nightly, Tuesday-Saturday. They're closed Sunday and Monday. The business is located on the northern edges of Durham's Central Park and Warehouse District neighborhoods. The building is old. Free parking is located next to and behind the building by an old wooden train trestle bridge and some defunct oil tanks. I'm not sure what was here before. Be careful pulling into and out of the parking lot because the ramp from the street was very steep. Sitting on the patio, we heard many cars hit and scrape the curb/driveway. The ramp needs to be redone/regraded. Along with barbecue, The Blue Note Grill serves burgers, sandwiches, chili, Brunswick stew, wings, barbecue/Southern sides, appetizers like crispy pickle fries and deviled eggs, and desserts like banana pudding and chocolate lava cake. Here's what we got: * Redneck Cheese Fries ($9.99) with Pickled Jalapenos (+$1.00) - French fries smothered with melted housemade pimento cheese, served with ranch dressing * Alaska Wild Wings ($9.99) - eight fried pollock bites with sweet red chili sauce and tartar sauce * Baby Back Ribs Full Rack ($31.99) with hush puppies, fried okra, and housemade coleslaw * Baby Back Ribs Half Rack ($19.99) with hush puppies, substitute salad (+$2.00), and fried okra * Pulled Pork BBQ Plate ($13.99) with hush puppies, collards, and green beans sauteed in bacon and onions Overall, I thought the food was fine. Nothing stood out as either great or bad. My wife enjoyed the Redneck Cheese Fries more than I did. The ranch dressing was a nice touch. I liked the Alaska Wild Wings. They were crispy and boneless. They also came with celery and carrot sticks. The Baby Back Ribs were a bit too tough and chewy. However, the portion size was generous. The Pulled Pork was OK. In general, I think it and the sides lacked a bit of seasoning and flavor. The salad was fresh and came with onion, cheese, tomatoes, and carrots. The fried okra was yummy. The condiment basket included two kinds of barbecue sauces, Eastern NC (thinner, more vinegary) and Western NC (thicker, sweeter). Our server Kai S was great. He was funny and did a nice job. The other staff was great as well, including the hostess/manager. Despite a busy night, all of our food came out fast. There was a scan-QR-code-to-pay option on the receipt. I usually prefer this over using my physical card, but The Blue Note Grill uses Heartland Payment Systems who makes you download/install their app, sign up, and then pay. I didn't have time for that and paid with card instead. From a guest experience, Toast is better.

    Picture doesn't do it justice. Full rack of ribs -- fall off the bone incredible.
    Dee J.

    Would definitely come back. The ribs were fall off the bone, great flavor, with just a hint of heat. Service was as friendly as you could imagine. The place has live music at times, which would have been awesome had they had it. Highly recommend.

    Classic Burger
    Jean S.

    A Durham treasure! I've been to the Blue Note Grill over the years and the service and food are always excellent. Portions are generous. Live music in the evenings makes for an enjoyable night out. Even if you don't dance, it's fun seeing other people breaking a move and having a good time!

    Pulled chicken platter
    Adam B.

    After a 3.5 hour drive from Virginia, I met my family at the Blue Note for some live music. I got the last seat at the end of the bar and it took literally ten minutes to get any bar service. I know it was a music night and the bat staff was busy, but it would've been nice to hear from the staff that they would be right with me and they were sorry for the wait. I did get a beer and a pulled chicken platter. the meat game in one of those small paper trays. It was pretty good flavor, very mild smoke. I needed some of their sauce for more flavor. Pretty good tomato based sauce, I'm not too much into the Carolina vinegar.

    8 Smoked Wings
    Jenn P.

    Blue Note was such a good lunch spot; I'm so glad we decided to wander from the center of the city to try it. I am no stranger to North Carolina barbecue, and it's always great being back down south because the BBQ in NY is average at best and unrecognizable at worst. The ribs at this place are out of this world. Fall-off-the-bone. Some of the best ribs we've had in a REALLY long time. I loved the Mac n cheese to help break up all the meat, and the little personal-sized bread pudding dessert was so cute and delicious. Their hush puppies were so good too - very flavorful, no sauce needed! The wings were just alright. Nothing wrong with them, but nothing to write home about, either. I'd skip these and get more ribs next time. Service was great- our waitress was really nice and helpful with her suggestions. If I lived in the area, this would, without a doubt, be part of my regular rotation.

    Patty melt and Mac n cheese
    Melissa H.

    I never give poor reviews, especially when the food is really good. But just like with any experience poor service can ruin a meal. We arrive on a Saturday evening with music scheduled in the music hall. We opted for we thought would be a quick dinner on the patio sans music and cover charge. We were seated rather quickly in light of the fact that the host was dealing with a large party. We were seated on the patio and there we sat for over 10 min with no server, no water, no nothing. Servers did come and go from the patio but none of them even gave us a second glance. I finally had to go back to the host area and ask to be served and again waited 5 min for someone to take our orders with not even an apology. Once our order was taken drinks were slow to arrive; apps and entrees were faster; hot and tasty. Cocktail (southern peach) was good but they were out of my husband's favorite beer.

    Alaskan wild wings
    Rebecca S.

    We came here since it had a patio and we could bring the dog. I think if we had a different waitress the experience would have been better. It seemed like she just didn't want to be there and really didn't like being a server either. Otherwise I definitely would come back the inside was cozy and they were setting up for what looked like a good blues band. Next time definitely won't bring the pup and will go inside as well. We ordered two appetizers - the brisket street tacos and the Alaskan wild wings which was fried haddock- waitress didn't ask us what sauce we wanted and only brought tartar sauce. The food was actually decent portions for appetizers. We were going to order a entree but the waitress asked if we wanted dessert instead and we definitely were not up for that either. The food was cooked well and tasted good! We ordered the Mexicali drink which was ok I definitely could have used spicier and not tajin sticking to the rim but it was still good. Also next time I'll order a different tequila since the one tasted too much like cucumber. Hubs ordered Hoppium and it was good and in a nice cold glass too which is key!

    a plate of ribs

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    4 months ago

    Great food and service. Gravy Boys are exceptional band. Travel from Tennessee for the show and will br back next time.

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    4 months ago

    Food and service is great. Don't leave without saving room for the bread pudding. Nothing around like it!

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    1 year ago

    Amazing food, fantastic service, and fantastic live music! Not to be missed, you'll love it...

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    Bill W.

    Thanks, Chip for the great review!

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    1 year ago

    Excellent good food, service was great, music was very enjoyable . I've never been disappointed coming here.

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    1 year ago

    Great food and great service! A big bar, outdoor seating, music - what more do you want? Highly recommended!

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    Thank you for the great review!

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    The music and the food and the folks were splendid!!! I would like to visit again an again.

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    Page 1 of 7

    Ask the Community - The Blue Note Grill

    Review Highlights - The Blue Note Grill

    Delicious food (ribs, pulled pork, collards, even the hush puppies are unusually tasty!!

    Mentioned in 24 reviews

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    Rubies on Five points - Spicy Margarita

    Rubies on Five points

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    What I recommend: The pear cocktail and the tacos…read more Ruby's was awesome. It has an old-school bar vibe that feels comfortable the moment you walk in. It wasn't very crowded when we went, which made it a great spot to grab a few drinks before dinner. My friend and I ordered the pear cocktail and it was fantastic. We liked it so much that we immediately ordered another round. The tacos they were serving were also really good and paired perfectly with the drinks. The bartender was great, the whole staff was A1, and the energy in the place was exactly what you want from a neighborhood bar. Loved it here and we're definitely making this a weekly stop.

    Multiple times me and my friends have come in I've been disrespected by their multiple staff…read more After asking simple questions. ***Be careful if the downstairs bar has two white bartenders it's a white bar night. They will turn their noses up at you for asking simple questions like when their upstairs bar is supposed to open. And that's if you can get their attention. (they're not really a busy bar.) they are ignoring you. And they say they are a "restaurant" but the food is inconsistent. You never know what they have, if they have anything at all. Really a place for people who like to do nose powder *sniff*. Used to be a safe place for LGBTQ. It seems like they only open the kitchen for certain people. But show up when you search up food downtown... They keep it dark I guess to help hide with the sexual harassment happening on the dance floor. I watched their own karaoke host to be groped. And nobody did anything. Also had a friend drugged without consent here... Not only that sometimes they charge you after you leave make sure to take a picture of the receipt after you close your tab! They like to make random charges like Apple I've sent other friends there to try and have a good time and they have all told me that they're never going back to Durham after going there... Durham has good spots. This is just isn't one.

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    $$

    I've been coming here for years and just haven't reviewed it yet…read more... There is truly not a bad seat in the house. I've sat in Orchestra, on the first floor, the grand tier, and the balcony and they've all been great. You can see everything. I have enjoyed every show I've ever seen here (Chicago, Wicked, Something Rotten) as well as concerts (Alison Krauss, Singer/Songwriter) to name a few. The employees are SO friendly and helpful. They go out of their way to make sure you know where you're going and that you're having a good time. I'm always impressed with the customer service when I go. They have those Bavarian nuts that are so delightful and a bar with domestic beers and wines. Quite a few soda options to chose from as well. There is a parking deck right next to the venue and if you get there early enough you shouldn't have a problem. There are other parking decks in the area as well. There are numerous places to eat surrounding the DPAC, so many amazing choices. I would highly recommend buying tickets to see a show here and make an evening of it with one of the close by restuarants or bars. Downtown Durham has become utterly amazing!

    "Not a bad seat in the house"…read more It's been nearly 10 years since my last visit, and DPAC continues to be well maintained. Staff courteous, friendly, and helpful. This was my first time in nosebleeds seats and sound quality and unimpeded vision range was great. Leg area is limited. I'll be back!

    Durham Fruit and Produce Company - Preservation Durham celebration - lifewithhanny

    Durham Fruit and Produce Company

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    I have been to this venue a few times and it is definitely one of Durham's true crown jewels as a…read moreevent soace. Definitely would recommend it. .

    If seeking EDM culture- stay clear. I won't be returning after last night (my first time attending…read morethis venue) and it's a shame bc I was really looking forward to it too. We went to see one of our favorite house DJs- Cassian. Extremely underwhelming to say the very least. I genuinely feel embarrassed for him and his team that they had to play a set in front of a half filled warehouse with absolutely ZERO EDM culture- literally sad. Especially bc Cassian typically plays in front of packed crowds all over the world. Durham did not show up for him. Visuals: The light production in this venue was less than mid, literally just one black light on the ceiling, which is super embarrassing for an EDM event. My college fraternity could pull it off better and we were some 18-21 year olds. There was one girl spinning her LED hoop which seriously made my night, I was dancing with her the whole time in the back bc those were the only flashing lights in the damn place. Idk if I had the wrong expectations but that should be a given for an EDM artists. Alchemy in Raleigh gets it. Safety: No metal detector when walking in either- which i was on edge about the entire night (not saying the crowd made me nervous or anything, but that's a huge safety concern). Drinks: Bartender ran out of crown apple when making my drink so she said "wait over here" (to the side) and started making someone else's drink who was in line after me- ok what the actual ****. Never in my life has a bartender stopped mid drink and moved to the next person in line. even worse, she pulled out the crown peach after and finished making my drink with that, and tired to pull it off hoping we wouldn't notice. that's one of the corniest things i've ever seen a bartender do lol.

    Liberty & Plenty Distillery - The Liberty & Plenty Distillery lounge is situated in the front of the distillery, and features a full cocktail bar and patio.

    Liberty & Plenty Distillery

    (16 reviews)

    What a lovely surprise to find this gem tucked away in downtown Durham! I had heard great things…read moreabout their espresso martini, so when we finally visited, we had to try it. And, it truly lived up to the hype. One of the best we've ever had! I also tried two other cocktails made with their house-distilled rum and gin, and both were delicious and perfectly balanced. The seasonal menu is creative and reasonably priced, we were genuinely impressed. The ambiance is charming and cozy despite a bit warm inside (the AC was pretty weak), but quiet and tastefully decorated with velvet couches, exposed walls, vintage touches, and fresh flowers on each table. We had fun flipping through their amazing cocktail book collection on the shelf too. The bartenders were very friendly and offered us focaccia from Ninth Street Bakery to pair with our drinks for free, which was such a thoughtful and tasty addition. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and are so happy to see a micro-distillery thriving in the heart of Durham. Can't wait to return for an official tour and to sample more of their spirits!

    Really fun cocktail bar- that specializes in rums! First impression- I called ahead to see if our…read moredog was allowed to sit on the outside patio, and they told me not only is she allowed, but we aren't allowed to come without her. That response will get a smile every time. Super dog-friendly, to say the least, both outside and inside. Outside has several tables under a covered area, and inside has a few couches (with tiny tables) and a long bar you can sit at. We've been a few times now, and the service is super friendly and helpful, every time. It's small and intimate inside, but we never have a problem finding a seat! I love that they have snacks you can help yourself to, in airtight jars at the bar (peanut butter filled pretzels, sour worms, etc). Also important to note- the inside is NOT air conditioned. We stopped in on a HOT day, and it's brutal inside, with cloth couches and just one small fan. Love this bar, all of their cocktails (wine available too), and all of the staff! Will be back (a lot)!!

    The Blue Note Grill - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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