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The Blue Note Grill

4.0 (273 reviews)
Closed • 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

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THE BLUE NOTE GRILL ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Very loud
Live music
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - The Blue Note Grill

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Brisket Tacos
Heather H.

I have been to Blue Note several.times over the years and have always had a good experience. The outside area has changed over time and is now enclosed and has a roof. It's always a great place to find live music. For food I always get rins, pork or brisket. The veggies are a good option as well. This trip I got the brisket tacos and deviled eggs. I live the twist of the jalenpeno and Texas Pete give the deviled eggs. The brisket is cooked very well... tender and moist. I love the tacos and how all the flavors merge. 1/2 price bottle of wine on Thursday. Service is always good and friendly. Definitely a place to visit.

Reverend Peyton and his Big Damn Band!!! I cannot believe they played such a small venue!!
Trisha L.

It's super weird attending a concert seated at a dinner table. We were happy that a band we really like played there but it was so strange sitting through the music especially in such tight quarters. Definitely don't order their brisket. IDK what that was but it was not any brisket that this Oklahoma girl had ever experienced. My husband loved their burger though. I tried to order an appetizer, they said they were out of it. I think the bar needs at least one more bartender. I went to order a drink and the bartender never acknowledged me. She was super focused on making drink orders that were brought in by the servers. I did not know we were supposed to order a drink from a server because I was there for a long time before I saw a server. Once I realized I had to order a drink through a server I was able to order a drink and it came in a decent amount of time. I tried to order a beer, they said they were out of it. Really enjoyed their Old Fashioned. I'd go back if a band I really love came through.

8 Wings- so yummy
Laura G.

It was our first time here and we had a fabulous time. Waitress was amazing, beer on tap ice cold and wings perfectly cooked and yummy. It was a shag St. Patrick's Day party and it was so fun. We will definitely return.

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.

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 :)

Blanchfield K.

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

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.

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

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Cool atmosphere, great music. The whipped cinnamon butter is OUT OF THIS WORLD. Try it with the hush puppies or sweet potato fries!

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11 years ago

Excellent, My wife and myself came here for lunch and was very empressed with everything so we will definitely be back

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Food was excellent. Probably the best BBQ we had in a long time. Service was great and atmosphere is perfect.

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Page 7 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

Read more highlights

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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. .

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Durham Fruit and Produce Company - Left hook bottles latte at the fruit flea - lifewithhanny

Left hook bottles latte at the fruit flea - lifewithhanny

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Yummmmmm! The cocktails were delicious! You can just taste the fresh ingredients. I didn't think I…read morewould like the Tomatini but I loved it. It was like a lighter more refreshing take of a Bloody Mary. If you like Bloody Mary drinks, pretty sure you'll like the Tomatoni. Plus, service was friendly and attentive. Such a cute little cocktail nook.

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Liberty & Plenty Distillery - Front of Liberty & Plenty, Durham

Front of Liberty & Plenty, Durham

Liberty & Plenty Distillery
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Quick food ordering process with efficient counter crew; fun interior with tv tuned into sports…read more The food is always tasty; really enjoy their creamed spinach and chicken wings. We placed to-go order, so didn't take food photos. We ate the deviled eggs while waiting for rest of order. Baked potato with all the fixins is another of my faves. Def been going back every visit to Durham!

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The Original Q Shack - Inside. Part of the dining room. Ordering line in background.

Inside. Part of the dining room. Ordering line in background.

The Original Q Shack - Close-up of Chili-Rubbed Beef Brisket, sliced. Part of our Three Meat Combo. $22.95.

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The Original Q Shack - Inside. Open kitchen. Pickup and payment counter.

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The Blue Note Grill - tradamerican - Updated November 2026

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