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    The Blue Note Grill

    4.0 (266 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

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    THE BLUE NOTE GRILL ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - The Blue Note Grill

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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.

    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.

    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

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    Bill W.

    Charles, thank you for the awesome review!

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    Bill W.

    Kathy, thanks for the awesome stars!

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    2 years ago

    No one was there. Food was extremely average. Service was good. Ambiance is probably great when bands are there.

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    2 years ago

    Service is poor. Both times we have been, we've had to remind them about our drink orders. Waited 25-30 mins for them

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    2 years ago

    Great music and great food and great staff. Highly recommend the ribs! Best blues music in the Triangle!

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    They may be a barbecue joint but they make one of the best burgers in town. Good food, good service, good music, what more can you ask.

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    Page 2 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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    The Original Q Shack - 3 Three Meat Combo Plate with ribs, chicken, and brisket.   IG: Cereus_eats

    The Original Q Shack

    4.1(826 reviews)
    2.4 mi
    $$

    This is the way that BBQ should hit!!…read more We stopped in the "Shack" while visiting Durham. Having been huge fans of North Carolina style BBQ, we were not disappointed.My wife and daughter enjoyed the Pork Plate. By for me, I went with the two meat combo with Pulled pork and brisket. The pulled pork was spot on. It was perfectly smoked and almost melted in my mouth. With a touch of spicy vinegar sauce, I was gone to Carolina in my mind for the rest of the day. The brisket might have been some of the best I've ever had. It had a nice fat layer and was also "melt in your mouth" and juicy. The brisket didn't need any sauce at all. It was that good. The hushpuppies were the star at the table. My family considers themselves to be connoisseurs of hush puppies, and these were ranked in the top five. A respectable ranking from such a discriminating hushpuppy panel. The sides we sampled included collard greens, mac and cheese and BBQ beans. The collards and Mac and cheese were out of this world. I should have ordered a double serving of the collards. However, the beans were a huge disappointment. They were more like a bowl of sub-par chili than BBQ beans. If we return, they will not be selected. A great BBQ spot when you are in Durham. Highly recommend you stop by, if only to taste the brisket!

    great food for good price. $14 brisket sandwich , side and hush puppies. ..............read more

    Photos
    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 - Three Meat Combo. $22.95. We chose Chopped Pork BBQ, Chili-Rubbed Beef Brisket, St. Louis-Cut Pork Ribs, Mac & Cheese, Creamed Spinach.

    Three Meat Combo. $22.95. We chose Chopped Pork BBQ, Chili-Rubbed Beef Brisket, St. Louis-Cut Pork Ribs, Mac & Cheese, Creamed Spinach.

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

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

    Lawrence Barbecue - Chopped Brisket Sando

    Lawrence Barbecue

    4.3(195 reviews)
    16.5 mi
    $$

    I owe this place nothing. My friends who live in the area took us here on a Friday night. It was…read moreabout 80% full. It was my husband and I's first time having Southern BBQ/ Carolina BBQ and Lawrence BBQ had set the bar high for us. Everything was SO GOOD. We got the Cedar Street Family Platter. It was able to feed 5 of us (3 guys and 2 ladies) and there were leftovers. So perfect for the recommended size. The brisket and the ribs were the faves. Honorary mention to turkey, that pleasantly surprised me. And I'm not a fan pulled pork but I can only have pulled pork from here from now now on. My least fav meat on the platter was the pork belly but it's still ranked at like a 7. That's how good the meats were. The sides were great supporting roles. They weren't spectacular but they're disappointing. The only side I didn't try was the orzo. I didn't get our waiter's name but he was such a delight. He made the experience really good.

    My daughter and i tried the grilled oysters. Very delicious. These topsail oysters are small,…read morebuttery and succulent. Sauce has a little kick, just right for me. Bad part is you could eat a couple of dozen of these easy, and at $4 a piece that could get really pricey !! Just be aware, these little babies are addictive !! Chili crisp cheesy tots were yummy !! Will have these again ! We sat at the bar and bartenders were friendly and engaging. Will be back for sure !!!

    Photos
    Lawrence Barbecue - Inside

    Inside

    Lawrence Barbecue - Pork belly burnt ends, sweet and spicy collard greens, macaroni and cheese

    Pork belly burnt ends, sweet and spicy collard greens, macaroni and cheese

    Lawrence Barbecue - Brisket Sandwich with fries and Mac & Cheese

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    Brisket Sandwich with fries and Mac & Cheese

    It's a Southern thing: Kitchen and Bar - Waffle Bites, Cheesey Grits

    It's a Southern thing: Kitchen and Bar

    4.0(719 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    So I asked yelp to recommend a place for a birthday dinner. This was the first on the list. So…read moresince I couldn't get a reservation on my birthday to the place I originally wanted to go, we decided to come here. There is plenty of parking on the backside of the building, paid parking out front, and be careful not to park in the apartment spaces on the side...they sounded pretty serious about towing. I had made a reservation but it was probably unnecessary as it was pretty empty when we arrived (it was about 5pm on a Saturday.) The waitress brought a bottle of water to the table and took our drink order. And I know that this place is literally call it's a Southern thing but can I mention how much I dislike drinking out of mason jars? I ordered the chicken n biscuits, my husband got the country hamburger steak plate, my BiL got wings, and my SiL got the crabcakes. We also orders charred jalapeno & sweet corn hushpuppies and frickles as an appetizer. I was VERY excited about my food. Y'all...the only thing that impressed me were the Frickles. Everything else was distinctly underwhelming. I also ordered Blackberry Betta Have My Money which was not that great. My SiL ordered a espresso martini that they said didn't come from a mix but she said it tasted like it was. The bathrooms were very clean. The decor and the vibe were great. Cute even. I really enjoyed that part of it. After dropping off our food, we never saw our waitress again unless we flagged her down for drink refills. It was especially frustrating since there was automatic gratuity added. And since the place wasn't that busy, it felt like she didn't feel the need to earn her automatic tip. Overall I was disappointed in my birthday dinner. I won't be coming back here.

    Came here last night and what a wonderful experience. Was in town for the Duke lacrosse game and…read morestayed the weekend. Party of three started out with the frickles and a crab dip. Both were warm and flavorful. We had an abundance of pita bread to dip in the crap dip. The sauce with the frickles was fantastic. I ordered the Dr Pepper wings as my entree and they were fall of the bone tender. Something so different about smoked wings versus fried. I washed everything down with a Bull Durham beer and it was flavorful and a perfect pour. Parents got the smoked chicken and shrimp and grits. See the attached photos.

    Photos
    It's a Southern thing: Kitchen and Bar
    It's a Southern thing: Kitchen and Bar - Fried Green Tomatoes

    Fried Green Tomatoes

    It's a Southern thing: Kitchen and Bar - Dinner menu

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    Dinner menu

    The Blue Note Grill - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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