Came here with my wife for dinner and cocktails. The atmosphere is definitely the highlight--lively, energetic, and the views of downtown Durham are great. It's a fun place to be, especially if you're looking to hang out or grab drinks with friends. Service was solid as well; our waitress was attentive and on top of things. That said, the food was just... fine. I'd call it one notch above okay, but nothing memorable. The octopus in particular was disappointing--rubbery and lacking flavor. The cocktails fell into the same category: not bad, but not great either. Overall, this feels like a spot you go to for the vibe and the views. If you're hungry, they have food, but it's not the reason to come here. I'd come back to hang out or have drinks with friends, but I wouldn't return specifically for the food. read more

Sat at the bar... ordered a Pinky's Up & it did its job!! service was excellent. Came for drinks but the smell of the food lured us in. Food came out quick... ordered the mussels and frites... you HAVE to dip the bread in the broth! WOWWW!! read more

The Lenny - Pinky's Up!! Delish!!! - Bars Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

The view is beautiful. Decor inside is awesome and the outdoor patio is spacious. Food was delicious and the menu is thoughtfully crafted. Eddie was an outstanding server. read more

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My new favorite rooftop cocktail bar in Durham! Definitely one of the best views looking over the baseball field and the cocktails are as good as they look! I've tried just about their whole drink menu and truly like them all. I'll continue to be a frequent customer! read more

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Unacceptable Sanitary Conditions and Discriminatory Service at The Lenny Tonight, I experienced one of the most appalling and unsanitary dining situations I've encountered in a long time--made worse by the dismissive and demoralizing service my party received. I visited The Lenny to celebrate a milestone with friends. The venue came recommended by someone in our group, and though we didn't have a reservation, we expected to enjoy the rooftop in a casual, flexible way--some of us at the bar, some at tables, some just mingling on the terrace. From the moment we arrived, we were met with hostility. The downstairs hostess, instead of greeting us, pushed us aside and radioed for a manager. Meanwhile, white patrons--some also without reservations (b/c they were a smaller party)--were being checked in and welcomed while we stood off to the side, ignored and treated like an inconvenience. When the manager arrived, I explained our intentions, and he eventually took us upstairs, where the rooftop was visibly under capacity with plenty of open tables. Despite that, we were seated isolated in a far corner. The service was disorganized and slow, which I might have overlooked as growing pains for a new establishment. However, what followed was inexcusable. While dining, through the side window, I observed a female bartender stir a drink, remove the spoon, lick it, and then proceed to stir another drink. She then wiped her runny nose on the back of her hand--twice--and continued making drinks without washing her hands. A friend at my table witnessed this as well, confirming what I saw. I immediately asked to speak to a manager, and a young man named Derrick came over. After I explained the situation, he responded in a loud, dismissive tone, claiming he had "never seen anything like that" at his bar. He said he would review the security footage and get back to me. However, he returned much sooner than expected and stopped to speak with the bartender first--who responded with noticeable expression and body language. They then pulled the shade down on the window, blocking our view of the bar entirely (clearly and rudely on purpose). If there was nothing to hide, why shield it from view? When Derrick finally returned, he prioritized discussing other matters like our bill and food before I had to redirect him to the footage. He claimed he didn't see the spoon incident and admitted he watched the tape at 2x speed. He did acknowledge that she sneezed from her nose and didn't wash her hands but minimized the severity by suggesting she sneezed into her elbow (which was not true). It was clear he was more focused on defending his employee than addressing a legitimate health concern witnessed by multiple guests. Due to the unacceptable sanitation practices, dismissive management, and what felt like racially biased treatment from the moment we walked in, I will never return to The Lenny and strongly advise others--especially Black patrons--to be cautious. I intend to report this to the local health department to prevent further incidents like this from affecting others. To make matters worse, I also became sick after eating. I developed a stomachache on the drive home that has continued since. I felt completely fine all day until eating at The Lenny. This experience was deeply disappointing and should serve as a warning to those considering a visit. Edit: I finally received a response from the events manager--three days later--which clearly reflects a lack of urgency or concern. The reply was generic and dismissive, with no real accountability from him or his team. I've now requested the names and direct contact information of the business partners so I can escalate the matter appropriately. read more

Beautiful restaurant and kind service! Food is great too! Sitting outside and inside is both amazing! read more

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We have been to the Lenny on several occasions. We probably will not return. Parking is an issue and be wary of that. The bar staff are not very helpful and we were in fact over charged. I did contact The Lenny about that via their contact form, they replied and gave a phone number. My girlfriend called and did not get a reply back. In terms of bars in Durham.... There are many options .... Better than The Lenny. Consider 21C, Velvet Hippo, Durham Hotel Roof, Alley 26 and KingFisher. read more

Came with my friend on a wednesday night with no reservation and got sat down immediately. We sat outside for the views. The views are amazing and customer service was great with every interaction. I got the flatbread magherita, fries and a drink. I think this is a great place to grab a drink and enjoy the views (: read more

The Lenny - Bars Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Beautiful views, ambience and the service was excellent! Someone in our group ordered the lamb chops and said they were at excellent! Everyone enjoyed their burgers. read more

The Lenny - The burger was awesome and fries were delicious. - Bars Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Such a disappointment for a cool spot bc of the service , the hostess at the entrance wearing the wrist cast almost slap my hand just bc I touched the elevator buttons ! The disrespect and her condescending manners for a place specially in Durham where all minorities are usually safe can't be accepted. I didn't want to make a big deal at the moment bc I was with family members still this is unacceptable behavior. Expect a slow service and employees with zero experience and no ambiance. read more

Amazing venue and service! It was an adventure getting to the restaurant itself as the entrance is only marked on one side of the building and maps wasn't especially helpful but we got there in the end. It was well worth it when we were seated on the balcony overlooking the baseball field and city. Great view and the vibe was lively making for a good ambient experience. Our waiter was a very polite young man who knew the menu well and could take into account your personal taste with a few well placed questions. Food was good, I had the whole fish and it was well seasoned. The salad was a bit wilted but it wasn't enough to spoil the meal. My partner had a steak and he enjoyed it very much, cooked to his liking. Overall great experience! Would recommend especially to those looking for a late night spot like we were. Only complaint was the lack of signage pointing to the entrance but the actual restaurant itself was wonderful. read more

The dinning room is beautiful but the real reason we came was for the rooftop. Beautiful view and you can see the duke chapel amongst the trees. The service was great our server was nice and very accommodating. The food was good for the price. Me and my friend got the eggs Benedict with ham and El Leonard. read more

The Lenny - Eggs Benedict with ham - Bars Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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My husband and I have now been twice to The Lenny. Both times (first a Friday, then a Saturday) we arrived around 5pm. Though they appeared reasonably busy, we (with no reservations) were able to be seated at the bar both times. Also both times Derrick was our bartender (and he greeted us the 2nd time with an expression of recognition), and the cocktails were delicious, as was the Sauvignon Blanc and the Moscato. The food was also fantastic. We enjoyed the oysters and the croquettes, and the sauce for the gambino shrimp was so scrumptious we ordered a side of bread to sop up the last of it. Aside from the warm service and delicious drinks and food, the setting is among the best in Durham. The interior is well-appointed, with comfortable seating and elegant finishes. The view is outstanding. We'll likely be regulars at this wonderful addition to the Durham hospitality scene. read more

Great service! Excellent drinks and tasty food especially the fried artichokes. I look forward to coming back soon.

Excellent views of Durham and the decor in the restaurant was great. Service was as good and this would be a great place to rent for corporate events read more

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Visited The Lenny on Friday 5/16 and I must say I was very pleased overall. The waitstaff was very attentive the waitress was very knowledgeable and gave several recommendations. The food was fresh and delicious. The ambiance was nicely decorated and inviting great date night spot. I will be returning. Management team was spot on they did 'sprints' to make sure the guests were enjoying themselves. Great spot. read more

The Lenny - Bars Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

The Lenny is promising but there are some things that need to be sorted out. First, the signage to find the restaurant is very poor, it's at the back of the building with one poster on the front corner. Second, the hostess really needs to be more friendly. She made it seem as if the restaurant was completely full or that we needed a reservation. When we made it upstairs, the place was mostly empty and remained that way the entire time. We sat at the bar for brunch. The drinks we had were quite good. The French toast was visually appealing and very tasty. I had the eggs Benedict was rather average. After eating we went outside to see the view which is certainly one of the best in Durham. I hope the owners can improve the guest experience and take the caliber or the food up a notch. We will try again, but give it a few months. read more

Amazing view, drinks were good. The food was overpriced and not that great. For apps we ordered the truffled gruyere croquets- honestly the best thing we had here, the panzanella salad - kind of felt like a salad bar salad, octopus- was ok. We ordered the a la carte cowboy steak - $80, ordered medium and it came out well done. Had another one brought over and it was cooked maybe medium well this time but still definitely not worth $80. Also came without sides. We had the pistachio creme brulee for desert, it was bland, would not order again. Will give them benefit of a doubt because they are new, but did not feel like the meal was worth the price. But the view would be worth coming for drinks and small plates. read more

-chicken undercooked, no receipts so they can overcharge people, - reserved on most all tables on the roof top because they really don't won't blacks out there. - Try to get a receipt. later and they tell you they don't have a record of you being their because they know I don't have a receipt - Charged $17 extra for 5 people large party. - Nasty salad and Long Island ice tea $53.50. Should have been $36. First time... last time. Prejudice. Have pictures of the 5 of us together at the restaurant No thanks I'm done. We will share with Facebook a friends. So they won't make the same mistake. I don't like being taken advantage of. read more

The Lenny has spectacular views but, 1. Very few diners but had to remind server 3 times to bring salt and pepper, and, 2. Ordered a panzanella salad which is a classic Italian salad of only day old bread, tomatoes, and oil and vinegar. The salad had no bread, a cream dressing, lettuce, corn, tomatoes, radishes and onions. It was a more or less eatable salad but what mindset lets a restaurant name a salad one thing and present something completely different? read more

Yesenia and Leslie were absolutely Exceptional! The food was fabulous & the view was on another level! Will definitely be back the next time we visit Durham! read more

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We dined outdoors at this beautiful rooftop restaurant. Our server was attentive and kind and the food was delicious! Flat breads, roasted Brussels sprouts and cheese croquettes were delicious paired with a have d cider and local brew. Memorable experience! read more

This is a place you go to for the vibe, not necessairly the food. I went for brunch. I will go back for the dinner menu to see if its better. read more

I traveled to Durham after hearing this place was owned by the previous owners of Cortez in downtown Raleigh. Beyond disappointed isn't even the word. we started with drinks , $17 plus dollars for a drink I suspected the drinks would be made with fresh ingredients. The sunset taste like a drink you get from a trashy bar on glenwood, it literally tasted like cheap mixer. Then to top it off our waitress was not pleasant. We were celebrating a birthday and came from another local place so we were already in good spirits but the attitude of this server was not normal. When one of the people in my party requested their drink be brought back because it taste weird, she replied with "but why". Very off response for a waitress who was just informed why the drink wasn't to our liking. The manager attempted to resolved and inform us that the waitress has been there since 9am, our reservation was at 8:15pm, not sure how true that is since the restaurant opens at 5pm but this was just a mess. I fear our food would have been just as disappointing as our drinks so we canceled our order and left after this very weird confrontation. Hope the owners of Cortez realigning the importance of quality and customer service because this was not it. read more

The Lenny - Bars Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

The menu was a tad complex, had to use google to understand the dishes but the food was delicious! The service was amazing! Karlynn was a dream and I hope to have her again. The ambiance is what Durham needs! This will be my staple location for an after work meal or drink or to just entertain my out of town family/friends when they visit. The rooftop seating is gorgeous! Can't wait for my next visit! read more

The service was spectacular. The waitress and hostesses were very attentive, everyone was kind, the manager was welcoming and had a great energy. However, the ambiance was strange at best, the decor was an odd mesh between industrial and 60s/70s chic which was confusing. Themes were adhered to lightly. The food, was incredibly underwhelming, I first ordered lamb lollipops, and they were incredibly overcooked, not tender in the least. It was like chewing an old shoe. They came on a "ratatouille" platter but it was just cubed vegetables, despite there being no mention of it being "deconstructed" in theory or practice at any point. Moreover the "ratatouille" did not have any sauce. It was just lightly sautéed cubed veggies, not very well seasoned at that. We also ordered the hanger steak and ordered it medium, after the experience with the lamb one could expect it would be cooked to order. However it was cooked to a medium rare, and somehow still dry. It was seared well, but cooked poorly. The peppercorn sauce that accompanied it was, expectedly peppery in flavor, however the consistency fell flat and did not add much to the plate outside of the pepper flavoring. The cauliflower that was on the plate; was again just lightly sautéed with minimal seasoning. The highlight of the food was the pork chop, the mash potatoes were a good neutral flavor, the carrot puree was the right amount of sweet and tang, the Brussels sprouts cooked in soy sauce were a good salt to the dish, however odd, were actually congruent to the flavors. The pork itself was tender and flavorful cooked with a good crust. The only well made and tasty dish of the night. We ordered the euro spritz, which was good, but the cinnamon syrup was an unnecessary touch. The don't worry about it again, overall good, but the grapefruit was a flavor that was out of place. read more

Parked in the 555 building. After all the parking app bs, the parking was free. We did not have a reservation but got there just before a Bulls game was starting, so many people were leaving for the game and we got a table right away. Service was attentive. Food was fine, I felt like it was all a bit oversauced and oversweetened. Next time I might stick to basics like the burger. Drinks were tasty. Best of all was the view. We took our drinks outside after our meal and enjoyed seeing the Bulls game and the beautiful trees and sunset of our lovely town. A great date night for us! read more

The food was good and the ambience was nice. The bathrooms were clean and you could almost watch the baseball game from the balcony.

I DO NOT recommend, save your money! I came to the Lenny twice, once within the first month of opening and a second time several months later. Both experiences were abysmal. The Lenny gets people in the door with their fun interior design and unbeatable rooftop views of Durham, but the drinks and food need some serious improvement. The service was fine on both my visits, but nothing standout. I ordered an Aperol spritz to drink and received a cocktail I couldn't even begin to define- it tasted like sparkling moscato topped with 2 tablespoons of sugar? Though the drink was red in color, there was certainly no Aperol or Aperol alternative in the drink, as it was seriously lacking that characteristic bitter flavor. On my second trip to the Lenny, I decided to order a cocktail off their menu, hoping that would be a safer bet. This was also terrible, despite being a menu item and horribly overpriced. Moving onto the food, every menu item I've had here has been disgusting. The seafood tower (one of their more expensive items) contained barely any seafood and it all tasted like it came frozen from a big box food supplier- not fresh or quality at all. I buy much higher quality seafood regularly from COSTCO. Their tuna tartare is also just gross- low quality tuna paired with an excess of capers? Huh? Their "pizza/flatbreads," if that's even the appropriate moniker for this entree, is essentially matza cracker with cheese melted on top. That's usually one thing a bar can pull off, but alas. Finally, their burger and fries is very average, and our burger was undercooked to such a degree that it was barely edible. Both experiences were SO disappointing! I will not be returning to the Lenny unless they make major changes, as the food and drinks are far too expensive for how gross everything is. Stay home, safe your money! Hit some other awesome local businesses such as the Durham Hotel or the Velvet Hippo if you need to scratch that rooftop itch! read more

My friend and I arrived at 5 o'clock and we sat outside. Our server was very informative, and the food was amazing, I had the pork chop and we both tried the charcuterie board. read more

The location and ambiance was lovely. But our waitress seemed inexperienced and not helpful, and the food was definitely not worth the price! The flatbread was not great and my husband got the steak ($80) and it was not cooked well at all. No sides, no sauce, not even hot, not cooked medium. Overall pretty crappy experience. read more

We stopped there after a Bulls game and had an excellent authentic tarte flambée and oysters on the half shell. The view was spectacular too! read more

Great food, great atmosphere, FANTASTIC drinks, and our bartender Carolyn was awesome.

A wonderful location with beautiful views and a seemingly nice vibe. However, service was awful, very inattentive waitstaff who seemed as if they had never done this before. Quality of the food was average perhaps diminished by poor service. Durham is a foodie town where proper cocktails abound. Cocktails here were on par with an average food chain. Love the concept, probably will try it again in a few months, hopefully they can work out the kinks. read more

Great food, a chic ambience with professional service! The Lenny 555 scores big on all counts and is sure to be a long term success! Well managed, well designed and well executed! read more

The placed was jam-packed on the first Friday after opening. We sat at the bar. In spite of being at full capacity, the restaurant and bar were very well staff, there was practically no wait whatsoever to get our orders. The food was fantastic! The staff were HUSTLING, working really hard. They are friendly and very attentive even having time to chat while making our drinks. They introduced themselves by name. My friends and I were very, very impressed with everything. Shout out to Brianna, Derrick, and Raul. I spoke to some of the other bartenders and servers, but I didn't catch all of their names. Great views. My group of friends live walking distance. This place is def going to be a regular spot for us. I'll likely stop in frequently to get an evening drink after work, to catch a sunset, or Firewalls at Bulls Stadium. Looking forward to score a reservation for Sunday brunch. Very highly recommend!! read more