Durham Has A Table For Every Traveler | Durham, North Carolina
Where to eat in the city of Bulls
Long known for basketball and Southern fraternities, Durham has been revitalized through the forks of its residents. Here's your guide to eating like a Bull:
Mateo Bar de Tapas: After years of slinging top-notch rillettes and coq au vin at his French bistro, Vin Rouge, Matthew Kelly has set his sights on Spain with Mateo. Here, Ibérico pork mingles with country ham; clams come tossed in sherry and boiled peanuts. (Photo: DL Anderson)
Pizzeria Toro: Just across the street from Mateo, this sleek shop has an open kitchen, with a giant pizza oven standing sentinel at its center. Manning the pies is Gray Brooks, a Durham native who spent 10 years in Seattle working under Tom Douglas. Our favorites include a white pie studded with Meyer lemon slices and Saracena olives, popping with bright acidity; the sausage pizza, shaded in provolone, is a Chicago-style memory brought into clear view. (Photo: Lane Wurster)
Alley 26: At this new bar in Downtown, your small-batch gin will be matched with a tonic made by the proprietor, Shannon Healy. He also makes a variety of other syrups and bitters to mix into a tight menu of classic drinks.
Rise: This bakery is devoted to biscuits and doughnuts. The former are stuffed with Southern comforts, from meatloaf to fried bologna and Velveeta. As for the doughnuts, we're happy with the plain old yeast doughnut enveloped in sugary glaze, but for the more adventurous, a chocolate-mousse version made with Videri chocolate is a worthy indulgence.