The South’s Tastiest Town: Durham, NC

The South’s Tastiest Town just might be Durham, North Carolina. The Bull City is full of award-winning restaurants offering original cuisine made from fresh local Durham fare.  Out of Durham’s more than 700 restaurants, more than 50 have been recognized by regional or national media, many of them repeatedly.

• Artisan Phoebe Lawless left fine-dining restaurants to make deliciously divine pies for Scratch Bakery
• Counter Culture Coffee is an acclaimed roaster that schools baristas across the country
• Fullsteam Brewery and Tavern uses locally sourced ingredients to produce distinctly Southern brews
• Chef Matt Kelly of Mateos Tapas skillfully creates Spanish tapas with a Southern influence
• Durham-native Gray Brooks composes wood-fired pies with house-made sausage, artisan cheese, and delicacies such as Hog Island Bay Clams at Pizzeria Toro

Bon Appetit magazine, in their article “America’s Foodiest Small Town” the writer quoted long-time farmer Ken Dawson of Maple Spring Gardens, “I see a real change in the way people are eating…they care about where their food comes from, who is growing it, and how it is being grown. I think folks could learn a lot from the synergy
between farmers, farmers’ markets, restaurants, and the community that we have in Durham and Chapel Hill. It’s a model for the rest of the country.”

The most-suggested “hidden-gem restaurants” from a Facebook poll of Durham’s biggest fans:

• Bahn’s Cuisine – This cozy restaurant on Ninth Street offers fresh flavors from Vietnam.
• Bella’s Cuisine – A mixture of classic Southern and modern food, with a hint of Hispanic flavor and spice. 
• The Blue Note Grill –
  Hidden in a strip mall off of a main thoroughfare, the Blue Note Grill
  serves NC-style smoked BBQ and ribs and features live blues music on
  Fridays and Saturdays. 
• Cosmic Cantina–
  Serving “the best Mexican food on the planet,” according to the sign on
  the wall, Cosmic is a crowd favorite for its inexpensive menu,
  late-night hours, and hidden second-floor location. 
• Full Lotus Juice Bar and Cafe – Located inside Blue Corn Café, this juice and smoothie bar also offers delicious and nutritious organic fare. 
• Home Plate Restaurant – Cafeteria-style Southern cooking with a variety of entrees and sides. 
• Alpaca Peruvian Charcoal Chicken –
  Best known for its Peruvian rotisserie chicken, cooked over wood
  charcoal and served from a bright red and yellow storefront. 
• Meelo’s Ristorante and Tapas – Italian cuisine with Spanish influences tucked away in a strip mall. 
• Saltbox Seafood Joint – Freshly caught fish delivered daily from the NC coast from a small food stand. Takeout only.

In addition to a delicious variety of dining choices, guests of Morehead Manor Bed and Breakfast enjoy a gourmet breakfast each morning.  We look forward to extending our Southern hospitality to you and yours.

Durham is rich with culinary delights. Go ahead, get out and explore all the culinary treasures that Durham has to offer. Discover firsthand why so many agree that Durham is the Tastiest Town in the South!