Durham's Award Winning Restaurants

As a food writer I’m on the move a lot, traveling across North Carolina and the country for work and pleasure, seeking out the latest and greatest bites, iconic restaurants and new edible experiences. I’m often asked where I’m from, and it used to be when I told people, “I’m from Durham,” they’d immediately associate it with Duke or with Bull Durham, the iconic movie. Over the past five or six years, however, I’m just as likely to be met with, “Oh Durham! Y’all have some great restaurants!” to which I, never one to brag, humbly reply, “Uhh, YEAH we do!”

For a small city far from the glittering culinary scenes of New York, New Orleans and Los Angeles, Durham punches far above its weight when it comes to food. There’s a reason Bon Appetit once called us “America’s Foodiest Small Town,” or why Southern Living called us “The Tastiest Town in the South” and there’s a reason visitors are just as likely to book a trip to the Bull City for a good meal as they are to catch a Broadway show at DPAC, Durham Performing Arts Center. All of that goodness is packed into a walkable downtown chock full of shopping, art galleries, boutique hotels and more (or if not, it’s just an easy drive outside of downtown).

Perhaps the best indicator of our culinary prowess is the fact that Durham restaurants, bars, chefs and others continue to rake in awards recognizing their quality and craftsmanship. From the “Oscars” of the food world, the James Beard Awards, to regional recognitions from publications like Indy Week and Durham Magazine, it’s possible to spend an entire weekend – if not longer – sipping and snacking solely at award-winning Bull City establishments. I’ve been fortunate enough to serve as a judge for the James Beard Awards in the past and I have seen firsthand that our hometown joints are able to go toe-to-toe with celebrity chefs and big name restaurants and WIN. We’ve got a lot to be proud of here in Durham and our award-winning dining scene is one of the glittering jewels in our crown. In my work I have eaten my way through most of the state of North Carolina, across the nation, and around the world, and I am consistently amazed that the food I can find here at home often rivals what I can find while traveling, both in quality and diversity. There are only a few places on this planet where you can have breakfast at an Ethiopian cafe, lunch at an award-winning Northern Mexican eatery, and do appetizers, dinner and drinks at three different James Beard-nominated spots all within walking distance of each other!

Consider this your guide to award-winning dining in the Bull City, and happy eating!

James Beard Awards

As I mentioned, the James Beard Awards are often called the Oscars of the food world. Given yearly by the James Beard Foundation, these awards recognize excellence in the food journalism, culinary and beverage industries. Even being selected as a semifinalist can bring a restaurant or chef national attention–there’s a reason it's one of the most highly respected rewards in the industry. We’ve had more than our fair share of James Beard Award nominees and winners here in Durham, a recognition that shows we are one of the nation's most vibrant dining cities.

Before we get into some of the past winners and nominees, let’s jump right into the 2025 class of James Beard Award semifinalists, announced in January. Durham clocked in with two nominees–Ricky Moore of Saltbox Seafood Joint for Outstanding Chef (Ricky won Best Chef Southeast in 2022) and The Bar Beej for Best New Bar. Beej is the speakeasy-like sister bar to Cheeni and the brainchild of Amy Waas, manager of Cheeni and daughter of Preeti Waas, herself a semifinalist for Best Chef Southeast in both 2023 and 2024.

But Durham has been on the Beard Foundation’s radar for decades. The pair considered perhaps the mother and father of the Durham restaurant scene were the first to receive both Beard nominations and awards. Magnolia Grill’s Ben Barker was consistently nominated for a Beard Award beginning in 1992, and won the Best Chefs category in 2000, while his wife, the late Karen Barker won the award for Outstanding Pastry Chef in 2003, essentially declaring her the best pastry chef in the country at the time. Phoebe Lawless of much-missed Scratch Baking and Snack Service (as well as consulting with Fullsteam Brewing for its new location opening at American Tobacco Campus later in 2025) was a four-time semi-finalist for the Outstanding Pastry Chef, and Scott Howell was an eight-time semi-finalist for various Beard awards during his time as owner and chef at the original Nana’s. Watt’s Grocery under Amy Tournquist was a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant in 2008. Foursquare’s Shane Ingram was a multi-nominee for Best Chef Southeast, and John May was semifinalist in that same category when he helmed the now-closed Piedmont Restaurant in 2019. Oscar Diaz (Aaktun, Mezcalito, Little Bull and the forthcoming Tataco) has also been honored with two semifinalist noms.

“But where in Durham can I enjoy a Beard-nominated experience today?,” you ask. Besides Saltbox Seafood Joint and Cheeni/The Bar Beej, there are plenty of former nominees and winners scattered across the city to choose from:

Your Beard-Worthy Guide to Durham Dining

• Cheeni/The Bar Beej
  • Start with dinner in the dining room at Cheeni and then move over to The Bar Beej for an after dinner drink. Order whatever excites Amy Waas at the moment, trust me
• Saltbox Seafood Joint
  • Order whatever just came in that day PLUS a fried oyster po’ boy
• Alley Twenty Six (Outstanding Bar)
  • Order the Bang Bang Cauliflower, the Alley Burger (with foie!) and don’t forget the Bread & Butter starter, inspired by yours truly
• Kingfisher (Outstanding Bar)
  • Sit at the bar if you’re solo, grab a cozy booth if you’re with a crowd
• Chef Matt Kelly, Mateo Bar de Tapas, Nanas (Best Chef Southeast, Mateo Bar de Tapas was also a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant)
  • The sherry list at Mateo is a must and a seat at the bar at Nanas is big Durham vibes
• Chef Gray Brooks, Pizzeria Toro (Best Chef Southeast)
  • The Meyer Lemon Pizza and a glass of rose is my go-to
• Fullsteam Brewing (Owner Sean Lilly Wilson was a semifinalist for Outstanding Wine, Spirits and Beer Professional)
  • Visit the RTP location while they fit out their new American Tobacco home and raise a glass to Wilson who was one of the leading forces behind the “Pop the Cap” campaign that got North Carolina to raise the allowable ABV for beer past 5%
• Giorgios Bakatsias, Parizade, Local 22, Nikos, Vin Rouge, Krill, Nasher Museum Cafe (Outstanding Restaurateur)
  • Honestly so many to choose from, but a cold, crisp glass of Greek white wine and alllll the dips at Nikos is a top-tier dinner for me
• Chef Oscar Diaz (Mezcalito, Aaktun, Little Bull)
  • I recommend an Oscar Diaz day—start with coffee and pastries at Aaktun, do lunch at Mezcalito, hit up Little Bull for dinner and then loop back to Aaktun for beachside Yucatan vibes and tiki drinks.

Food & Wine Best New Chefs

Since 1988 Food & Wine Magazine has released an annual list of Best New Chefs in America. In 1993 Ben Barker was anointed Best New Chef along with nine other peers, and to date is the only Durham chef to receive this coveted honor. Barker’s influence (and that of his wife, the late Karen Barker) is legendary in Durham though, with folks like Phoebe Lawless, the late Walter Royal (Angus Barn), Kelli Cotter (Toast), Scott Howell and more having worked at Magnolia Grill at one point or another.

Bon Appetit Best New Restaurant

Each year Bon Appetit Magazine puts out a list of what they consider to be the best new restaurants in America. In the past a list of 50 finalists was narrowed down to 10 winners, and over the years various Durham spots have appeared on the finalists list. In 2018 Phoebe Lawless made the finalist list shortly after she opened The Lakewood, her follow-up to Scratch in the Lakewood-Tuscaloosa neighborhood. Both Sister Liu’s Kitchen and M Tempura made the list in 2019 (and more recently, M Tempura Chef Savannah Miller was a contestant on Season 21 of Top Chef). Currently open Durham spots that have been recognized by the magazine include:

• Sister Liu’s Kitchen
  • Order both dumplings and the Chinese-style burger, and then buy frozen dumplings for your freezer.
• M Tempura
  • Just commit to the Kaiseke (coursed dinner), trust me.
• Fonda Lupita (recognized for their Sanford location, but same great food here!)
  • If they have menudo on special, order it! The birria ramen is also a proven hangover or cold cure.
• Rose’s Noodles, Dumplings, and Sweets
  • Honestly you can’t go wrong with almost anything, and be sure to pick up an ice cream sandwich to take with you.

Eater Awards

The website Eater offers annual national and regional awards (full disclosure–I am an Eater contributor and have assisted in the awards selection), and in recent years they have shone a spotlight on some beloved Durham spots. In 2021 Fonda Lupita (then in Sanford, but now in Brightleaf Square here in Durham) was named the Eater Carolinas Restaurant of the Year, skyrocketing the family-run spot to regional and national attention.

They tapped Cheeni for North Carolina Restaurant of the Year in 2022 and the (sadly recently closed) Mike D’s Barbecue for Best North Carolina Barbecue in 2023. This past year, they handed out two special recognitions–Cheeni for Best Relocation (after Chef Preeti Waas moved the restaurant from North Raleigh to CCB Plaza in the heart of Durham) and Nanas for Best Reboot after it reopened under Chef Matt Kelly. It’s clear that Eater has its eye on North Carolina and Durham. Keep an eye on their Durham Essentials list to see where you should be eating.

Local and Regional Awards

Every year, venerated local publications like Durham Magazine and Indy Week release “Best Of” lists. Some are handpicked by writers and editors, and others are voted on by the local community. While national recognition is nice, I am a firm believer that the locals know where the best eating is, and these awards fall firmly into the “locally loved” category. There is definitely a bit of cross-over between the two publications, but that just goes to show how truly appreciated some of these restaurants and chefs are by us Durhamites.

Over the years, dozens of Durham chefs, restaurants, bars and breweries have been recognized, and honestly the list would go on for pages if I were to list them all here! Check out the list of 2024 Best of Durham awardees from Durham Magazine, which named Nanas, Seraphine, Little Bull and Isaac’s Bagels the best new restaurants of the past year.

Indy Week’s reader-led awards offer both “Best of the Triangle” and “Best of Durham County” categories. You can check out the 2024 results here, but Bull City culinary talent was well-represented in the final votes. Chef Carrie Schleiffer of Alley Twenty Six was declared Best Chef in the Triangle, while Queeny’s Tom Fisher took home the title of Best Draft Slinger. The Velvet Hippo’s Leslie Matista was declared Best Mixologist.

In addition to those recognitions, Durham joints clinched the top spot in nearly all of the dining categories in the Triangle-wide vote:

• Alley Twenty Six (Best Alcoholic Cocktails)
• Isaac’s Bagels (Best Bagel)
• Guglhupf (Best Bakery and Best Brunch)
• The Original Q Shack (Best Barbecue)
• Beer Study (Best Beer Retail)
• Ponysaurus Brewing (Best Brewery)
• Cosmic Cantina (Best Cheap Eats)
• Durham Co-Op Market (Best Cheese Shop)
• Shanghai Restaurant (Best Chinese)
• Cocoa Cinnamon (Best Coffee Shop)
• Chirba Chirba Dumpling Truck (Best Food Truck)
• Viceroy (Best Indian)
• Gocciolina (Best Italian)
• M Sushi (Best Japanese and Best Sushi)
• Queeny’s (Best Late Night Meal)
• Mezcalito (Best Mexican)
• The Velvet Hippo (Best Neighborhood Bar)
• Little Bull (Best New Restaurant)
• Pizzeria Toro (Best Pizza)
• Saltbox Seafood Joint (Best Seafood)
• Mateo Tapas (Best Small Plates/Tapas)
• Thai Cafe (Best Thai)
• Heavenly Buffaloes (Best Wings)

As our city continues to grow, and our dining scene grows alongside it, it only stands to assume that the awards will keep flowing. Durham has always been a city of entrepreneurs willing to take a risk and try something new, and that spirit is reflected in our restaurants, bars, breweries and cafes. In Durham we don’t just eat to live, we live to eat, and our hunger for delicious dining has made headlines across the state and country. Turns out that in Durham your next award-winning meal is quite literally around the corner.