Savor Scout › Cities › North Carolina › Durham, NC
Where to eat in Durham, NC
Find somewhere to eat in Durham →
A few places to eat in Durham
- Old Havana Sandwich Shop And Cafe Cuban · 0.1 miles
310 E Main St, Durham - Bull City Burger and Brewery Burger · 0.1 miles
107 E Parrish St, Durham - Convivio Restaurant Italian · 0.1 miles
104 City Hall Plaza, Durham - Spanglish Puerto Rican · 0.1 miles
104 City Hall Plz, Durham - Thaiangle Restaurant Thai · 0.1 miles
200 N Mangum St, Durham
The closest few by distance from central Durham, not a ranking — local places listed ahead of chains. Listings from Overture Maps open data (September 2026); hours and openings change, so check before you go. Want one picked for what you're craving instead? Ask Savor Scout in Durham.
The food scene in Durham
Open listings put 344 places to eat within 2 miles of central Durham, 94 within a ten-minute walk (half a mile). The most common: Mexican (30), pizza (22) and ice cream (15). 16 are fast-food counters; the rest are sit-down restaurants, cafés, bakeries and takeaway spots.
What stands out in Durham is tapas, Southern and hot dogs — types that are listed here at 3 to 5 times the national rate.
By type of food — tap one for what to order and how to spot a good one:
Mexican 30 Pizza 22 Coffee 15 Ice cream 15 Bakery 14 American 13 Sandwiches 11 Seafood 10 Bar & grill 9 Southern 7
The food in Durham
Durham has more than enough places to eat — the trouble is choosing between them without spending longer deciding than eating.
Savor Scout picks one restaurant in Durham and tells you why it picked it. Say what you're craving and it reads menus and reviews for that specific dish, rather than sorting places by overall star rating. Free, runs in the browser, and one search needs no account.
Eating out in Durham
Durham has a population of about 245,475. A city this size has real range, and range is what makes the decision slow. Savor Scout searches up to 35 miles around Durham, so places just outside the city are still on the table when they are worth the drive.
How many places to eat are there in Durham?
Durham sits in Durham County, where the Census counts 248 full-service restaurants, 293 limited-service places, 67 cafés and snack bars and 45 bars — 653 places to eat or drink in all. Durham makes up about 76% of the county's population.
That works out at 20.1 per 10,000 residents, which is about level with the national median of 19.4 — a normal amount of choice, and a normal amount of indecision. Counter service edges out sit-down, which is the national norm.
County-level counts from the US Census (2022) — how we got these numbers.
What are you craving in Durham?
- tacos in Durham — what separates a good one from an average one
- pizza in Durham — what separates a good one from an average one
- sushi in Durham — what separates a good one from an average one
- burgers in Durham — what separates a good one from an average one
- ramen in Durham — what separates a good one from an average one
- wings in Durham — what separates a good one from an average one
- chinese food in Durham — what separates a good one from an average one
- italian food in Durham — what separates a good one from an average one
- thai food in Durham — what separates a good one from an average one
- mexican food in Durham — what separates a good one from an average one
- barbecue in Durham — what separates a good one from an average one
- seafood in Durham — what separates a good one from an average one
- brunch in Durham — what separates a good one from an average one
- indian food in Durham — what separates a good one from an average one
- sandwiches in Durham — what separates a good one from an average one
- noodles in Durham — what separates a good one from an average one
Near Durham
- Chapel Hill, NC — about 10 miles away
- Cary, NC — about 15 miles away
- Apex, NC — about 18 miles away
- Raleigh, NC — about 21 miles away
- Burlington, NC — about 31 miles away
- Danville, VA — about 49 miles away
All 22 North Carolina cities →
Campuses in and near Durham
Each has its own page: what is within walking distance and a few places to start with.
- North Carolina Central University
- Durham Technical Community College
- Duke University
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- North Carolina State University at Raleigh
How this differs from Google Maps and Yelp
Maps and Yelp are directories: they rank everything nearby and leave the deciding to you. Savor Scout makes the call and shows its reasoning — the match score, what it beat, and the evidence behind the pick. The underlying place data comes from the same public sources, so the difference is the selection, not the data.
Guides
- What to eat when… — 30 guides by situation, from a first date to a hangover to a group of twelve.
- Food guides — what separates a good taco, ramen or pizza from an average one.
- Eating out with a restriction — allergies, halal, kosher, vegan and more.
- Near a campus? — food around 637 US universities.