Mateo Bar de Tapas

Name: Mateo Bar de Tapas
Address: 109 W Chapel Hill St, Durham, NC, United States, 27701
Telephone: (919) 530-8700
Price range: $31 to $50
Rating: 4.8

4.8 (2466)

$31 to $50

Spanish

109 W Chapel Hill St, Durham, NC 27701

Make a reservation

2 people

Jun 18, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 47 times today

About this restaurant

Lively
Hot spot
Neighborhood gem

Mateo Bar de Tapas is the first solo venture from chef Matthew Kelly, housed in the old Book Exchange building in the heart of downtown Durham. Featuring a menu that blends the flavors of Spain with beloved ingredients and dishes of the South. We offer a casual, yet refined, menu of Spanish small plates with Southern inflection. Accompanying the food is a robust Spanish wine list as well as one of the largest sherry offerings in the country!

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Spanish, Tapas / Small Plates, Southern
Hours of operation
Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
(919) 530-8700
Website
http://www.mateotapas.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Smart Casual
Executive chef
Matthew Kelly
Private party facilities
For your next event please email us at privatedining@mateotapas.com
Private party contact
Elizabeth McMaster: (919) 530-8700

Location
109 W Chapel Hill St, Durham, NC 27701
Neighborhood
Durham
Cross street
West Chapel Hill Street & Ramseur Street
Parking details
There is a small lot beside our restaurant as well as street parking. There is also a large parking lot located behind Mateo on Ramseur St.
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Private dining

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What 2,466 people are saying

Mateo Bar de Tapas reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8

4.8 based on recent ratings

4.8Food
4.8Service
4.7Ambience
4.5Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Durham
Best Ambiance
Durham
Hot spot
Durham
Lively
Durham
Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Mateo Bar de Tapas delivers an exceptional dining experience with "excellent food, great service," and a lively atmosphere. Consistently praised as "the best tapas" in the area, it's a top choice in Durham. The diverse menu offers "delicious" dishes, and the "friendly and attentive" staff ensure a memorable visit.

2,466 Reviews

A
Adam VIP
Greater Boston1 review
4.0
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
We have eaten at a lot of places in the triangle and this is easily the best tapas and one of our favorite restaurants in the area. It very reasonably priced too. We rarely repeat restaurant visits so we can keep trying new ones, but Mateo has been an exception. Would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone.
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D
Deedee
Greensboro / Winston Salem / Highpoint8 reviews
5.0
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
It’s always great! We love the food and the service. They have wonderful specials and lots to choose from on the menu. Pate is one of my favorites.
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M
Megan
Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill1 review
5.0
Dined 4 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great atmosphere and wonderful food. Made a delightful birthday celebration setting.
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A
Ava
Philadelphia County3 reviews
5.0
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
My favorite restaurant- always exceeds with quality foods and service. Great ambiance as well!
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A
Anne
San Francisco Bay Area4 reviews
5.0
Dined 6 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent food, great service. Well worth a repeat visit
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K
Ken
South Carolina1 review
5.0
Dined on June 3, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great pairing with the food and fascinating history of Pepe Raventos.
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S
Sean VIP
New Orleans / Louisiana28 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 31, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
We’ve eaten here more than a few times, it’s a place we always go to when we visit Durham, and there is a lot of competition there. We’ve never been disappointed. The food is great, prices are reasonable, and the service is always terrific. The list of wines by the glass is short, but very high quality. It’s pretty loud, but that seems to be par for the course these days
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F
Fernanda
Querétaro2 reviews
4.0
Dined on May 24, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Food amazing! Just need to have a diaper changing at the restrooms:)
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C
Curtis
Greater Boston1 review
5.0
Dined on May 23, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Food was good but not all dishes were traditional “tapas”, if that’s what you’re looking for. Some of the dishes were a “southern fusion” in a tapas style, which were still interesting and good. Check the menu on the website for a description. Both the front staff and our server were helpful and accommodating to our requests (we had 9 people in our party and they took good care of us).
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J
John and Erin
Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill1 review
5.0
Dined on May 18, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
It was a great time and we enjoyed the food. It was a bit noisy, but expected on a Saturday night.
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FAQs

Mateo Bar de Tapas is rated 4.8 stars by 2466 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Jun 18, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 47 times today

109 W Chapel Hill St, Durham, NC 27701

Additional information

Cross street
West Chapel Hill Street & Ramseur Street
Neighborhood
Durham
Hours of operation
Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Spanish, Tapas / Small Plates, Southern
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Smart Casual
Parking details
There is a small lot beside our restaurant as well as street parking. There is also a large parking lot located behind Mateo on Ramseur St.
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Matthew Kelly
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.mateotapas.com/
Phone number
(919) 530-8700
Private party facilities
For your next event please email us at privatedining@mateotapas.com
Private party contact
Elizabeth McMaster: (919) 530-8700

Mateo Bar de Tapas

Make a reservation

About this restaurant

Additional information

Private dining

Second Floor Private Dining

Custom inquiry

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AI Beta

Menu

What 2,466 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

How is Mateo Bar de Tapas restaurant rated?

Is Mateo Bar de Tapas currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information