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

2456 Reviews

$31 to $50

Spanish

109 W Chapel Hill St, Durham, NC 27701

Make a reservation

2 people

Apr 24, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 32 times today

Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

Hot spot
Good for special occasions
Lively

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
Delivery & takeout
Order direct

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

Experiences

Graduation Weekend!
$85.00 per person
May 9, 2025 - May 10, 2025
Celebrate Graduation with Mateo Tapas! We will be offering a celebratory Tapas Pre Fixe menu - your choice of 3 tapas & dessert - created by Chef Abigail Bangs. This menu will feature Mateo classics, such as our Gambas and Albondigas, as well as some fun specials! Seafarer and Vegan Paellas as well as our Cowboy Ribeye will also be available. The menu will be released by mid April, and we will be able to accommodate a wide variety of dietary needs. **Please note that our usual tapas menu will not be available during this weekend. **
Happy Mother's Day!
May 11, 2025 only
This Mother's Day, treat the special woman in your life to a memorable dining experience at Mateo Tapas! We’re offering an exclusive Mother’s Day Tapas menu, thoughtfully created by Chef Abigail Bangs. The menu will be available mid-April and will feature Mateo classics such as our Gambas and Albondigas, as well as some exciting fun specials! And as always we will have our Seafarer & Vegan Paellas and Cowboy Ribeyes available! The full menu will be released by mid-April, and we’re happy to accommodate a wide variety of dietary needs to make this a celebration everyone can enjoy. Please note: Our usual tapas menu will be unavailable on Mother’s Day weekend.
Sherry Soiree
$100.00 per person
Prepaid
Apr 23, 2025 only
6:30 PM
Join us for our next wine dinner! It will be a 5-course meal of delicious Andalusian dishes created by our very of Chef Abby Bangs paired with our favorite sherries from our dear friends at De Maison Selections. We'll be joined by Phil Broom as our guest of honor to regale you with tales of chalky soils, ocean winds, and the magic of the flor!

Private dining

What 2,456 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

4.7Food
4.8Service
4.7Ambience
4.5Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill
Hot spot
Durham
Best Overall
Durham
Innovative
Durham
Hot spot
Durham
Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Mateo Bar de Tapas is a vibrant dining spot in Durham, known for its "consistently excellent" food, drinks, and service. Guests rave about the "authentic tapas" and "amazing atmosphere," making it a perfect choice for date nights or group gatherings. While it can be lively, the upstairs seating offers a quieter experience.

2,456 Reviews

JW
JenniferW VIP
Raleigh2 reviews
5.0
Dined on December 13, 2019
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
A divine and special dining experience - the perfect place for a special occasion, or just a Thursday.
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D
Doonspearl VIP
Raleigh5 reviews
5.0
Dined on December 13, 2019
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Louie was a great server!
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MF
MoodyFoody
Raleigh14 reviews
4.0
Dined on December 12, 2019
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Still very good, but had better days. Menu creativity is not evolving fast enough to cater to the veggie, the none pork eater, the dairy intolerant etc. All fine, it is tapas, but if you can work okra into a Spanish classic I am sure you can remove the bits of bacon from most dishes and bring their flavours out
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V
Vandy
Raleigh2 reviews
4.0
Dined on December 10, 2019
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Way ahead of you - I have already recommended Mateo Bar de Tapas! My house guests and I were pleased with the variety of menu offerings. My favorite was the NC clams --the broth was so good we ordered extra bread to sopping. Our waiter was attentive and we enjoyed all our shared selections. Though the place was packed -on a Tuesday night- the noise level was comfortable; no need to raise our voices to be heard across the table. Will be returning! Great to have parking choices!
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B
Bill
Raleigh3 reviews
2.0
Dined on December 10, 2019
1. Overall 2
2. Food 1
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Our server was fantastic and extremely courteous...the place is kool and has a great vibe...now for the real important part-- the tapas were wayyyy to small( i know what tapas and pihnxos are as i stayed in spain for 3 weeks..) . they were wayyy over priced as well.. for 4 tapas and 2 glasses of wine it should not cost $100!!
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NJ
NolaJ
Raleigh33 reviews
4.0
Dined on December 10, 2019
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
The woman serving as hostess that night left a lot to be desired. Our reservation was at 5 - when they open. She opened the door, peeked her head out and then walked back to the hostess stand. No greeting, no holding the door open for us to come in. Once we got to the hostess stand - again no pleasantries, just asking if we had a reservation and for our name. There was no one else waiting to be seated, so my friend and I were confused by her behavior. Initial moments aside, our server was fantastic and our food was consistent with my memory from a previous visit.
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OT
OpenTable Diner VIP
Washington DC1 review
2.0
Dined on December 8, 2019
1. Overall 2
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Food not good enough to be so expensive.
Is this helpful?
DF
DrewF VIP
Raleigh6 reviews
5.0
Dined on December 8, 2019
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
If you're looking for the highest quality ingredients and innovative Spanish/Southern fusion, this is the place for you!
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HS
HeatherS
San Francisco26 reviews
3.0
Dined on December 8, 2019
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Was surprised to haven been seated upstairs for my first experience after having made a reservation in advance. And a bit disappointed that a few dishes were gone in an early part of the evening. Food was overall pretty good.
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MF
MichaelF
Raleigh3 reviews
5.0
Dined on December 6, 2019
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Wonderful food. We sat upstairs away from bar area so the noise level was much lower and more conducive to conversation. Two words: Brussel Sprouts
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FAQs

You can order delivery directly from Mateo Bar de Tapas using the Order Online button.

Mateo Bar de Tapas is rated 4.8 stars by 2456 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people

Apr 24, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 32 times today

Experiences are available.

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
Delivery & takeout
Order direct

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

Experiences

Graduation Weekend!

Happy Mother's Day!

Sherry Soiree

Private dining

Second Floor Private Dining

Custom inquiry

Menu

What 2,456 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

Does Mateo Bar de Tapas offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Mateo Bar de Tapas restaurant rated?

Is Mateo Bar de Tapas currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information