Diners' Choice: Great for outdoor dining restaurants in Durham

OpenTable

Updated April 05, 2025

Looking for the best restaurants that are great for outdoor dining in Durham? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Napoli Pizzeria & Gelateria

4.9

4.9 (122)

$30 and under

Pizzeria

Carrboro

About the restaurant

Offering small plates, True wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, housemade gelato, local beer on draft, wine & cocktails in downtown Carrboro!

Top review

Jamie

Dined on Apr 12, 2025

As usual, amazing food, service and atmosphere. We love the use of seasonal ingredients especially for salads.

Nasher Cafe at Duke University

4.8

4.8 (862)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Durham

About the restaurant

The 125-seat indoor/outdoor Nasher Cafe overlooks the garden and sits adjacent to the Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen "Corridor Pin" sculpture, providing a serene and beautiful ambience. The Nasher Cafe offers local and sustainable products forged into creative lunch, brunch and dinner menus. Guests can experience a world class museum as well as restaurant in one stop.

Top review

Nancy

Dined on Apr 8, 2025

Food was delicious, fresh and with great ingredients.

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Local 22 Kitchen and Bar

4.8

4.8 (1070)

$30 and under

Southern

Durham

About the restaurant

A Southern-accented gastropub with a strong local focus.

Top review

Sherri

Dined 6 days ago

Max was our server and he was actually perfect. Very good super nice. Beet salad was good - everyone loved what they got.

Refectory Cafe

4.8

4.8 (959)

$30 and under

American

Durham

About the restaurant

Established in 2005, The Refectory Cafe was the first “Green” restaurant on the Duke campus and was located at the Duke Divinity and Law Schools. Now located just 2 miles from Duke's West Campus, The award-winning Refectory Cafe continues to be the restaurant where omnivores, vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free folks happily share a table together in the same facility. Every diet classification can delight in delicious, satisfying, creative food from a common menu, while enjoying the health benefits of consuming clean food, minimally processed.

Appreciate the Award winning flavor and creativity of our Executive Chef Jake Miles & Pastry Chef Rosa Redel.

MOST RECENT AWARDS: 2023-2025
2023 #4 Independent Restaurant in the STATE (Southern Living Magazine)
TripAdvisor #1 / #2
Best Brunch
Best Wine List
Best Pie
Best Vegan
Best Vegetarian
Best Patio Dining

We look forward to serving you! You will love the food and our team!

Top review

Frankie

Dined on Apr 14, 2025

Not only is the food delicious, but the atmosphere is perfect to reconnect with old friends, and make new ones! Thank you, REFECTORY!!!!

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Experience

Another Incredible Italian Wine Dinner

Seraphine

4.8

4.8 (642)

$30 and under

Creole / Cajun / Southern

Durham

About the restaurant

Seraphine is on OpenTable! We look forward to seeing you!

Top review

Jontel

Dined 5 days ago

The scallops were cooked to perfection texture wise. The dish did need a little more salt to draw out the flavor. I tried Cajun boiled peanuts for the first time and they were delicious. I appreciate getting a hot towel and lemon to clean my hands afterwards. I also enjoyed a strawberry daiquiri and the banana pudding. The bathroom was also very clean and was stocked.

Carolina Brewery - Pittsboro

4.7

4.7 (121)

$30 and under

Southern

Chapel Hill

About the restaurant

Carolina Brewery is a brewpub located in Pittsboro, North Carolina that specializes in serving craft beers and American pub fare. The restaurant features a lively atmosphere with a full bar, patio and numerous televisions broadcasting sporting events. Carolina Brewery in Pittsboro serves lunch and dinner daily and offers a variety of menu items made using fresh, in season fruits and vegetables and locally raised beef. The restaurant offers an extensive menu of starters, soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, typical pub fare and desserts. Featured entrées at Carolina Brewery in Pittsboro include chicken mac and cheese, down East BBQ plate, crab cakes, shrimp and grits and fish and chips.

Top review

DebbieVIP

Dined 7 days ago

Love the new salad with tzatziki,hummus and chicken. Great service and food!

Osteria Georgi

4.7

4.7 (990)

$31 to $50

Italian

Chapel Hill

About the restaurant

Giorgios Bakatsias' inspiration behind his newest concept, Osteria Georgi, stems from a deep appreciation for his dear friend- the late, great George Tarantini, an Italian native and beloved soccer coach for NC state University, well-known for his love and respect for hospitality.

Osteria reflects the passion behind Italian cuisine and culture-
a daily celebration of life while gathering around a shared table, of enjoying the beauty in simply prepared hand-made pasta, locally sourced ingredients and vibrant flavors, in having gratitude for the local farmers, fisherman, and artisans from which it all came, and always- a love for great company.

Top review

Anne

Dined 1 day ago

What a pleasure to eat in a really professionally excellent restaurant. It was only lunch, but an "only" experience can indicate quality in a way that a carefully prepped experience sometimes can't. it was "only" lunch, but the service was perfect - polite, deferential, informative and friendly. We "only" ordered salads, but each of them was perfectly prepared and delicious. (My Tricolore was the best sort-of Caesar I've ever eaten). The service and the food were on another plane from most other independent restaurants in Chapel Hill.

Kipos Greek Taverna - Chapel Hill

4.7

4.7 (1197)

$30 and under

Greek

Chapel Hill

About the restaurant

Authentic Greek Taverna. An ode to the recipes of the Bakatsias family. Fresh ingredients right from the garden for brunch & dinner service.

Top review

AndreaVIP

Dined on Apr 15, 2025

Love the lunch menu! I appreciate the delicious vegetarian and GF options!

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4.6

4.6 (493)

$31 to $50

Greek

Durham

About the restaurant

NIKOS offers a treasure trove of flavors distilled from Greece and the surrounding regions — spanning from the southern coast of Crete to the north of Mount Athos, and from the Ionian islands to the Aegean Sea.

We invite you to embark on a culinary journey that encompasses health, wisdom, dreams, passions, and the timeless pursuit of ideas that transcend boundaries.

Top review

MichaelVIP

Dined 5 days ago

Our waiter, Alex, was excellent. Our branzino was quite good and enough for the two of us. It was a great meal!

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Opa! Hour @ The Nikos Bar

Coffee Bar at The Durham

4.5

4.5 (542)

$30 and under

American

Durham

About the restaurant

The Coffee Bar at The Durham is a morning-to-night gathering place where days begin with breakfast and Counter Culture coffee, afternoons invite co-working and casual meetings over salads and sandwiches, and evenings unfold with classic cocktails, spirit-free drinks, and shareable plates. It’s low-key — order at the bar, then settle into a book, puzzle, or board game with friends. With a welcoming atmosphere and room to gather, it’s an ideal spot for clubs and meetups to come together. Light-filled by day, cozy by night, it’s not quite a coffee shop, not quite a bar — it’s the perfect in-between.

Reservations available via Open Table for Brunch and Special Events or Contact our sales team at 919-768-8831 to reserve space in advance for your club or meeting.

Top review

SydneyVIP

Dined 4 days ago

I love that the music is up at the mezzanine level, which allows for easy conversation. One of the few restaurants where you can hear everyone at the table. Priceless.

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Experience

Graduation Dinner

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