Best of Durham 2023

Best of Durham 2023 winners

*All results listed in alphabetical order.
** The presence of five or more winners is the result of a tie

The Best of Durham is a reflection of our community’s collective voice, a resounding chorus of recommendations and testimonials that illuminate the outstanding establishments and individuals that shape our city. Each winner represents a testament to Durham's vibrant tapestry, from the top restaurants and bars to the finest local cultural experiences and services.

Join us in celebrating the best in dining, entertainment, shopping, services and more. Consider this page your go-to guide for all things Durham. Whether you're a local or just visiting, you're sure to find something to suit your interests and preferences. So sit back, relax and explore the best of Durham!

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DINING

Overall Restaurant
COPA
M Sushi
NanaSteak
Viceroy

New Restaurant
Krill
Mezcalito
QueenBurger
Succotash Southern & Creole Kitchen

Burger
Burger Bach
Bull City Burger and Brewery
Only Burger
QueenBurger

Fries
Bull City Burger and Brewery
Burger Bach
The Federal
QueenBurger

Sandwiches
Eastcut Sandwich Bar
Ideal’s Sandwich and Grocery
Parker & Otis
Toast

Breakfast/Brunch
Elmo’s Diner
Guglhupf Bakery, Cafe & Biergarten
Monuts
Press Coffee, Crepes & Cocktails

Coffee Shop
Bean Traders
Cocoa Cinnamon
Guglhupf Bakery, Cafe & Biergarten
Joe Van Gogh

Dessert/Pastries
Dulce Cafe
Guglhupf Bakery, Cafe & Biergarten
Loaf
Sweets by Shayda

Place for a Date Night
Alley Twenty Six
COPA
Mateo Bar de Tapas
M Sushi
Vin Rouge

Place for Late Night

Alley Twenty Six
Annexe
Cosmic Cantina
Kingfisher
Queeny’s

Barbecue
Backyard BBQ Pit
Moe’s Original BBQ
The Original Q Shack
Picnic

Place for Vegetarians
Earth to Us
Goorsha
Happy + Hale
Pure Soul
The Refectory Café

Seafood
Locals Seafood
M Sushi
Nantucket Grill
Saltbox Seafood Joint

Mexican Food
Cosmic Cantina
Mezcalito
NuvoTaco
Taqueria La Vaquita

Asian Food
Juju
M Sushi
Namu
Thai Cafe

Sushi
M Sushi
Sake Bomb Asian Bistro
Shiki Sushi Asian Bistro
Sushi Love

Indian Food
Indian Monsoon Restaurant & Bar
Lime & Lemon Indian Grill & Bar
Sitar Indian Cuisine
Viceroy

Latin/Caribbean Food
Alpaca Peruvian Charcoal Chicken
Boricua Soul
COPA
Luna Rotisserie & Empanadas

Greek/Mediterranean Food
Bleu Olive
Mediterranean Grill & Grocery
Neomonde Mediterranean
Parizade

Italian Food
Cucciolo Osteria
Gocciolina
Mothers & Sons Trattoria
Pulcinella’s Italian Restaurant

Pizza
Hutchins Garage
Pizzeria Toro
Pompieri Pizza
Randy’s Pizza

Wings
Chicken Bee
The Dankery
Heavenly Buffaloes
M Kokko

Place to Buy Frozen Treats

Locopops
The Parlour
Pincho Loco Ice Cream
Two Roosters Ice Cream

Kid-Friendly Restaurant
Bull City Burger and Brewery
Elmo’s Diner
Makus Empanadas
Pompieri Pizza

Food Truck
Bulkogi Korean BBQ
Chirba Chirba Dumpling
El Jefecito
The Latin Effect

Chef
Roberto Copa Matos, COPA
Juan DiGiulio, Succotash Southern & Creole
Kitchen
Matthew Kelly, Mateo Bar de Tapas
and Vin Rouge
Shawn Holland, Sophisticated Catering
and Event Planning
Chetan Vartak, Viceroy

Restaurant Catering
Alpaca Peruvian Charcoal Chicken
Foster’s Market
Pure Soul
Saladelia Cafe & Catering

Full-Service Catering
Indulge Catering
The Pit Durham Event Venue
Sage & Swift Gourmet Catering
Southern Harvest Hospitality Group
White Clover Catering

Cocktails
Alley Twenty Six
Bar Virgile
COPA
Kingfisher

Craft Alcoholic Beverages
Bull City Ciderworks
Durham Distillery
Honeygirl Meadery
Mystic Farm & Distillery

Wine Shop
Hope Valley Wine & Beverage
LouElla Wine, Beer & Beverage
Total Wine & More
Wine Authorities

Wine Selection at a Restaurant
Mateo Bar de Tapas
NanaSteak
The Refectory Café
Vin Rouge

Brewery
Fullsteam Brewery
Flying Bull Beer Company
Hi-Wire Brewing
Ponysaurus Brewing Co.

Beer Shop
Beer Study
Der Nachbar Bottleshop & Taps
The Glass Jug Beer Lab
Sam’s Bottle Shop

Draft Beer Selection
Beer Study
Der Nachbar Bottleshop & Taps
Growler Grlz
Tobacco Wood Brewing Company

Artisan Food Product
Cilantro Artisan Foods
Durham Toffee
Little Waves Coffee Roasters
Isaac’s Bagels
Melina’s Fresh Pasta

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Dance Studio
All In Dance Academy
Davis Dance Company
Empower Dance Studio
Fred Astaire Dance Studio

Venue for Community Theater
Carolina Theatre
The Fruit
Hayti Heritage Center
Walltown Children’s Theatre

Venue for Live Music (Large)
Boxyard RTP
Carolina Theatre
Durham Central Park
Durham Performing Arts Center

Venue for Live Music (Small)
The Blue Note Grill
Beyu Caffé
Motorco Music Hall
The Pinhook

Art Gallery
21c Museum Hotel
Durham Arts Council
Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University
Steven Ray Miller Gallery and Frame Shop

Museum
21c Museum Hotel
Museum of Durham History
Museum of Life and Science
Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University

Event Space
The Cookery
The Cotton Room
The Fruit
Museum of Life and Science
Sarah P. Duke Gardens

Group Outing
Duke Lemur Center
Durham Bulls
Sarah P. Duke Gardens
Urban Axes

RETAIL

Gift Store
Mill & Meadow
Parker & Otis
Smitten Boutique
Vaguely Reminiscent

Jewelry Store
Fink’s Jewelers
Hamilton Hill Jewelry
Jewelsmith
Light Years

Clothing Store
Mode Consignment Boutique
Rumors
Smitten Boutique
Vert & Vogue

Thrift Store
Durham Rescue Mission Thrift Store
Mode Consignment Boutique
Pennies for Change Thrift Boutique
TROSA Thrift Store

Home Furnishings & Accessories
Indio
Once & Again Consignment Gallery
TROSA Thrift Store
Vintage Home South

Durham-Made Product
Bright Black
Conniption Gin
Durham Toffee
Lo & Behold

HOME & GARDEN

Real Estate Agent
Lisa Ellis, Lisa Ellis & Company, Real Estate by Design
Carl Johnson, Carl Johnson Real Estate at Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston
Theresa Olson, Real Estate by Design
Emily Jo Roberts, Inhabit Real Estate

Real Estate Company
Inhabit Real Estate
Nest Realty
Real Estate by Design
West & Woodall Real Estate

Commercial Builder
BridgePoint General Contracting
CT Wilson Construction
The Daniele Company
Gateway Building Company

Residential Builder
BuildSense
Cadence Construction
CoCreations Construction & Design
Grau Building Company

Architect
BuildSense
Ellen Cassilly Architects
Grant Group Architecture
Linton Architects
SoliDeo Design Studio

Kitchen Designer
CoCreations Construction & Design
CQC Home
The Kitchen Specialist
Linda Dickerson Interiors
Little Corner Construction

Interior Design
Four Over One Design
Linda Dickerson Interiors
LK Design
Max Hugo Interior Design
True Design

Landscaper
Carolina Garden Company
For Garden’s Sake
Lawns by Carlito
TROSA Lawn Care

Landscape Architect & Designer
Carolina Garden Company
John Hykes, Design Bank
For Garden’s Sake
TMTLA Associates

Cleaning Services
Lucie’s Home Services
Natural Zen Cleaning
Rosa’s Cleaning Service
Spotless Clean and Carpet Care

Roofer
Alpine Roofing
Baker Roofing Company
Cole Roofing & Construction
Gonzalez Painters & Contractors

Painter
Atlantic Coast Painting
Gonzalez Painters & Contractors
Hansell Painting Co.
Zarazua Painting

HVAC Repair
Air Innovations Heating & Cooling LLC
Alternative Aire
Hays Heating and Air Conditioning
JD Service Now

Electrician
Braco Electric Company
JD Service Now
Power Tech Electrical Services

Storage Facility
Ample Storage
Brassfield Self Storage
Public Storage
TROSA Moving and Storage

Moving Company
Miracle Movers
TROSA Moving and Storage
Truckin’ Movers
Two Men and a Truck

Florist
Blossom and Bone Florals
Floral Dimensions
Ninth Street Flowers
Pine State Flowers

Neighborhood
Garrett Farms
Northgate Park
Trinity Park
Woodcroft

SERVICES

New Business
Auroraflow
Salon Lofts – Downtown
Der Nachbar Bottleshop & Taps
Durham Cat Company

Veterinarian
Eno Animal Hospital
Park Veterinary Hospital & Urgent Care
Southpoint Animal Hospital
Urban Tails Veterinary Hospital

Pet Boarding
The Barkmore House
Camp Bow Wow – North Durham
GoDog Durham
Park Veterinary Hospital & Urgent Care

Pet Sitting
Barbie & Company Pet Services
Bull City Pet Sitting
Dickinson Animal Services
Kate’s Critter Care

Car Wash
Autorific Express Car Wash
Bull City Car Wash
Edge Express Car Wash
The RipTide Car Wash
Spiffy

Audiologist
Better Hearing Rehabilitation Center
Duke Otolaryngology & Duke Speech
Pathology and Audiology Clinic
Hearing Health Care Services
North Carolina Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat

Optometrist/Ophthalmologist
Academy Eye Associates
Duke Eye Center
Dr. Tonica Johnson, Eye Physicians
& Surgeons of Durham
Rosenstein Vision Center

Cosmetic/Plastic Surgeon
Duke Aesthetic Center
Duke Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Gunn Plastic Surgery Center
Jelic Center

Dermatologist
Dr. Garrett S. Bressler
Regional Dermatology of Durham
Skin Wellness Dermatology Associates
Triangle Dermatology Associates

Chiropractor
Bella Vita Chiropractic
Chiropractic Partners
University Chiropractic
Dr. Latisha Wright, Lifetime Chiropractic

Accountant
Anthony F. Armento, CPA, PC
Balentine & Borg, PLLC
Bridget A. Ryan, CPA, PLLC
Thomas, Judy & Tucker, PA

Financial Advisor
Bryan L. Piccirillo, Edward Jones
Bryan Wylie, Northwestern Mutual
Kuhn Advisors
Tamra K. Ellis, Edward Jones

Bank
Coastal Credit Union
M&F Bank
State Employees’ Credit Union
Truist

Child Care
KIN Childcare
Kreative Kidz NC
Primrose School at Hope Valley Farms
Sprouting Scholars Preschool

Summer Camp
Camp Riverlea
Forge Fencing
Museum of Life and Science
Schoolhouse of Wonder

Place to Get in Shape
The 360 Approach
Arrichion Hot Yoga + Circuit Training
The BodyGames Center
Neighborhood Barre Durham

Yoga/Pilates/ Barre Center
The 360 Approach
Arrichion Hot Yoga + Circuit Training
The BodyGames Center
Neighborhood Barre Durham

Sports Club
Hollow Rock Racquet & Swim Club
Triangle Curling Club
Triangle Rock Club
United Thai Boxing & MMA

Spa
Auroraflow
Bella Trio Salon & Spa
Fluffy Tiger Massage
Fuzion Professional Massage Therapy

Hair Salon
Ego Barber Lounge
Fuss & Bother
Posh The Salon
Rock Paper Scissors Salon

Nail Salon
Bliss Nail Bar
La Vie Nail Spa
Lee Spa Nails
Posh Nail Spa

Professional Photographer
Carolyn Scott Photography
Fifty Two Hundred Photo
Morgan Crutchfield Photography
Ripptowne Photography
Tangmo Choi Photography

Videographer
Big Dog Little Bed Productions
Fifty Two Hundred Photo
Little Light Creative
Mark Maya Films + Photography

Event Planner
Enchanting Events & Designs
Sabrina Seymore Events
Socialite Events
Virtue Events

Hotel/Bed-and-Breakfast
21c Museum Hotel
The Durham Hotel
Morehead Manor Bed and Breakfast
Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club

Lawyer
Ellis Family Law
Hopler, Wilms & Hanna, PLLC
Lockamy Law Firm
Patrick Law, PLLC

Travel Company
AAA
Angela Murphy, Key to the World Travel

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