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 (2454)

$31 to $50

Spanish

109 W Chapel Hill St, Durham, NC 27701

Make a reservation

2 people

May 1, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 34 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.

Private dining

What 2,454 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
4.4Value

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 in Durham offers a vibrant dining experience with "consistently excellent" food and service. Guests rave about the "authentic tapas," standout dishes like octopus, and a lively atmosphere. While it can be noisy, the upstairs seating provides a quieter option. Perfect for date nights or group gatherings.

2,454 Reviews

M
Meghan VIP
Raleigh7 reviews
5.0
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
I love coming to Mateo's and was so excited to have my friends from out of town experience the best of Durham this past Saturday evening. Our dinner was beyond delicious and everything was perfect. Our server Emily was INCREDIBLE!!! She was just a pure delight that helped make our dinner memorable.
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f
francie
San Francisco6 reviews
5.0
Dined on April 17, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We moved here two years ago and this is one of the best restaurants we experienced so far. We’re foodies. Every dish was very good, the octopus the best, followed by the beet salad, the ham croquettes, clams and patata braves. We would have preferred the sauce and aoli on the side as the potatoes were too soft even though cooked to perfection. ( the non “sauced” were crispy.) The tomato sauce was a little sweet and not impressive. Overall it’s a delicious and fun experience. We’ll be back.
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N
Nicole
Greater Boston2 reviews
5.0
Dined on April 11, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This restaurant is amazing, it is a must go to if you are in Durham. It is a stop for me every time I go to DPAC.
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E
Eamon VIP
Raleigh6 reviews
4.0
Dined on April 2, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 2
Couple of large groups upstairs was really loud and hard to have a conversation.
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J
Jonathan
Raleigh3 reviews
5.0
Dined on April 2, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
It was a fabulous dinner. Will be back and would highly recommend to anyone wanting to dine in Durham.
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M
Maryanne VIP
Raleigh21 reviews
5.0
Dined on April 2, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Our guest for our business dinner absolutely raved about the ambience and service. The food was delicious and we enjoyed every bite! On our list to return-thank you- On a side note, someone (not in our party) left a cc and Mateos politely called feeling it was us, to advise it was at the bar for pick up. It must have been the reservation after us. THAT is customer service!!! Well done.
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L
Lacey
Western NC1 review
4.0
Dined on March 25, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Atmosphere is fabulous! However, we decided to try some culinary suggestions on the chalkboard and found the fish dip just “too fishy” to actually enjoy. One bite apiece and we politely shoved it aside. Our server was kind, noticed the barely touched mound of dip, and removed it. Wine was robust and flavorful and we had a fun evening anyway :)
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C
Christie VIP
Hawaii17 reviews
4.0
Dined on March 22, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
A fun place - nice date night place. Tables are close together though and can be very noisy.
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P
Paola
Western NC2 reviews
3.0
Dined on March 21, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 4
Unfortunately our waitress was rude, we wanted to get drinks and coffee after she brought the check -without asking-, and asked us to leave the table because she had another reservation. If the restaurant is packed and need the table, they usually let you know in advance and that was not the case, also the place was not full. We ordered a good amount of food and drinks, and we left 20% of gratuity for a party of four, because other employees were nice, something that now I regret. Very unfortunate.
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FF
FredF
Raleigh8 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 20, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
They easily accommodated my party of 10, our waitress was very attentive and had a quick, sharp humor which I love. The food was very good and served in a timely manner, not all at once but not too far apart either. I enjoyed the evening in no small part to the fine job the staff did
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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 2454 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people

May 1, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 34 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!

Private dining

Second Floor Private Dining

Custom inquiry

Menu

What 2,454 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