Food was delicious, but service was very slow.

We had brunch on Mother’s Day, this was our first visit to The Counting House. The staff very friendly and efficient. The brunch menu at first glance seemed limited but, we had the Birds eye view of the orders coming out of the kitchen and our opinion changed. I personally started with one menu item in mind and changed my mind literally three times. We had a larger party and it was honestly the first time in quite awhile everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal. Can’t wait to try their dinner menu!

We were in town for a college graduation. Out of the 8 restaurants we experienced in Durham, The Counting House was by far the worst meal and the worst service! At 10:30am on a Saturday, it took 20 minutes to get a cup of coffee, prompting me to leave the table to find the waitress twice! The food, when it finally arrived, had been pre-plated, was soggy and unappetizing. We will never return.

We are staying at the 21c hotel and went to the Counting House for dinner. Great ambiance with imaginative art, friendly and helpful wait staff. We ate appetizers for dinner and loved the oysters, broccolini, shrimp and grits, and octopus. Found a great bottle of inexpensive languedoc wine in the wine list and loved the evening

Excellent waitstaff. Interesting art. Restrooms need attention. Dirty and lacking soap. Interesting interior, tho. My meal of scallops was very good. Probably will not return

How do you screw up a BLT? The bacon was cold and not crunchy-almost raw. The bread was burnt. Fries were greasy. Took forever to get drinks and there was only one other table and no one in the bar. (Did I say one-1 other table?) My husband's Eggs Benedict was absolutely raw-I would have sent it back. Overall a terrible experience-which I will never repeat.

Excited to try and intrigued by eclectic menu, location and love the artsy, contemporary decor. But the evening started off on the wrong foot with my interaction with the hostesses, and more issues ensued throughout meal: slow food arrival, disconnect with random arrival of some dishes, and entrees not brought out together. Didn't see our waitress for a long time, the wine steward came over and said one of our entrees was accidentally sent to a different table but no apologies and no comp for the delay. So one of our party sat for 30-40 minutes w/o dinner while the rest of our dinners were half eaten. And they forgot one of our side dishes which arrived undercooked. Overpriced considering all this. Seems there's some kinks to be worked out.

We went for the Durham vegan challenge and were happy to find a lot of vegan/vegetarian options on the menu, all very imaginative and well presented. There were a lot of choices for our non-vegan friends. The food was excellent

Service and food were phenomenal. I highly recommend trying their craft cocktails with dinner.

The service was great since we were one of two tables there. However, the food wasn’t worth the price in my opinion. The chicken and dumplings were way too salty and inedible. The burgers were great, just very greasy. We were there for a special occasion and were given a free desert for it which was nice. I do not see going back in the future though since the quality doesn’t match the price.

The food was terrific - portions are small. Service was good until dessert - waited about 20 minutes for that. Otherwise, I recommend this place for a special occasion or date. The food was worth it.

Always a great place to go for a business dinner

I wanted to love Counting House. I've enjoyed all of 21c's restaurants (Cincinnati, Louisville, Bentonville) and was sure I'd love this, too. The staff is great. But we waited a LONG time for our drinks and an even longer time for our entrees (after our starters) which were just...okay.

Our first choice restaurant was jampacked and did not take reservations so we looked on OpenTable to see what was available. I’m so glad OpenTable showed us this restaurant because it was outstanding. We were there with family including a toddler and a baby, and felt very welcome. The brunch menu had great variety and everyone loved what we ordered. The service was great and the atmosphere was too.

Counting House is a hidden gem in downtown Durham. You could walk by it and never guess it's there. The food is fresh, and it's very affordable. Highly recommend checking it out if you're in the area--and be sure to check out the 21c Museum that's occupies several floors in the hotel (and is open 24 hours).

Outside the people acting like 12 year olds who were representing Duke Alumni, the meal, drinks, and service were amazing.

Small menu but some very good choices. Nice bar and a good place to eat if you are solo. Food taste great and some good wine choices.

Located inside the 21c Museum Hotel in Durham, the aesthetics of the restaurant were more than alluring! There was a lack of staffing which wasn’t the best and the employees on hand weren’t to enthusiastic. Nonetheless, the food was prepared quite well and the museum aspect was super cool!

The meal and setting were extraordinary! The waitress and hostess were very attentive. The artwork in the restaurant, hotel lobby and gallery was all interesting. Our dinner was well prepared, tasty and original. A wonderful experience.

I took a friend here because I love it so much. She was in awe. We had theatre tickets and staff was great getting us our food in a timely manner

We were there for Easter brunch - wait staff seemed disorganized and unsure of who was supposed to take care of which tables. Overall the food was good, the experience just wasn't quite up to snuff compared to many competing Durham restaurants.

Really enjoyed our server. Thank you!

The shrimp and grits appetizer was amazing! The creme brulee was the best thing that I ate all night. Appetizer: shrimp n grits/ Meal:Salmon/ Dessert: creme brulee. Service was perfect! Waiters were very knowledgeable about the food options. Enjoyed the experience!

Food and cocktails were very good. For some reason the restaurant did not have our open table reservation, but they were able to accommodate us without waiting and seat us at a great table.

Dinner before show at DPAC. Ordered 3 appetizers, then split a seafood entree, shared a dessert, and a bottle of wine. The amount of food was just right. Food was delicious, fresh, and beautifully presented.

Enjoyed the food. our waitress was very friendly and gave us many suggestions on the menu and on the museum located in the restaurant/hotel. the museum was wonderful

Beautiful restaurant with creative food and fun ambiance with the gallery exhibition

Took a while to get food, took forever to get second glass of wine. Food was strange - almost like trying too hard. Ordered a shrimp ap that was okay (really just fried shrimp), cauliflower that was boring (not at all seasoned), a pasta dish was lavender and peas that was gross, and a mushroom soup where they brought out of bowl of like gelatin, fried crispy somethings and whole onion slices and then poured the soup on top. Again, trying too hard. Awkward to eat and hardly even seasoned. Not much flavor. I would not recommend this restaurants.

Food was amazing. Service was attentive and helpful. Space is great. Perfect date night!

Some of the most awesome dishes I have ever tasted!

The small plates we had were packed with flavor - we thoroughly enjoyed the octopus and the sweet potato and pear. The split our entree which was so kind and the service was impeccable.
Overall great experience and will be back for sure!

We’ve been here 3 times now and have never had a bad (or even just mediocre) dish! Small plates, entrees, and desserts have all made us say “WOW”!

The restrooms were very modern but also unusual. It was not clear from the outside that once you went in and turned the lock, the glass became opaque. I'm sure there are many patrons who get up to the 2nd level where these are and then say, "I think I'll just hold it!"

Also, my husband ordered a chicken sandwich. The waiter came by our table after 10-15 minutes to say there was an issue with the chicken (he didn't really explain). He did bring us some free deviled eggs, but since I was having eggs as my entree, that wasn't really helpful to me. They were good though. The wine was expensive by the glass, and the menu wasn't clear as to the price.

All in all, it was an interesting experience but not one I care to repeat.

Wife and I enjoyed brunch before a performance at DPAC. Food was extraordinary as was the service. I would highly recommend this.

I’m not sure what was going on but it appeared they were very short staffed. When we were seated we were acknowledged by our waitress but it took about 15 minutes for her to take our drink order. She was very pleasant and was working hard to accommodate us. The food was absolutely delicious. I’ve never tasted more delicious grits, my eggs were cooked perfect and my bacon was crispy exactly as I like it. The brown butter was a nice treat. The only Improvement I would recommend is more wait staff but maybe that day was a one off situation.

This was a disappointing meal. Our poor server was left all alone — without even a hostess — to handle all of the tables. She tried hard, but forgot to bring us items we ordered, delivered coffee without cream and sugar, etc. The breakfast breads were stale, and my oatmeal was mediocre. My daughter’s bagel and lox was a tasty dish, but that’s pretty much the high.

Every time I go here is a great experience, good food, great wine, elegant.

Wow! Amazing food and service. Nice job!

Unusual selections. Very nice wait-staff. Convenient to DPAC.

Went to dinner before a play at the DPAC with my daughter. Service was slow, but we planned for that with 6:30 reservations and the food was good but the portions are quite small. Very pricey, so be prepared. Great bartenders!