Counting House

It was okay. Service good, was not as excited about the charred scallops too burnt tasting for something so delicate. Great oysters.

We felt it took way too long to get our food and some dishes were cold.

A date with my husband of 22 years. Food was very tasty plus eloquent. I had the flounder over pasta, my husband had the steak. Plus I had the “darling Nikki “ drink from the bar and had to have a second one 😏

The appetizers were interesting and delicious. My main course had too much salt. My daughters fish smelled “fishy”, not in a good way.. the wait staff was very courteous and prompt. My sons chocolate torte was beautiful and delicious, the sorbet was delicious, but the cookie that was served with it was beautiful,but lacked taste.

Food was good, service was good. Tables are too close together where they seat two people.

Octopus Plancha and Roasted Flounder are amazing.

Excellent meal. Wonderful ambiance and great artwork. Check out the second floor bathrooms!

Brightly lit like a cafeteria. Limited menu and stupid prices. We went out for a white tablecloth experience and settled for a hamburger and “our check please.”

Absolutely fabulous meal. We've been kicking ourselves for not appreciating Counting House sooner. We'll definitely be back. The staff and management were simply gracious and very attentive. Excellent service, excellent food and excellent ambiance and atmosphere.

The less than stellar "service" we received was amplified by a larger set of "service" issues related to the hotel part of the business that the restaurant is affiliated with. The Hotel/Restaurant failed to supply agreed and contracted and discussed-in-advance services at check in, at turn down time and throughout our stay. As I understood it from the front desk, many of those services and product offerings are the responsibility of the restaurant to supply. On top of that, the table service in the restaurant was indifferent and the staff did not seem to understand how to deliver the agreed upon services specified by our advance purchase offers and promotions. I give the hotel/restaurant a BIG FAIL on service delivery. However, the food was wonderful.

This Restaurant outdid our expectations! We eat out frequently and came in form out of town. Everything is absolutely delicious and unusual, creative and fabulously prepared! We could not stop commenting about the delicious flavors, the until ingredients in some dishes that made it so interesting and tasty!

We would travel to Durham just for this Restaurant in the future!

The service was impeccable, very friendly, relaxed and very informative. They were quite accommodating as to dietary wishes and restrictions and set the tone for a wonderful atmosphere!

The food and service on New Year's Eve were very good; however, cocktails from the bar took quite a while to arrive. Complimentary champagne toward the end of our meal. The server brought our check before we asked for it, so we stopped at the bar for more drinks before walking through the galleries after dinner. Overall good experience.

Perfectly prepared meal. One of the best in Durham.
Service was not steady. I expect busy night or shallow labor pool. Food made up for service.

New Years Eve Dinner - Could not have asked for a nicer evening!

Went here on for New Year's Eve dinner with my spouse. Had a delightful dinner- pheasant, monkfish- nicely prepared and served. The restaurant manager came by with a complimentary pour of champagne to cap off the evening of dining.

The food was amazing. We were there on NYE and the place was packed, but the service was still impeccable. I highly recommend this for a special occasion.

From beginning to end, the dining experience was impeccable. We were greeted by warm and knowledgeable staff; the timing of our drinks and courses was perfection; the food's taste, presentation and originality were off the charts, and ambiance was unbeatable. I highly recommend this restaurant!!

Shabby gray decor; sluggish service. Sad chicken & dumplings which, unfortunately, all 3 in our party ordered on a drizzly day. Very little meat, some skin, sweet round dough balls. Over-priced at $15 per small-ish bowl. Tasty fried reconstituted sweet potato appetizer was best part of meal—fun to share.

The food was absolutely spectacular! We will be returning to the Counting House! The service was superb also.

The restaurant itself is cozy. The menu is very small. There is only 1 option on the entree menu for a vegetarian, and is of course is pasta. I will say that the dessert menu and drink menu are much better than the dinner menu. We were the first to be seated for dinner, our server did not seem very happy to be there. I won't say she was rude, but she was not friendly. There was a very nice young lady (bus boy possibly) that was extremely friendly and helpful. You have to leave the restaurant to go to the bathroom, go upstairs, and there are several unisex bathrooms to use. It smelt like raw sewage.

Went for Brunch and had a great meal. Service was excellent!

Amazing food, superb service.

We celebrated our anniversary at the Counting House. It was our first visit. The food and the service were outstanding. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Food was delicious and service great. The ambiance of the dining room is lovely, and the noise level is acceptable

Had a great Christmas Eve dinner. A couple of the menu items had too much going on for our tastes, but over all the food was great and service was outstanding!

Apps were great, service was great, no one was raving about their main course. Duck was especially blah.

Great cocktails and awesome space. Service was good but kitchen was not quite on target with my main course. Nice place but needs better management and perhaps needs to simplify the menu as the simplest dishes were the best.

The food was delicious and creative, the service attentive, the room full of wonderful art. Lovely time!

Amazing vegetarian options. Wonderfully creative dishes, appetizer to dessert. Interesting building and museum to add to the ambiance.

Out entrees were very good and very unique although a bit overpriced. The wine was incredubly overpriced. $18 for a glass of Sauvignon blanc or Chardonnay? Ridiculous.

I took my coworkers here for a celebratory lunch. The appetizers were excellent - devilled eggs, pork rinds, and sweet potato chips! Great cocktail (nikki darling) and the risotto with parsnips and hazelnuts was amazing!! And loved the artwork!!

By far, one of the most amazing and memorable dinners I have ever had. The food and service were unimaginably great. I can't wait to come again and bring friends with me.

One of our party has significant food allergies. The wait staff and chef were very creative in providing a very tasty and appetizing meal for that person. The catered carefully to his needs. His comment, "This is the best meal I've had in a long time." as he woofed it down. The rest of us ordered several items from the menu and we were all pleased with the results of meal and visit.

Our meal was delicious however we had told server we had to be at DPAC at 6:55 and our food wS delivered at 6:40.

Awesome food and staff! We came during a snow storm and the staff had been staying at the hotel for 2 days. They did not miss a beat and were friendly and accommodating as we are both vegetarians.

2nd Visit (January 2019) - I just wanted to update my review since I dined at Counting House again to give it another try and it was much better. I'd have to say the Cauliflower is probably the best I have had and I would get it again (I ordered it as an appetizer). The cheese plate was good, although it did come with a weird looking bread-stick which wasn't my favorite so I instead ate most of the cheese with the bread that was on the table with the bread and butter. I got the steak and my friend got the pork dish. Both were tasty. Overall, this visit was WAY more enjoyable (and also the lights were on a lot brighter in the restaurant making it a lot better to see the menu and the decor). I can't say this spot will be my "go-to" spot, but I would visit again based on this dining experience!

1st Visit (older)
Probably one of the worst dining experiences I have had in quite a while. The menu was half missing/printed faintly so we almost ordered a bottle of wine that said it was $32, but it was really $82. Then I ordered a glass of wine, 10 minutes later they come back to say they ran out of that wine. My friend and I got burgers, the plates were a total mess, we ordered the burgers medium and they came out completely raw (I'm talking not even warm in the middle and bloody red). The fries were overcooked and had clearly been cooked in dirty oil. The bun was burnt and hard as a rock. We actually ended up just asking for the check for our appetizer and walking out as it was clear the food was just plain bad. Drinks are expensive, the menu is small and the food was not edible. I would not return here. The atmosphere is nice, the art is fun to look at, but I wouldn't eat here again.

Had a delicious breakfast and enjoyed the atmosphere - a very unique building in the heart of Durham. The coffee, from local Counter Culture, would make a return visit worthwhile on its own.

THE FREAKING BEST !!! EVERYTHING WAS ALL THAT AND MORE !!!!

We went pre-theater based on reviews we read about the food, particularly the pork. Cutting to the chase, it was absolutely the best pork either of us ever had. THE BEST. Beautifully arranged and presented. Very special!
On the check, it said cheeks. Yes. It didn't say that on the menu, and perhaps it would have dissuaded me from ordering, but what a mistake that would be.
So dinner was delicious, unusual, locally source, artistically presented, and just a delight.
Service was wonderful. Decor was beautiful and unusual. This restaurant's building also is home to a museum worth visiting.
Yes, it is expensive, but worth it. If I have one complaint it is that the modern, open, high, high ceilings allow the noise level to rise to unacceptable heights where everyone has to speak loudly to be heard by their dining partners. No possibility of a quiet romantic retreat. But I think we will be back. It was that good.

Service was very poor. Food was good, but waitress was not up to the task.