Family Weekend Resturaunt Options

Since many of you will hopefully be joining us this weekend for Family Day and College Eve, I thought some dining suggestions might be helpful for you.  I have broken these up into a couple different categories, so hopefully everyone can find something that interests them.

Student Favorites:

Families, if you want to experience what the students have when they go off campus, try some of these student favorites that are within walking distance of the school.

1) Bali Hai--Easily one of the most popular restaurants with our students, this reasonably priced Mongolian grill offers great opportunities for showing off you food stacking skill as you fill your own bowl with ingredients. http://www.balihainc.com/

2) Elmo's Diner--A classic diner that offers breakfast all day.  Be sure to color a duck if you go.  http://elmosdiner.com/

3) Cosmic Cantina--Cosmic offers fresh, cheap Mexican food, with a quirky, hole-in-the-wall atmosphere. Be sure to note the stairs leading up to the restaurant that were painted as a miniterm project by former NCSSM students.  http://www.cosmiccantina.com/

Driving Needed:

If you want to be really nice to your student and take them somewhere they don't usually get to go because it requires driving, try some of these favorites.

1) Only Burger--Originally started as a food truck, and has now expanded to a brick and mortar location.  They do awesome burgers (and veggie and turkey burgers) and sides.  No frills, but good food.  Bonus: Tutti Frutti, a frozen yogurt store is right next door.  http://onlyburger.com/ and http://www.tfyogurt.com/

2) Shanghai Chinese--A little classier than the normal chinese delivery the students get at the school and a Durham staple for over 20 years.  http://www.shanghaidurham.com/

3) Mellow Mushroom--Who doesn't want some awesome pizza?  Mellow mushroom is located in the American Tobacco District (with a ton of other great places), right beside the Durham Bulls stadium.  http://mellowmushroom.com/store/durham/menu/14/pizza

Unique Durham:

These places are unique Durham Favorites, and a little more upscale than students might do on a regular basis.  These might be a special treat for your student.

1) Pizzaria Toro--Offers wood fired pizzas with a unique combination of topics, and has been named one of the top 100 resturaunts in the south as well as being featured in the Southern Living article naming Durham "South's Tastiest Town" this year.  http://www.pizzeriatoro.com/

2) Watts Grocery--Located less than a block from the school, this classy resturaunt uses fresh, local ingredients in their unique creations.  http://www.wattsgrocery.com/

3) NanaTaco--Offers wonderful, quirky taco creations.  Check out the "dirty meats" section of their menu for some of the more interesting options.  http://nanataco.com/

4) Dame's Chicken and Waffles--They are almost world famous, just like it says on their website.  Their chicken and waffles are everything the southern classic should be.  It gets busy, but is delicious.  http://dameschickenwaffles.com/

These are only a very few of the astounding number of dining options available in Durham.  The Durham food scene has exploded recently, and there are too many options to even keep up with them all.  I would suggest you check out this map of the 9th Street District (right beside the school) http://www.dcvb-nc.com/comm/ninth_street_map.pdf or this map of the greater Downtown area http://www.durham-nc.com/resources/pdf/dt_map_web-only.pdf for more suggestions or options too.  

And last, here is the link to the article naming us South's Tastiest Town, if you are interested: http://www.southernliving.com/travel/tastiest-town-durham-north-carolina-00417000082305/.