Counting House

I have always enjoyed the physical space and atmosphere in Counting House, but I thought they fell short on the food side. That certainly has changed. Outstanding and creative food dishes that are delicious. Excellent service. Same fun space. One of my favorite restaurants in Durham and also offers a lively bar.

Love the ambiance. Definitely a good place for a date night, subtly lit and great art around. Started with the deviled eggs and had the bay scallop scampi. All of the food was pretty good. I was still a little hungry after I left would be the only complaint. Last time we came I had a summer salad and rigatoni and it was absolutely delicious and very filling so I think maybe it was what I chose this time. With one starter, three entrees, and three cocktails the tab was only 160, so it wasn’t bad. I will be back and definitely recommend.

We're from Florida. The family is from Beijing. Choose to meet at Duke. This restaurant has great steaks on the Internet. Although the lunch menu does not offer steak. But the kind waiter told us that the building had an old bank vault and an art gallery open. The lunch menu is small. But the environment is quiet. Thank you for her patience in introducing us to the old vault as part of our Duke tour. Interesting mystery

Came here for our first fancy brunch in a while - delicious and decadent! Monte cristo and biscuit sandwich are both delicious. Breakfast potatoes were perfect. And the restaurant decor is quite entertaining. Got to see some of the awesome 21c Museum exhibits intertwined throughout the restaurant and hotel but will have to come back to spend more time exploring "The Future is Female."

The atmosphere is amazing. They have a beautiful lounge with comfortable couches and brilliant art. The drinks are creative and the wine and bourbon list is extensive. Take a walk into the dining room and you are met with friendly smiles and exquisite southern hospitality. Sit for a meal and you will experience a team driven waitstaff with the desire to accommodate your every needs, with their YES attitude. Be taken into palette overload with the out of this world combinations of dishes and spices, while beholding dishes that are Picasso'est in appearance and as satisfying as your grandmother's Sunday dinner.

This is my go to brunch spot when we have visitors in town, I have never had a bad meal, the staff is always friendly.

Came here for a business dinner. Food is delicious, a bit hard to find as it's inside the 21c hotel. Drinks are tasty as well.

Wicked good! My date and I enjoyed ourselves a great deal trying oysters, mushroom, pork, fish and dessert (see images attached). Our wines (Pinot Noir & some white wine) complemented our dishes marvelously, enhancing our overall experience truthfully! 😆The location itself was fancy, well-kept and welcoming. You should check out the upstairs restrooms too! lol. They were differently designed. We also saw a few pink penguins. The only complaint we had was our server Ryan was slightly pushy, handing us our bill when just moments earlier we informed him we were planning to just sit back, sip on wine and conversate the remainder of the evening. However, he was knowledgeable, fun and efficient overall. I mean, I’ll request Ryan whenever I return! 😊

Had drinks night of seeing a show at DPAC, also stayed in the Museum 21c Hotel. Drinks were great and service was speedy, kind, and accommodating. Has brunch the next morning. Short Rib Benny was delicious and the Creme Brûlée French Toast was fantastic and not too sweet. Coffee was a little bitter for my wife but I like strong tastes. Would def come again.

This is one of the finest hotel restaurants I have visited in my travels. It's menu which often offers only a few distinct options continues to provide me with something intriguing to check out each time. When in season you can choose from a selection of raw oysters which often includes North Carolina and Virginia varieties. The plates function as high art, with explosions of color, sauces, textures and presentations which complement the overall aesthetic vibe of the hotel housing it. There is very beautiful abstract art including a crawling tiger on the walls, a nice bar and additional seating area as well as a small event space. The kitchen is open behind a glass enclosure. It is rarely crowded and takes reservations from Open Table. The servers are attentive and informed about the menu. Most recently, I enjoyed a venison dish and have enjoyed other meat, fish and seafood dishes. Dine first and enjoy the museum later.

A five-star dining experience before our show at DPAC (just a five-minute walk away). My Cornish Game Hen entree served with wheat berries and parsnips was insanely good. My wonder got the swordfish special with mussels, olives and capers. Outstanding. The artwork and ambiance adds to the great food and service.

Best brunch spot in downtown Durham. Got the Japanese milk bread pudding and the soft scrambled eggs. The bread pudding wasn't overly sweet and the bread had nice subtle milk flavor. Compared to the ones I tried in Kyoto and Tokyo, the bread was more dense, but it did hit all the spots. Scrambled egg was good and the nice thick bacon bits made it enjoyable to eat. Pita bread on the side was an interesting choice and it was the only thing I really didn't like.

I was visiting Durham for the first time and wanted local experiences, including culinary. Counting House does not disappoint! I didn't take pictures because I wanted to be in the moment. This place is not a chain experience and is also not pretentious. What it is, isan upscale creative experience. I had 3 couses: Japanese milk bread and pina colada, mushroom risotto, and pineapple upside down cake. You can actually taste the ingredients - no overload of salt and sugar to mask the flavor profiles. This is the test: the pineapple upside down cake was a good cake even without the fruit o top. The risotto was creamy and even if you don't like mushrooms, try it! The ambience was everything! Quiet, dim lighting, and basically if you've seen The Bear on Hulu, this is similar to the type of restaurant Carmy and his team were trying to build. Everyone is on board and I can't wait until they get a star because this place absolutely is doing the work to get one.

We recently enjoyed brunch at The Counting House and had a wonderful experience. My husband and I shared three dishes, which was the perfect way to sample a variety of flavors. The lemon ricotta pancakes were outstanding, light, fluffy, and full of bright, delicious flavor. The portion was generous and easily enough for two to share. We also tried the braised short ribs, which were savory, rich, and incredibly fork tender. They were beautifully seasoned and comforting with every bite. Lastly, the shrimp and grits were a pleasant surprise, especially with the addition of crab on top. The grits were creamy and full of flavor, making this dish a true standout. Overall, a delightful brunch with flavorful dishes and great portions for sharing. We will definitely be back!

My sister and I stayed at the 21C Museum Hotel and had to look no further than the Counting House on the first floor for great food and wonderful service. We had a tasty lunch of Steak Frites and Fish Sandwich along with a flavorful Caesar Salad. Chef Melanie has developed a menu full of flavors, Chef David went above and beyond in careful preparation, hostess Tiara welcomed us warmly, and server Tassia made sure everything was to our liking. We came back with a guest for a breakfast of flaky pastries, freshest fruits, yummy pancakes, unique Turkish eggs, and yogurt and granola that made my day. We all liked the coffee. There’s something more here at the Counting House—an ambience of hospitality, caring, connection that made our experience so memorable, and have made us thinking about the next time we can return.

I had a wonderful experience with Counting House recently. I am not local but called hoping to arrange an anonymous surprise for someone dining there and Kiera handled everything beautifully. She was incredibly kind, professional, and thoughtful throughout the process and made something that could have been complicated feel seamless. The surprise turned out exactly as hoped. Thank you Kiera and the team at Counting House for going above and beyond- it truly made someone's night!

We had a private room of 10 with the most fun and professional server, Pip! Pip explained all the dishes in great detail and we ordered her suggestions! We started with the Japanese Honey buns and then the chargrilled oysters! Both perfection!😍 Then our table had absolutely NO Complaints of their entrees of gnocchi, pork schnitzel, rib eyes, tomato-peach salad (fresh and divine) and Black Forest cake and lemon curd cheesecake! All was fabulous and the atmosphere was sophisticated and cozy! Our favorite restaurant so far while we were touring the area! 🤩😍

Recovering from major surgery and on a full liquid diet, chef delighted me in meeting some extreme dietary restrictions and provided an exceptional culinary delight, presented with kindness and grace. True southern hospitality from the hostess to the entire staff. Ambiance was superb, great calm yet vibrant vibe.

Edit: The day after writing my review from earlier in December, I was contacted by Counting House’s Director of Food and Beverage. She was very apologetic of our experience and agreed that they needed better options for vegans. She mentioned that they immediately added more vegan and vegetarian friendly options and expressed hope that we would try them again. Because of this effort and their diligence, my wife and I, along with another couple, went back last night (1/2/26). My wife and I were very impressed with their new menu and we enjoyed a vegan appetizer, a vegan entree for her and a vegetarian entree for me, and vegan sides. It was all wonderfully prepared. Our friends had not been to Counting House before. They are not vegetarians or vegans, so opted for other items on the menu and expressed how great it was. Thank you, Ms Bowden and the Counting House team, for being so responsive to our feedback. We do plan on adding back Counting House to our Durham night-out options. —————————————————————————— It took 20 minutes after being seated for a server to come to our table. It took another 20 minutes after placing our drink orders for our drinks to arrive. At 6:15pm, they had already run out of their pasta dish. When I made our reservations, I asked if the kitchen could prepare a vegan meal for my wife, as there was nothing vegan on the menu. I was assured that they could several times (once when I made the reservation and again when I called to confirm the reservations). However, when she ordered, she was told only the house salad could be vegan, even with the server checking with the kitchen. So my wife just had a salad, with no protein options. And the salad was literally just lettuce, with a few sprinkles of carrots and two blackberries. It also took one hour for us to get our food after placing our order. We have been here several times before and each time there has been a noticeable decline in service and overall experience. We will not be returning.

I have no problem spending $ on a good restaurant and good food. This bill was $175. All good except $19 for a Jack Daniel’s Manhattan? Too high. It’s the cheapest booze on their bar! I hate paying to much for cheap stuff. See the attached bill. $12+$4+$3. What is that?

The burger wings and fries were solid. Ingredients tasted fresh. The milk bread with the whipped honey was the star of the show, though. I could probably eat it everyday.

Excellent drink and food selection. The service was wonderful and the food preparation was incredibly quick. I've never been out to dinner with friends before where every single person ate every single scrap of food on their plate, but it was very warranted; no one wanted to waste a morsel! However, the restroom situation was less than ideal. It was co-ed (not too big a deal for me), but it was ALSO an all glass bathroom where you literally face strangers while you each use the toilet... There is signage taking about how privacy is a privilege that we take for granted, etc. etc. It is some sort of art exhibit, I believe. While a worthwhile topic to address, for sure, but if changing your tampon while some random dude leers at you is not your cup of tea, then you might want to go elsewhere...

This was a nice place but they had a bad habit of not listing all ingredients in dishes. This is problematic for me since I am allergic to tree nuts. In 2 of the 4 items we ordered there were surprise pecans. Really nice mixed drinks. Round 2: no surprise nuts! Still amazing drinks. Bartender made me a very close approximation of a Singapore sling despite it not being on the menu!

Super unique space, food was great, only not giving a five star review cause I wish the menu was a little bigger for brunch, will return for dinner though. Monkey Bread was delicious.

Counting House is set in 21c Museum Hotel that you enter through pretty Art Deco metal doors. The dining room and bar are very modern and decorated with art in this case animal sculptures. On a previous visit it was much less busy and service was good and the food terrific. Food was still very good this time, but we were seated near the bar which was very loud. The service was very good although it seemed that the kitchen was slow as many people were going to a show at the Carolina Theater. The bar is stocked with some great liquor and classic cocktails are good but the house conceived cocktails were not so good with me being too sweet (rye/bourbon) and companion's being unexpectedly peppery. Parking as far as I can tell is either on street or parking deck whether you use a public deck or park at Unscripted.

As a seafood lover this was delicious. But my fiance doesn't like seafood, so we were pretty disappointed to find out it is turning into a seafood spot. Overall it was pretty good.

The decor is worth the visit, and the drinks and service are good, but the food is hit and miss for the hype and price. The Eggs Benedict were my favorite (room service). They make the Hollandaise fresh, and it is divine. The grits were a bit creamy for my taste. The scallops were delicious and well presented. The Asian salad was tasty, but you'll need to add a protein if it's your main dish. I added shrimp, which were a bit disappointing, about medium sized and slightly overcooked.

Mac was or server. She was totally on the ball. Now van Gough coffee can't be beat. The po boy was delicious and the lox but was giant. The fries were very good and crispy

I had a reservation for brunch on Saturday 11/11/23 to celebrate my birthday! I was hesitant after reading the brunch/breakfast reviews but decided to proceed. I wish I wouldn’t have. I had the deviled eggs as an appetizer and they had no flavor other than the crispy garlic bits. The burger was not good and my friend’s burger was overcooked. My friend didn’t like the salad, she shared there were too many contradicting textures. The tater tots and shrimp rolls were good though! I like the atmosphere and would check it out for dinner but would not return for brunch. Also, someone who worked there was trying to charge me $25 per person removed from the reservation although the cancellation policy is $25 if the reservation is cancelled. Thankfully the manager was able to confirm my understanding of the policy was correct vs. being charged $75 for removing 3 chairs.

The best thing going here is atmosphere. The food was super super super salty — the trout dip was so salty we sent it back. The scallops and snapper were very salty as well but a bit more tolerable and otherwise cooked to perfection. The oysters were ok. The service was unexpectedly subpar — our waitress dropped the ball on quite a few things. I will note that the restaurant tried to compensate by offering a free champagne toast. Nonetheless, I don’t know that I will return…

My visit wasn't shockingly bad, but it wasn't good enough to make me want to return (or to recommend this restaurant to any of my 500 convention colleagues, except perhaps the ones I don't like). My server had a wonderful disposition. She was super nice and wanted to please, so her mistakes were clearly management's fault for not training her well enough, I made a point to emphasize that I wanted the fries to be fresh and hot. The fish was tasty and piping hot, but the fries obviously weren't held under a heat lamp while the fish was frying, so they were cool by the time my food arrived. My server placed the food on the table and promised to come back to check. She didn't notice that my table had no salt and pepper, nor did she hear me asking for it as she walked away. Even though the restaurant was TOTALLY EMPTY, she failed to check on my satisfaction until I had finished eating, which is especially bad when the customer emphasized concerns and specific needs when ordering. That's an indication of bad management. When she asked "how was everything?", I replied "It was mixed, some good and some not very good." My server didn't even ask me to say what wasn't good! That's bad management. She clearly didn't know how to respond to a customer who clearly wasn't TOTALLY happy. I guess I now understand why this restaurant wasn't packed with customers.

My wife and I went to Counting House for Valentine’s Day 2026. Overall, we had a good experience. Would rate 3.5 out of 5 stars and if given the option. We had the oysters which came with crème fresh and mignonette. We requested on the side but they came all together, which ended up being a nice combination of flavors. We also shared a seasonal salad which was less impressive as it was romaine lettuce, grapes, and pieces of citrus. Main courses we had the seasonal fish and lamb shank. Lamb shank was a great portion size and very tender. Fish had good flavor but parts were undercooked. Would have ranked this 4/5 but we had to wait about 45 minutes for our Entrees. A couple of concerning points were both couples sitting next to us sent food back for burnt steak and cold pasta. A table nearby also had their appetizers and entrees delivered together. They also ran out of my first and second entree preferences, so I had to order my third choice. Surprising since we were a 5:45pm seating. I think the restaurant has potential, but would benefit from some better organization/leadership to elevate them to the level of other fine dining restaurants in the triangle. At this time, I would not consider them one.

My husband and I just came here for our anniversary, and honestly, we were quite disappointed. The interior of the restaurant itself is kind of weird. The decor is pretty random and eclectic (not in a good way) and just looks strange and tacky. The so-called "artwork" is absolutely awful. The service was quite good. Our server was nice and energetic, and she did her best, even though they were kinda busy and the kitchen was pretty slow. Unfortunately, we had to send back two different dishes. First, our confit wings, which just weren't that great. Some of them were a little bit underdone, even. And then after that, I had to send back my roasted chicken entree, which also had some underdone parts inside that were leaking red juices all over everything. And the whole dish itself just kind of wasn't that impressive. Plating wasn't great, the turnips were a little bland, the greens were overdone. We did have a side of the mushrooms with Madeira to replace the wings. They were very good. After I sent back my chicken entree, I got the agnolotti instead, which was mostly pretty good, but I think it only came with four agnolotti and probably could have had just a little bit more, and a little less sauce and mushrooms. But it was tasty. My husband was not impressed with his smash burger which was very average for $19. He said the burger and fries reminded him of Sysco products and that he could get a much better one for half the price at Only Burger. Because we had to send back two different dishes, we did get a free dessert. We got a panna cotta, which was nice. Ultimately, this feels like one of those of restaurants that doesn't actually deliver impressive fine dining but definitely charges you for it. I think they lean on their setting, their weird artwork, and some fancy chef's name, and I think the food sounds a little fancier and better than it actually is. I've come to realize that more casual restaurants tend to have much better tasting food than these expensive restaurants that have $50 entrees but can't even get chicken right. I'm starting to feel very duped by "nice", expensive restaurants. We were grateful that they rectified the situation, but we will not be coming back. 3 stars might be a touch too generous but 2 might be too low. So, 2.5.

I don't think I've ever paid as much for a meal that was that disappointing. We came in for a 7:30 seating on Christmas Eve after the Nutcracker. I didn't think that was all that late, but our food would demonstrate otherwise. Everything we were served would have been fine if it were reheated leftovers at home, but completely unacceptable at a reputable restaurant. Our first issue was the charcuterie plate. The cheese had a crust on it from being left uncovered and had dried out. The salami on the plate was papery, chewy, and nearly tasteless from the same issue. We hoped it was just a one-off kitchen mistake. However, when the mains came out, it became clear that our meals were not cooked to order. I paid $45 for the vegetarian plate, which was just sides. Even at $15 a plate, this would be disappointing, especially so on Christmas. The green beans were cold. The macaroni had been overcooked, so the noodles were rubbery. It had also likely been cooked at too high a temperature, so the cheese sauce had broken and all the moisture had evaporated leaving nothing behind but a crumbly, mealy texture on overly soft noodles. We let our server know and he graciously tried to address the issue. I have never sent food back to the kitchen before, but this was egregious. We were brought new plates with the same issues, making us believe they had prepared all of the Christmas Eve food ahead of time and had left it out during service. This is worrying from a food safety perspective, and even more so when we heard someone in the kitchen admonish someone else to wash their hands. If you're going to have a kitchen open to the restaurant, perhaps be aware that guests can see and hear what's going on in there. Dessert was fine, not a highlight, but also not bad. The few things that save this from being a one star review are the salad and the service. The salad was fresh and had been appropriately stored. We suspected it was the only thing made fresh by the time we were seated. Our server was attentive and provided us a mocktail to make up for the kerfuffle. I would not recommend this restaurant for any nonstandard service and will not be back.

The Counting House that I dined for years is much different now and I don't see a return visit. Service is mediocre, no refills, check-ins, etc. I had to laugh at my last visit when my check arrived soon after my food did, with the comment, "No rush." I had had maybe three bites at that point, so I just ignored it sitting there until I was finished. I went with pancakes this time, but the dish was to come with a berry compote (a berry sauce), whipped butter (not chopped butter), streusel, and maple syrup. So this is not what I ordered. I wanted a side of eggs until I saw the price, $8 for two eggs. I skipped those, and they don't know how to poach eggs here, either, or don't use fresh eggs. It is time to stop giving this place more chances.

Tried smoked salmon bagel for brunch. VERY disappointed. Looked like the cook ran next door to Brugels Bakery then fried the salmon on the flattop grille. Not good at all Virtually no atmosphere we we ate around 12:30. Server was acting as hostess, waitress, cashier and busboy all at the same time. Dinner may be different but brunch? Not good

The food was an average presentation and without any accoutrement. One should not have to ask for salt and pepper with eggs Or butter for toast. My egg breakfast was served after my wife completed her meal.... and the restaurant was only 1/3 full for Sunday brunch at 11 o'clock and so demand on the chef was not excessive. Coffee refills, even with grounds in the cup, were not offered and the provided service by the actual waitress was inexplicably subpar, perfectly contrasted by Jordan, the maître d' who was beyond phenomenal. Nicco's Greek restaurant 10 minute walk away is 10/5 stars across the board.

I got breakfast here for a promotion at the hotel, if i had paid the prices for the quality of the food I would of been disappointed . We got pancakes, was out of the strawberry compote, the strussel topping was basically some brown sugar on top. Breakfast potatoes were like small golden potatoes tossed in the deep fryer, it was a mess. I'd rather pay half as much and eat better at ihop

We arrived for brunch and were never attended by a waiter after sitting for nearly 20 min. We watched as others came in and were attended before us. We hungrily left to the Durham Hotel Coffee Bar.

My boyfriend & I came here for our Valentine’s Day 2026 dinner. We had a reservation @ 7pm. We got sent a message that our table was READY. We get to the host, & are told that the table will be ready in a few minutes. 5 minutes pass & we get seated. We both order our waters, & proceed to wait. Our server Courtney comes. I ordered the Lamb Shank & my boyfriend ordered the Duck. They did not have any duck, so he had to choose another entree. He also ordered a Ponysaurus stout. We timed it at about 35 minutes till he received his drink. I ended up ordering an iced tea later in the dinner because my water did not go well with my dinner. I never received my tea, & our host never came back for a good while, so I just got tired of waiting for anything. Our food was okay. The Lamb was decent on the flavor. My boyfriend’s Short Rib was on the sweeter side & everything was engulfed in the sauce. He didn’t enjoy it. He wanted the Duck. Presentation was okay. We then proceeded to dessert. She brings us the menu. I love coffee, so I wanted to order a latte. I ask her if they have any flavors available with it. She proceeds to tell me “We don’t have any, & to be honest with you…I don’t have time to make a latte”. I was very shocked at that response. It made me feel very unwelcome, & she came off as very rude! After that I just wanted to leave, but my bf was wanting to stay, & see if everything else turns alright. He ordered the Panna Cotta & an Old Fashioned. He told her he wanted it done the Old Old way. She looked at him very puzzled, & questioned by his order. The table next to us as well was having problems. They did not have their entree either, & when they asked for more sauce, another person came to them, & said they don’t have any more. Later it was heard that the could easily make it, & three workers were talking about it in front of us. We talked to the lady, & she asked them for the check. We were all pretty annoyed at how this place was. Horrible service. Beyond anything I’ve ever experienced in my life. I’ve gotten better service than this at the Cheesecake factory, & that’s saying a lot for us! This was our first time coming here, & we will never be back here. They need to get better customer service, or do more training. That waitress was beyond rude. I don’t recommend this place to anyone. Please do not go here. Heading to a coffee shop for my latte that my server couldn’t make…..🌝