Plum Southern Kitchen & Bar

Modern Southern dining in downtown Durham. Plum focuses on offering the best home style dishes with quality ingredients, creativity + warm hospitality.The atmosphere is a take of downtown old brick Durham with a twist of southern flare interior.This restaurant shows off the little details; check presenters are tiny butcher cutting boards, the bookshelves feature southern touches (books to roosters to farm candles). The team members are inviting + friendly. Too, this restaurant is known as a supporter for living wage employer, which is wonderful for their employees. Truly is one-of-a-kind farm to table experience. See pictures + descriptions of our favorites.

Let me start by saying we should have taken all the subtle hints and pick elsewhere to dine. While visiting my cousin from Texas, we attempted to make a reservation but the system was down. My cousin called and we were advised that they took the reservation offline because they were wrapping up for the week but they would love for us to come in. We drove 20 min and arrived to a virtually empty restaurant. The hostess greeted us and quickly stated that some menu items were unavailable because again, they were closing for the week and they didn't want food waste. Our server came and told us they were just out of biscuits and ice cream sandwich. Ok, that didn't seem so bad. But then as we proceeded to order from an already minimal menu, everything was out ( ahem -no grits for shrimp and grits..). We ordered hushpuppies, watermelon salad, brisket taco ( it's only one taco) and pork belly. Prices are definitely high compared to portions. We also ordered two bar drinks. Because they were closing it seemed like everything was skimped on- for example my salad had four small watermelon cubes. Pork belly was not crispy. Eggs had way too much Dijon mustard. Drinks were not good. Overall food did not meet our expectations. Bill total for that was $127 plus an automatic livable wage tip built in. Hopefully this isn't their normal treatment and operation. I would like to chop it up to them closing for the week and not wanting to waste food on paying customers...

First time at this restaurant. Limited menu but great variety. Ordered wings and Brussels to start- absolutely delish! My husband ordered the steak and I ordered the seasonal salad and almond cake for dinner. The wine I had originally ordered they were out of. The bartender was gracious enough to come by the table to let me know. Only 1 tiny issue during our visit- when the bill came they charged us for 2 glasses of wine they did not have (more expensive) so we had to wait for someone to adjust our bill. Overall, delicious food.

It was the day before New Years Eve and it was super empty when we arrived right at 5. I feel like this is the type of place that would typically be super busy. There's an interesting modern take on southern design as there's hanging quilts on the walls and milk jar as a carafe. The service was excellent and the owner introduced her to us and I was happy it was a women owned restaurant and excited to try her modern take on all of the dishes. It's a nice welcome when the owner is there to greet you. Spoiler: she lived in NYC for many years before opening up in Durham so no wonder the food is so good ~ it definitely is on par or even better than restaurants back where I'm from in NYC. You will not be disappointed.We ordered the brisket taco, Brussels, market fish, white bean and broccoli hummus and for dessert the banana pudding.The brisket taco was nice but didn't blow my mind. The flavors were tasty and definitely elevated but it was only one taco and $8 so sort of hard to justify for me. On the other hand, the brussel sprouts had a really tasty vinaigrette and I will never forget this dish as it topped my favorite brussel sprouts I've ever tasted in my life. And honestly I thought that brussel sprouts can be made even more perfect but this place really got my heart with this dish. It BLEW ME AWAY. For a main course we got the market fish which is sea bream at the time and they get it locally at a North Carolina fish market. This dish is served with a light parsnip and apple puree that really opened up all the flavor and with the fig jam it added a really nice sweetness to it. It definitely tasted like fall. We were curious about the white bean and broccoli hummus so we also ordered that one but not as impressed with that one even though it has trout roe and smoked trout it was a little underwhelming compared to all the others. It was tasty still but not as much as the rest. I would recommend dipping the fish separately from the broccoli. I feel like a suggestion here is to teach the customers how to eat this one since I didn't realized you're supposed to be eating the broccoli separate from the crackers. The crackers also weren't really that crunchy.What blew my mind even more than the brussel sprouts was the banana pudding. I don't like bananas but this is absolutely amazing. I RECOMMEND getting a cup of black coffee with it as it's the only way you should eat it. The coffee is on the house since nobody really orders it but I am going to repeat ORDER THE COFFEE WITH IT. It really brings out all the flavors and I could actually continue eating the vanilla cookie that came with it as well. I absolutely loved my visit and would definitely come again!

Finally coming for date night after hearing so many recommendations! Plum nestles in the quieter side of durham downtown with easy parking. Combining Boho and eclectic vibe, Plum is quiet, spacious, making it a lovely cozy place for a spontaneous date. All the staffs we met were friendly and efficient. Everything tastes delicious, the brisket tacos, the biscuits, shrimp and grits, Plum does the classic southern very well. My happy surprise was the pork osso buco (on a rotating menu), the absolute best osso buco in the area!!! The braised meat was so on point - with the perfect texture! Pear tart was pleasant (because the frangipane was very good) but there was so little poached pear so the name was misleading. We will certainly come back and try more seasonal items, and get a different dessert (maybe Emma's cake!)

Giving it three stars to be fair -- I really wanted to give 1 star because the food was actually really good, but they now have a different executive chef due to the owner's racists actions and lack of accountability after the incident. You can read more about this on IndyWeek. For me, this type of behavior from the owner is a deal breaker for me.

Another visit and STILL superb. Last visit in 2021, the decor and ambiance haven't changed. Still a relaxed urban vibe. Started with a pair of cheddar biscuits. These are hockey-puck sized drop biscuits, expertly baked to have a nice crunch to the crust yet warm and moist on the inside. They're paired with an outstanding whipped pimento butter. Next up deviled eggs. 3 eggs halves filled with a dollop of creamy, whipped egg yolk, topped with fried shallots and dusted with paprika and chives. The sensory of the smooth creamy egg, the crunchy shallot and the smoky tang of the paprika and the barely-there onion-like chive is extraordinary. On to the brussels sprouts. A big plate of halved sprouts is broiled til crispy and tossed in lemon maple vinaigrette. Then it's sprinkled with candied pecans and chunks of bleu cheese, with a few pickled onions to garnish. Friends, if you love b-sprouts, you're going to ADORE these. So good. Next, a catch-of-the-day, red drum. A nice sized fillet is halved and broiled, skin-on. It's served in a lemon cream sauce with kale and butter beans, and topped with a stack of fennel. Red drum is similar to sea bass - not as sweet but the same texture. The prep is perfect for this fish because the butter beans and cream sauce complement the fish but don't overpower it. Last but not least, had to (re) try the banana pudding. This is STILL the best 'nana puddin' I've ever had. And the recipe is still the same. Luscious banana pudding, slathered in bourbon caramel, encased by shortbread and surrounded by bourbon caramel and topped with whipped cream sprinkled with crunchy cocoa nib. It's totally worth it to come to Plum for this dessert alone. Making a pact here and now to get over to Plum more often.

The owner is an absolute sweetheart. Came to our table to deliver the first dish. Our server Ellie was on point to and very accommodating of my dairy allergy. Many dishes can have dairy removed and still be flavorful and delectable! I must say the pickles were so good and freshly made and pickled. Personally crisp, from a pickle fanatic. These top the list! The inside had great music and very easy to stay for a bit enjoying dessert and a few cocktails! I will absolutely return!

Had dinner at Plum before attending a show at DPAC. They have their own parking lot so it was easy to park. Staff was friendly and seated us promptly. The space is open and light -- love the exposed brick walls and bookshelves filled with cookbooks. Our waitress was very attentive. I ordered a glass of Prosecco and shared a panzanella. Panzanella was okay but my main dish, the Country Captain, was a huge disappointment. It had potential but the sweet potatoes weren't cooked enough and worst of all neither was the rice. My table mates did enjoy their shrimp and grits. I tasted the Pumpkin Basque Cheesecake which was superb. Unfortunately based on this experience I wouldn't go back.

Second night in Durham. Researched looking for a restaurant with vegetarian/vegan options (I prefer vegan but can compromise as needed). Found Plum on yelp with several vegetarian options on their menu. Arrived on time for our reservation to a very pleasant but flustered hostess. When server came over and asked if we had any questions I asked about vegetarian options as none on menu and was told I could have a salad. When I asked about the options I saw online I was told "that was an old menu..... before they were closed for a while". I pressed a little about possibly the chef having something besides "a salad", and was told no. With no further discussion. I said I needed some time thinking she might inquire with the chef but time went by and it was clear that was not happening. As a 'hail mary' I ordered their milk bread and asked for a cocktail offered with amaretto but substituting amaro and was told that the bartender would not "bastardize" the drink recipe. That's the end of our Plum experience--- I asked for our check and went next door to Atomic Brewing where I had an awesome vegetarian orzo and a gin & jam (with my choice of jam). All in all our night was great but no question as to why Plum keeps going out of business, what a horrible restaurant--update your website and TRY to accommodate your customers. It's 2024 vegetarian no longer means "eat a salad lady".