Mateo

I cannot wait to go back to this place on our next Durham trip! We did not have a reservation so I was there before the doors opened so I could make sure I got our family of 4 a spot! The plan worked! My mom is from Spain and I spent my summers in Spain eating all these yummy dishes! None of it disappointed!! My 8yo daughter eats "Cristina's" (pan con tomate) almost every morning and she gave these ones two thumbs up! The ambiance was great!

Mateo Bar de Tapas is a very good tapas restaurant and one of the best, if not the best, tapas restaurants in the Triangle.Mateo opened in August 2012 and is from the same folks behind Mothers & Sons Trattoria next door (opened June 2016). Both restaurants provide a fun, "elevated casual" night out in Durham. If I had to pick between the two, I'd go with Mateo.Mateo doesn't have dedicated parking. For this visit, we parked behind the restaurant in one of our go-to lots: 111 W Chapel Hill St. At the time, parking in this lot cost $2.25 per hour, Monday-Friday, 8am-7pm. We visited Mateo after 7, so our parking was free.This restaurant is popular. You should book reservations well in advance. Mateo is on OpenTable and awards dining points, which is a plus since not all OpenTable restaurants do.We had a 7:30pm reservation for four on a Thursday. When we showed up, the place was packed. The restaurant has a nice design, floor to ceiling, with two levels of indoor dining. There's no outdoor seating. Mateo has a long bar with distinct, giant Edison pendant lighting. The atmosphere was loud (but not too loud) and lively at the beginning of our meal. By the time we left, around 9:45pm, the place had emptied out and was more mellow.Food-wise, there were well over 20 selections of tapas (both regular menu items plus specials) and other Spanish cuisine like jamon (dry-cured ham), paella, and whole fish a la plancha (pan grilled). Drink-wise, they had cocktails, beer, cider, wine, and vermouth. Below is a list of what we ordered. It should give you a good idea of what the menu has to offer and pricing.Cocteles* Rhubarb Revival ($15) - Reposado tequila, rhubarb, Montenegro, lemon, Crude fig and orange bitters* Pepino x2 ($16 each) - Conniption dry gin, Alley Twenty Six tonic syrup, cucumber, salineSangria* Cheerwine Sangria x2 ($12 each) - red wine, seasonal fruit, brandy, CheerwineTapas* Datiles ($10) - goat cheese stuffed dates, crispy serrano ham, romesco* Queso Frito ($13) - fried farm egg and manchego, romesco, lion's mane mushrooms* Patatas Bravas ($10) - crispy potatoes, brava sauce, aioli espuma* Boquerones ($12) - Spanish anchovies, vinagreta, avocado puree, potato chips* Remolacha ($14) - beet goat cheese mousse, spring onion, citrus roasted beets, benne brittle* Bok Choy ($13) - chili crisp, fried garlic puree, pork belly furikake* Almejas ($16) - NC littleneck clams, shallots, garlic, guajillo chilis, jamon, boiled peanuts* Pulpo a la Plancha ($16) - octopus, romesco verde, new potatoes, black garlic aioli, spring vegetables* Marrow ($18) - roasted bone marrow, short rib marmalade, radish, pickled mushrooms, toasted baguette* Panceta de Cerdo ($16) - ginger tamari glazed pork belly, cauliflower puree, mustard greens, crispy garlic and shallot, fried cauliflowerEspeciales* Calabaza a la Plancha ($14) - Lyon's Farm zucchini and summer squash, stewed tomatoes, garlic bread crumbsDulces* Banana Pudding ($9) - pecan wafers, PX cream, toasted meringue* Basque Cheesecake ($10) - peach compote, Graham cracker streusel, peaches and cream cloudThe cocktails were tasty and creative. My wife absolutely loved the Pepino. It was refreshing, balanced, almost savory, and not sweet. My friend and I enjoyed our Cheerwine Sangrias. I recommend it for a unique, local twist.When it came to the food, we found the dishes to be equally satisfying, fresh, and delicious. The presentation was beautiful all around as well.The Datiles was a solid variation of stuffed dates. I liked the Queso Frito more than my wife, who thought it was just alright. She and my friend loved the Patatas Bravas. The outside was crispy, the inside was piping hot and tender, and the aioli enhanced everything. I really liked the Boquerones. It was one of my favorite dishes. It was like elevated salt and vinegar chips, with anchovies. The portions were too small, though. The Remolacha was yummy and the plating made it look like a work of art.Both the Bok Choy and the special Calabaza a la Plancha served as good side vegetables. They were light and cut through the heaviness of the other dishes.We couldn't get enough of the Almejas broth and ordered more bread to eat with it (no charge). Not enough bread came with it to begin with. The Pulpo a la Plancha was well made and well presented. I also recommend the Marrow. There was a generous portion of marrow. It was rich and gratifying -- exactly what you want out of a bone marrow dish. The Panceta de Cerdo was fantastic. The pork and cauliflower balanced each other out. The cauliflower puree was so good that our other friend asked if they could bring us a bowl of just that (they couldn't).Save room for dessert because the two we got - the Banana Pudding and the Basque Cheesecake - were both outstanding. The "PX cream" in the Banana Pudding refers to Pedro Ximenez Spanish dessert sherry. Both of the desserts were creamy and delectable.Service was A+. Kayl rocked.

Mateo is a cool, fun tapas bar in downtown Durham. If you get lucky, you may be able to snag a parking spot on the street or in the lot next to the restaurant. If not, there's a parking deck close by. A group of 6 of us came in for dinner right when they opened at 5 on a Thursday evening. I'm not sure you'd want to bring a group much larger than this here as it's a little small for large groups. It's cool inside, though, and the bar is spacious! The service is outstanding! Our waitress and everyone that brought our food out was awesome. Our waitress explained the dining concept to us and they really drive home the family style idea, to the point where splitting the check multiple ways isn't easy or favored. Totally understandable. She also made great recommendations! For drinks, we started with a Oaxacan Manhattan, Tiki Espana, Garden Party, and a couple Mocktails. Their cocktail menu is nice and they were all delicious! The mocktail drinkers didn't love their choices but personal preference. I also appreciated their beer and wine options. Food: we ordered enough for a small army I think! Patatas Bravas, Chicken Croqueta, Pato y Arroz, Calamares, Mata, Remolacha, Datiles, Huevo Diablo, Ensalada, Gambas Al Ajillo, Panceta de Cerdo, and Albondigas. All were beautifully plated and delicious! Extremely unique flavors and dishes. My favorites were the Patatas Bravas, Mata, and the Chicken Croquetas. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed our experience. There is a tapas bar 30 minutes over in Raleigh that I have to admit I prefer, but they are definitely different despite offering similar concepts and dishes. This is a great runner-up, though! Highly recommend!

Excellent service and delicious food! The perfect place for date night or a celebratory dinner! The menu has options for everyone and the cocktails were delicious. We went for a birthday dinner and the server treated the birthday boy to a free glass of bubbly and free dessert which was so nice!

Too-shelf experience from top to bottom. I finally tried out Mateo on a weeknight before a show at DPAC and the place was buzzing with concertgoers. Lively atmosphere that felt like it was firing on all cylindersService was friendly and prompt, and our server steered us in the right direction on our menu selection. We opted to share 5 or 6 smaller plates instead of going for a big entree, and we left plenty full! The surprise highlight was the chorizo scotch egg, that thing was awesome! Pan con tomate was pure too. There's a reason this spot has been crushing it for well over a decade, a quintessential Durham restaurant in downtown that you need to check off your list,

Mateo is one of the reasons I moved to Durham, no lie. The service is impeccable and the food is always on point. I come back time and time again! I love their specials, too and their mocktails are very tasty, not very juice or syrup heavy like other places. Love Mateo!!

Love Mateo! Sit at the bar for a great atmosphere with super friendly bartenders! Can't say enough about the patatas bravas, pulp, datilas, or the cocktails.

Lovely experience for our Friday night date night. We ordered an array of different dishes are we not disappointed. The cocktails weren't screaming for us to try but the extensive wine list was! FromService to appetizers-dinner-dessert everything was fabulous. We will be back soon!

Any place that can have a dish with organ meat that tastes amazing as the liver patè can do no wrong in my eyes. The restaurant is cozy and the service was good.

I enjoyed sitting at the bar for our anniversary. I do wish the food was paced out a little bit more. We felt rushed.