Rue Cler

I must be honest and say I was a little nervous about eating here because my experience with French restaurants is pretty limited and I wasn't really sure what to expect. We were a party of 5, myself, my cousin and his wife and my aunt and uncle were in town. We were out celebrating my Aunts bday. I must start by saying the space is smaller than I expected but had a cool rustic type vibe. Our server, Trent was awesome! The food was absolutely exceptional!!! I was blown away with the watermelon salad, gnocchi, and scallops!!! The flavors and various sauces were amazing! I was able to sample some of the cantaloupe and ham, savory beignets, and olives. I was also fortunate to pick off the plates of my family members and tried some French fries and the amazing potato's there were served with the salmon that my aunt ordered. I ordered some sort of hazelnut dessert special which was good and in my opinion was superior to the bite of crème brûlée I tried. I am a bit bummed that I didn't have an alcoholic beverage due to being on call for work, but I crushed bottle after bottle of water! Thank you for an amazing dining experience-food, service and atmosphere was pure perfection! Thank you!!!

Rue Cler is a corner restaurant that serves up authentic French cuisine. I came with a friend on Friday and was fortunate to be seated on arrival. Our hostess said they were booked for 6pm tables. I knew coming before 6 was important. Otherwise we'd be on a wait. I was smart to have my friend call ahead to see if there was a wait. The restaurant has a semi-casual vibe and is good for couples and small groups.Rue Cler's selection of wines was splendid. I saw two tables drinking a certain red wine. I asked my server, Nate, what they ordered. The one he pointed to was beyond my budget so I settled on a different one by the glass. I started the evening with a featured white wine. Once my entree came I changed to a featured red.My French Onion Soup was done well. My last memory of having this was that it's very salty. This one didn't have as much. I thank the cook there. My friend had their chicken special and I had their Coq Au Vin. Both were awesome!

Love Rue Cler - food is exceptional, low key, bistro-style ambiance, great service - always a beautiful night out for a special occasion. I didn't know what to expect the first time I went and was afraid it would be intimidating but the atmosphere is warm and the staff are friendly, welcoming and very knowledgeable. It's fine dining so be prepared to splurge on the price, but the quality is excellent.

I have come around from my iffy review from a few years ago. This place is dynamite! I wish it still had a brunch service. Excellent everything, all around, service, food, drinks. It is a little noisy for those with hearing issues. But maybe in a corner it would work out better.They often have nice oysters, a full bar, and interesting wines on the other chalk-board (and also french cider!)

Lovely little restaurant in downtown Durham. The waiter Jordan was so friendly and warm made the experience. We ordered food from the Prix fixe or three course menu. The reason for one less star was the size of the food of the second course was quite small. The regular menu looked to have normal size portions. So, I would probably order that instead. The ambiance was great but without reservation, you end up at the bar. There were a few empty tables we could have been seated. I did not mind Jordan though. My husband and I appreciated the company. :)

Great service, sat at the bar, bartender was very polite professional and timely. The food was excellent: classic French with a southern touch. Lively interior, French NOLA style. Comfortable bar and seats. Only recommendation would be to elevate the wine. Tip: the beignets are amazing, even better with the foie gras appetizer spread on them. Pure decadence and deliciousness.

Last night was my 3rd trip to Rue Cler and the most amazing of them so far. Besides the usual excellent service and the food that I had, I found myself thinking of it as I went to sleep and again when I got up this morning...it was just such a perfect experience. The Grand Prix is a nice option and what I've gone for each time just because I like dining on something unique the only sad part I have is I won't be able to have a repeat of last night's meal again.Many people have had Fois Gras( a special) but I had always wanted to try it but not been sure of it... I am so happy I went out on a limb. It was so delicious.The rest of my meal was from the grand prix, there was this salad of sweet pickled strawberries and beats with feta, then Morrell mushroom served with this perfect fried egg.(I am still working how perfect that egg was, none of the normal lacing at the edges) and the way the flavors blended - there's such an art to designing meals that include flavors that just bring each other out like that. Lastly it was duck breast with apricots and olives. I'm not an olive guy. But these were delicious and mild. However un pitted which made them less enjoyable to eat at a restaurant. They were the one downside to my whole meal as I felt they were uncomfortable to work with to small and tight to cut and use easily and who wants the grotesque moment of having to spit out the a pit at dinner. The one other part that I still am unsure of is tipping there's an 18% gratuity included which was explained as being shared with the kitchen and that as my additional gratuity is split with the front house. 30 years ago I had to tip my bar and others from my tips. I'm unsure if that is what is meant or exactly how tip distribution works but wanting my waiter tipped I felt obligated to leave an equally larger sized tip for the front of the house. While I don't regret it I just felt it was very unclear on how the tips are distributed and made me feel obligated and uncomfortable not to add additional money.

Came in on a Friday evening for a 5:30pm reservation. There were plenty of empty tables. Got the foie gras appetizer, the bread (which we didn't know was not complementary), coq au vin (chicken) and the Magret De Canard (just the entree rather than the whole Prix Fixe menu). Ambiance: 5/5Service: 4/5 some times it felt that our waiter forgot us but for the most part he was good. The food also came out at the perfect times.Food: The Foie Gras was good but the shining star was the Coq Au Vin- perfectly cooked with deep earthy flavors. The duck was good but definitely didn't match the Coq Au Vin.

Great experience! Really enjoyed the drinks, apps and mains. The dessert was delicious as well and appreciate the service received.

Excellent service - it's great to have the chef welcome you. The best part of prix fix menu was the scallops - very well done with a nice sauce and lentils. The tomato salad was pretty much all tomatoes - would have liked some greens. The gnocchi were just okay. I never had savory beignets before - the beignets themselves were fine but the accompanying sauce wasn't too exciting. Our desert with cake, fruit and custard was very tasty. There was no way I could eat everything and the waiter was great about boxing up my leftovers. Overall dinner was very good but it seems somewhat overpriced. I think next time I would just get an entree and share an appetizer.