The Nasher Café - Durham

I was thoroughly disappointed. We started with a female server who was lovely, but then our server changed to a make server who was less than enthusiastic to be at work. I ordered the Steak Benedict, and while my poached eggs were done well, both pieces of steak I received were inedible. They were basically just gristle and fat. I kept looking fir the meat, but every bit if it I put in my mouth I had to spit out. It's really disappointing because you could clearly SEE that these were bad pieces of meat, but I was served them anyway. And my poached eggs, which is not an easy thing to do, were done quite well, so the fat that I was given steak that was inedible was really shocking. But, after bringing our food, our waiter did not once return to our table until he showed up with the bill, so there wasnt any opportunity for me to explain the situation to because of the lack of service.It was really disappointing, and I wont be going back.

Make your visit to the Nasher Museum complete by stopping by the Nasher Cafe to eat! We made reservations for a late Sunday lunch/brunch at 2pm but arrived earlier and was able to get a seat about 30 mins before. The hostess marked us as arrived but advised to go see the art galleries (which is FREE) while we waited to be seated. The area for seating is small but offers plenty of light from the outside. When weather permits, they also have patio seating as well. They do make the most of the space to accommodate as many people as possible. The cafe seemed to be buzzing and popular amongst Duke students, staff, Durham locals and others from around the Triangle. The brunch menu offered a variety of egg Benedicts , salads and other light fare. There were some featured fall cocktails(I enjoyed my Fall Mimosa) and a nice selection on the wine list. Service was pleasant and food arrived to our table quickly. The portion of the rainbow trout surprisingly offered two pieces of fish and so we share it and also split the Burratta salad which was also delicious. Save room for dessert because the warm apple galette with vanilla gelato was everything!

I'm a bit biased but I love the atmosphere here. It's a great place for a lunch meeting or quick snack. I also love that professors still take their classes here to have discussions over coffee.This time I just came for the dessert and they didn't disappoint. Tiramisu had a bit more cream than I was expecting. But it wasn't too sweet and a lovely afternoon snack.I was fortunate to have the person who creates their menu serve me that day and she gave great recommendations for food options that I might be interested in. Other waiters were also attentive and friendly.

A hidden gem for brunch or light lunch! Service has always been excellent, portions generous and in beautiful surroundings. (What beats art?) Reservations recommended.

I was at the museum today and decided to come by and check out the cafe located inside. I'm glad to have tried it since it was delicious! I shared meals with a friend and got half of the lamb burger and half of the smoked salmon sandwich. WOW! Both were absolutely delicious and I'm glad I could try both. Very filling. Highly recommend trying out the cafe if you are visiting. The service was great and it was fun dining in the museum!

I heard is a thing at Duke to get brunch at Nasher's so I went to try it out!! I got the smoked salmon benedict and it was pretty solid. Loved the generous serving of smoked salmon and how the hollandaise sauce was creamy but not too egg yolk heavy. Wish the poached eggs were a little larger but still tasted good over all. Also got to try the salmon omelet which also had lots of cooked salmon and cappers. This cafe is tucked inside the Nasher museum but it was spacious with lots of natural light and seating in/outdoors. Definitely try to get a reservation ahead of time or you can also call the morning of your visit to see if there are additional open spots. If you roll up without one you can also join the waitlist and check out the museum in the meantime.The lady in the front was super nice and friendly but servers were a little busy throughout our meal. I wanted to get some black pepper but no one checked in and I wasn't able to get anyone's attention until I was done with my food.

"Museum Cafe, with nice outdoor patio and good food"I can't believe I've lived at Durham, and worked at Duke, for 17 years and only yesterday just tried this place. I came with a group of 4 on a Friday just after noon, without a reservation, and asked for an outdoor spot. They said they didn't have any good shaded ones, so we may have to be in the sun. However, the spot they gave us was actually fully shaded for 3 of us, so wasn't bad overall. The seating was a LITTLE bit closer to the next table than I may have preferred (I had to watch not to swing my arms back or else I'd hit the person behind me), but not too bad. I will note that the indoor area was bright and airy with high ceilings, too.Service was friendly and prompt. I ordered the vegan portabella. Others in my party got either sandwiches or salads. Each comes with a choice of side-- my dining mates were eager for the quinoa, but I got the kettle chips. I think the food came in maybe 15 minutes, which is not bad for peak lunch hours. My sandwich was very tasty-- I somehow imagined it being "one giant mushroom" but it was instead caps of many small ones. I really liked the combination of flavors between the mushrooms, peppers, onions, and avocado chimichurri. Really flavorful. And not very messy to eat since it was a pressed sandwich. My dining mates liked they food too. I also liked that they left us a tall bottle of water on the table so we could refill easily.The server had no problem with separate checks, and was happy to answer any questions. And we were able to go in and out in under an hour. Price was reasonable-- I wouldn't say "cheap" but it was fair. I confess, as a generally big eater, I would have liked a little bit more food overall, but it was satisfactory for a normal-sized-portion eater.Overall, a very good dining experience. I'd happily go back to eat here again-- nice to have a good place with outdoor dining.

Scrumptious brunch menu. So many delicious sounding items. We ordered the Steak Benedict and the Italian Hash. Both items were prepared well, and had perfectly blended flavors and generous servings. The Hollandaise sauce was very good with a rich, creamy consistency. Serving staff were friendly and extremely attentive. Very bright, airy and modern setting. Strongly suggest reservations, as it seemed more people came here to eat than to see the art galleries.

Atmosphere: The Nasher Cafe is a clean, modern cafe-restaurant at Duke's Nasher Museum. There is a nice big window that gives the space lots of light. The outdoor seating is also great when the weather is warm! Service: We've had a reservation every time we've been to the Nasher, and we were always seated immediately. The service is pretty decent -- on one occasion, one of the utensils at our table was dirty, but our server identified the issue immediately and was proactive in giving us a new, clean set of utensils. Food: We have been to the Nasher Cafe several times and have tried the Panko Salmon, Frutti di Mare, Lemon Linguine with Shrimp, Southwestern Panini, Rustic Berry Tart with Vanilla Gelato, Molten Lava Cake with Vanilla Gelato, Raspberry Italian Cream Soda, and Iced Latte. Our favorite items are the Panko Salmon and their desserts! The Panko Salmon comes with a delicious mustard lemon sauce that brings the salmon to another level. The desserts are always presented well and are a satisfying end to our meals. However, one thing to note is that their Molten Lava Cake doesn't ooze with chocolate when cut into like other lava cakes, which we were disappointed to discover our first time getting the dessert. The other items we have tried were good but not anything super special. In particular, the Lemon Linguine with Shrimp had a good variety of vegetables and decent shrimp, but the overall dish was pretty bland. Overall: We give The Nasher Cafe a 4 star review given the fact that we have been able to purchase our meals there on food points (Duke's currency for student dining). If we weren't splurging excess food points at the end of the semester, we would say that The Nasher Cafe isn't quite worth the steep prices. The ambiance and service is nice, but the food quality and flavor does not justify spending an average of $25 per person.

The food and the service was amazing! The ambiance really see the tone for the creative dishes that were served.