Have to mark Tobacco Road sports cafe down a bit. I still think it is a great location and the food is typically pretty good. Not great, but better than most sports bars. I wish they would expand their menu a bit more some. Add some new entrees perhaps.
Most recent visit I sat on the patio with two friends. It was hot and their was a Bulls game later in the evening that we had tix too. We were sat at a very small rickety table right near the front of the patio in the hot, hot sun. When we inquired about the larger tables in the shade we were told they were "reserved". I ordered the fish gorditas. they were good and filling. I had an appetizer of chips and pico de gallo. The pico was good, but the chips didn't taste fresh (almost stale). Not worth the five dollars.
Service was a bit slow. I know they were busy and our waitress was occupied with some of the other big tables, but our wait for our check ended up making us late to the game. Also, this isn't their fault, but I wouldn't recommend sitting out on the patio during batting practice. You really have to pay attention or a ball might fly onto your plate, knock over your beer or hit you in the head.
P.S in my first review I praised this location for having a live band outside, but I don't think they do that anymore?
I chose Tobacco Road Sports Café in Durham for my daughter's wedding rehearsal dinner a few weeks ago, and it turned out to be the perfect choice for this big event.
Rommie and his staff more than exceeded my expectations in every way. They were easy to work with as I kept changing the details of the dinner during the many months of planning, and on the day of the dinner quickly made the necessary changes as the weather (ie: Tropical Storm Andrea) required the dinner to be moved from their outdoor patio to the interior banquet room.
And the food was amazing!! Many, many, many compliments about how delicious everything was from the dinner guests. The wait staff kept things flowing at just the right pace, and treated us all like royalty. A splendid time was had by all!
I'm going to preface this review by saying that I have had a handful of really good experiences at Tobacco Road. However, My most recent visit leaves me wondering if I will ever return.
I wanted to go out to Tobacco Road to watch the NBA playoffs so I called to make a reservation. The staff told me I can't make a reservation (okay, theres nothing wrong with that) but they also refused to tell me how long it would take to get a table, basically saying, "Come down at your own risk, we just don't want to scare you away." Reluctantly, my party of four drove into town, walked in and were given a buzzer by the hostess. We decided to grab a drink at the bar while we waited for our table.
We walked up to the bar and waited ten minutes for a bartender to notice us. Let me clarify and say that it was not particularly crazy and there were FOUR bartenders! At one point all four were putting glasses away and not talking to a single customer. We finally got our beers just after our table became available.
Finally, drinks in hand we made our way down to our table. After waiting for about five minutes our menus were brought to us, about five minutes later we ordered, and maybe ten minutes later our food was ready. All completely normal wait times. The really frustrating part came next. Our food was brought out to us and we realized we had no silverware (forgivable mistake). We had all ordered burgers though and wanted to make sure we had napkins on hand before we dove in. Our waitress returned to our table about ten minutes after we received our entrees (nobody had taken a bite yet) and asked how our food was, we notified her that we hadn't received any and politely asked for some. She said she would bring some back for us. We then watched her walk straight to the table next to us to chat and take their order, then submit the order, then talk to a coworker, and finally ten minutes later we received our silverware. We were then free to address our cold dinners.
After dinner we ordered two more rounds of drinks as we tried to finish out the game, and each time waited at least 20 minutes for our beers to come to our table. The wait times were ridiculous.
This restaurant has a pretty cool layout, the patio is awesome, and the tap list is respectable. But the service is horrendous! I won't be returning until I hear other people tell me that they've remedied their inattentive waitstaff.
Waaay fewer screens than the Chapel Hill iteration of this local franchise, but this one has views of Bulls games, which is pretty sweet. Food is overall amped up bar food fare. It's not the best food around, but it's better than your average bar food. Get here early if you want a seat on the deck for Bulls game views.
Review Source:Great restaurant, much broader menu and higher quality than a typical sports bar. Ridiculous amount of TVs inside. Patio outside overlooking baseball field is nice. Crab bisque and hummus were both great, entrees were awesome all around and at reasonable prices. Super convenient if you're going to something at Durham Bulls or DPAC.
Review Source:Let me start by saying I loved this place and would go there pretty frequently. They were a hot mess during my last visit though. It started at check in when they told us they were out of pagers and asked us to check back every 10 mins or so. I looked under the hostess stand and there was a stack of pagers!
We sat at the bar area while we waited and ordered drinks and wings. When the waitress came with our wings she blasted out of there without even stopping. I had to get up to chase her down for place settings. Minutes later another waitress came and grabbed all the side plates from our table. Hey, we were going to use those!
After my second visit back to the hostess stand, I finally got a pager and was told it would be another 15 minutes for a table. I walked back to the bar and the pager rang immediately. Really?
At the table it took a LONG time to get drinks. In between a random waiter would stop and interrupt us EVERY 3 minutes to se if he/she could take our side plates and silverware for their table. Does this place not have a dishwasher? I finally hid the plates and silverware away so they would stop harassing us.
Our food finally came with another fly-by from the back waiter. Â We again had to chase down someone to ask for condiments and water. The waiter told us they had run out of clean glasses so we would have to use paper cups. I guess that answered my last question.
Overall the service was a mess. The food was sloppily cooked and plated. This visit did not live up to past experiences.
I had a chance to go back to Tobacco Road and I was totally impressed! Any previous  service issues at the restaurant were definitely addressed and I had a waitress that was totally attentive and quick to bring us refills of delicious, delicious drafts. Overall, its a great place to kick back and watch some sports while enjoying those beautiful TVs. I definitely recommend it!
Review Source:DO NOT EAT HERE!!!
1. Â Found wire.. yes a piece of WIRE in my food
2. Â They forgot to put pasta in my wife's salmon PASTA dish
3. Â No refills on water
4. Â My second plate of salmon after the wire was tragically overcooked
5. Â They did not offer to pay for my wife's meal that was incomplete or mine that was potentially dangerous... Â Are you fu@@ing kidding me!! Â This review will go on every social media site I can conjur up. Â I am one very dissatisfied customer...!!!!
DO NOT EAT HERE!!!
I imagine that Tobacco Road is a really great place to eat when they are not slammed by patrons who need to be in and out before a show at the DPAC....Of course considering they are right behind the DPAC you would think they would know how to handle such crowds.
Every time I come in (admittedly only when i'm heading to a show) we are riddled with long waits, absent wait staff and so-so food. My friends and myself try to be good theatre-goers by coming to eat at least two hours before the show, and yet every time we're scrambling for the check so we don't miss the first act. This is mostly because the waiters just kind of disappear at the strangest time. Last night he appeared immediately to take our orders, then vanished for 20 minutes. When he finally showed back up with the drinks he vanished again for another 30 or so, a different girl served our food and then he showed back up when we were about half way done to check on us. our drinks were never refilled (despite us trying to make eye contact with waiters and even busboys), and we never had a chance to even order dessert. Another waiter came up to us while we were eating and dropped some kind of sweet potato fry sauce at our table without us asking. When we told him he had the wrong people he just kinda shrugged and left it with us....Sorry to the people who never got your sauce!
I ordered the grilled cheese (with bacon) and tomato soup. The grilled cheese was pretty good, though the bread ended up falling apart under the sheer amount of grease (or butter?) soaked into it. The cheese itself was fine, a few different types put together and the bacon was bacon. It's hard to mess up bacon.
The soup would have been REALLY good if it wasn't so salty. It was salty to the point that it mostly tasted like hot pasta sauce....
My friend's burger seemed pretty standard, nothing to write home about.
I think next time I head to the DPAC i'll be frequenting somewhere else...The only thing going for this place is the fact that it has probably the coolest view of the DBAP (baseball field for the Bulls) including balconies overlooking everything. You could watch a whole game and never have to buy a ticket! Too bad i've never come when there was a game going on.
I went here to watch the Duke game over the weekend. Â It was the second game of the night, so fortunately when all the Michigan fans got up and left we were able to get a table for 14 ppl. Â Our cocktail server was really sweet and the management was completely hospitable. Â Being a newer place, I expected it to be corporate and sterile, but the people really softened it up, and we had a great time. Â Definitely wold go back for drinks.
Review Source:Here now. The celery is really good! Not sure about the chicken egg rolls themselves though....Also disappointed by the non-prominent placement of the only Duke item on the menu. My friend said the blue cheese on his burger was really nice and pungent though! Atmosphere is fun as well.
Review Source:I've only been there once for a birthday party on the patio but it was an amazing view of the Durham Bulls Park. The wait staff was great. I did drink a lot of soda so there was a lot of refills. Â That was prior to ending my soda addiction of course. :)
Great party place or romantic date night with your guy watching a game. Also, the indoor atmosphere is chic. Love it.
We came here after a Duke basketball game. Â I was not impressed by the food or the service. Â We ordered drinks, appetizers and we each ordered a water (which never came). Â We had the chips and salsa, fries and hummus plate. Â Nothing was very impressive. Â I love fries but even the fries weren't worth eating. Â On the other hand, I like the atmosphere and I would definitely go back to watch sports. Â Next time I'd just order a beer and skip the food.
Review Source:After having read some of the reviews on Yelp about this place I have to admit I went there with a negative expectation. Our kids had given us a gift card to TRSC along with tix to see Robin Williams. Although the proximity was very convenient given what people were writing regarding the service and substandard food I was less than enthusiastic. I am pleased to say I was pleasantly surprised. From the moment we walked in the hostesses, very happy to see us, greeted us and had us seated within minutes. We had not "called ahead", which is the only reservation option available. We opted for the Counter seating which provided us with a panoramic view of big screen tvs. Not only was Robin Williams performing next door, but this was the night of the UNC vs NCSU basketball game, so the place was going to be packed.
Once seated our waiter, Daniel was very attentive and helpful. He explained that  Tobacco Road uses local resources for its dishes and was very helpful in describing the menu choices. The entrees were delicious. My wife had the Greek Lemon Chicken which she loved. For dessert she had the Caramel Sundae, which featured  Lumpy's Ice Cream from Wake Forest. Both food and drinks once ordered came to us in a reasonable amount of time. Daniel was never far away and checked on us from time to time. The floor manager stopped by toward the end of our night to ask how our experience had been, again this was unexpected attention.
This is not your ordinary Sports Bar. Its a Sports Bar with Class.
We will definitely come here again, maybe next time to see a sports event.
Came here with a few graduate students a couple of weeks ago. Never been to a sports bar before so the ambiance was weird to me, but the cafe surprised me with great food! Serving mostly local-sourced ingredients (which I am a big fan of), they do an excellent job providing an extensive menu with a Southern twist. I had a buffalo chicken sandwich with a side of soup and was really satisfied with both price and portion. Service was okay -- she did listen to my off-menu request of substituting a bowl of soup for fries, but the whole time she looked like she really wished she could be anywhere else in the world but this sports cafe.
Review Source:Great place, great service, great menu with very tasty food. We love this place and go there every time we're at the theatre or a ball game. I am happy to see they are adding another location in Chapel Hill. I wish they would consider the Cary area next?
I had the steak,- very tender. My husband had the ribs which we moist and fell off the bone. Salads are good. Great alcohol specials. We had wine which on a Wed. night is 1/2 price. It's not as loud as your typical sports bar.
Can't wait to return!
Tobacco Road is not your typical sports bar, and I appreciate that. Â They serve mostly locally-sourced foods, and most meals are a twist on your garden-variety bar foods.
My husband and I visited earlier this week. Â We had the guacamole for an appetizer. Â The guac was tasty and clearly very freshly made, but a little on the pricy side at $8 for a bowl. Â We were there on a Tuesday night, and beer pints were on special (I think it was $2.50 but I don't recall for sure.) Â We each had a beer with our meal; I had the daily special burger (black and bleu burger) and he had "The Arrogant Burger". Â They were both delicious.
Service was quick but wasn't overwhelming. Â Our waiter was attentive without being overbearing.
The negatives: They don't take reservations, but have "call ahead" service, which basically means you call within 30 minutes of your expected arrival time to get put on a wait list. Â I like the idea, but I wish they ALSO took reservations.
Some of the tables weren't fully set. Â Our table was missing silverware, which we had to steal from an empty table. Â I feel that it looks a little bit sloppy when some tables are set with place settings and silverware, and some have plates, some have glasses. Â Not a big deal, just a little esthetically displeasing.
As far as sports bar goes, this place is fantastic. They have rows of giant flat screen TVs with multiple games playing in the background and extremely comfortable seating that puts you directly in front of all the action.
So, why only 3 stars? Well, alright, so I'm not a big sports fan, and the Spicy Mangotini special that I had was just plain awful! It was too sweet and didn't really taste at all like mangos. Could be I just had a bad batch, but it left a really nasty aftertaste for entire experience. I also wished I had the buffalo chicken sandwich, which looked super amazing when my friends ordered it, but instead, I had the bison burger, which was cooked well-done (when I ordered medium rare), but it still managed to get by with the soft goat cheese.
Overall, I think I may have just had a bad food day here, so I may come back and reconsider my score.
Food: 3 stars
Drinks: beer (4 stars), mixed drinks (1 star)
Service: 4 stars
After a very nice email from one of the owners, we made an effort to go back. This time on a Sunday, early evening. Â The service was much better this time around and I got to actually try some food. The tomato soup was very good but the Thai wings were okay but not amazing -- I think of wings as a sports bar-esque staple.
We'll probably be back for the mac and cheese and fried green tomatoes at some point.
Yes, Tobacco Rd. Sports Cafe may boast that they're not a sports bar but yes, yes they are. Â And that's okay just don't expect too much more. Â The space is pleasing to the eye with lots of cozy seating and TV's and plenty of dining space but when crowded, it can be very loud. Â They have a great location overlooking Durham Bulls Athletic Park and many people come here to watch the Durham Bulls play. Â Personally, I prefer to watch the game in the park. Â They are the closest restaurant to DPAC which makes it very convenient for show goers. Â
Their menu boosts "local food" but I question that. Â Typically, restaurants in this area will advertise the farm where their local food is coming but I have not noticed this at Tobacco Rd.
They have an extensive bar; I'm sure you can get just about any drink here. Â I would call for their drink specials during the week and they do have a pretty awesome happy hour appetizer menu Mon-Friday (very easy on the pocket).
I've had many of the appetizers here and they have all been good; typical bar food.
For the past two years I have helped plan an event here in conjunction with the City of Durham. Â Both years there were misunderstandings. Â Last year it took months for them to take our payment for the event (very weird) and this year there were misunderstandings concerning parking vouchers. Â All would have been well in my eyes if they hadn't sent so many people over to discuss it. Â It put a damper on the occasion and we will probably select a different event space next year.
They seem to host a lot of events so I don't think this is a common theme just a word of caution from yours truly.
If you are in the area, I would recommend stopping by and judging the place for
yourself.
10/16/2012-Thought it was important to update my remarks about whether or not they source local food. Â The owner/manager sent my a long list of where they source their food and it was all from NC Farms; because of this I am impressed. Â Very impressed actually and will be in again soon. Â They are hoping to have this info displayed soon for all patrons. Â I'll be updating my review again after my next visit.
Some of us wanted to grab drinks and food after midterms, and someone suggested Tobacco Road; and I'm glad they did! Â This is a beautiful location, that 's across the street from DPAC and shares its patio with Bulls Stadium (def coming in the summer to catch a game). Â
The "happy hour" special that allows you to get appetizers for $2.95 if you order a drink before 5:30pm is nice, unfortunately we didn't make it in time. Â Even though we miseed the happy hour special we still had a great time. Â I ordered the nachos and it was a mountain of food that eventually took 3 people to finish. Â Overall, I will def come back here to watch a game and enjoy some good food and drinks with friends.
Decent location, with a FANTASTIC view! I was here for an event on the back deck, over looking the Bulls ball park, and it was awesome. Sunset over the warehouses behind the backdrop and it was just simply perfect. They have heaters out there too for those cold months. Really an exceptionally built location for a TR.
As for the food it was pretty good, there was an interesting spread of culinary excellence. Ranging from a thick cut bacon on top of bread thing, to a chicken creme soup. All was pretty tasty, but the best tasting item were the mussels in a garlic sauce - FANTASTIC!
The service was really okay as well...I did get a bad vibe from one of the waitresses, I had just told her my beer order and she asked me to repeat it 30 seconds later -_-. Overall we got what we needed and had a pleasant time!
Was in town and needed a place to go and see the UF-Tenn football game. Â Quick searches turned up Tobacco Road so off we went. Â With the mixed reviews we saw I was a little concerned but was not disappointed at all.
First, the number and locations of TVs was outstanding. Â There was something for everyone. Â Smaller rooms, larger rooms, "family room" seating in your easy chair, etc. Â Not sure why others have complained about this. Â Saw the Gators chomp up on the Volunteers on multiple screens which was my first priority.
Was also intrigued by the website description that this was not your typical sports bar food. Â We were not disappointed. Â Although we did not go through the entire menu it looked like it had choices for everyone, including those looking for standard sports bar food. Â We had the fried green tomato sandwich and the fish tacos (or gorditas as they called them). Â Both of these were exceptional. Â The fish had a chili rub and was grilled and not fried with good slaw and sauce. Â Dessert was disappointing but we usually do not go to a sports bar for good desserts.
The final interesting feature of this restaurant is the patio that overlooks the Durham Bulls stadium. Â It was a gorgeous night out and the view was fantastic. Â No game going on but i could only imagine how great it would be to watch a game from that patio.
All in all it was a great experience.
Why do so many reviews call this place upscale? It is the epitome of douchery. Yes, the location is great. But it's just a sports bar with average, overpriced food.
My friend and I came for pub trivia, and it was very loud inside and difficult to hear the trivia master's questions. Not a good spot for trivia. I ordered the hot dog, which wasn't bad, but overpriced at $9. It came with some weird beans and what was labeled on the menu as "tomato basil salad." This consisted of - I kid you not - 3 grape tomatoes cut in half with teeny bits of basil on them. That's garnish - it's not a salad. Service was a bit spotty. We had two different servers come to our table. We never received the beer list.
The worst part was the group of 2 whacked out hookers and their customers sitting next to us when we got there. I noticed them when we sat down and then again when their older gentleman customer who was five sheets to the wind came over and just sat himself down at our table and proceeded to ask my male friend and I questions that were obviously designed to embarrass us, while the prostitutes looked on and laughed. I not so kindly asked him to leave our table and luckily the group left soon after.
Sorry, but any establishment where I get harassed by hookers and their customers at 8 pm on a Thursday night is not upscale.
Went here with a group of guys in advance of a weekend Bulls game, and overall came away happy and impressed. Â
The bar itself is snazzy bordering on frou-frou (for a sports bar anyway). Â The row of loungers facing TVs is funny in concept look at but seems kind of pointless - if I want to sit by myself and watch TV and drink beer I'll do it at home. Â Good selection of local beers. Â Our server was attentive and friendly. Â Everyone was quite happy with their burgers and other sandwiches and finishing off a leisurely final beer and sauntering into the park just as the Star Spangled Banner started up was kind of awesome. Â
A few quibbles: they were not busy when we arrived but there was a strange delay getting us seated once the bulk of our party arrived and they could not manage to seat eight of us at one table without moving us outside (this worked out fine but could have been a problem if it were a few degrees warmer). Â Overall the attitude and abilities of the hostess on duty seemed lacking. Â As others have noted the dishes are maybe a dollar on the pricey side but this is, in the end, a premium location that justifies the tax.
TRSC is a lovely place; it's large, airy, and has a TON of screens. It's the kind of hipster sports bar that you would actually want to go to; it's the opposite of grimy and gross (which is unfortunately what I associate with the words "sports bar"). The outdoor seating overlooks the Durham Bulls stadium, which is so close that you are actually at risk of being hit by a baseball. :O But it's cool, isn't it? However, that means that it can get extremely noisy, so if you're looking for a chill meal, make sure you check what sports are going on so you don't end up waiting around uselessly.
I didn't try any of the drinks, and I guess I didn't get the best things on the menu, but I would not go here for the food. For the ambiance, definitely; I can totally imagine returning for a beer and some appetizers with my eyes glued to the screens and cheering along with my friends. Because I came here for dinner, though, I'm going to rate it accordingly.
First of all, their little buzzers do NOT have reception outside the front doors. At least, not on a bench a few yards away. So don't wander too far away while you're waiting. :)
The buffalo spring rolls were creative, but they were a little dry for my taste. I also don't like blue cheese, so I was very dissatisfied with the sauce. I couldn't decide whether I disliked blue cheese enough to moisten my spring roll ... I hate making lose-lose decisions. :( I got the country ham shrimp & grits because it was my last time ever to get grits in the South, and my mouth was overwhelmed with the strength of the gravy. The gravy was so intense that it washed away the flavors of the shrimp and country ham - if they had any flavor to begin with. To be fair, they didn't advertise themselves as having fresh seafood, but I was pretty disappointed with the quality of the shrimp. The country ham was alright, I guess. The grits were fine, though I wished that there were a lot more (or just a lot less gravy, really) to balance out the overwhelmingly flavorful gravy. :/
My dinner companion got the chili and coleslaw burger with sweet potato chips. I personally would never get something like that, but interestingly enough, the server had recommended it. (She also recommended mine, though I had chosen to get it before she said anything). It's kind of disappointing that the two things that she recommended were mediocre at best because it doesn't say much about the rest of the menu. The sweet potato chips were definitely really excellent, though.
For a Raleigh girl, it's hard for me to say...but this location of Tobacco Road slays ours hands down. I mean, come on, you can watch a game and they have a huge patio with a bar! Ahh... Raleigh is so lacking in outdoor seating options. Oh well.
Back in the day when I used to eat bread, I thought the food at TR was really quite good. Now, it's EXTREMELY challenging. The same is true for the vegetarians sect. I mean, how many salads can you eat?
Come on guys? Rice! Something with corn tortillas...that would be fantastic. Or just some regular dishes w/o breading...ahh, that would make me dine with you much more often. Still, your establishments have a positive vibe. Really, a sports bar women enjoy going to. And that is a hard thing to accomplish. Kudos!
Oh yeh, and whoever got rid of the sweet potato fries in favor of the chips...they should be fired. Just saying. All my friends are in agreement. Fries rule and hold more salt ;).
Went here for a quick dinner before the Kevin James show at DPAC. I knew with a show at DPAC and a Bulls game the same night, every restaurant within walking distance would be packed. I really wanted to dine at Cuban Revolution but that, and everything else had long waits so we could not wait around since we only had an hour before showtime.
We ended up at Tobacco Road which was great because we were able to be sat right away since we did not care if it was a patio seat. Why would anyone NOT want the patio seat? You literally sit and watch the Bulls game while you eat! Hubs and I have decided to return for a few more games since it is such a great place to have beers, dine, and catch a game. Inside had a full bar, lots of seating, and plenty of TVs so if you are looking for a nice sports bar to catch a game, this is your place.
Our server knew we were trying to make the show so she was super on top of it. We grabbed a couple fo Foothills IPA, one of my faves, and then ordered. Hubs got the stuffed burger, which he loved and I got the Chicken Philly which was AWESOME!!! The fries that came with it were super thick and huge, not my fave but the sandwhich alone filled me up so much that I didn't even need a side.
The atmosphere was fun, super crowded but with a seat on the patio, overlooking the outfield of the DBAP, I cannot imagine a better position of a sports bar!
When I win that $640 million Mega Million lottery jackpot (update: I did not) I will own a VIP box at the Durham Bulls Club, but before then, I can still sit down at the Tobacco Road patio seats having some awesome foods, cold beers, and overlooking the Bulls playing the game at the stadium below, pretending I'm some rich hotshot.
Tabacco Road is your regular sports bar, and a little more. The wall of televisions and the front row special seating is a genius touch. There are really nice rooms for party reservations. Everything in here is always clean and sparkle shine.
Foods is always on high quality. "Surf and Surf" with good size crab cakes and sautéed giant shrimps and grilled asparagus and mash was some really good eat. The Brushetta Burger was a refreshing idea, and special blend of mustard sauce in "The Arrogant" Burger as well.
So the food here is great, the service is always top notch, and as any real estate agent will tell you, "Location, Location, Location" is the key. Tabacco Road is definitely the busy hang out around this part of the town.
I just came here to watch the Carolina game the other day.
If you come during a game day get here early if you dont want to sit outside. And if u want a good view of the game.
Overall the feel is that of a slightly upscale sportsbar definitely not dive-y but not pretentious either. Â
I ordered the arrogant burger and a guinness. Theres a pretty good selection of beers on tap and by the bottle. I'll be sure the local brews they have on hand when I get a chance. Â
The burger was good. They didn't ask how I wanted it but it came a good juicy medium. There was good sear and crust on the patty and the bun was nice and soft. The toppings were nicely balanced as well. My friend got the buffalo chicken sandwich and it was pretty good two. Surprisingly it was two breasts and was served with a nice blue cheese sauce on the side. Id get it next time if I werent in the mood for a burger. My only complaint about the food were the "fries". They weren't fries they were more like large potato wedges. Some were just way too big to enjoy. If you like baked potatoes with ketchup then these "fries" are for you but if you like real fries I'd go with a different side.
The service was good and the server didn't mind us just watching the rest of the game without ordering more drinks or food.
It's the kind of place I could see myself going to even of I wasnt there for a sports event.
I had never been to this Tobacco Road before, and I love the space. I knew it over looked the Durham Bulls baseball field, but inside, I was happy to see that also benefited the view inside because of all the natural light from the windows.
My friends and I sat at the bar Friday afternoon to catch a little ACC action. We were happy to discover the $3 Friday special is bartender's choice pints... and Guinness was up! What a deal. I enjoyed seeing all the NC beers on tap, too, but I had to go with the daily deal.
We split the buffalo chicken egg rolls, which were really good. They were crunchy and flavorful. I also had the tomato and avocado sandwich with bacon. I asked the bartender for it to be crispy bacon, and he made sure it was because it was exactly how I wanted it. So yummy. The sweet potato chips are really good, too. I was not thrilled about the sweet curry sauce that comes with the chips. I would probably like that sauce more if it was warm instead of cold.
Overall, the bartenders were nice, and I had a great time sitting at the bar. I'd definitely come back.
Good food (even some vegetarian options, woo!), good beer selection, and nice waitstaff. Plus, you can't go wrong overlooking the Durham Bulls baseball stadium!
But the best thing about Tobacco Road? Their fitty million televisions of all sizes scattered throughout the restaurant, playing all kinds of sports at the same time! And if that's not awesome enough, they have padded recliner-style chairs situated directly in front of the biggest monitors, and behind there they have half-circle booths so that everyone eating can see the screens.
It's a sports fan's dream, and great to hang out for anybody else. They also have an outdoor area that they close off during the winter; it's great for group meetings, company parties, etc.
I have very mixed feelings for Tobacco Road. Again, it's another place in Durham I want to love. But, I haven't been able to quite embrace it.
Overall, I think the food is fantastic. I've enjoyed the sweet potato hash, various sandwiches, many appetizers. I have not had a bad meal yet (seems like others have not been as fortunate). I think Tobacco Road has much better options than most of the bars in Durham
The beer selection is usually really good too. There are many NC beers on tap and rotate through frequently. But, this is where the challenges of TR stem. Often, the servers don't know what beer is on tap. The beer menus are not updated often, which is fine as long as the staff know what is on tap. We've also been brought the wrong beers at times. (No, really, we know what a Lonerider Sweet Josie looks like and it's not that.)
It can be a fun place to watch a Bulls game outside or any other sport on television. There is an amazing server there (Lisa) who we seek out when we come in. Other than that, no one has amazed us. Some of the bartenders are great; some have been rude, which is shocking. It's hard to criticize an entire restaurant based on one bartender or one server (and seemingly unfair). At the same time, it's a culture. And right now, I can't see Tobacco Road's culture has won me over.
Seems like the perfect spot in downtown Durham to go to before or after a show at the DPAC or when enjoying a game at the nearby Durham Bulls Park. Â I've been to the location in downtown Raleigh many times, so when a friend and I were going to see Memphis at the DPAC last Wednesday, the 25th, I was eager to get a taste from Durham. Â
It was really crowded and that was probably compounded by the show being about to start. Â The bar and all tables were full inside, but we were able to sit on the covered patio and claimed one of the last empty tables. Â Outside it's only bar service so I placed our order at the window. Â My friend and I each had a glass of the house Pinot Noir. Â Half priced glasses of wine on Wednesdays. Â Yes! Â I took our wine and waters back to our table. Â They also have a good selection of beer, but we were being wine-o girls for the night. Â
The atmosphere was chill and perfect for enjoying a bite to eat before the show. Â We opted to share the triple slider dish. Â A mini chicken sandwich, NC bbq, and cheeseburger with a side of potato wedge fries. Â Perfect for sharing and oh so delicious! Â
Plenty of TVs strewn about the cafe for watching a game or maybe just some baseball outside if you like. Â And about that baseball stadium. Â Tobacco Road is probably the best sports cafe in the area because it sits right next to a ballpark! Â If you'd rather not pay for a ticket, you can sit outside and overlook the game. Â In the summer they can spray a cool mist to cool you off on hot days. Â
Another sweet tip to remember: if you bring your ticket from the parking deck they'll take $4 apiece off your check. Â Definitely enjoyed this location and will gladly go back another time when in need of a bite before a show.
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