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I stopped here for a quick breakfast my last day in Durham, before heading to the airport. The beignets are wonderful. Perfect dusting of sugar on the outside, piping hot, and sink-your-teeth-in delicious.
Coffee is strong, and get-it-yourself, which is perfect for a control freak like me.
There is a talk thread over on Yelp Portland where people are trying to find beignets in town. It's a damned shame this place is so far away. It would be the perfect solution.
Great, attentive service. The meals are un-fussy and extremely tasty.
Try the Coq au vin for lunch or dinner.
The beignets with a cup of warm coffee in the cafe section are a sublime way to start your weekday and a transcendental weekend morning.
A real Parisian cafe feeling.
The good: Frites Rue Cler for brunch, a giant plate of fries topped with bacon, Gruyere, and two fried eggs. And they brew an outstanding cup of coffee.
The bad: I think they think I don't know the difference between Hollandaise and Bearnaise. Just be prepared for that.
Is there anything not to like about Rue Cler? For brunch, I don't think there's a better place in town. Excellent omelets, oeufs rue cler, crepes, and my favorite croque madame. The sandwiches are simple: excellent ham and gruyere on homemade bread without a bunch of sauce on the plate (like vin rouge and coquette have). I've had only two dinners here, and both have been top notch. Prices are reasonable for brasserie food. The coq au vin and steak frites are great, as are the prix fixe specials. I could drink the bearnaise. Service is friendly but can sometimes be sparse on a busy night. There's an attached cafe/bakery with delicious bread that you can grab after about 2pm.
When it comes finding an authentically Franco place in the triangle, I have no idea what to look for - I can't even say "Prix Fix" without it sounding like a spaying your dog. You might say I'm "French" ignorant - but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate good food and this place is seriously some very tasty food with a great atmosphere and excellent service.
I recently had the Prix Fix Menu this weekend. I've been here once before and thought it was nice, but this time around I really appreciated what this place has to offer. The food is extremely tasty, it might not be clear, but you don't have to get the whole Prix Fix, you can go ala carte and even substitute. I had the in-house smoked Salmon/cucumber sauce plate, mushroom "meatballs" and I substituted the main dish for Steak Frittes. The steak was one of the best I've had in a long time. I shared bites with my companion and wished i had gotten the seafood tarte! Man that thing was delicious - not to say that the mushroom balls were not. I had a hard time pinning down a favorite, it was all really very well done and delicious.
I highly recommend this place. I have a very short list of places I like to go in Durham, and this place is definitely on it.
I have now been to Rue Cler three times in the past 10 days. I suppose that means I like it. Yep - I like it.
It was not until my third visit that I tried their beignets. We make these at home during the Holidays. I have eaten them in New Orleans and several places in France.
Rue Cler beignets crushed my New Orleans experience and made me feel like I was back in France.
But, that is not why I have been three times in 10 days. The food is simply superb.
When food in my mouth tastes so good my face lights up, I have to say it is very, very special.
I had the duck confit crepe with spinach and fried potatoes. Silly me, I thought the spinach and fried potatoes would be on the side. Nope - right in the crepe. You would have thought of pom frites in a crepe. But it works great.
Visited Rue Cler today for the first time, for brunch. Woohoo, indeed! An all-around win win winner. A+ ingredients, A+ service, A+ flavors and presentation... and a pleasant location & decor. Looking forward to trying more items, but the Croque Madame and Oeufs Rue Cler were both wonderful - great job poaching the eggs, and the focaccia toast was spectacular. Beignets were crisp and flaky outside with a surprisingly pleasant doughy center. More powdered sugar, please? :)
I'm not prone to hyperbole. However, a wonderful meal at a very fair price is a rare thing, and I'm grateful that Durham is home to Rue Cler.
Have only been here for dinner. I love the prix fixe menu, and personally think it's a great value (3 courses for 30$!). Last time I got a small frisee salad with lardons (mmm, bacon) and croutons slathered in St. Andre, the seafood tarte, which was a little burned on the edges but the filling was good, and the braised short ribs, which were great. My companion got the smoked salmon (smoked in house), mushroom dumplings (loved em), and steak frites. The steak was really good.
We had creme brulee for dessert. The creme was a little to vanilla-y for my taste, and the brulee was a little gummy. So I I'll guess stick with dinner here.
They accidentally over charged us 5$ but hey, it happens.
I would like to try breakfast and lunch here.
My new favorite brunch. The restaurant architecture incorporates the old beams of the building with new, beautifully.
Had the duck confit, spinach and fried potato (frites) crepe, a mimosa and macchiato. The duck confit was delicious and I had no bacon envy. The crepe itself was perfectly made for the filling.
They had run out of their normally fresh squeezed oj, so I got a bigger glass. They retain the fifth star for this.
I will be back for the 8 other things on the menu that I must try.
PS: And while filling out the additional questions, don't bring your kids here, please. It can get loud easily and kid-noise would really take it over the top.
Every time I go for brunch it's always wonderful! I had the croque-Madame and it was delicious. The beignets and coffee are always pleasing. Love this place. They make their own bread and many restaurants buy from them. Delicious food.
This was my first time stopping in, and here's the breakdown:
-OJ: best I've ever had (and I know a lot about OJ, I don't mind saying).
-Bread and butter: freshly baked and the perfect balance of crispy and soft.
-Beignets: HEAVEN. Literally melted in my mouth. You could set a plate of their beignets down right in the middle of New Orleans and they'd be right at home.
-Frittata: everything a frittata should be.
Also, the decor was cool, the service was quick and friendly, and I assure you that I'll be here for Sunday brunch every week for as long as I can (and probably a few times in between).
Just had a dinner and was roundly disappointed.
Ordered a braised pork shoulder with pureed potatoes and mushroom bordelaise and received a simmered pork loin (tough, chewy) and succotash. I like succotash but the pork loin and lack of potatoes was BUNK.
Wait staff were good and atmosphere was fine but the food quality has dropped off big time.
Magnificent.
This is what restaurants should be about. Great food that was lovingly prepared and…
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I, too, loved the beignets. I went in expecting something like a donut, but got so much more, mmm fried doughy goodness. I went here for brunch and it was tough making a choice on what to order because everything sounded so good. Since it's french everything seemed a little fancier, don't expect your traditional diner brunch. I ended up going with the crepe with "confit, spinach, and fried potato" (aka french fries), which I liked although the crepe was a tad too doughy for me. I definitely would love to try some of their neighboring bakery items in the future.
I've only eaten in the bakery/cafe side, never the actual restaurant. It's a great little spot for a quick breakfast, or some decent coffee.
Everyone goes on and on about the beignets, but I'm afraid I don't understand the enthusiasm... they're doughnuts, like any other doughnuts. French vocabulary does nothing for me in terms of tastiness. What I like here is the Croques-monsieur, which - though not anything like the similarly named sandwiches I've eaten in France - are wonderful and melty-delicious.
The atmosphere of the cafe-side is really gritty and comfortable with great big windows looking out on the urban wasteland that is downtown Durham. If I ever had occasion to be in this city, I would hang out in Rue Cler a lot.
A really great, right-off-the-Champs-but-not-overly-French-because -y'know-we're-already-here-so-why-overdo-it kind of bistro that does a great brunch.
I had the best bacon of my life here, which is hard to imagine considering all the trips to Shoney's and Waffle House I've made in my existence.* But, true to form, everyone at the table agreed that the non-kosher cuisine was the best they'd had as well.
We had a great brunch, with most people ordering their meal "fancy" which, best I can tell, meant the cook added an egg to the sandwich they got. I was told there was also a special sauce, but one of the people in our group is dating one of the cooks and, well, that's just too easy.**
I got eggs, bacon and asparagus and liked it all. Not a great place if you're on a diet, but you can make do.
* - And yet I have low cholesterol, imagine that.
** - You do not need to shtupp the chef in order to request your sammich "fancy-style". At least I don't think you do.
I went here with 2 other people for lunch. It was great, really great. The beignets were fantastic. I ordered the gravlax salad for lunch, and the salmon, greens and potatoes were totally delicious. My husband ordered the cheddar and carmelized onion sandwich and greatly enjoyed that as well. The atmosphere calmed us; it was really quite pleasant and the service was punctual and discreet. The portions were a good size for me. The salad cost only $7 and the beignets (which we shared) were only $4. Excellent value for the price.
This may be the most glorious brunch spot in the Triangle. Everything I've ever had there has been simply amazing. Given how much I love brunch (a lot) and the fact that Rue Cler sits only a few blocks from the church I attend, you can well imagine that's been a lot of things.
Start with the beignets. I don't really have the food vocabulary to properly describe them beyond telling you that they're like doughnut holes, only tastier. Add their amazing coffee, and you have enough for a nice little breakfast in its own right there.
If you're going whole hog, though, there are plenty of great options from the crepes (I can't pick a favorite) to the not-quite-eggs-benedict-rather-something-more Eaufs Rue Cler. It's all top notch.
Everything on the menu is very reasonably priced. If you wanted to, you could have a delightful brunch for two for under $20 (though my wife and I always end up hovering around $30). Even the three course dinner will only set you back $30 per person, which isn't bad for food as top notch as what you can get at Rue Cler.
My husband and I finally tried Rue Cler for brunchand we weren't disappointed! I, the connoisseur of French toast, was delighted by the perfectly done meal. The seasonal blueberries and blackberries tasted as though they had been picked that morning...an ideal breakfast! My mocha was the best I've had from anywhere in a very long time.
My husband chose the duck confit, spinach, and pomme frites crepe--delish! I kept stealing bites of it and will definitely order it for myself next time I'm there.
The decor is understated and our server was very nice and attentive without being overbearing.
We had the fixed price menu for dinner as well...$30 for 3 courses per person. You have 3 options for each course. I began with a chilled honeydew and champagne soup, which was delish. It was sweet as one would expect from a melon soup, and the mint complemented it well.
I had the scallop terrine for my second course...rich and decadent, this one isn't for people who don't LOVE scallops. I love them, but I couldn't finish my portion because it was so rich. I would have liked some more of the pickles...they were a great play on the mustard and scallops.
Keeping with a seafood theme, I ordered the grouper as my third course. It had a nice, golden crust and went well with the earthy potatoes, cabbage, and tomatoes. It was good, but I should have ordered the pork confit that my husband had...I stole a taste and couldn't believe how tender and flavorful it was.
The creme brulee we had for dessert was good, but didn't stand out from creme brulee I've had elsewhere. It was a good price, though. Next time I think I'll have a seasonal crepe or sorbet.
Beignets were wonderful. Don't expect a southern style breakfast- this is very French and the portions are smaller than most places. Very nice servers.
I love Rue Cler. I'll even say it en francais - j'aime Rue Cler!
The steak frites is/(are?) delicious - perfectly cooked, with tasty thin french fries and plenty of bearnaise to dip both in, and all for under $20. There are plenty of restaurants that would happily charge you twice as much for a steak not nearly as good.
The fixed price menu changes periodically and offers an excellent three-course dinner for $25. Brunch/lunch is delicious as well, with omelets, crepes, and a killer croque-monsieur. The only thing I haven't enjoyed here would be the beignets - they weren't as light and fluffy as some others I've had, but it's a small complaint, all things considered.
The decor is plain, it's true, but there's often local artwork on display. My husband, in fact, purchased my Christmas present (an oil painting by a Chapel Hill artist) after we had admired it on the wall at Rue Cler for several weeks. That, y'all, is love for a restaurant.
I'd give it 5-stars but I'm a bit biased.
Most people seem to misunderstand this restaurant. It isn't bistro and it isn't a brasserie, it is a post-nouvelle cuisine Parisian neighborhood restaurant. Le menu changes often, but there are some staple items that remain.
I really like the size of the portions and the way the prix fixe menu changes with the seasons. I do have a soft spot for the roasted chicken, which is hard for me not to order.
My one gripe is that the fries aren't always crisp the way I want them with my steak frites.
When my friends from New York or San Fran come into town, they can't believe such a place exists right here in Durham. The wine list dominated by "natural wine" producers is something you found at 360 or Bette in NY or at Terroir in San Francisco.
I hope that Durham citizens realize what they have here.
Had the Steak Frites and Arugula Salad, shared a peach crepe and Terrine Chocolat for dessert. The steak was wonderfully cooked -- tender and flavorful. The fries were hot and fresh and not too salty. The salad was nice, but a bit underwhelming. The desserts were good, not great, but the portions were very generous. The crepe in particular would have been far too big for one person.
The location will be nice once the construction in downtown Durham is done. The restaurant was loud, but not obnoxiously so.
The food here was really delicious. They have a rotating fixed price menu, for about $25 per person. So you get 3 courses, which 3 choices for each course. This means that if you're picky or vegetarian, this might not be the place for you. Although, they do have a few menu mainstays like the steak frites and a few salads. But what fun is one course when you get get 3??
All of my food was awesome. The salad, the appetizer and the main course. We also had the house wine (good, not offensive), and dessert crepe, which was light, fluffy and awesome. I didn't feel awkwardly full after the meal, just very content (the wine didn't hurt).
As far as decor: the place was decorated in sort of this weird crumbly-chic way: One wall looks like it might leak rainwater while the others are freshly painted. There's white tablecloths and candles on the table, on top of white paper, like they have at the Macaroni Grille. Ok, weird, whatever. At least the waiter didn't write his name on the table in crayon.
Gosh, am I a snob? That previous paragraph seemed snobby. I hope I'm not becoming a snob. I hate those guys.
The reason this restaurant isn't 5 stars is because if you go as a couple, you are most likely going to be relegated to COUPLES ROW OMG. You know, a bench across the wall with squished together little tables. So you can't hear the person across from you because the room is so noisy. Plus you're trying not to encroach on the space of the people on the bench next to you while still trying to be comfortable. Ok, fancy restaurants need to get into their head that this does NOT make for a comfortable or romantic evening. I know they're trying to cram as many people in as they can, but really, people, stop.
Also, a hint: they do take reservations. Although the hostess was kind of a ditz, so the reservation people didn't seem to get seated any faster than anyone else.
In conclusion, go to Rue Cler for some tasty food for a casual lunch or dinner.
We had brunch here, and it was magnifique! The atmosphere was very nice. There was some quiet jazz playing in the background, and the decor was very bistro modern. The food was fantastic. We had the Oeufs Rue Cler and a crepe with the duck confit. Both were excellent, especially the eggs. We finished with a very nice coffee and a creme brulee that was to die for. It was comparable to the better ones that we've had in France. The service was great. Our waiter was always there just when we needed him, but he was never intrusive. We definitely plan to return. C'est formidable!
Another worry with downtown restaurants is parking. There is some street parking available, but the restaurant is right across the street from a parking garage. It was free on the weekend :-)
For French food, Rue Cler is relatively inexpensive. It's not the best French food I've had, but definitely worth the money. I'm all about service too, and every server here has been top-notch, making sure that everything was up to par. When my friend received the wrong order, management quickly comp-ed his meal and offered to give us free dessert as well. A good place to go on a date, I recommend Rue Cler to anyone looking for French food in Durham.
Brunch is probably a bit better than dinner. We have been to Rue Cler twice and the experience each time was worlds apart. The brunch is less busy and you get treated to a no-rush service. The sun usually fills the place and gives it a great feel. The dinner time scene, unfortunately, is very different. They don't take bookings, so you have to show up to wait. Because of the no booking policy and perhaps the desire for high turnover, the service was rushed, non-attentive and even impatient. The dinner menu was generally good, with a prix-fixe menu. However, with wine and added sides, it doesn't end up that cheap. I think this restaurant is very good, (four-five stars) but could do with better service staff (you lose one point for that!). We would definitely try them again. The food is quite consistent and good.
overall, a good find with good food for the price.
pros:
1) excellent crepes... yum. With dessert being so affordable, you can definitely go all the time...
2) they have a $25 pre-fixe menu that is very reasonable. My husband had the roasted beets salad, the pork belly and apples tartlet (really good), and chicken. I would say that the apps are better than the entrees. Not that the chicken wasn't good, it wasn't great. I had the steak frites and it was a little overcooked.
cons:
1) i'm too excited on the decor. There is a blank wall and it gets boring after awhile. Their bar section decor is much nicer (yes i know that the restaurant is not that big) and they should definitely extend the wine bottles theme or do something with that wall.
2) really expensive pot of french press coffee (pretty good though). desserts are $5 and coffee was like $6.
3) I would give service 2.5-3 stars. The server was not good at giving suggestions because she didn't like this or that. She forgot about the coffee so it was brought after our dessert was.
I love the asparagus, tomato sauce, and chevre crepe. Really good stuff, and good bread here too.
I really like running into the cafe in the morning for a cafe au lait and scone. A great option for quick weekday breakfast.
Who would have guessed that such a restaurant would exist in Durham, NC. I would best describe this restaurant as something you would find in the Mission District of San Francisco. Great food and very trendy.
Durham, NC
Category: American (New)
Durham, NC
Category: French
Durham, NC
Category: Southern
Durham, NC
Category: Restaurants
Durham, NC
Category: Pubs
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