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Counting House, Durham, NC

Counting House

4.2
4.2
1544 Reviews
$31 to $50
Seafood

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 15 times today
  • Good for special occasions
  • Innovative
  • Good for business meals
At Counting House restaurant, led by Executive Chef Melanie Wilkerson, local cuisine meets bold flavors and playful execution. A seafood-driven menu set amongst the art of today, designed to provide you with an easy-going escape that will feed your soul. The bar and lounge is a welcoming place to taste innovative cocktails, sample local craft brews, and explore broad bourbon and wine lists.

Reestablishing the warmth and vitality of a historic gem, Counting House combines contemporary design with architectural details including the building’s original terrazzo floors and arched windows.

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, Oyster Bar, Contemporary American
  • Hours of Operation
    Breakfast Mon–Fri 7:00 am–10:00 am Lounge Mon–Thu 4:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 8:00 am–11:00 pm Sun 10:00 am–10:00 pm Brunch Sat, Sun 8:00 am–2:00 pm Lunch Mon–Fri 10:00 am–2:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (919) 956-6760
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive Chef
    Melanie Wilkerson
  • Private party facilities
    The Private Dining Room, an intimate space off the main dining room of Counting House can host groups up to 32 and is perfect for a small event or dinner.
  • Neighbourhood
    Durham
  • Cross Street
    Corcoran & Main Street. Located on the first floor of 21c Museum Hotel.
  • Parking details
    Valet
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 1,544 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.2
4.2 based on recent ratings
  • 4.2Food
  • 4.4Service
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 4Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Counting House offers a unique dining experience with a "fantastic ambience" and a menu that features "delicious food" and "incredible craft cocktails." Standout service from staff members like Ginger and Jackson contributes to a memorable visit. The restaurant also showcases art, enhancing the overall atmosphere.

1,545 Reviews
  1. Lindsay

    Greensboro

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 2
    The overall experience was fine. Just fine. Nothing special, especially for the cost. The hotel itself is cute and interesting, but the restaurant left a lot to be desired. The bathrooms are far away and up a flight of stairs, so just be aware of that. The atmosphere is pretty open so it did get loud, despite not being super busy. I did also let them know ahead of time we were celebrating an anniversary and they made no mention of it, so that was a little disappointing too.

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  2. Taahira

    VIP

    New York City

    8 reviews

    3.0

    8 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Our reservation was listed for 7:15pm, due to parking. We got there at 7:30 PM. No one gave us a problem about it and we were promptly seated due to the fact they were limited tables occupied, reservations were not needed. We ordered chargrilled oysters, and the beats and Burrata as a starter. The Burrata was very small compared to other restaurants that I have tried it but nonetheless the beats Plummer Burrata dish was good, char grilled oysters were OK, definitely could’ve been char grilled some more. For our entrées one had a pork chop. The other person had a veggie meal. One had a countinghouse burger, and I had the scallops. To be honest with you, The scallops were slightly undercooked. It took a while for me to chew them nonetheless, they were good. The veggie meal was also good which was called a folio, and also the pork chop is one of the juiciest pork chops I ever tasted. My issue is the food portions at counting house. There are prices that are listed as the same that you would find in any steakhouse in the Raleigh/Durham area, however they do not provide sides with their food or even have sides on the menu for you to order. So basically we all left paying a huge hefty ticket price for the food that we paid ate and we were still hungry. And this is one of the few places where we had appetizers, entrées, and dessert and we did not take any food home and that’s rare! Going forward, if you are considering to charge prices the same as the same higher line restaurants you have to also consider having the same sides as to give the customers more food, very limited portion and very small portions. The Burrata was one of the smallest that I’ve seen in a very long time. The drinks were very good, service was great, parking can be a bit of an issue in this area due to the fact that it is downtown Durham, the front of the hotel can be a little weird as where you’re supposed to leave your car for valet, or go inside. Definitely worth a try if you’re in the area

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  3. Shanda

    Washington DC

    3 reviews

    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Awesome service, tge waitress was attentive although she had a lot of tables. The food was so, so. The appetizers were better than our entrees. My daughters got the pan seared chicken and I got the scallops. We were not impressed with the food. We are from the DC area and our 4 star restaurants are better than this.

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  4. David

    Raleigh

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had a business outing with six co-workers at Counting House. Trinity was very attentive to our needs and also allowed some substitutions for a guest who had dietary restrictions. The manager also stopped by to check on us. Food was delicious. Ambience was very nice. We had a great time.
    Counting HouseResponded 3 days ago
    We're so happy to read about your experience with us at Counting House, David! We enjoy making sure all our guests are able to enjoy a meal with us, no matter what restrictions. Thanks again and we look forward to seeing you again in the future! - The Counting House Team

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  5. Steven

    Washington DC

    7 reviews

    4.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on December 11, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We enjoyed the ambience and atmosphere. Sevice was excellent. The trout was lovely. Steak could have been compared to other steakhouse. Overall, a nice night and enjoyable diner.
    Counting HouseResponded 3 days ago
    Thanks for the nice review, Steven! We're glad to hear you enjoyed your time with us and we hope to see you again soon! - The Counting House Team

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  6. Frank

    VIP

    New York City

    43 reviews

    3.0

    43 reviews

    Dined on December 1, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    first, the good: Server was excellent. Ambience very good, innovative Next the other: Waited in lobby 10 minutes for table to be set; on entering dining room only three tables were occupied and we were offered corner at entrance doorway. Requested and were seated at another table. Steak was cooked exactly to ordered temperature but did not yield easily to knife or teeth. Chicken was edible. Will not return
    Counting HouseResponded 3 days ago
    Hello Frank, Thanks so much for joining us at counting House and we're haps to hear you enjoyed the atmosphere and your server. But we're sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy the food and other aspects of our service. We appreciate the feedback and will use this to improve for all our guests. We hope that you will give us another opportunity in the future. Thanks, -The Counting House Team

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  7. AnaD

    Raleigh

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on December 1, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great meal. Amazing service and fantastic ambience. We’ll be back!
    Counting HouseResponded 3 days ago
    We're so happy to hear you had a great experience, AnaD! Thanks for sharing and we look forward to seeing you again soon! - The Counting House Team

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  8. Susanne

    Richmond

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 30, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was good, but we (2) waited 20 minutes after being seated for our wait staff to leave a table she was chatting with before she came to take our orders. There were only 4 tables occupied in the entire restaurant. It then took 20+ minutes for a salad and burger to be delivered. Overall a meh experience.
    Counting HouseResponded 3 days ago
    Hi Susanne, We're sad to hear you didn't have an overall great experience with us, but glad to hear you enjoyed the food. We'll be sure to use your feedback to help us improve our service and experience for all our guests. We hope to see you at Counting House again in the future. - The Counting House Team

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  9. Shenny

    Raleigh

    24 reviews

    5.0

    24 reviews

    Dined on November 28, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Subject: Feedback on Menu Discrepancy Dear OpenTable Team, I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to share some feedback regarding my recent dining experience that may be helpful for your service. My husband and I visited a restaurant specifically because he was craving their ribs, which we saw listed on the OpenTable menu. However, upon arrival, we discovered that the menu had changed significantly, and the ribs were no longer available. This has been an ongoing issue for us, as this is not the first time we've encountered discrepancies between the OpenTable listings and the actual menu. I would recommend ensuring that restaurant menus and prices are kept up to date on your platform, as this would enhance the overall user experience. In the future, we plan to check the restaurant's official website for the latest information before making reservations. Despite this setback, we did enjoy a lovely first course of fresh oysters, a glass of wine, and some Japanese bread, which came to over $50. The manager was very accommodating, which encouraged us to stay for our meal. We ended up going to another restaurant for our main and dessert, and that experience turned out quite well. Thank you for considering my feedback, and I hope it helps improve the service. Best regards, Shenny
    Counting HouseResponded 3 days ago
    Hello Shenny! Thanks so much for the choosing to dine with us at Counting House and for the 5 star review! We're so glad you were still able to find some items to your liking on our menu and were able to have a great experience. We have since updated our menus on Open Table, and we appreciate and understand how important this is to our guests. We hope to see you again in the new year! Thanks! The Counting House Team

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  10. Dee

    Charleston

    2 reviews

    1.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 26, 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    This was a horrible decision to go to for my Fiancée birthday. First, we arrived early, about 10 or 15 mins, and our table was not ready. However, the restaurant was not packed at all. Only the wait staff was dressed to match the atmosphere of the art. Everyone else must just work part-time based on their attire. The service was flavorless and basic and fell so short that a fast food chain restaurant could teach these individuals how to do their job accurately. The old-fashioned outlook of not addressing everyone at the table except who is perceived as the paying customer is shameful. The atmosphere with artwork surrounding us was beautiful, and unfortunately, it was the presence of staff members who could care less about the quality of service that is provided to guests. I wanted to provide a lovely dinner and instead I was dealt a evening that involved 5 different *Bottles of wine* (all of which are over a $100 a piece, per bottle not by the glass) being out of inventory, yet not removed from their menu and a set of Japanese Milk Bread being served to us as we are leaving. Literally, after we asked the check and for our food to be boxed and remove the bread since it was not up to par, then we were sent another bread that was still not satisfactory. I wonder if the reviews on this place was just due to the customer, since to the appearance of the establishment and I am very regretful that I did not take heed to their mentioning of bad customer service. It's a pity that beautiful artwork and atmosphere at the mercy of people who are no better than a McDonald's Ice Cream machine operator, aka unreliable, and lacks more than words in this post describe. The unprofessionalism, the attire of management and bartender, the inability to serve dishes properly in such a setting. Whomever owes this place really should invest in their front of house staff and inform the chef that salt and pepper are not the main/only ingredients in fish dishes.
    Counting HouseResponded 3 days ago
    Hello Dee, please accept our apologies for your recent experience at Counting House. This is certainly not up to our standards and we can definitely understand why you are frustrated. We appreciate your candor and will use it to improve our training of the team. We have reached out to you directly as well and hope that we can invite you back in to give you the full Counting House experience. Thanks, Emily & the Counting House Team

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FAQs

Counting House offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (919) 956-6760.

Counting House is rated 4.2 stars by 1544 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 15 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Counting House

111 North Corcoran St, 21c Museum Hotel, Durham, NC 27701

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Corcoran & Main Street. Located on the first floor of 21c Museum Hotel.
  • Neighbourhood
    Durham
  • Hours of Operation
    Breakfast Mon–Fri 7:00 am–10:00 am Lounge Mon–Thu 4:00 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 8:00 am–11:00 pm Sun 10:00 am–10:00 pm Brunch Sat, Sun 8:00 am–2:00 pm Lunch Mon–Fri 10:00 am–2:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, Oyster Bar, Contemporary American
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Valet
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Melanie Wilkerson
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (919) 956-6760
  • Private party facilities
    The Private Dining Room, an intimate space off the main dining room of Counting House can host groups up to 32 and is perfect for a small event or dinner.
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