Mateo Bar de Tapas

Mateo Bar de Tapas

A Downtown Durham Landmark

Tucked into the historic old Book Exchange building at 109 West Chapel Hill Street, Mateo Bar de Tapas has anchored the heart of downtown Durham since 2012. The warm, bustling room, all dark wood, tile, and the low hum of conversation, feels like a genuine neighborhood taberna dropped into the Bull City. It is the kind of place where regulars perch at the bar over a glass of sherry and first-timers linger far longer than they planned, working their way through plate after plate of small, shareable dishes.

More than a decade in, Mateo remains one of the most beloved tables in the Triangle, a fixture that helped define downtown Durham’s dining renaissance and continues to draw crowds night after night.

Spanish Soul, Southern Roots

Mateo’s kitchen sends out traditional Spanish tapas threaded with the flavors of the American South, a marriage that sounds unlikely on paper and sings on the plate. Iberian classics like jamón serrano, boquerones, and gambas al ajillo share the menu with dishes that nod to North Carolina’s larder, from local produce to Carolina pork. The result is food that is at once deeply rooted in Spain and unmistakably of this place, familiar and surprising in the same bite.

Much of what makes it work is a respect for good ingredients handled simply and confidently, from cured meats and marcona almonds to seasonal vegetables at their peak. The menu changes with the seasons, so the specifics shift throughout the year, but the spirit stays constant: bold, generous, and built for sharing. Pair a few plates with a glass from the thoughtful Spanish wine list or a hand-shaken cocktail, and settle in for the evening.

What to Order

Start with the patatas bravas, crackly fried potatoes crowned with brava sauce and a cloud of aioli espuma, a near-mandatory order and a fine benchmark for the kitchen. The gambas al ajillo arrive sizzling in garlic and olive oil, brightened with guajillo chili, lemon, and parsley, with baguette for mopping up every last drop. For something a touch sweeter, the datiles, goat-cheese-stuffed dates wrapped in crispy serrano ham with romesco, hit the salty-sweet mark every single time.

From there, let the table guide you. Order a few plates, see what disappears fastest, and order again, exactly the way tapas are meant to be enjoyed.

The Chef Behind the Bar

Mateo is the first solo venture from chef Matthew Kelly, a Durham fixture whose other projects have included Vin Rouge, Mothers and Sons, and the beloved Saint James Seafood. A multiple-time James Beard Award nominee, Kelly is among the most decorated and admired chefs in the region, and Mateo remains the restaurant most closely tied to his name. His fingerprints are all over the menu, an evident love of Spain filtered through a Southern sensibility and years spent cooking in the Bull City. That reputation is a big part of why Mateo endures as a destination for locals and visitors alike, a restaurant that has never coasted on its early acclaim and still feels essential today.

Planning Your Visit

Mateo Bar de Tapas is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m., and it is currently open and serving. It is an independent restaurant, part of Kelly’s MK Hospitality group, and it stays busy, so reservations are strongly recommended, particularly on weekends. Booking online through OpenTable is the easiest way to lock in a table, though walk-ins are welcome to try their luck at the bar.

You will find Mateo right in the thick of downtown Durham, an easy walk from the Carolina Theatre, DPAC, and the American Tobacco Campus, which makes it a natural choice before a show or a night out. Whether you come for a quick bite at the bar or a leisurely, plate-after-plate feast, Mateo delivers the kind of warm, convivial evening that has kept Durham coming back for more than a decade.