Since 2006, Rue Cler has proudly served the community of downtown Durham. We bring the freshest southeastern ingredients to our diverse clientele, offering simple, classic preparations, in the style of a Parisian neighborhood restaurant. We are currently open for indoor dining and look forward to raising a glass together. Santé!
Comfy Parisian bistro with rotating menus & an extensive wine list that includes rare bottles. Based on 640 reviews, the restaurant has received a rating of 4.4 stars. Price $$
✔️ Dine-in ✔️ Takeout ✔️ No delivery
Address:
401 E Chapel Hill St, Durham, NC 27701
Phone: (919) 682-8844
Social Profile: 
Hours
| Thursday | 5–9 PM |
| Friday | 5–9 PM |
| Saturday | 5–9 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday
(Labor Day)
|
Closed |
| Tuesday | 5–9 PM |
| Wednesday | 5–9 PM |
Menu
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Menu Photos
Photo Gallery
Order and Reservations
Reservations: resy.com
Reviews
Dominic Ricci
Wow, this place sucks! Go to Jolie in Raleigh for better French cuisine instead. Food took forever to come out and the table next to us that got sat 45 minutes after us got their food (ordered the same exact things) less than 2 minutes after us (1 min 46 seconds exactly. I timed it because I’m petty). Every dish was just okay. The flavor wasn’t there for any of the dishes ordered. Also, the braised beef you would expect to be tender was very chewy. When we got seated, we got sat directly between two other couples despite the rest of the restaurant being empty. Nothing against the hostess, but the manager needs to work on seating. I asked if we could sit somewhere else because it felt kinda cramped, but she said she would have to ask her manager, so I told her not to worry about it. The only upside was the servers. Everyone was very kind. Would have rather gone to waffle house than eat $150 for two extremely mediocre meals.
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Allie
Nice little French Restaurant in the heart of Durham. Reservations are recommended for this restaurant as it can be fairly busy. There is a parking garage across the street and street parking if you can find an available spot.
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Kristi Thompson
Delicious cuisine with attentive service – our server was kind and helped us make our show at DPAC. The escargot was tasty – favorite dish was the brown butter ham (melts in your mouth) – the cucumber soup with crab was excellent as well – everything is such a treat! Lovely evening! Thank you!
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Aryaman Babber
Rude customer service. We were forced to take a table by the doors to the kitchen, and when we asked to switch tables, we were not allowed to (we were one of three groups in the entire restaurant). We were there until closing time, and our requested table (by the window) was open until the very end. In fact, about 1/3 of the tables were still open, so no decent reason for us to be forced to that table. For $40 per person, I expected better.
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Michele Wendell
Excellent French bistro in the heart of downtown Durham. I started with an amazing melon salad that was just bursting with flavor and color. I then had a peach gratin, which was covered with a pistachio Parmesan reggiano Duckfat ham crust. Try saying that fast three times. It was surrounded by a sauce Vierge and blueberries, and white corn. Amazing. My dining neighbor at the bar had an amazing chicken pate with fresh farm bread and flavorful spreads like whole-grain mustard and some fresh jam to balance the flavors. What is great about this price is that they let you order à la cart off a fixed price menu, which is what I did this evening because I wasn’t that hungry, but they also have charcuterie, cheese boards, small plates, lots of à la carte, vegetables and salads, fantastic specials – tonight was foie gras, which was almost what I got, and really inventive drink specials, as well as unique wines. You will need a reservation unless you’re willing to chance it to come in and sit at the bar. But if you do sit at the bar, make sure you get Tony as your bartender he will give you great service and mix a killer drink, or find a great wine for you.
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Patrick Wagner
My friend and I went to Rue Cler this past Friday night. Everything was absolutely splendid. The service, food and drinks were absolutely perfect. I recommend the duck and lamb, perfectly prepared and the serving was worth the price. Had the chicken liver pate as an appetizer and no words can describe the taste, simply amazing. I will definitely be returning and encourage everyone to pay Rue Cler a visit. I would give them 6 stars if I could.
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Giorgia Boero
Very elegant and chic French restaurant in Durham. Not the first time I visited, the food is always excellent. An experience to do if you like to try elaborated french food. It is not cheap, but it worths.
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Penny Smith
Amazing food and the staff makes you feel welcome, special, and cared for. The flavors and execution on the food is impeccable. The lemon Béarnaise sauce with the steak frites is to die for.
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Patrick Jourdan
Had an awesome date night here. We went with the fixed menu and we’re not disappointed. Large variety, presented in good portions and artfully arranged. Delicious baguette as well, and a great dessert selection. Friendly service was the icing on the cake. It would be tough to do better!
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B
Very sub-par experience. We had a reservation and there was only one other couple dining when we arrive yet they tried to seat us directly next to that couple instead of at any of the other tables. For a place that requires checking your covid vaccine cards, why wouldn’t you also social distance as much as possible? The service seemed like they were lost in the clouds and not very attentive at all despite there only being two tables dining in the restaurant. The bread for the table was terrible, it didn’t have a good flavor and was very hard textured making it difficult to eat. You’d think a french place would have a handle on how to make a good bread. The steak frites was kind of tough and didn’t have the most flavor, it was just okay. The salmon dish was not good flavor at all. The salmon was cooked well but the greens and potatoes were not and had a gross flavor. The best thing we had was the short rib gnocchi.
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