Bulldega Urban Market

Bought pre shredded mozzarella from here yesterday 11/15/25 when I got home I took it out of the bag and it was completely molded at the bottom; I looked at the expiration date and it said July 2025. It’s a very convenient space if you’re downtown but check the expiration dates bc idk how much foot traffic they get so I think stuff just sits there! Also like other people have mentioned it’s really pricy (especially for the quality) I spent like $7 for half a gallon of milk and it wasn’t even the fancy glass jar type lol but I was in a rush and sometimes you pay for convenience! Hopefully they do a better job getting rid of expired inventory other than that I’m still pro supporting local the people who work there are super nice!

Old, stale dood. Nothing in here is fresh. Sandwiches for sale with a packed date 3 days ago. Bloomed chocolate The worst part is when I went to return stale items, the woman at the counter argued that’s how they come. Chocolate was clearly bloomed, didn’t want to take the unopened ones for return. Tried to return a crunchy fig bar that normally come soft - refused. Don’t gaslight your customers, take your stale food back.

Bulldega Urban Market is a great place to find a great selection of fresh produce, dairy, meats, snacks and dry goods at decent prices for the convince of a mini market in the area. The store has a friendly staff 😊 that greet many customers by name and a clean and welcoming atmosphere. One of the things that makes Bulldega Urban Market unique is its salad bar. The bar offers a variety of greens, vegetables, and toppings, like the spicy mushrooms that were added recently and customers can create their own salad or choose from one of the pre-packed spinach or crispy lettuce 🥬 in clam shell containers. The salad bar is a great option for people who are looking for a quick and healthy meal. Hats👨‍🍳 off to the chef. He nails the sandwiches and breakfast. More unique items that Bulldega Urban Market offers is its locally bottled ginger lemonade, Roman's sun brewed tea gourmet chocolate and local honey 🍯. The store has a wide variety of beverages from local vendors like Motherland's organics Ginger Lemonade. The wine and beer selection is extensive and constantly being restocked. Overall, Bulldega Urban Market is a great place to find fresh produce, fine beer and wine selections, meats, and snacks conveniently located in downtown Durham🐂. The store has a friendly staff and a clean and welcoming atmosphere. The salad bar is a great option for people who are looking for a quick and healthy meal, and the fresh produce is a great option for people who are looking for healthy and delicious meal options. Here are some of the pros and cons of Bulldega Urban Market: Pros: • Open till 10 PM • Chef is amazing • Local NC vendors • Wide variety of snacking options • Uniquely Durham gift ideas • Affordable prices • Friendly staff • Clean and welcoming atmosphere • Salad bar(Yes!🥬) Cons: * Small store * May not have all of the items that you are looking for * Some customers have reported long wait times at the salad bar.

Update: As everyone knows, Bulldega has now moved to One City Center and is a much bigger, airier, and brighter space. They have more dry goods, pantry items, local meat products, cheese, etc. And the wine and beer sections have expanded. They have seating in the suite as well. Nice location, but a bit further from the parking deck unless you park at Unscripted. Great place for local food items and beverages and also specialty groceries. Also very nice beer and wine section. Definitely a neighborhood gem.

Friendly staff and a surprisingly good selection of goods, including a soup and salad bar. If you’re downtown and need something, this is a great choice. Easy walking distance from just about everything.

Great shop with organic food items. Very unique and in a busy area surrounded by eateries, the convention center and the Amory and the theatre are all walking distance

Great find in the heart of bull city! Fantastic and friendly staff! A little bit of everything you'll ever need ~including wines, beers, aromatherapy, etc!!! Highly recommend stopping by ~Show your love to Durham....bullcity!!

Newer to the area, and I was hopeful about this place. I do love to support local businesses, but the quality just wasn’t there to justify the price. Will give it another try and update my review.

What a cute little shop! Stopped by before going to a show at the DPAC. They have everything! The macaroons were good, we had a four pack. We bought energy shots and those were good. Though it's not a big place, it has a big variety of stuff. Staff were nice.

07/09/25 9:38 am I work in OCC and I frequent this place for breakfast and salad bar. I am so disappointed in what has happened recently. The cook was fired!!!! Terrible! He was great! The workers are scared to give you a pack of crackers if you get the salad bar. A pack of crackers that is bought in bulk. So, if you treat your workers poorly so where does that leave the customers. There is not a lot of places downtown you can get breakfast or salad that is convenient. Treat everyone special and your business will flourish! We should try to be better business owners, and every customer isn't trying to get something free. I don't plan to frequent there anymore if I can help it. Betty Jones

If you're living in downtown Durham, this is the place to get absolutely everything you need. They have the best staff and they even have dinner ready to pick up!

So I would not recommend this spot to shop for your groceries but it was nice to stop in to pick up a few local items. It is smaller but the selection was still good. If you are around the area, check out Bulldega Urban Market.

I finally had a chance to stop by this awesome urban market! Why can't all grocery stores be like this one? I love the urban vibe and selection. From alcoholic beverages, vegetables, to dessert. This shop has about anything and everything you need to survive. The customer service was fantastic. Someone was able to help me find what I needed. Also, they carry Parlour ice cream in pints! Ok...that's what I came for since Parlour was closed. Overall, it's in a great location in the heart of downtown Durham.

This is not a boroughs of New York City bodega. If you are expecting the kind of bodegas you would find there, you will be a little disappointed here. I had hoped to use Bulldega for quick dinners or to grab fresh produce. There's very few dinner options, and the produce is pretty beaten up. If you want to grab some wine or pick up cleaning supplies last minute, Bulldega will meet your needs, though. There wasn't anything wrong with Bulldega, but I just haven't returned either.

We were actually having some beers up at Pour and saw the Bulldega menus sitting on the table, so we decided to try a few things. It was so convenient you just order from your phone, grab a table number from the Pour register, and they'll run the food over directly to you. We ordered the triple cheeseburger sliders, pimento cheese arancini and the carnitas. Everything was really delicious and had a lot of flavor. I think the arancini was probably my favorite - perfectly crisp with a tasty sauce. This is a great choice if you're enjoying a few beverages and want something delicious and convenient!

This place is adorable! My favorite things that they sell are locally made t-shirts (specifically by The Durham Originals) and beauty products (Lo & Behold are the best!). I'd probably feel more strongly attached to the Bulldega if I lived downtown and literally was just stopping in to grab some produce or a box of teabags. Since I just stop in for a Kombucha or a Durham souvenir I think it gets the job done. Their new space, in One City Center, is really nice. But I also liked their old place.

We loved the location of this store, directly across the street from two hotels and Neomonde, in a great walking area downtown. If you live in the area, it's easy to pop in for something in between your regular grocery runs, like pasta, a prepared meal, a few fresh vegetables, etc. They have a lot of items from local vendors. Beware, though, most prices are high!

Great location in downtown Durham that carries lots of local food products. My main complaint is that many of the grocery items are also pretty pricey. Think of it as an urban hipster convenience store. Maybe the people who live and work nearby can afford these prices, but I usually limit myself to some chocolate, granola bars or snacks. They also offer wine and wine tastings, However the one time I went they just left out some wine and nobody was pouring or explaining it. They do have a customer loyalty program with points, but I've never gotten an email or indication of how many I've accumulated over the years. I do applaud them for having local owners and supporting local food and beauty purveyors. Maybe have more items on sale, that would get me in more.

I don't know what I would do, in this time of Coronavirus, without BULLDEGA! Living downtown , being in my late seventies and unable to drive was going to make it very difficult for me. Bulldega has made my life so easy. Evette, Josh, Erica, Mike, Kyle and others from this market have helped me so much! They carry local and organic foods and they make the best luncheons and dinners! Try them, you will love them as much as I do! Renée

It's very much like a Manhattan Bodega, prices and all. So if that is the fantasy you're living in a tall building, this is for you!

I LOVE this adorable market! Everyone is so nice, and it's just the cutest little place. You can buy just about anything here! They have some amazing wines. Sometimes I'll grab a sandwich for lunch and they're all great. One time I needed a birthday card, somewhat last minute and they had one, and it was adorable!

Market seems nice but don't order a sandwich unless your willing to wait. To them 25 minutes to make a simple roast beef sandwich. Didn't seem busy at all - more workers than customers. Sandwich was fine but some advice to the guy at the cashier who didn't seem to care that we were waiting so long - at least check to see much longer it will take and maybe be a little apologetic. Good luck to this place. Needs some improvement if they plan on operating a business work made to order food.

Finally got to check this out after seeing it under construction for months. Lots of cool stuff local to Durham and local products sold. I enjoy businesses that support other local businesses. I will definitely patron this establishment when in the neighborhood.

Brand new grocery/specialty foods shop in downtown Durham near City Hall, Bull City Burger, Pompieri, and Dos Perros! Great location, beautiful space, and a surprisingly large inventory of groceries, wine and beers, produce, home goods, etc. We were also pleased with the prices, we expected Southern Season's price range given the location and they ended being pretty competitive with Durham Co-op's and Whole Foods. The owners and staff were super friendly and even had a list of "Things we should have" since they've just opened. Overall,I found everything I would need to whip up a quick meal or if I ran out of some essential home good (toilet paper, cleaning stuff, etc). Welcome to the neighborhood, Bulldega! Can't wait to see more of you!

Welcome to the neighborhood, Bulldega! My friends and I will often talk about one of the key things missing from downtown Durham is a place to do your grocery shopping. Now, this may not be your primary place, but it is a beautiful little spot. Grocery selection includes some local goods, like the Parlour or Big Spoon, and some Whole Foods-y type wares. The produce is beautiful, and fresh cut flowers are a nice touch. Wine and beer nook is great, as is the small selection of non-food household needs. Equally good for a quick gift (flowers or some nice chocolate) or a fill-in-the-gap if you forgot something in your main grocery run (I "forgot" some good chocolate chip cookies to go with my lunch). The space isn't used to its fullest right now -- feels a little too open, and shelves not full enough. Over time, I think they could do some super cool things, like wine tasting or a small coffee hangout area. Pricing is a slight premium; my non-scientific feel is a notch above Whole Foods. But the premium is kind of necessary for the size and location. Good luck guys!

Typical upscale downtown store reminiscent of stores found in bigger cities. Expensive, yes; convenient, yes; plenty of selection, yes. Fits the bill for a bite, a bottle, a gift and more. Plenty of local goods. Overall, a good piece of Durham's downtown scene.

We were hopping around town to get local cheese and bread for a charcuterie board and Bullgeda had almost everything we needed. Plus they have a wide variety of kombucha and wine for our drinks. Great place to get local products!

The new space is nice, but also still confused as to who this place is really for? I love the idea of a bodego for those living in downtown Durham. A small grocery/convenience store where people who live near-bye can pop in for something small or a meal and they'll have what they need. Bulldega isn't really that shop. In these times of gentrification in the Bull city it's clear who Bulldega is aimed it. They've got an interesting selection of items, but it's not a functional bodega. There's some food, but surprisingly not a lot of food. The space is large, but also has lots of space that could be filled with more food selections. But there's not a lot of toiletries and lets be honest there's a fare share of homeless people living downtown and they are not going into this place for the things they need, let alone lower income people searching for things they need here. It's more of a novelty store that happens to sell some food and some beer. It's not bad, but it certainly doesn't live up to the potential of what it could be serving downtown Durham. If you want some very expensive peanut butter or a craft beer, this is your place, but then again that's most places in downtown Durham at this point.

I've only ever posted five-star reviews and I'm sad to post this one. I used to love the Bulldega, and I've been a loyal and enthusiastic customer since I moved here two years ago. I always try to support local but I am so disappointed with their recent customer service. We bought a t-shirt from the store and when we wore it for the very first time the stitching fully unraveled. Within the week we went to exchange it for the exact same t-shirt without the defect and they would not honor the exchange. They told me to come back the next day and the manager would take care of it, which I did. The manager would not, and was also incredibly rude. I've never heard of such a thing - customer service 101 says that if you sell defective merchandise you do your best to fix it or replace it. I know it's just a t-shirt, but it's the principle of it all. Very disappointed to cross the shop off my list of local faves.

The market is a gem in downtown Durham! It is amazing the difference types of items they offer. I love the salad bar and grab and go option that they have from a local restaurant.

The friendliest business owners you could ever meet! In an age of impersonal shopping experiences Bulldega is a refreshing change. Also the name is so clever

Bulldega is a local market with all your essentials, meats, wine and beer located right behind Pompieri Pizza and across from City Hall Plaza. If you live in a condo nearby and just need to pick up an essential without going to a grocery store, this is your place. I just went to browse on a Sunday morning and liked the variety of local items, fresh meats, cheeses and wine and beer assortment. I love the emphasis on local farms and you can see where products originate and many are just down the road in the same county. There was also artwork on display for purchase from a Raleigh artist. They were pretty watercolor paintings and would make a nice gift or kitchen art. The prices are a little higher but you are paying for the convenience. Bonne Maman preserves are $5.23 for example. The name is clever for this Bull City establishment and play on the Spanish word bodega. You can easily park at City Plaza or get here by foot or bike or even bus.

This place reminds me of a fancier, mini version of Whole Foods. Most of the products are more local, artisanal, higher-end etc. so it wouldn't be very economical to do your bulk of your grocery haul here. There's also a smaller selection of items like cheese, meat, and veggies. But there is a solid variety of wine and beer. There's also a section where you can buy prepackaged sandwiches and snacks to-go. The people working there are friendly and thoroughly unpretentious, which is a plus. They're expanding to a larger space downtown so I'm looking forward to see how that turns out.

Great boutique grocery market! They have a great selection of food and product, a lot of which is local. Also, they have many healthy options from salads to organic snacks to a solid selection of fruit and vegetable produce. I've stopped in each Monday to purchase my breakfast meals for the week, extremely convenient and kind staff. If you live in downtown Durham I highly recommend Bulldega for any food shopping.

Amazing new grocery store in downtown; specializes in partnering with farms and local Durham businesses. Would recommend checking it out!

We had a great time tonight enjoying Durham's "Streetery" outdoor dining. Bulldega has a new chef who made beautiful charcuterie trays with the cheeses and meats we selected plus nuts and tapenade and bread. The roasted Brussel sprouts were awesome and we had nice wine from the shop. Reasonably priced and a fun evening!

Since when is it cool to go buy groceries? I found it to be such a cool shopping experience and the manager, Will is so helpful, nice and wholesome like Troy Donahue in the 1960's. I loved the selections that they have and the wine/beer stuff and how they carry local products. I hope that they open a small cheese shop inside, that would be amazing!

Stopped in for a bottle of wine. Quite surprised by how unique Bulldega is. Reminded me of some of the cool places in Portland. Good wine selection, knowledgable staff. Lots of local specialty items. Bought cheese, crackers, some interesting hot sauces, and decided to pick up a packaged lunch as well. Good selection and a nice place to shop.

This is my favorite grocery/necessities market in downtown Durham. The owner is super friendly and stocks a lot of useful items and interesting foodstuffs. I also really like that he stocks pre-made lunches from other small businesses in Durham. And I love their pun name, it's perfect! (Bull + Bodega = Bulldega!)

At City Center, walking distance to Marriot and others. Not a large store but a perfect size for the location. Great selection of locally sourced meats, cheeses, craft beers and wine, deli items, and a great selection of other unique food and other selections... extended hours, trendy feel ( Whole Foods on Steroids)... at City Center this is the go to place to pick up tasty stuff that you won't find at most any other place.

My husband and I didn't know about Bulldega until we randomly parked beside it. They had a wine tasting and so we went in and were so pleasantly surprised. It is well-stocked with great local items and the staff were incredibly friendly!

Hipster bodega with healthy options! The YELP map and directions are incorrect. This fine establishment is up the hill from the Marriott on the quaint pocket park.

I wish I could say I loved Bulldega, but I have to be honest. The problem may lay with me, that my expectations for what this market is were wrong. I thought it would be great to have retail downtown and have a central store where you can pick up essentials and do some shopping. That is not quite what Bulldega is. The strong emphasis on local goods and vendors means most of their selection are expensive specialty items that as Laurie mentioned in her review you can find at Co-op/Whole Foods/Parker and Otis. What is lacking are some just standard grocery fair even it is from a national distributor. It is these normal grocery items that people want to pick up when they are on the go, it is what would be way more useful for most of the community if you want to encourage people to live and hang downtown. I appreciate the occasional more expensive, artisinal local products but it is a specialty splurge and not a grocery basic for most people. I feel as if this store can only serve a small segment of the community. It is lovely space, the people there were very friendly and I will be supporting it as much as I can. They did have some nice produce items I picked up that were reasonably priced and the beer was was well curated and reasonably priced. But I think they could be more successful if they embraced a wider market.

I roll into Durham several times a year to visit my parents. I love to stroll around the town trying new restaurants and poking my head into shops of all sorts. This is one wicked cool place! Everyone who works here is nice and oh-so knowledgeable. No, this isn't Wally-Mart, but they have pretty much just what you need, and of those things you want, the selection is even deeper. Definitely a chill place. I encourage you, even if you are passing by, to stop in and buy one thing, we need to keep places like this in business for a long time.

Great market with a great array of products. There was a wine tasting going on when I walked in and i found a great new wine that I love!

Love this place. Doesn't have everything but with the big grocery chains up the road you don't need it to. They have a great rewards program which is perfect if you live nearby. The wine and beer selection to pretty excellent and the staff is the incredibly nice and helpful.

Been lovin me some Bulldega since May 2016 when it opened. It's neighborhood grocer I'd been waiting for. I've hardly shopped at any other grocery stores since it opened. Kind of sad to see them move from the cozy original spot but am also looking forward to the new, larger location.

I love this store. I work nearby and stop every morning for a cup of their brewed coffee from various local roasters. I highly recommend their coffee cards. Great way to save some pennies and still get a nice treat. The guys are always friendly and Yvette is awesome. Their fresh salads and hummus from Saladelia is also great on days I don't have time to go out for lunch. They also carry some of the best local chocolate milk. And it costs less than a soda at most restaurants these days. Shout-out for anyone with Celiacs disease. This place carries multiple brands of gluten-free bread, muffins, snacks, oatmeal, and even some baking stuff. If you haven't tried the Imagine It Gluten Free Apple Spice Muffins; they are delicious and fluffy and soft and pretty much all around perfect. Bulldega often gets them in fresh and I can't stress enough how great they are. mmm. Especially with coffee. Two thumbs up!

Awesome wine selection! I've gotten two bottles from the bottom shelf ($10 and $13) and they were both DELICIOUS. Someone is picking these wines with care. Highly recommend!

The convenience of a 7-11, the quality of a Whole Foods, and the customer service of the Park Plaza Hotel. Bulldega seems like a place that has been around forever. These people did their homework before opening the store. It's beautifully designed, excellently stocked, and the team is amazing at customer service. On our last visit, it started to rain outside and we'd forgotten our umbrella. The person working noticed, ran out to his car, and insisted that we borrow his. Incredible. To top it all off, one would expect that a team that has worked this hard at putting this place together might be a bit prideful or arrogant with their offerings. Not here. They are extremely down-to-earth and humble enough to ask their customers for product recommendations, right at the register.

Glad to have a market downtown! The space is beautiful. I do wish there was a bit less emphasis on local goods because, frankly, you can already get that stuff everywhere (Parker & Otis, Whole Foods, Durham Co-op, Southern Season). And, while fantastic, you only need so many jars of local peanut butter. What I'd like to see more of in Bulldega as they get settled in and grow: a larger selection of grocery essentials like cereal and paper towels, more produce, affordable snacks for grab and go back to the office. They have some of these items already but the shelves feel a little empty, which makes the space feel less vibrant than it could. Maybe they'd sell more volume of these items anyway and it would keep them open long term, which I'd love to see happen! Good luck to them!

Cool little shop with upscale/artisan/high quality food items. They've got a great beer selection too.

My wonderful niece and her equally wonderful husband are celebrating their first anniversary today. I had forgotten and when I found out, I wanted to send something to them. It was already 2:30 here in California (5:30 pm in Durham) when I started searching for gift baskets etc, to be delivered TODAY. After calling a few places, I discovered that no one was delivering. One bar and bottle shop, recommended Bulldega! Mathias at Bulldega saved me. Mathias helped me pull together two freshly made Mexican entrees (their meal of the day) a six-pack of Carona, plus the dessert of the day, a bottle of champagne, a hipster chocolate bar (for good measure) and a happy anniversary card, in which Mathias personally transcribed my happy anniversary wishes. The gift was delivered before 7:00 pm EST!!!! Wow! Talk about going above and beyond. My niece, was working on a time sensitive art project for a west coast client and had the kitchen table covered in art supplies and didn't know what she was going to do for dinner. She was saved, I was saved and we have Mathias's kindness, professionalism, and work ethic to thank. In an age where it is sometimes difficult to even get service, Mathias represents the highest caliber of customer service. Thanks again Mathias!