Cheeni
Restaurant · Durham
202 Corcoran St Suite 100, Durham, NC 27701
Highlights
Regional Indian dishes & cocktails from a James Beard nominee
Regional Indian dishes & cocktails from a James Beard nominee
"An Indian restaurant in Durham that hosts a Sunday brunch series from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., currently featuring a pop-up by Chef McLaurin. The brunch menu includes sweet and savory buns, granola bowls, breakfast sandwiches, bread pudding, and other morning offerings, providing a chance to sample the baker’s goods ahead of the upcoming American Tobacco Campus opening." - Erin Perkins
"After relocating from a North Raleigh strip-mall origin to a downtown Durham space, this restaurant expanded its offerings and audience while retaining the homestyle spirit of the chef’s South Indian roots. Run by the chef-owner and her daughter/manager, the kitchen focuses on true-to-home preparations rather than generic standards—don’t expect typical butter chicken or a heat-scale ordering system; dishes arrive as they were meant to be made. Seasonally rotating plates such as hariyali whole fish, pork korma, and Tamilian chicken showcase balanced flavors that appeal to both heat lovers and milder palates. The move also introduced new initiatives, and the vibe preserves the original warmth even as the concept steps up in execution and finds a receptive Bull City crowd." - Erin Perkins
"Chef Preeti Waas, a two-time James Beard Award Best Chef Southeast semifinalist, runs a restaurant that began as shops inside two downtown YMCA locations, evolved into an all-day café in North Raleigh, and now operates a Durham storefront; she is expanding again next year into the Horseshoe at Hub RTP where she will gain roughly 3,000 additional square feet. Drawing on her upbringing in South India and American culture, the kitchen highlights multiple regional traditions—including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, and North India—and features rotating daily specials inspired by whatever she feels like cooking. The move into the mixed-use Horseshoe development, designed as a community gathering space with office and retail components, will allow her to broaden the menu, offerings, and ongoing exploration of Indian regionality." - Erin Perkins
"The long-awaited side bar (sister bar? hidden bar?) component of Cheeni has now opened. Bar Beej serves up cocktails crafted by Amy Waas (Chef Preeti Waas’s daughter) and inspired by the Indian subcontinent. There’s the Indian 75, a take on a French 75 with ginger, rose, coriander, and cardamom. The Mr. India is Scoresby Rare Scotch shaken with amaretto simple syrup, absinthe, peach, and aromatic bitters. There’s beer and wine available, and a bar menu of small bites like masala fries, samosas, and kebabs." - Matt Lardie
"The Durham outpost at 202 Corcoran Street, which opened at the end of 2023 with a larger dining room and kitchen, remains open and is where patrons can continue to sample Preeti Waas’s fare. The expanded space gives the team room to broaden the menu and more fully explore the regional diversity of Indian cuisine—an intentional focus to offer dishes beyond familiar American adaptations—positioning the location as the primary place to experience the chef’s evolving, region-forward approach." - Erin Perkins
