The Waiting Room

This is a really cute place with a great vibe. The food was fresh and delicious. Please note they have more of a small plates menu. I could tell the server was new, but she provided good service. If you are even in the area, it's worth stopping by. This place is located across the street from the DPAC.

A great place for a pre or post show drink when going to DPAC (unless you go on Sunday because they're closed that day). Great vibes and the cocktails are incredible, with a rotating menu every few months so you get to try new drinks frequently! They've expanded their food menu but it's still usually more small plates but anything we've ever gotten have been great. Charcuterie boards there are usually really nice! Limited seating and when they're busy it can sometimes take a while to get orders put in, but for the most part everything there runs smoothly. I enjoy sitting at the bar so that I can watch them make the drinks, especially the smoked cocktails! And their themed menus and special events are a lot of fun! We recently went to their Grinch pop-up and it was super cute!

My husband and I dropped by on Wednesday night - cocktails, food and service were pretty good! Removing one star because of extremely strong bleach smell throughout the whole bar. It was unexpected and definitely ruining the vibe. At the same time hopefully it will be easy to fix (and switch to some milder products), we will give it another chance in the nearest future

Confusing atmosphere (industrial modern but 80s Latino pop playing in the background???), loud music, and okay cocktails.. cool that they have a rotating menu but the whole vibe was not loungey as I thought it would be. Also one of the bartenders was straight hammering on a giant ice block for nearly 10 minutes at the bar. Seems like something they could have taken to the back kitchen, or dealt with before business hours.

I stopped in with a friend after a show at DPAC, and it was a perfect drink/dessert spot. Great atmosphere, super friendly staff, and the comfy green chairs are a whole vibe! Will definitely go back next time I’m in Durham! *Update*: went back and had great bar service- highly recommend the pimento cheese dip!

I had a pretty strange experience at The Waiting Room. I came to the bar for a friend's birthday. Aside from our group of about 10 - 15 people, there were maybe 4 - 6 others in the bar. This did not at all seem like an overwhelming crowd for a bar, especially on a slow, rainy weeknight, however, the bartenders refused to let us open multiple tabs. One member of our party had to pay, and then they printed a receipt for us all to pay her back. I've never experienced anything like this before in a bar. The bartenders kept insisting that we were seated at a table and were provided table service, however, the place was not at all set up like a restaurant and I placed all of my drink orders at the bar...not from a table. The place also primarily serves cocktails, not food, so it seems like most people would assume that it functions like a bar and expect to be able to open a bar tab. Aside from the very strange experience with paying for my drinks, the drinks themselves were great, the ambience was nice, and the location is good. The staff was polite. Do not recommend going here with a larger party. Perfect for a date night, a catch up with a friend or two, or a solo drink.

The Waiting Room is a great vibe! It's my favorite place to stop by after a show at DPAC. The service and atmosphere is perfect. My favorite menu item is the deviled eggs - it has a nice Asian twist to it. Their cheese board and desserts are super flavorful and yummy! I also like that their menu is seasonal, so the drinks are always new so you'll always find something there!

What a quaint little bar with a great atmosphere! The drinks are amazing. But the kicker is the owner and his partner are very knowledgeable about the different drinks that they make. I was turned on to a couple of new liquors that I would have never tried in the past and was very pleasently surprised at the choices they suggested. It's a wonderful low key place that is great to just unwind and vibe with the other patrons. The drinks are not too expensive and made well. No weak drinks to be seen.