Tobacco Road Sports Cafe

Delicious! Compliments to the chef! We enjoyed a reasonably priced and fresh meal! Definitely try the fried green tomatoes, four slices of rich flavor and a new take on a country classic. The strawberry avocado salad was filling and beautifully plated. The ultimate nachos while an entree are big enough to share. Service was fast and friendly. Worth a stop and return visit!

Outstanding service you couldn't ask for more. I believe our waitress was Emily and she was beyond excellent. We have never eaten here before which she recommended the 2 chicken breasts on top of mashed potatoes, with grilled veggies and a honey gravy and my with had the shrimp and grits which she couldn't stop talking about. WOW!!! I know you usually only give 5 stars for the service and food but I would give at least a million stars. Usually we don't eat desert but it was highly recommend to get the brownie with vanilla ice cream, a little chocolate sauce and cherries. Really it melted in your mouth and the brownie was slightly warm which really topped it off. I highly recommend anyone and everyone to go and enjoy the atmosphere, the outstanding service and the wonderful food. Best of all it is not expensive which really surprised us.

food was great, service left more to be desired. the ecu/unc matchup at the dbap happens every year so i thought the restaurant would be more prepared. the wait time wasn’t the issue, once you were seated it took forever to get your drinks & your food, with minimal server interaction after. the lemons for my water came 10-15 min after getting my water and was brought to me on a napkin. not sure if they were understaffed or just couldn’t handle the volume - however we were sat after about an hour wait (again, understandable) however, when we were being sat - they were quoting 15 min wait times at the door. once we were sat, it took almost 15 min for drinks to come out, 40 min for our appetizer to come out and then another 15-20 min for entrees. so while you may have gotten sat in 15 min, it was taking almost an hour for food to come out. we missed the first two innings of the game despite joining the call ahead list, arriving at 1230, being sat at 120. overall, i think this matchup is a great opportunity for the area restaurants to capitalize off the gameday vibe but overall execution of it & creating the pre-game experience was subpar at best.

Visiting the night of a show we thought place would be busier so we added our names to online waitlist for next available table (in or out). We were pleasantly surprised to be seated immediately but hostess didnt bother asking our preference to in or out so we were ushered to the patio. Not a big deal but would have been nice to be given a choice since they were not busy. Order was taken and food arrived with good service but not great and good food, but not great. Burgers were very pink when requested Medium Well. Fried Green Tomato BLT didnt have mich flavor beyond the bacon. Fries were good. Refills of drinks were not offered until empty and we asked. But here's what got me: upon paying they use hand held card readers which is fine except they give you zero time or privacy to chose a tip amount when the machine is just shoved towards you (they dont let you hold it) while they watch over what tip you chose as if daring you to chose anything less that the top amount (25%) which is already lit up as the default choice. Trust me it was not 25% service given but i felt pressured to choose it anyway. If thats not rude enough, I am still waiting on my receipt that she had to go and get from somewhere. I finally left since we had a show to get to. So I dont even know if we got the show discount which dpac promotes them giving - since the machine shoved in my face only showed the total. Very disappointing.

Great experience last night. I usually eat lunch at the raleigh location.So it was interesting to try the dinner menu and experience the darm location. I was impressed that the wait wasn't that long due to a show over at DPAC and a college football playoff game. I was very impressed with my server Jay, I had asked for hot sauce with my entree, and she returned with a collection of four! My glass was never empty and the food came out quick and warm. A special mention for the shrimp and grits. If it was a nice update to a classic. Definitely merits a return visit.

I was there Sunday afternoon for a birthday dinner. We were the only large party there and a few people at the bar. I’m sure the night was slow due to the heavy rain. The server was nice. We probably should have had two people helping us instead of only person for a party of almost 30 people. Now to the food…dry, unseasoned, bland, lukewarm, and simply not worth the price. It seems as if we were served food that had been prepped the day before and then re-warmed and served to us. The only decent part of my meal was my Apple martini! As far as going back, the jury is still out for the Raleigh location. I hear the Durham location knows what they’re doing when it comes to great food!

My son and I ate here on 2/28/26. We were seated promptly just before 6:00 p.m. The restaurant had a moderate number of patrons at the time. Our waiter was pleasant and shared his recommendations for appetizers and meals. He told us our appetizer would arrive shortly, but after a while (approximately ten minutes) he said it was on the way. This happened a couple more times. The appetizer didn’t arrive until thirty minutes later. Approximately ten minutes later, my order arrived but not my son’s. The steak was medium rare instead of medium well and I received vegetables instead of potatoes. I just decided to eat it anyway because I was very hungry. The waiter told my son that the cook was stressed out and his order would be there shortly. After about fifteen minutes, I told the waiter to cancel the order and I shared my meal with my son. To say I was disappointed would be a huge understatement. This was one of the worst dining experiences I have had in my life. It was such a disappointment because I have eaten here before without incident.

I loved their shrimp and grits. Also had a fruity IPA (can't remember the name) but it was also very good. Our waitress did a great job and we were a party of 13. We went the last day of the festival of Bull and were able to see it from our seats. It was beautiful! Good night.

Great place for some good food and drinks, either to watch a game or before/after a show at DPAC or a Durham Bulls game! This is one of 2 locations, the other being in downtown Raleigh. I've always enjoyed my experience at Tobacco Road. The food is ALWAYS good, and the drinks are good too! The staff and service have always been great as well! They don't take reservations, but you can add yourself to the waitlist ahead of your arrival if the function is available. This is also a great place for a private event. I've been to quite a few of them here and have had a great experience as well. Although there is some street parking available around the restaurant, the best option is to park in the parking deck a short walk nearby. Although they are well-known for their bar food, one of my favorite entrees is the Greek Lemon Chicken! It's so tasty, and the flavors complement each other well. There are tons of tvs to ensure you can catch the games as well! Highly recommend!

Best location, great food, amazing prices! It's been quite a bit since I've been here, mainly because it often seems busy and we don't always have a lot of extra time to wait. We visited mid week before going to see a show at DPAC. We joined the waitlist before we headed over, there were at least 10 others on the waitlist in front of us, and we got a table within about 5 minutes of arrival. They had half price glasses of wine, and I had the chicken salad sandwich with fries - crazy low prices for downtown Durham!

The food here was so good yesterday and I loved my server Emmanuel as he was so helpful and swift with bringing my order and was so polite and patient with me Not to mention the hostess who greeted me was absolutely amazing with making me feel welcome and boosted my day, I think her name was J? She was awesome too!! Both workers 10/10!!

Went in for a football game, left eating one of the best meal I've had at a bar. I asked the bartender for a recommended, and she said the "Country Frizzle and Drizzle Chicken" is pretty good. She wasn't wrong! The bar has a section that can be reserved by groups. Today the Eagles fans had it reserved and it sounded like a good time in the section!

The Tobacco Road Sports Cafe is on the Tobacco Road Campus and in the outfield of the Durham Bulls Stadium. I dined here before a performance at the Durham Performing Arts Center as I am trying to add some variety to my pre-show dining. The restaurant is large so I was able to walk in and be seated. There is inside and outside seating. The menu is large and had a good variety. I went with the mac n cheese. It was ok and I would have liked it better with a smaller portion and paired with something else. I liked it at first but it was too much of it for me. So next time, I will try something else.

I ordered a strawberry avocado salad that was light and refreshing. Didn't weigh heavy on the stomach. Our waiter was very courteous and patient. This was the perfect place to go before a DPAC show! Ambience was nice, kinda an upscale version of a sports bar.

This place is well situated for anyone who loves sports, it backs onto the Durham Bulls stadium and even if you came here just for drinks you could enjoy it while catching some of the game. The inside is modern and well designed with a huge video wall displaying multiple sporting events. This place isn't overly noisy (at least the time we were there) though probably considered by most as a sports bar. The service was ok, seemed a little slow at times however overall our order was correct. We'd come back in the future.

Ordered the "Down East Nachos" for takeout and they were delicious! They packed everything separately and that was greatly appreciated so the chips didnt get soggy. HUGE portion size. Only negative is unnecessary charges on the bill of a credit card surcharge & a take out charge.

This place looked closed from the outside on a Friday around noon as I was walking up but when I walked inside there was a decent crowd, I wasn't sure what to expect given the mixed Yelp reviews but the farm salad was really good with lots of fresh vegetables and tasty croutons and a good balsamic dressing, The ultimate nachos were better than most places and I appreciated the cheese was well melted and the ground beef had lots of flavor. We were hungry but still were only able to finish half of it. Service was friendly and they have lots of TVs for sports when games are on. They're right next to the baseball park so it's probably the perfect place to go before or after a game. I enjoyed this place and would come back if I'm in the area.

Can't wait to be back during a bulls game! Just finished dinner and my turkey sandwhich was yummy and big portion. I got a side of the cucumber tomato and that was good too. My Bf got the Philly, soft bread and substantial meat. Bartender was super attentive, fast, and friendly. Host was nice, welcoming and also thanked us when leaving. TVs everywhere and good outdoor space. Great spot!!

Food was excellent and reasonably priced; waitress was friendly anc helpful; they were able to get the game on for us from NY even though it required alternate access. Highly recommend!

Great variety on the menu. Service was good. Ambience is loud, sports bar with a ton of tvs. Overlooks the ballpark (Durham Bulls).

Went here for a football game since the previous bad we went to had poor satellite reception. This place was very busy but our waiter was more than attentive to us. We got our food pretty fast after ordering. My daughter ordered some BBQ nachos and she loved them - my boyfriend and I ordered regular nachos with beef which were also really good (and pictured here). Not a huge selection of beers but it was a decent list. My only complaint is that we were seated behind the rows of chairs where all the large TVs were - not a terrible spot but I had a pretty big pole in front of my view so I had to look around a bit. Again, not a huge problem.

We were able to get a table for a big group of us right away which was a plus. Server was friendly and patient. Their nachos were surprisingly huge! Can easily feed 5-6 people. We had chicken sliders which were a bit dry and had no sauce to it. Would recommend to choose regular burgers for sliders which seems like a safer choice.

We stopped for dinner on a Saturday night and it wasn't busy at all. We were finally seated and our waiter was prompt. We ordered beers and the waiter was super knowledgeable and made great recommendations. As for the food, the salad was decent but any customizations we asked for were ignored. Wings were decent as were the fries. Overall the orders not being quite right were annoying but the service was good and the food too. Very dark inside, but huge bar and tons of TVs.

Definitely a sports bar. I had a strawberry avocado salad. There is nothing very much if you are gluten free although they make some accommodations like just leaving out the bread on a sandwich! There is not enough lettuce but good flavor. My husband had a Philly Cheesesteak ordered with no grilled onions or peppers, subbed white cheddar and raw onion and tomato with well well done French fries. Sandwich was good but not enough meat... not much to it. This so definitely a place to drink. Outside balcony is great but food just C.

pretty good lunch spot! the mushroom swiss burger & fried green tomato were very good . the texas pete dusted tots stole the show. super filling. The restaurant is pretty large and sits right in the durham bulls stadium. our server was a little slow with service but he got us what we needed.

If you are looking for a decent bar and classic food and bites this is a solid choice to go with. Parking has never been an issue to get here and service is on average pretty quick and friendly. The place is vibrant and plays loud music while having multiple monitors running sport events at all times. Overall the food quality is ok and the prices are justifiable!

Impossible to get a table prior to any DPAC event. Getting on the waitlist prior to arrival is pointless

BROOKLYN OUR hostesses was the Mostous. She suggestedthe best line up of beers and got us a up front row seat at their outdoor seating area to watch the bulls play ball. This cute girl made out visit to the city excellent. We were from Texas on a business trip to Chemtek and dined at this fabulous restaurant two night out of our stay. Great food and lots of Beers made for a great experience!

What an amazing experience. We were a group of 40 Duke football families. Lisa, the manager, had an area set up for us that was private and perfect! Sunny, our waitress, was AMAZING! She was able to wait on all 40 efficiently, welcoming and made the experience fun! The food came out quick - hot and delicious. HANDS DOWN... it was a great experience! Thank you... we will definitely be here again!

Tobacco Road is in the DPAC complex with LOTS to see. When attending a concert, we walked through the river area, caged basketball court, and around by the baseball stadium to get to Tobacco Road. TR is the PERFECT place to post up and grab a drink before a DPAC event/show. If you're into watching a/your team play, try and lock down one of the round booths facing the TV wall. Seriously, we haven't seen a wall like this since Caesar's (Vegas). There was a LOT going on with all the Sunday NFL games. Price point perfectly matches the food. We had all the greatest bar food hits, burgers, tacos, cheesesteaks, ribs, etc. All were solid choices. Service and hosts were friendly and accomodating. We look forward to our next concert, game, and/or downtown Durham stroll.

We arrived before the Saturday evening crowd so we were able to get a large table perfect for our group of eight. Our server was attentive and took very good care of us throughout our stay. Every cocktail any of us ordered was done perfectly. Our beers were cold and drafts poured properly. The food on the other hand was mediocre. The chicken wings, for example, were at room temperature. I got 5 appetizers for the table and they were all eaten though. I'd go back here again and it's definitely a good place for groups.

Doordashed the chicken tenders and they were sooo good! They were big and well seasoned. Would def recommend!

Delicious food. Good service. Fun atmosphere. Fabulous view of the ball park. Came here for a date night before a show at DPAC and had a wonderful time. Love that they had several good options for vegetarians and husband loved the pasta Alfredo primavera. The salmon was amazing. Asparagus could have used some extra seasoning or olive oil but wasn't bad. And I so wish they had given us a dessert menu as we saw someone order a brownie with icecream on top that looked delicious though maybe it's on a secret menu we don't know about? At any rate, we loved our experience and would highly recommend!

I stopped here on my way to DPAC for a concert. It was very convenient location and we were able to walk in and immediately get a table. The menu was vast and had many options. Out of the things we ordered, the best was definitely the buffalo chicken eggroll. It came with a blue cheese, but I also got a side of ranch. The egg roll flavor was absolutely amazing. It was a little spicy with some of the buffalo sauce, but the ranch helped with that. The ranch was a little runnier than I usually like, but it was still tasty. I ordered the Cobb salad and it was OK. I got the chicken on top and there was a lot of chicken, but it wasn't very seasoned. The salad was big but I think because the ranch wasn't the best it just didn't hit 100%. The salad usually comes with blue cheese, but I don't like blue cheese so I got the ranch. I wonder if it would be better with a more flavorful dressing. My dad got the steak and he said it was good but it wasn't cooked as much as he wanted it (which is saying a lot) and the coffee rub on the steak was a little overpowering. But the service was wonderful and the atmosphere was very nice. I would definitely go back and try something other than a salad. Maybe that just wasn't the best thing to order. Maybe some sort of sandwich or wrap would be more of their thing. I still have hope because the buffalo chicken eggrolls were so good.

We came here on a non game day, got a seat on the patio, and LOVED the food. We had the Down East Nachos and Durham Bull burger and ohhhhhhhh yum. Excellent. Food is 5/5. View and atmosphere was 5/5. Service was not as good, we didn't have silverware for the longest time. But the waiter was friendly nonetheless. Can't wait to come back here and try more. PS- nachos can totally be split between two people. We had enough at dinner for one, and took home leftovers for two meals with it!

Always a vibe coming to Tobacoo Road sports cafe, great views of the Bulls stadium, great service..fast and friendly and even better food!

Went to Dinner here tonight and our waitress was a young lady name Brooklyn! Let me tell you that she was absolutely the best ever! Her Attitude and enthusiasm was out of this world! She had us laughing all night. Very knowledgeable about the menu aswell. I had the Surf & Surf and it was great! The whole sport bar was just amazing! Service 10,Food 10, atmosphere 10! If you go ask for Brooklyn you won't be Disappointed!

We love this sports bar, especially before and after DPAC shows, but it can be hard to get in. It's popular for good reason. The food has been especially terrific lately and the menu has a really nice variety. I have fallen madly in love with their Salmon with mashed taters and roasted veggies. The lemon sauce is so good! Husband has tried a bunch of their sandwiches. He was very pleased with his latest Burger, a swiss mushroom one with Tater Tots. Their nachos are killer and so big that two of us can't finish one order for a meal. We've gotten lucky with great Servers in the dining room and at the Bar. Love all the different types of seating, the recliners, booths, regular tables...indoor and outdoor seats. Bar is a great place to land also. They do not take reservations, but do have call ahead.

This was my first time at Tobacco Road Sports Café, and unfortunately, it was a bad experience. Our waitress had a distasteful attitude the entire time, barely checked on us, and made a rude comment to my friend, suggesting they order less food so they could leave a better tip when we were leaving. Completely unprofessional. I understand that busy nights can be stressful, but basic respect and professionalism should still be maintained. I hope management addresses this behavior, as it left a negative impression on me.

Some of my coworkers and I visited this restaurant today for our team luncheon. We were seated, given our menus, and asked if we wanted anything to drink in a timely manner. The restaurant was fairly empty, so we didn't have any competing noises or anything that would distract us from our moment. Our server was pleasant and knowledgeable. She helped to maintain a good atmosphere. She also checked on us periodically. For the most part, everyone enjoyed their meal; however, one person ordered a salmon dish but was never asked how she wanted the salmon cooked. The salmon was more rare than she liked it, but she did not want to send it back. My spicy dry rub wings were fantastic! The spicy flavor was not overpowering. The wings were seasoned well, had the right level of crisp and texture, and were a decent size. The portion was good for a lunch-size plate. I could have used more blue cheese dressing though. The amount of sauce provided with the wings was not sufficient.

My server Emily was really nice and very helpful with the menu. Recommended us the best food and was quick. I enjoyed eating here would recommend for game days especially!!

My daughter and I decided to check out Tobacco Road Sports Cafe on Super Bowl Sunday night after seeing a great show at DPAC. We were seated right away, surprisingly since the game was still on. There's lots of seating options which is awesome. Shy was our server and she was rather attentive even having so many tables on such a busy night. We both ordered sliders since it was late and we just needed something on our stomachs. I ordered the pulled pork sliders & she ordered the hot chicken sliders. They came out pretty quickly. I'd say they were both pretty good. The pulled pork ones were better once I asked for bbq sauce. The hot chicken was exactly that, but had a pretty good flavor. It's a great space to hang out and watch what's on tv, they have so many TVs. I didn't see their drink menu, but I'm sure they had a lot of great selections. The menu had a good amount of variety, I'd come back.

Love love loved my server Brooklyn she was so sweet and her service was amazing she was polite and efficient and the food was so good really recommended!!!

Okay, so we will break this down into sections: The good: The atmosphere was great, couldn't ask for a better place to watch the game or the fight. Inside and outside seating options, recliners, tv facing booths, clean and well lit bathrooms, the host staff were welcoming and accommodating. The drink, the Carolina Hurricane ( was well made and a great price) the sirloin steak was delicious, the mashed potatoes were good, the tacos were delicious, and the brownie sundae was phenomenal. The bad: The taquitos were not very good at all. 4 taquitos for $11 that were burnt to the point of not really being able to taste them besides tasting the char and the stuff on top; however, we could make out a distinct taste of black beans and my husband hates beans. We knew they were supposed to be chicken and still tore the stuffing out of them to try to decipher what the completely brown and mushy mess inside was and sure enough it was black beans with some type of mystery meat. The veggies with the steak were an excellent flavor but extremely under steamed. The carrots were so hard they taste like they cut them and laid them under a heat lamp a few minutes and laid them on the plate. The ugly: The handicap entrance doesn't come into the front of the restaurant and we couldn't see it from the front, on the way out we tried to find it to see how convenient it was but it was a bit confusing how to get to it, the main entrance is a mildly steep set of stairs, so handicap accessibility is there, but getting to the hostess station once you get in isn't super convenient. Waitstaff was friendly, but in an almost forced way. In the hour and a half we were there I got 3 refills and the first one I had to ask twice for and I finally got it after my glass being completely empty for over 20 minutes. The other 2 came within the last 15 minutes of us being there and one was after we were half way done with dessert and I still had half a cup left as it was. The refills only began coming out after one of the servers possibly heard me mentioning needing to not to forget to take a picture of the dessert for my Yelp! review. We tipped well, as usual, which may have been a shock since when we were seated and looking over the menu we told the server it was our first time trying them and we were having a hard time deciding and we got hit with it we really can't afford much to share a plate of nachos. I don't know that it was meant the way that it seemed, but the way it was stated came across wrong. Overall, most of the food and service was good so I still give 4 stars. It would have been 5 for sure without the bad and the ugly. It's definitely worth a try, I am hoping none of these issues are the standard and we're just one off scenarios.

Was such a cool place to eat in Durham! Ate this back in march so there was no Durham Bulls game going on but, we still ate outside. The heaters outside were so hot and toasty. The food was very good and overall a great place to grab a great meal. Even though we were in Durham...GO UNC!!

This is your typical-run-of-the-mill sports bar. I came here with a large group for dinner and we had a great time. I liked how they had a separate dining area for lager groups where we could all gather. Location wise, it's a very convenient place to grab a bite if you're a baseball fan as it is attached to the Durham Bulls baseball stadium. Food and drinks were average. I ordered a burger and it was your typical burger... as expected. I also ordered the Carolina Hurricane and it was a good cocktail on the sweeter side. Drinks were a bit overpriced but it's something I expected due to the location. I don't have any complaints about the food or drinks, but I don't have anything I would rave about either (hence the three star review). Overall, I think it's a convenient place to get dinner before a game, but I wouldn't come back unless it was for a Bulls game.

The waiter jokingly told us they had the best water in Durham. I did check that claim and it seemed pretty average. The view, though. That's a "best in Durham." The restaurants patio overlooks the Durham Bulls park just a few feet down from that infamous Bull. This is my second time here and both times the food has been "good." Nothing as memorable as the view of the stadium. I went with the bbq bacon burger. It was good, but nothing life changing. The fries were kind of a miss with little seasoning and no crispiness. They were out of at least 3 or 4 sides.

Conveniently located near Dpac as well as view of Durham bulls is this popular sports bar cafe. Very reasonably priced, and a very popular place in the heart of downtown Durham. Prices range between $10-20ish. Score! We came before a show at Dpac so decided to sit at bar. Lucky for us there were 3 stools together. They have 2 outdoor patios as well as indoor seating. Our bartender took great care of us and got our drinks right away. The pimms cup is a gin drink and very refreshing! I ordered the fried green tomato appetizer and it was savory and crispy. Comes with goat cheese and a pesto basil sauce on a bed of greens. Tasted fresh and would definitely order this again. We got in and out in plenty of time to walk the few steps to Dpac for the show.

Food and service are good, but for the life of me, I cannot understand why the server would bring out glasses of water for our party of eight EACH WITH A PLASTIC STRAW?! Why do businesses do this? If they won't offer paper straws can't they at least ASK the customers if they WANT a straw or put them on the table? It would help their bottom line and make a teeny, tiny dent toward helping our sick planet. Even a MAGA freak should be able to get onboard with this policy.

Service is great! So many tvs and they can offer large group space. Catch a bulls game on the patio!!

Went downtown for a professional development. Had the caesar salad and it was not my favorite. A lot of dressing and a lot of lemon tha overpowered the dressing. I got grilled chicken that was a little on the over grilled side. Bright side we sat outside and had a great view of the ballpark!

Great burgers and beer! Also, overlooks Durham Bulls Stadium. Dined there as a family on Saturday evening and got to listen to a concert after we dined on the patio. Lots of TV's playing sports games inside if the big game is being televised while you dine. They have a generous selection of craft beers, custom brews and non-alcoholic options. The burgers were awesome! We will definitely return.

So many TVs and definitely a great place to watch sports! They have any and every sporting event on the screen for you. I was here for a family party and then stayed to watch World Cup Soccer. The friendly staff and service were greatly appreciated. I also really liked the food. The bbq chicken and peach cobbler were my favorite food items. They also have a great selection of beer, wine and liquor. Also, the restaurant's location (attached to the ballpark) make it a must visit! Overall I was impressed with this place and definitely recommend it!

Don't eat here the food is not very good. It's like bad bar food. The view of the baseball field is very nice. But the food is gross. Service was okay.

Food order for 6 people was served sporadically. Each person received their food 10 minutes apart. Person who ordered a turkey wrap was served last after everyone else was done eating and a turkey wrap doesn't need to be cooked! Food isn't good enough to return.

Great restaurant, always enjoy the food and the view of the Bulls game. I highly recommend the Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls on the appetizers list. Chicken, cheese, scallions, Buffalo sauce, and sun dried tomato bleu is to me the best thing on the menu, especially with a beer. I can also recommend the Buffalo chicken sandwich as being very hearty. I will say it's best to be at the bar. My most recent trip, sat for 15 minutes at a booth and didn't get any service. Moved to the bar and had an order in within 2 minutes

No thank you. That is all. Had the hurricane drink which was the best part of the meal The pork belly tacos were so basic Probably just your typical sports bar, I guess