Nana's Restaurant

My wife's family visited us for Christmas. They're from NYC and LA, so they're used to eating in good restaurants. My wife wanted to take everyone out and insisted we go to Nana's (hadn't been there in years), over my objections. I've always thought it was an overpriced yuppie joint. If only it was that good. The food was awful. I had a bouillabaisse. It had no taste and the portion was non-existent. My niece couldn't even swallow her chicken. The steak looked like it had won the national championship for gristle. Needless to say my wife was very upset. There are many good restaurants in Durham, no need to waste an exorbitant amount of money at this dump. By the way, a shot of 18 year old Macallan single malt was somewhere between $25 - $30. I had recently been in New York at a restaurant where it was $18. Now we're talking robbery. The only reason I gave this place 1 star is: they wouldn't let me publish this review without a rating. more

The food here is insanely tasty each and every time...I've gotten the seafood platter a couple times this month and each time it is to die for...The fish is always fresh and cooked to perfection. Have had the swordfish and the Striped bass. Don't remember the last time I've had seafood this well prepared! Not to mention, the service is great... The menu changes seasonally as it is based on what's available locally but if you get a chance this month, try the seafood platter...Delicious! more

We recently enjoyed Nana's ""tastings"" menu, paired with wine, whereby you enjoy an appetizer, samples of three entrees, and dessert, all paired with appropriate wines. Nana's wine list has received the ""Award of Excellence"" from the Wine Spectator, making the excellent quality wine pairings for us an adventurous, delightful foray into undiscovered varieties. Everything about our meal and dining experience was perfect. The food sent us into raptures with every bite and the tastings menu perfectly matched our own love of variety. The wines staff selected prompted us to ask questions and take notes. And, the service was perfect. We were permitted to enjoy a lingering meal, , without our water glasses every going dry or our bread plate being involuntarily empty. Our server was knowledgeable about both the dishes and wine we enjoyed. After we returned home, we evaluated the many fine meals we have enjoyed together around the world. Our meal at Nana's ranked in the top three. We will definitely be back. Pros: Food, Service, Wine List Cons: Parking more

Went tonight for our 10 year wedding Anniversary; I've been wanting to try this place for awhile. The cuisine is inspired by seasonal, regional ingredients, and the menu changes frequently. Most patrons were dressed up, I did see a few people in jeans. Jackets not required. Some men in ties, but the minority. I had the 5 course tasting menu; and every dish was a winner. The poached egg with cauliflower suffered a little bit from bacon that wasn't quite crispy and, well....cauliflower will just never be my favorite vegetable - but hey, if you're going to eat cauliflower you might as well do it with bacon and a black truffle sauce. The scallop with gnocchi was to die for. Really enjoyed the steak too. Oh, forgot the first course - big hunk of foie gras served with what they called toast points. I gave up on the dry, almost lacy toast and just spread it on some baguette where I think it was better served. My wife had the duck. Cast iron seared, over purple hull peas. Fan-freaking-tastic. The duck was like butter, the peas really nicely cooked and the pan sauce was inspired. I ordered an Old Fashioned and it was made with bourbon. They have a nice selection of single malts, would it kill ya to have a nice rye around? Minor gripe. Decor was pleasant. Seating was comfortable. Not too loud, not too dark. Service was friendly, courteous and professional. The hostess had a comically short miniskirt that wasn't exactly appropriate to her body type, and was the topic of discussion at several tables. I thought it was funny, but my wife kept rolling her eyes. Anyway - it's a really nice place, I had a world class meal and can't wait to go back. 2 thumbs, 5 stars and all that. Pros: Exceptional food. Cons: Worth it, but pricey. more

As a frequent customer, particularly on special occasions, we continue to be impressed and delighted with the quality and innovation of chef/owner Scott Howell's culinary efforts. His carefully chosen wine selections, while somewhat overpriced in my opinion, are excellent and well balanced. However it is time someone commented of the abysmal quality of some of the breads - especially the so-called ""baguettes""; these are supposed to be crusty and light not uniform and doughy, as were the several samples on our most recent visits. One can find ""better"" loaves at some of the Triangle area supermarkets! That being said, Nana's is still one of the best restaurants around for both consistency and creativity. We shall return! Pros: food, service Cons: breads, expensive wines more

We had the pleasure of eating at Nana's on Saturday for my first time and the second time for my wife. In an economy where most restaurants are lucky to be half full on any given night, weekday or weekend, this restaurant was packed! I felt like we were lucky to get a table. By the time the meal was finished, I understood why there were so many people in the restaurant. The food was outstanding. The menu is small, about 7 appetizer choices and 7 or so entree choices. However, deciding was still very hard, I wanted to try one of everything. The service was great. The staff was very polite and had great food and wine knowledge. My wife and I can rarely decide on the same type of wine, so I liked that they had a ""cruvinet"" which I found out was machine that preserves the wine they serve by the glass, so I could drink high quality wine without having to buy and drink an entire bottle. My waiter was happy to recommend a great wine pairing for each of my courses, including dessert. It was exactally what I look for when I go out to eat. Highly recomended. Will be back VERY SOON! Pros: Great food wine and service Cons: Hard to find a parking spot more

I went with my fiancee to celebrate my birthday and we were both very impressed with everything about the meal. We each had a glass of wine and there were about six white and six red by the glass, all relatively inexpensive for a nice restaurant. For those who want a bottle, there is a sheet of paper front and back of a number of wines of various price ranges. In addition, there is a reserve list of wines. We shared an arugula salad which I thought was okay but she really liked. Unlike other restaurants that place bread on the table, they have someone walking around to hand you pieces. I thought that I would only get one piece this way but they came back several times offering two different types, both of which were good. For the main course, I had a steak which was VERY delicious. I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes but I really enjoyed the restaurant's version of it which came with it. She had the duck, which she liked but thought it was too fatty. For dessert we shared an apple fritter which was very good. There were many desserts that looked good. While this is not a place we would go back regularly because of prices and the fact that there weren't a lot of entrees we wanted to try, we will likely come back for other special events. In addition to the tasty food, we thought that the staff was very friendly, knowledgeable, and quick. Pros: Great food Cons: Parking can be tough more

This was my first - and last - visit to Nana's. We held a work function at Nana's and I was very excited about eating there, since I had heard such great reviews. Unfortunately, it was all hype. While there were lots of little things that went wrong a the dinner party, the biggest, and most disgusting, happened to me, personally...there was a dead insect (rhymes with poach...citysearch won't let me write the word) in my salad! more

We went to Nana's on a coworker's recommendation. We were entertaining good friends who were celebrating their 25th anniversary. None of us had been before and hoped it would be a winner... well it was! The upscale casual atmosphere and the attentive yet discreet service help make this a pleasant evening. We started by sampling two appetizers. The liver pate' was delicious with the spicy mustard and sweet jelly on the side. We also tried the shrimp risotto. The risotto was prepared just right with plenty of small shrimp. I do think the dish could have been a little more flavorful, perhaps just a little more salt would have brought out the natural goodness. more

It was a memorable night for all the wrong reasons. The ventilation system (A/C) was not working to begin with . The staff was trying to be helpful but lied about it. There were people sweating and leaving the restaurant, a kitchen employee fainted from the heat and the chef/owner almost got in a fight with my wife because as he said ""we were complaining to get our meal comped."" Of course we paid and never going back again. The food is below average and overpriced anyway. more

Went to Nana's last night for the first time with my father. The service is attentive yet relaxed, the setting is warm and artsy (you know you're in Durham), and the feeling is generally ""dressy casual because we want to be, because we don't have anything to prove."" It's not loud, but it's not museum-quiet either. I got the pork chop--succulent and great balance of flavors, and my hard-to-please father got the lamb shank (cleaned his plate). We also had a delightful brown butter pecan tart for dessert. The food is largely organic/local/all the feel good things we talk about these days, but more importantly, it's delicious. I won't hesitate to return. Pros: Food, mood, service. Cons: A bit of a haul if you don't live in Durham but worth it. more

Great atmosphere whether you are seated at a private table or in the bar. The dishes are fresh and inventive and include locally grown produce. Owner/Chef Scott Howell does not hesitate to greet clients and share some of his cooking secrets. Wait staff is friendly and very accomodating. Don't miss dessert - the ice creams and other creations by the pastry chefs are sinful! Pros: Great atmosphere, food and wine! Cons: Really busy on the weekends! Reservations recommended. more

Being unfamiliar with Durham, we chose a restaurant based solely on websites and reviews. We wanted fine food at reasonable or near reasonable price, pleasant surrounding, quiet dining, exemplary service, and I personally love 'tasting menus'. Nana's delivered on every one of these criteria. We had a very nice corner table, did not feel crowded, and the understated, yet soothing ambience and the mature patronage made for a very quiet, conversation-conducive romantic atmosphere. The service was prompt, very friendly and proper. Special requests were met with eager willingness. And, unlike other restaurants, one of us could choose the tasting menu without the whole table being obligated to. Every dish was well presented, delicious, and uniquely prepared, especially the large portion of Risotto and the special appetizer crabcake which was loaded with prime crab meat. The fresh ingredients were obvious. Water and bread refills were timely and unobtrusive. Hard to find any faults at all - maybe one more item on the tasting menu to experience that true gluttonous experience. We left feeling we had picked a real winner! more

I have been at Nana's probably 5-6 times, for dinner, in early evening. It's a nice, quiet place, with good service and a serious chef in the kitchen. Dinner has always been at least good, and some times (but not always) exceptionally good. They have a nice wine list, and excellent desserts. A very good place both for a quiet business meeting and a romantic evening. Overall, certainly one of the best upscale restaurants in Durham. Pros: A fairly safe bet for a nice and quiet dinner Cons: Expensive, not always worth its price tag more

Nana's has been one of our favorite restaurants over the past few years; we try to go at least once-twice a month. We've had the same excellent consistent service whether it was just the two of us or a larger group (6-8+ people). In addition, the management is terrific (Tom is wonderful!). The ingredients are fresh, the food preparation and presentation are lovely, and the prices are quite reasonable for the quality of food. The servers are knowledgable and pleasant, and the service appears seamless--we never have to wait for anything. Pros: Wonderful service; well-prepared food and ingredients; management Cons: Location more

We found the food to be average at best. The price of the meals was reasonable, but certainly not worth what we received. The pork was dry and tasteless, side veggies were soggy and forgetable. The service was very good and the most enjoyable part of this dining experiance. It has been a long time since we have visited Nana's. It will be great deal longer next time. Pros: The wait staff. Cons: The food, crowded dining, parking. more

We now have a match for our favorite Triangle restaurant, and they are very similar in style. We celebrated our anniversary at Nanas and were very pleasantly surprised, although my colleague has raved about this place for some time. Service was excellent, the food was terrific and very prompt - both the duck and pork cooked to perfection. The wine selection (glasses) was good and reasonable - bottles seemed a little pricey so didn't bother. The only minor let down was the presence of some very hard praline toffee in the ice cream on the blueberry crumble. The crumble was awesome - just the hard bits in the ice cream were bordering on an emergency dentists visit. We'll be back. Pros: food, service and did I say food? Cons: crunchy pieces in dessert more

Nana's is one of the best places in the Triangle to enjoy diner. While I have dined many times at Nana's, I have never met the owner, Scott Howell. His food however, is absolutley incredible. I would highly recommend Nana's to anyone. Pros: The menu is to die for! Cons: not much:) more

I took my wife to Nanas for he birthday and had a wonderful experience. We were seated promptly at a nice corner table. The service was exceptional - not too intrusive, but always there at the right moment to fill up our water or provide more bread or ask us about our next course. The waitress' recommendations were spot-on, the food excellently prepared and rich in taste. We had smoked duck for appetizer and the braised pork and monk fish for the main entree. The only shortcoming was probably the dessert. It was good but did not live up to the standards of the food we had earlier in the evening. The waitress was however nice enough to accomodate my request of placing a candle on the dessert for my wife ! Overall highly recoomended and will go again. Pros: Service, Food Cons: Parking at peak hrs more

The sampler menu was excellent, and the wine they recommended well paired. While the wild boar was a bit dry, the venison was spectacular, and the sampler was a good way to try dishes that might not otherwise command your attention in terms of ordering for a full entree. more