Local 22

Came with a group of 8 for a celebration dinner. Despite ordering drinks right away, my cocktail didn’t come until well after everyone else’s drinks and the appetizers arrived. The hush puppies were great, and so was the mac and cheese. The mains were meh.
The main problem was that not 10 minutes after we received the check, we were told that another party was waiting for our table and we’d have to leave. This was after spending $ 150 for two of us! For that price, I’d expect much better hospitality.

Stumbled onto this place near Duke medical center recently. Cool vibe and personable staff. Happened to be restaurant wee. Ordered the three course special. White bean soup, rack of lamb, and pecan pie. No regrets. Would recommend this spot if you are in the area.

We made a reservation for a large party here celebrating my graduation from my Ph.D. program. The service was slow, and immediately after getting the check they asked us to leave because they had a party waiting for the table. This is apparently not the first time the restaurant has done this, as others have told me of a similar experience. Appallingly bad etiquette.

I love this place. Great place for a beer. Friendly bartender. Ask for Dan at the bar.

We have not tried anything but the appetizers and sat at the bar. Really enjoy the bar atmosphere and the down to earth, casual vibe here. We had a terrific wild mushroom flatbread that was delicious and huge portion. Definitely enough to make it a meal or to share with three people. We will return to try their dinner menu.

I hate to complain, but there was very little to like about this meal. Our waiter was very soft spoken which was a bit of an issue considering how loud the restaurant is. The Shins were being played on repeat the entire meal, not that I mind their music, but how about a little variety?
We were disappointed to hear that the kitchen was out of a great many items including oysters, two specials, pigs ear, and several beers. This was at 7:45 and the restaurant wasn’t particularly packed.
The salads we ordered were made from whole leaves of lettuce that they didn’t bother to chop, along with a meager smattering of toppings and dressing.
Our entrees were all mediocre, many of us not finishing them.
Towards the end of the meal, one of my friends ordered a Manhattan. She recieved a special cocktail with cinnamon/​fireball in it. When she reluctantly asked the waiter if there had been a mistake, he rudely insisted that the drink was correct. Only at our urging did he remove the vile drink from the check.
This same friend had the misfortune of having intestinal distress today, I can’t say for sure, but the pork osso bucco did look a little undercooked. That icing on the cake was the last straw for this place.

Brunch was a 22 out of 44. In other words, very average.
The smoked, cured, aged charcuterie plate was the best part of the meal. However, that is the only thing I would recommend given the quality of the other dishes. The saltiness of the pear and prosciutto flat bread made it almost inedible, with minimal amounts of arugula and some tasteless pear slices. The chicken ‘n’ biscuit were also rather tasteless.
We came on a Monday, and there was only one server, but she managed to bring everything out at a decent time. However, the food leads me to give Local 22 a 2.5 star rating.

Went last night for dinner. The atmosphere was nice, not too loud like a lot of places are, the service was great, and the food was incredible. Will definitely go back.

Really enjoyed my recent visit to this hidden gem. Love the décor both inside and out. One of the more laid back and charming atmospheres in the Durham scene.
Our food was excellent and the service was friendly and helpful. Beet salad, lamb flatbread and Cheese/​trout/​salmon board were all fantastic.
Looking forward to coming here more often.

Friend and I came here for dinner and were pleasantly surprised by the lovely interior. It has this quaint, comfortable, and homey feeling, with additional local/​hipster accents. Wait staff was so polite and the food came out impressively quickly (we ate around 6pm, so we beat most of the dinner crowd).
We ordered a Beet Salad, the Fried Brussel Sprouts, Braised Duck Leg, Pan Seared Scallops, and the Daily Bread Pudding (I know, we went all out).
1. Beet Salad: Quite nice. Beets were fresh, and the accompanying goat cheese made for a nice complement. Polenta croutons were interesting — I didn’t dislike them but I can’t say I was a huge fan (they seemed a bit bland and oddly textured to me). Arugula was nicely flavored in the herb vinaigrette — not too strong, not too weak.
2. Fried Brussels Sprouts: Oh my goodness. These were fantastic. Nicely flavored with a touch of parmesan and balsamic reduction, these brussels sprouts were perfectly crunchy on the outside and nice and juicy on the inside. Both my friend and I loved these and finished them off completely.
3. Braised Duck Leg: It was alright. The duck wasn’t as flavorful as I would have liked, and the dish just felt so heavy with the au gratin potatoes and vegetable gravy. Duck meat is heavy as it is, so I felt like this dish was way too hearty for my tastes. Flavoring could have used a kick — I found this dish a bit bland.
4. Pan Seared Scallops: The scallops (3 of them) were nice and fresh. Perfect texture. I particularly loved the sweet potato purée and baby carrots the scallops were paired with. The thyme brown butter really accentuated the natural flavors of the sweet potato and carrots, which made for an awesome taste experience.
5. Bread Pudding: I’ve definitely had better. It did not impress me. It didn’t taste fresh — rather, it tasted like it was a bit old and they heated it (inconsistently) in the microwave for a bit (it was also kind of dry).
Overall, this place was decent. Points for awesome service and ambience. Several great dishes and several mediocre ones. I guess it just depends on what you order. However, I definitely love that they use locally sourced products. Very neat concept.

What a pearl! This place is really all about Durham and being a uniquely local and classy place, something to really appreciate where you live.
I was planning to get dinner at Parizade and walked into Local 22 to check the place out randomly.
It has the prefect feel for the name: a great menu with lots of rotating specials relying on local fresh food. The staff is very friendly and helpful; everyone I spoke to was very knowledgeable about the menu, the quality, the drinks, how much was left of any special that was in limited supply, etc.
The interior decoration is great: rustic but classy, just enough lighting to be casual but serious. You could come in jeans or a suit and feel fine, you could bring your buddies, family, or a date and it’d be perfect. You could be on a budget and grab a flat bread or splurge with some specials and a big entrees, have some beers or tap or a fancy wine and win every time. I haven’t had the chance to do the bar hangout on a weekend, but I have a feeling that would be great.
It’s worth coming back again and again either alone or with company because of the changing menu, and a must to try at least once if you’re local. I haven’t been disappointed yet.

Let me start off this review by sharing that I was VERY hesitant to try out Local 22 as many reviewers said their food is inconsistent and didn’t recommend it to others. I’m really glad I didn’t listen to those reviews though! I came here for my farewell dinner (as my internship came to an end) and was really looking for a restaurant where my (now ex-​) co-​workers and I could enjoy some delicious food, drinks and have a great time and Local 22 did the job!
I started the night with their Durham Bull cocktail which is made with Serrano infused vodka… YUM! Spicy but still, so delicious and refreshing! It is made with some lime and cheerwine as well – go figure! They also have rotating draft beers which are listed on the chalk board closest to the bar.
The variety of food is awesome! Our party ordered different things from the salmon large plate, the cured meats and cheese boards, their burger, the Carolina panino, and sides of hush puppies, their daily Mac and cheese and tator tots. I split the 5-​item board and ordered their daily hush puppies. The hush puppies were amazing! So crispy on the outside yet moist and flavorful on the inside! It came with a cheesy sauce on the bottom and it paired very nicely. Just a bite of it convinced someone else to order them too! I realize paying $ 8 for hush puppies could make someone uncomfortable but I really think they’re worth it! They’re the size of golf balls and you get 5! The meat and cheese board was also delicious! We ordered the local cheeses, sausage, salmon, prosciutto and salami as our 5 items and it came with mustard, tomato jam, deviled egg, pickled veggies and crostinis. I wasn’t a huge fan of the pickles veggies but the tomato jam and each of the items we chose were so tasty! Very much like a charcuterie board and easy to share with others!
The rest of my party really enjoyed their meals as well. I didn’t get a chance to sample everything but everyone really raved about their food… All of it! Even the person who ordered the salmon large plate and was unsure about the cucumber salad that came with it enjoyed it. Our server was great although it took him awhile to get our drinks and meals going. I can’t completely blame him though as we were waiting for two people who never showed. But once we told him we were ready to roll, he was great! Definitely helped assured us with our meal decisions as well!
Parking is a bit weird since there are limited spots in front of the actual restaurants but I used the visitor lot nearby with no issues. The décor of the restaurant makes me think of farm to table and is very homey which is nice. I also agree that is is very easy to miss if you are driving by! I would recommend going on google maps and looking at their street view option to familiarize yourself with the area. I did this and didn’t have as many issues finding the place.
Overall, I am thrilled to have dined at Local 22 and highly recommend it to others! Their unique cocktails and delicious southern comfort foods set them apart in my opinion from their competitors. I will note that their customer service isn’t the best (very hands off) but won’t deter me from coming back!

We went to Local 22 with out-​of-​town family, and I was impressed by the interesting décor. Is there such thing as chic and rustic homey? A cool bar area, then several different shapes of wooden tables and booths.
I’m being less generous with the stars because of the inconsistency of the food. The hushpuppies were AMAZING, but then some other dishes were meh — the stuffed chicken special was dry and the side of au gratin potatoes were over-​rosemary-​ed. I ordered a salmon and risotto dish, and the salmon was cooked perfectly, but the risotto was nothing special. For the price, I wanted more.
Overall, I’d say Local 22 has a great atmosphere for a first or second date, but I probably won’t choose this over other upscale local joints.

Local 22 is, in my mind, the only cog in the Giorgios Group wheel where the quality of the food and attentiveness of the service are inconsistent. Really, the inconsistency boggles the mind.
The first time I visited Local 22, my rowdy party of eight or so ate everything on the menu, drank everything on the drink list, and even threw a magician into the mix. Our lovely server, Crystal, was up for the challenge and handled it like a pro. Everything was great.
Went back a few weeks later and the food and service were both subpar. In subsequent visits, I’ve had terrible phở, great flatbread, lousy service, killer mac and cheese, flavorless risotto, a great beer list (but be sure to check the bathroom for specials before you order!), and everything else in between.
With all this in mind, my wife and I stopped in last night for a last minute birthday dinner. I preface this review by saying that since the birthday girl was already satiated with office pie, there was no need to make a birthday dessert scene. Since we opted to forego dessert, I gorged myself on sweet potato waffle fries, the garden flatbread, and a Starpoint Whiskeytown Imperial Stout – all tremendous.
So, my fine, feathered friends, the takeaway is this: if the consistency improves, I will gladly make Local 22 one of my most frequented local haunts. Until then…

Local 22 was always showing up on my Unilocal search for restaurants in the Downtown Durham area, so finally my husband and I gave it a try.
Thanks to this rustic and country chic restaurant, the boring weird office-​like building that houses it has something to vamp it up. Though I think Local 22 should have its own building because its a bit tricky to find in that corporate tower-​looking establishment. Especially at night, in the rain.
The giant black chalkboard with daily specials by the host stand looks great, and you can see part of the kitchen the minute you walk in. Loved the hanging light bulbs above the high tables as well. The bathroom was also decorated up to match the rest of the dining experience! The bathroom is always where a restaurant falls short, so I’m glad it had decorations, a really cool reclaimed wood wall.
I was very pleased with the prosciutto and basil pesto sandwich that I got! FINALLY a sandwich with THICK slices of prosciutto! That’s right, don’t be cheap if you offer a prosciutto sandwich. My Black and Stormy rum drink was awesome, and I finished off with their chocolate custard delight desert. Legit chocolate and whipped cream — perfect with a glass of Riesling :) I definitely recommend Local 22 to others and am looking forward to going back.

I didn’t order enough to give this 5 stars, but it could be. And my standards are very high.
I was looking for some good drinks and a snack while I read some papers. This was across the street from my hotel, and sounded like my sort of place. I might go back tomorrow.
I ordered the «internal combustion» cocktail, a mix of my favorite ingredients (gin, fernet, vermouth) and ordered the charcuterie board of smoked trout. As I expected, the cocktail was exactly the sort I love.
When the charcuterie board appeared, I was a little skeptical. I expected a chunk of trout, but this was in salad form. The accoutrements were atypical. However, this trout was the best thing I put in my mouth all month. I enjoyed everything else on the board.
I asked the bartender if he had drink recommendations, since I like to switch it up. He had an awesome local gin (aged in bourbon barrels) that I wasn’t familiar with — I had it in a martini, and it was perfect.
As far as two drinks and some fish go, this was great. I was happy with the service– I arrived at 11 pm on a Friday night and the place was quite empty. The bartender was attentive, but let me get some work done. If I lived here, this is the sort of place I’d go to often.

Local 22 is located in a plaza that appears to be in the middle of nowhere and can be confusing to find. Parking is limited and fills up quickly. The restaurant itself is located right on the corner of the plaza. Semi-​fancy atmosphere. Once you walk past the bar area, you’ll notice a giant chalkboard that takes up an entire wall, full of the daily specials. One of the daily specials was Mac & Cheese: Ham and Cheddar, $ 7. Very rich and cheesy, in a good way. Fairly large chunks of ham, considering the portion size. Serving/​eating spoon needs to be smaller; it just makes the portion size look even smaller than it already is.
Bull City BBQ Pork Pops — 2 small, very tender pieces of pork butt, $ 8. The meat practically falls off the bone.
Prosciutto Flatbread — Baby arugula, house-​made mozzarella, farm tomatoes, pesto, and prosciutto on a flatbread for $ 15. 4 slices and fresh, but only mediocre in taste.
Hush Puppies of the Day — I was disappointed by these 5 little balls of Pastrami Pepper and Cheddar, $ 8. They look like baked meatballs, dipped in cheese. Pastrami flavor isn’t too obvious.
Sweet Potato Waffle Fries with Choice of Dip (Sriracha Aioli), $ 6. Fun to eat, mostly because of their crisscrossed pattern. The thickness is also perfect. Couldn’t really taste the Sriracha in the dip, but it was still good.
Overall, the food is okay, but the portions are small. Granted, my group ordered several small plates to share, but there’s barely anything to share. The flatbread was much smaller than we expected. Upon a quick glance around the room, even the entrees don’t look like much. Not incredibly impressed by this place, especially considering the price of the menu items.

Local 22 may or may not be for you. I stopped in with my family on the way back to Charlotte from the Raleigh area. It’s difficult to find, and the restaurant signage is not at all illuminated. We drove right by, not once, but twice before I finally called to get more clear directions. Suffice it to say that it is definitely awkwardly placed. In addition, parking can present a challenge.
The atmosphere and menu alike gave me the impression of a restauranteur that’s just trying too hard. The daily mac-​n-​cheese was a hit. The particular flavor that day was pimento cheese. I enjoyed the herb risotto as well. The craft cocktail was a miss, and the server was very uneducated. She read the specials straight from the board and left us feeling unsure whenever we asked any questions. I ordered the daily small plate special. It was a chicken and shrimp dish that was greatly lacking in flavor.
Overall, the place wasn’t horrible; it just wouldn’t rank as a top 10 for me. I can’t say that I wouldn’t give them a second chance if I were ever in the area again. This place has potential to be better, and with time they may find their sweet-​spot. However, given how rare it is for me to make it to the Raleigh area, I’d likely try something new vs. venturing down the beaten path.

Service is very important to me. When I got this restaurant and sat at the bar, I asked the bar tender what the specials were, and he said they were «on the board over there.» They were on a board near the entrance in a dimly lit restaurant not even facing the bar! I had to get up and walk over to the board to see them. He proceeded to do this to all the other customers that came and sat at the bar. Rather than telling us what the specials were, each customer had to get up, walk over to the board, and then come back to their seats.
The food was ok. It was not terrible nor was it impressive. I had the special of the day which was swordfish over rice noodle salad. The swordfish was overcooked and rice noodles were undercooked.
What I did like about this restaurant was the décor. It is super cute inside. They also use locally sourced ingredients. If there is anything I like more than supporting local businesses, it is supporting local businesses that support other local businesses.
It sounded like the table service was better than the service I got at the bar, so I wouldn’t write this place off. I just would not suggest sitting at the bar. Also, the hushpuppies which are a menu staple, were really good. So I would suggest you also get a standard menu item.

I really loved the menu at Local 22. All my favorite ingredients — kale, pizza, tater tots, veggie burgers, etc. The five star rating is kinda biased because I loved every single dish they had to offer.
We ordered the kale caesar salad, the mushroom pizza, and tater tots with siracha aioli. We were very pleased with all the dishes, and service was very attentive.
Would definitely come back again.