The Refectory Cafe

The food here is always mediocre, but I came here today because I was craving a salad. I ordered the shaking beef salad, which ended up being some steak on 5 pieces of lettuce. Not only was it not a salad, but none of it tasted good! I literally threw almost the entire «salad» in the trash. The potato leek soup is decent, and remains the only thing that’s at all satisfying at this place. Service is always nice but the food is so disappointing, I think this is the last try.

Had some really nice, well presented, and high quality food here on the first visit. It was prepared with care, and served in a unique setting. A little high in price considering counter ordering, but even that was well structured. It was a nice experience with an engaged owner very present in the restaurant trying to deliver unique, local, healthier, and tasty quality food. I am definitely interested to go back and try more…

Food was excellent. Chicken Marsala is probably the best fish for dinner. However, service didn’t leave a great impression with me and my mom. The guy spilled the bread on the table and didn’t apologize, but overall we had a pretty good time.

The food was great, the passion fruit cheesecake was delicious, and they had a nice selection of beer and wine. My only concern is the prices. My husband ordered the scallop special and I ordered a salmon salad. Both meals were $ 18 a piece. My glass of champagne was $ 8. The cheesecake was $ 6. Beer was $ 9. It just seemed a little high and overpriced, especially since my husband only received 3 scallops with his meal. Great restaurant, but I don’t think it will be our ‘go to’ spot.

Shrimp po boy and the portabella panini are amazing! Make sure to order the passion fruit cheesecake! Everything is just amazing here! There are lots of vegetarian and vegan options and option for meat lovers as well. Highly recommend!

Food was great and the waiters was super nice! i had the lamb chops and would totally get them again but their desserts are the best.

My boyfriend is gluten-​free, and I am vegan, so this option was the best pick for Monday morning brunch for us. We weren’t disappointed. I had the tempeh stir-​fry with an almond milk latte, he had eggs, bacon, and cheese grits. I’m not a huge tempeh fan, but this was AMAZING. He was happy too! I loved that they have juice, smoothie, and pastry selections too! The staff was super friendly, and our food came out quickly. I would come back for sure.
The only complaint I had was the portion was a little small for the price. I added a side of breakfast potatoes to my order and that was enough (and I’m not a big eater).

Our party enjoyed the salmon burger, sea scallops, steak, vegan plates with lots of flavor, color and texture, a variety of salads, and the best coffee (free refills) in town. We didn’t save room to try their luscious pies and cheesecakes so we took a few home and enjoyed later.
I recommend ordering one of the day’s specials such as their spectacular fried squid appetizer and local cheese plate with toast points.
I enjoy their tasty & nutritious dishes, a tantalizing dessert selection, laid back atmosphere, lots of windows, and good-​natured wait staff. Complaints? None. [One suggestion: they could punch up the Cobb Salad; it’s laid out in rows as if for a child who doesn’t want the food on their plates to touch.] It’s popular for brunch and they do have outside tables and plenty of parking.
In the Triangle area this is absolutely the best place to take a group of vegans, vegetarians and meatatarians to share a meal.

It’s the first time we have come here for dinner and the service was good. It took Some time for the food to come out but that’s ok. Our server was fun and pleasant. The actual food was a bit of a disappointment. Mashed potatoes came out cold and unseasoned. Steak was not particularly special for its 18 $ price. The salmon burger was good — one of the better ones I’ve had. The side was sweet potatoes with sea salt which where soft rather than crispy; those were good but again average. Overall, the best part of dinner was dessert– their Greek yogurt cheese cake is delicious and very very light. I may come here again but will be getting something different and hoping their kitchen is better with the rest of their menu items.

It’s such a relief being able to give a good rating after the abysmal experiences I’ve had eating out lately. We’ve been here twice already and plan to return to try out more of the menu.
What caught my eye about this place was the tempeh steak they offered on their menu. I’ve lived in the area for six years and haven’t seen hide nor hair of tempeh except for the lovely tempeh Reuben sandwich at remedy diner. The steak had a nice, nutty crust with Dijon mustard glaze. It was very good, albeit spicy! My husband had the filet mignon which he enjoyed as well. We were served a nice starter salad on the house. Not sure why, but never look a gift horse in the mouth is what my horse used to say. It was very complex, full of interesting flavors that subtlety changed with every bite. It was pretty indescribable.
The second visit I got the chicken dish that had the same sauce as the tempeh. This seems to be fairly common here to double up the applications of the sauces. It was very good but tasted like the tempeh dish. Not a big deal since I liked them both. It sat on mashed potatoes and said it came with seasonal vegetables but unless onions are the only seasonal vegetable available then they were missing. My husband got the Osso buco which was very rich. I tasted the broth and enjoyed how well the flavors had developed.
I am looking forward to trying their veggie burger next and see if they shine there. I have a feeling that they will.
I’m reserving a fifth star because the restaurant itself is not very comfortable. Make sure you get a different seat if you end up with the slatted ones. Highly uncomfortable. It feels very much like a diner inside. It’s outdated and painted a garish green color. The prices indicate more of a finer dining experience which does not match the ambiance.
I would advise not getting the salmon as both visits here, the table next to us ordered it and the smell was so pungent I thought it might affect the taste of my meal. The specials are generally two fish dishes and a risotto just made with a different sauce so not much variety there. It also seems to be overrun by Duke faculty so expect to hear a lot of pompous discourse as you’re eating.

These guys are not ONLY vegetarian friendly; they are vegan friendly. And the food is wonderful. They have a nice wine and beer selection and charming service.
Because we had appetizers and dinner, we had no room for dessert. Next time we go, we intend to correct that. There were some serious temptations in that case.

Total disappointment. I was looking for a tasty, solid Sunday breakfast and boy did I go to the wrong place. Apparently they are afraid of seasoning. Everything was bland bland bland. I ordered a breakfast burrito (which has an assumed connotation to what you’ll get) & it had ZERO taste. All the ingredients inherently have mild taste (tortilla, egg, avocado & tomato), and it was like eating a bland brick. SALT people — a basic foundational season — there was none. To boot, it came out with no sauce or dressing; not even some fruit. It was a beige brick with three RAW jalapeño slices. There was a tiny shot of mango salsa that was good, but apparently they are rationing the serving. I asked for traditional salsa and smothered it to get some taste. It helped but not really. I also ordered a biscuit to go bc I LOVE biscuits. When I tasted the biscuit later same thing. No taste. A bland hockey puck of dough — no sweetness and/​or salt. This is the south, places like this should be experts at biscuit making. Maybe I ordered wrong, but I won’t be going back to try again.

Ended up here because parking was a war zone at the establishments down the street. Now I know why this spot was so lightly patronized. 12 dollars bought me a plate of cold, unseasoned food. Is there anything worse than unbuttered toast that’s been allowed to cool alongside a pair of sad, gelatinous eggs? Ketchup and hot sauce only available in ramekins upon request at the counter, which resulted overwhelming waste of product and considerable inconvenience to both myself and the earnest teenager running the register.
Two stars instead of zero for the friendly, accommodating service and the decent coffee.

Had a delicious breakfast here. The food is great and very creative. The service is very friendly. Ingredients are fresh and local when possible. I highly recommend them!

Was overall quite impressed with this place. Location is odd, but the café itself is very cute and quaint. Great service, rotating menu with great local food options.
Food – both times I’ve had the breakfast burrito – once with chicken and once with chorizo. Chorizo was better (not shockingly as it nearly always is) but both were good. I’ve also tried the breakfast sandwich which was just standard. The menu has great options for brunch and dinner and I’ll def be back.
For drinks — hot apple cider===DELICIOUS. they have an extensive coffee bar list. Tried the chocolate mint cappuccino which was surprisingly not too sweet but perfect amount of flavorful. They also have wine and mimosas!
Free wifi, good place to hang out after eating.
Overall cute café with good food and drink options. Affordable. Will definitely be back!

This very good restaurant. Great for large or small groups. It’s a very casual restaurant that serves breakfast lunch and dinner. The restaurant is a mix of counter service and tableservice. Great for weekend brunch. There is a lot of vegan and vegetarian options. Also lots of organic food options. The soups are a must try, especially the chicken verde soup and the cream of tomato.
Enjoying a great New Year’s breakfast with my fam. The service is great! Sarah was a wonderful waitstaff person.

I don’t understand the high ratings. The food is fine but nothing special like 20 places nearby. The atmosphere is even less interesting. I’ve had bland sandwiches, kale salad that needed either more massaging or to sit longer and ok salads. I’d go to nearby establishments for any meal before picking this one.

Have been going to this location of the Refectory for 2 years and not only is the food extraordinarily delicious, it is fresh, local and nutritious. The staff is extraordinarily helpful and attentive and you can tell that everyone loves working there. WHAT OTHER RESTAURANT DO YOU KNOW where the employees express their love for their job and where they dance in the kitchen? Gotta’ love it!!! Thanks for creating a great place for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

A perfect local joint with great service and quality food. We came here for dinner and were so pleasantly surprised considering it was our first time. I had heard that the brunch was good, and their dinner also lived up to the same reputation! The restaurant has a very intimate and warm atmosphere for dinner. The lights are dimmed, and it is full service with a wait staff, but still has a casual feel.
The chef brought out a few complimentary starters including house made kimchi and masala chickpeas. For the entrees, we got very generous portions and everything was warm and tasty. I would recommend the salmon burger and the vegan friendly strawberry cake!

Great service, food wasn’t out of this world as the items on the menu can be replicated almost everywhere. I would say that brunch is a bit more pricey than the other restaurants (around $ 10 low, to $ 16 high for a dish).
Enjoyed sitting outside with the warm temperature in December!

Their outdoor seating is really nice. I was surprised that it is more cafeteria style than sit down dining but that is fine. Everyone that was working was really friendly! The food was okay, but nothing too impressive. I did like that they change the menu up so there is always a different benedict, omelet, or breakfast burrito. For what we paid, I do not think it was worth it. The bloody marys were just okay and $ 8! My boyfriend ordered the corned beef hash but it was just eggs on top of potatoes and chunks of corned beef with way too much thyme. Mine was much better. I ordered the breakfast burrito special. It was huge and had a ton of stuff in it. My side of home fries were pretty bland and not hot. Would go back again and try different items.

With a talented new executive chef at the helm, the food at Refectory Café is only getting better. Good for a quick healthy lunch stop, as well as for incredibly decadent and delicious pastries — some of which are vegan and gluten free — you can find fresh pressed juices, salads, house brewed teas and other treats already prepared with minimal wait in a cafeteria style line. It’s worth sticking around for what comes out of the kitchen however.
While the atmosphere isn’t fine dining, the food certainly can be, and at a very fair price point for what you get. The pork belly «BLT» was absolutely amazing, and for the vegans, a crisp tempeh tostada was cooked to juicy perfection. The chef has a very deft hand on the meat and fish station as well, creating some beautiful plates of perfectly cooked proteins.
Do not miss the Greek yogurt cheesecake for dessert; it is lusciously textured and not overly sweet. Definitely do recommend.

Really enjoyed this place!
First off, the place is super clean and sharp looking! 97.5 sanity rate! Wahoo! And the bathroom is very clean!
I enjoyed the fact that this place wasn’t rustic like the rest of the restrooms neighboring it! Finally, a fresh interior!
We got two dishes and a gooey pumpkin cheesecake! The cheesecake was Sooo good!!! The pumpkin filling almost had the consistency of a pumpkin pie— but it still had the slightest cheesecake texture and taste too!
My husband got chicken and waffles and I got the salmon burger. The chicken and waffles dish was very generous! It was a huge piece of fried chicken breast! We didn’t taste any fat and it was fried perfectly… Nice and crispy but not over fried! The chicken was salty and peppery! Yummy!
The salmon burger was also very big but the fries were kind of soggy and the salmon party was a bit too fishy for my liking:/ the bun was nice and toasty though!
Will be returning to try other desserts and entrees!

Was disappointed that there are no vegan brunch options. Only vegan option was on the lunch menu, the vegan tempeh teriyaki bowl. They said they could make anything vegan but when I tried it seemed impossible and the person taking my order had a hard time accommodating. When they brought out our vegan bowls they forgot the tempeh but were really nice and apologetic and took the bowls back and added tempeh. They were so sorry about it they brought us cakes, chips, and chili which was definitely so appreciated but I have to be honest that all the food was pretty lackluster and the tempeh was probably the worst tempeh I’ve ever had. It was undercooked, bitter and flavorless. If tempeh is your only vegan option you should know how to cook it. We all ended up picking around it. The chili was also not good and we didn’t end up eating any of it.
The dessert was delicious and the service was great! Which is why I can’t give less than 2 stars but the food was pretty bad and the lack of vegan options was disappointing. Won’t be going back.

I found my favorite all vegan veggie burger in the Triangle at Refectory.
It’s a delightfully tasty and moist handmade black bean patty with a spicy cashew cream on top. I subbed avocado for the red onions. The roll it was served on was perfectly toasted with a little oil. My mouth waters as I write this review.
I had the side kale salad and that was surprisingly tasty too with very fresh walnuts and really quality dried cranberries.
I was taking my meal to go this time, but I’m looking forward to returning to sit at a table, the restaurant is quite cute and sparkling clean.

Never had a disappointing meal from the Refectory
Friendly staff. Rebecca is the best!

I don’t like this place so the review will be short to explain why I am not a fan of this place.
Food: ordered a vegetarian Quiche. The food is average but I cannot say it’s bad. However, the portion is small. Although they had salad side, I don’t like their salad. Putting too much olive oil distract the flavor of the green leaves as well as tomato. So basically, the combo only worth like 3 stars
Service: extremely slow. It s just a quiche why does it take like 20 minutes to have the food?
Price: judged by its portion, I am disappointed by its pricy foods. I think most people who came here are either old fellows who cannot eat too much. Or … People who do not usually eat a lot.
So if you enjoy average portion of food, this place may not be the one for you.

We visited this place for Saturday brunch and found the waiter very supportive to make room for our party of 10. I decided to try out began items and started with the green machine smoothie & tofu scramble. I felt the green machine lacked some sweet, however I was okay with the low calories. I was taken back when the tofu scramble arrived as the portion was less for the pricing. Also the scramble lacked seasoning big time. I happened to taste the potato leek soup which for way too starchy for my taste. Next we ordered the black bean burger which had good flavour. However it lacked binding which made the burger crumble at every bite. The service was way too slow. At the end we had a feeling we would have enjoyed our brunch better at the other options near by.

Will not be returning to this establishment again. The manager JOE has the worst customer service I’ve ever encountered!!!
From the time my friend and I stepped foot through the door he never acknowledged that we needed any assistance even after sitting down to eat.
Rushed pass me and almost knocked me over and never apologized.
Once my friend and I inquired he became very defensive and made all sorts of excuses for his treatment of us. My friend asked for a refund as we watched him walk into the kitchen and continue to talk about us. No apology, no nothing! I tried to give the RC a chance and even recommended this place to others in the community. NEVER AGAIN!!! You lost a customer today along with other potentials. THE WORD IS OUT!!!

Rating this place was difficult. I wanted to give it 3.5 stars in reality. Farm fresh ingredients and tasty samples at the bar, but our actual meal was sort of bland. I appreciate the quality of the ingredients but it was sort of lacking in flavor. And to be fair, the cheesy grits we ordered were great!
All in all, It was good enough that I would try something else– probably their delicious looking desserts!