"My wife and I visited Mateo for the first time. We had heard from a number of people that it was a great place to eat and we can conform that. We were seated quickly, Mateo had our OpenTable reservation, and service was quick and attentive. Plates starting coming out very soon after we finally were able to choose from the diverse and interesting menu. We probably over-ordered a but with 3 plates each, and next time will likely order just 2 each. The food was fresh, well prepared and delicious. If you make it to dessert - get the churros, they are the best we have ever had!"
Dined on 6/13/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, hot spot, special occasion
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"After attempting to go to Mateo a number of times, I was really excited to finally give it a try. Between the bad service and the very good but not spectacular food, I left a bit disappointed and wishing I had instead opted for one of the other places on my "want to try" list. If I am going to go out for tapas again in the future, I will go to Humble Pie in Raleigh instead."
Dined on 6/12/2013
2009
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, late-night find, hot spot
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"Perfect way to dine with friends! Food was delicious. Our server was personable, prompt, helpful, and was all around super. I look forward to returning to Mateo. The birthday lunch was a huge success."
Dined on 6/12/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, vibrant bar scene, great for brunch, notable wine list, romantic, late-night find, neighborhood gem, great for lunch, special occasion
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"It was Tuesday, when they offer "two for ten tapas," so we chose gambas and calamares, both authentic and delicious. The waiter also brought us pan con tomato (gratis). The main dish we came for, ENSALADA de POLLO a la BRASA, has been discontinued, and they really should reconsider this deletion. Our waiter suggested an improvised mixed salad with the BQ chicken, which was interesting and tasty. He served extra bread, plenty of ice water, and since the restaurant was not full, he encouraged us to stay as long as we wanted. Overall, we were both happy and plan to return."
Dined on 6/11/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, special occasion, great for lunch
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"Probably one of the best restaurants in the Chapel Hill/Durham area. Very unique, and very flavorful dishes. Prices are reasonable given the quality of the food."
Dined on 6/09/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, notable wine list, neighborhood gem, hot spot
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"Great food. We had a 8:45 reservation and we were seated just a minutes later. Service excellent. It is a little noisy. It you want to have good conversation, would suggest requesting window seating."
Dined on 6/07/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, hot spot
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"Mateo is awesome. Super delicious tapas, great list of Spanish wines, and a funky interior. Service isn't great, but it's not terrible. Great spot for a casual dinner out with your boo -- just be prepared to drop about $100 as a couple. Also, don't plan to have an intimate conversation here. The tables are extremely close together with bench seating along one wall, and small tables about 6 inches apart. With the high noise level, you have to speak loudly to be heard by your dining companions... And everyone at the tables on either side can hear every word.
Word to the wise: Mateo fills up quickly! Even on weekdays, you'll want to make a reservation. Once you try the cheese with pepper jelly, though, you'll be glad you made the effort!"
Dined on 6/05/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, romantic, hot spot, great for lunch
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"The best food we've had in a long time. We ordered four different dishes, and all of them were delicious. Presentation was also creative and appealing Walking in, it seemed very crowded and loud, but once seated, we were easily able to carry on a conversation and feel like we had privacy. Plus, we were close enough to other people to get a sneak preview of different menu items. Staff was very helpful with recommendations, since we were unfamiliar with tapas."
Dined on 6/05/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, romantic, neighborhood gem, hot spot
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"If you like your restaurants loud and fun, with excellent cuisine, Mateo is a great choice. The plates were uniformly wonderful, service was professional yet friendly, and definitely had a Durham-vibe; people of all backgrounds getting together for good food. Highly recommended"
Dined on 5/29/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, vibrant bar scene, hot spot
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"This was my second visit to Mateo, adult children and spouse in tow. The food was delicious, the service fabulous, the wine superb, and the atmosphere, well great, energetic vibe! Enjoy a few small appetizers while sipping a wine or beer. Take your time and savor the ambiance. Then share a wonderful assortment from the great menu of small plates.....the meatballs and clams were table favorites. The bread was great. Enjoy Mateo, it's another wonderful downtown Durham delight!"
Dined on 5/28/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, notable wine list
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"We finally had a chance to eat at Mateo this week. We broke down and went during the week since they were always booked > 2 weekends out. The space is great and overall had a good experience. The dishes were a bit hit or miss. I may be a bit critical since my favorite restaurant in NC is Curate, a tapas place in Asheville (a very hard act to follow). The Serrano ham was great, and the pan con tomate y machego was good (could be better with less/no butter). The cold tapa with quail and smoked eggplant (cordoniz en escabeche) was delicious, and would be a perfect dish for fall/winter. The Catalan Verduras were excellent as well. Can't recommend the Butifarra, the NC spin with BBQ beans just didn't really work for me. Overall thumbs up though!"
Dined on 5/28/2013
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"A nicely designed tapas restaurant with a southern influence. This isn't the place for a romantic dinner, with its lively, social atmosphere and moderate to high noise level. Delicious, rich small plates (but not so small that 3-4 are plenty for 2 to share) and nice wine list. Service was excellent. We had a lovely time!"
Dined on 5/25/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, notable wine list, hot spot
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"We were seated shortly after arriving, amid the bustling, full house. The hostess and wait staff were all friendly and polite. We found a few intriguing things on the menu, and the food came at an appropriate (not to long, not too short) interval after ordering. Our only not-positive feedback about the food was the dessert: the Creme Catalan was soupy, and the crispy top was very orangy. We'd had it there once before to better effect. All of the other food was delicious."
Dined on 5/25/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, hot spot, special occasion
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"We had never eaten tapas and they were our main reason for going. We were not disappointed. The food was excellent and in a quantify that was sufficient to please without feeling over stuffed. The staff was top notch and very knowledgeable of their different offerings. The atmosphere of the restaurant was what I would describe as a "casual cool". very enjoyable experience and we will be back"
Dined on 5/24/2013
Special Features: great for lunch
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"Went on a Saturday evening, had reservations but had to wait about 20 minutes for our table. Waitress took almost 10 minutes to come to our table. The service was ok after that, a little slow but it was busy. In her defense she appeared to have half the tables in the restaurant. The food was excellent, consistant with the last four times I have been there. Really love this place!"
Dined on 5/18/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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"The food is wonderful! It does get very noisy and crowded and it is hard to read the menu which is a pity because it is unusual, but has tiny writing and there is next to no light from feeble little candles on the tables. So take a flashlight!"
Dined on 5/19/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies
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"The food was unique and absolutely incredible. It was also pretty reasonably priced compared to most other tapas places I've been to. My only complaint was the noise. The tables are small and packed pretty closely together, which made the noise levels pretty high."
Dined on 5/18/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion
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"On a Friday night date night with the wife, I had the filet special and the duck egg con queso. OMG! I can't get over how genuinely tasty and flavorful it was. I mean i play around with seasonings at home while cooking but for those two dishes, I can't get it out of my mind!
Service was personable and friendly. The waitress gave good suggestions wile being diplomatically transparent. The surrounding area is vibrant and accessible. The parking lot is small, but there is a parking deck within 2 blocks, and parking along the street.
Noise level is high, and i wish they had local triangle brewed beer, but i would be more than happy to go back and eat again with the bottle of Chimay red."
Dined on 5/17/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, hot spot, special occasion
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"Server was pleasant and professional, but the timing of the food coming out of the kitchen and its delivery was poor. A bunch of dishes came in a large clump, then a big lull, then a few more at the end. We ordered the marrow dish at the very beginning and it didn't come out until the end.
The original server needs to stay involved to monitor the timing of the dishes coming out to avoid this.
Seafood salad, mussels and pork sausage was outstanding. Others were not as good.
Also, we tend to not like very loud restaurants. It was difficult to have a conversation."
Dined on 5/17/2013
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, hot spot
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"An meal at Mateo is a truly unique and wonderful culinary experience. They keep bringing unique and delicious preparations one after another. Probably the best dining experience I've ever had."
Dined on 5/16/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, vibrant bar scene, notable wine list, hot spot, great for lunch, special occasion
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"I read so many wonderful reviews about the place that I think I was expecting too much. I had a great time at the restaurant but I have to say that the food was so, so. The menu selection was wonderful but the taste of the food was good but nothing exceptional. The staff was wonderful and the atmoshere of the restaurant was very good. I think I will have to try again one day to truly rate the place fairly."
Dined on 5/15/2013
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"Had a great dinner before heading to a show at DPAC. Service and food was great. This is a Spanish Tapas menu, so unique choices. We selected 5 small plates, wine and a dessert. The farmers cheese ( made on site) excellent."
Dined on 5/14/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, notable wine list, neighborhood gem, hot spot, special occasion
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"The food is inventive, perfectly done, and the sherry and wine list is very good. You can come dressed, or more causal; the restaurant looks like a nice bar & grill. A find for foodies or anyone who loves great food, and tapas in particular."
Dined on 5/12/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, vibrant bar scene, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, special occasion, kid-friendly
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"I ate at Mateo about a month ago and really enjoyed all of the tapas we ordered from the menu; however this past Friday evening was incredibly disappointing. It was a prixe fix menu that lacked taste and appeal. We were hard pressed to find 6 tapas we wanted to order from the menu. One of the tapas, lamb tenderloin was unedible. The best thing was the dessert - fig bread pudding. For $150 I want to be wowed and I wasn't. I would not return."
Dined on 5/10/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies
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"Overall our experience at Mateo was very good. The food and drinks were delicious and the services was outstanding. Our server did a great job explaining everything to us, as this was the first time we had been to this restaurant. Definitely a great place to meet with a group of people. The only negatives for me is that I felt the prices were a little high and the noise level got to the point where it became a little difficult to hear the people sitting across the table. These certainly aren't deal breakers by any means, but just something to consider when planning a night out. Again, overall it was a great experience."
Dined on 5/03/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, notable wine list
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"I am from the Catalan region of Spain and I was quite surprised to find authentic, very tasty food that was on par w/ the best that Catalunya has to offer."
Dined on 5/05/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, romantic, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, special occasion
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"A very enjoyable experience, but... given the selection the Triangle has to offer I do not think I will find myself here that often. I have enjoyed lunch better than dinner. Enjoy your tapas!"
Dined on 5/03/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, vibrant bar scene, neighborhood gem, hot spot, special occasion
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"We were entertaining our of town friends and took them to Mateo. The food there is exceptional!!! We always get a variety and share so everyone gets bits of everything. All of it was very tasty and beautiful as well. Our waitress was kind of slow (both speedwise and "intelligence"), but the manager stepped in and made sure things were made right. All in all, we had a fabulous meal."
Dined on 5/03/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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"A friend saw a review of Mateo in the NY Times. When she came to visit, i made reservations. Great move! Fun place...packed on a Thursday night. Do make reservations! Food was great, so was wine. They also have an extensive list of sherries that my friend loved. Try the duck and rice and any of the lentil dishes.....yum!"
Dined on 5/02/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, vibrant bar scene, hot spot
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"Four friends and I enjoyed an amazing meal at Mateo before going to DPAC to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert. The food was unbelievably good, the service was impeccable, and we had a wonderful time. I would, and have, recommend experiencing this Durham gem. Between the great company, awesome food, and spectacular show...it was the PERFECT evening."
Dined on 4/30/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, romantic, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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"All of the food was delicious, exactly what I would hope for from a tapas bar, with a southern twist on some of the dishes. Food came out fast and server was very attentive and knowledgeable. We were seated right away when we arrived at our reservation time. We will definitely be going back to try some of the other dishes!"
Dined on 04/26/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, romantic
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"Bartender was nice and attentive while we waited for our table, should have stayed there. They have crammed way too many tables in such a small space, so I found myself basically dining in the middle of the freeway, getting popped in the head or back everytime someone passed by. The server essentially ignored us, he did however, very much like the two girls a several tables down from us. The food was alright, but nothing to get excited about. Very hectic environment and not comfortable."
Dined on 04/26/2013
2013
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"this was our first time at Mateo's and we have been back 4 times SINCE this March visit. kind of place where you want to taste EVERYTHING on the menu. perfect place for lo carb/no carb dining - tons of choices! At last visit our daughter ordered churros for dessert and said they were JUST like being in Madrid."
Dined on 03/31/2013
2008
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, notable wine list
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"The food is excellent. My husband was particularly thrilled by their selection of jamon. However the service left a lot to be desired. Our server was unenthusiastic to say the least and was down right annoyed when I asked him a question. To make it worse, I think he realized he wasn't giving us good service and then tried even less now that he knew it would likely be reflected in the percentage we tipped."
Dined on 04/26/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, romantic, hot spot
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