Kingfisher — Restaurant in Durham

I’ve been to Kingfisher multiple times. I love their curated drinks and atmosphere. I had even posted them on my Raleigh/Durham food and travel blog on social media as one of my top cocktail bars. I won’t be going back to Kingfisher after my recent experience. I’m not saying other people should not explore it. I personally did not like my encounter with the hostess and the moral aspect of it. Our table server was very kind! I do have recommendations of other Durham bars/places to grab a drink with good customer service.

The only issues are their reservations, time it takes to get a drink during weekends, and seating. I had a bad experience this past Saturday 1/28/23. A group that was sitting in their reservation booth had left and the booth was empty. So I went to go ask the hostess about how those booths work. I was told that it was for groups of 7 or more and that once a group had left that I could sit there with my group, which was a group of 7, so I was good to go. Since the hostess told me I could go sit there with my group, I said thank you and walked over back to my group to let them know we could go over. My group was sitting at a table directly next to the group booth. When I walked over, a girl had quickly sat down there alone. I let her know I just spoke to the hostess that my group could sit there because it was empty and we were a group of 7. The girl argued that she sat there before my whole group physically walked over and she was going to have a group of 7 also. I then told her I had already spoken to the hostess literally 15 seconds ago about my group sitting at the booth, but the girl continued to argue with me so I told her we could just go speak to the hostess. We went up to ask the hostess about the situation and the hostess said “oh she sat their first then so they can have it”. Although when I first asked her it was empty and I asked permission prior to sitting in a booth that clearly says “reservation”. I was very disappointed with this interaction.

For anyone planning to go to Kingfisher, I highly suggest going at less busy hours. There is a lack of seating because it is a small bar. If you plan on wanting a reservation booth, I suggest contacting them by email directly so you won’t experience the issue that I did.

Other preferred bars with great service in Durham versus Kingfisher - Dram & Draught, Bar Virgile, Annexe, The Roof at Durham Hotel, Bull McCabes Irish Pub, Pour, Slush, Kotuku Surf Club, 106 Main, Federal, Clouds Brewery, The Patio at Unacripted, Parts &...

I’ve gone back and forth about writing this, but I had such a terrible experience here this past weekend I felt I needed to share.

My husband and I were celebrating my birthday in downtown Durham and decided to stop in Kingfisher for a drink. We were greeted by a male host who asked us if we wanted a table or bar seat, we told him either is fine but we’d prefer a table if it was possible. He said it was and escorted us to the back of the main area to sit down. The table was a fine size, not terribly cramped but not especially large either. We started looking at our menus and about 5 minutes later a woman approached us accusing us of seating ourselves at the table (she identified herself as the host). We told her the male host sat us and she replied that we could “enjoy yourselves for now but if a party larger than yours comes in, I will ask you to get up”. I was shocked. I asked if we could be moved to a different table now instead? I clarified that she was saying that we could order drinks and at any point be asked to get up if a group with one or two more people enters the restaurant? She replied that yes, we would be asked to move and ignored my request to just be moved now to a table she’d prefer us at.

The male host came over and confirmed to her that he sat us there, that he didn’t realize it was for a group of 3-4 people, and then reiterated what she had said. I again asked him if we could be moved somewhere else now so we aren’t asked to get up after we’ve ordered drinks because I felt that was a bit ridiculous. His response- “would you rather stand?”… long story long, we left.

The right thing to do would have been to either let us order our drink at the table we were sat at and have a teaching moment for the newer male host— or just move us to a different table— or tell us you would let us to order drinks and that you’d let us know when a two top was available to move— literally so many other options. Instead, we were treated with the worst customer service I’ve ever received. Ever. haven’t had such a bad experience in a bar or restaurant. I was shocked that they would unapologetically treat...

Finally, I feel that I have been here enough to give a persuasive review. However, now that I think about it, my first visit was enough to warrant a 5 star review for Kingfisher. What first drew me to check out Kingfisher was their ground to glass approach. When I first walked in, I found out it was underground which I thought was punny. The ambience also felt very grounded through the use of what seemed to be home made everything. The vases and the menu looked masterfully crafted. I was already amazed before I even saw the creativity that was stowed inside their menu. My first drink was the muscadine mai tai, because why not have a muscadine when in North Carolina? My wife and I were so impressed with the drinks and the friendliness of the staff that we came back twice more the same week just to try the rest of the menu. We realized that their menu frequently changed when a drink appeared the second time we were there and disappeared a day later. I don't remember which one it was but it left a darn impression on my taste buds.

We finally found the time to visit again and we had the wonderful S'mocha Negroni and Horchata Colada. Two very polarizing drinks. The Horchata was like a smooth clear black and white painting that blended well and appeased the eyes. If I could create a scene for when the S'mocha Negroni would be best drank at, it would be in a hot lagoon in Iceland listening to Bob Iver.

I think what makes Kingfisher is how it embodies the spirit of Durham. The willingness to be bold in spirit (no pun intended). In my opinion, in order to fully enjoy Kingfisher and their drinks, one should be willing to be open minded.

Overall, I have to give Kingfisher a 5 star review. They are doing it all, and they're doing it right.

Wish I had more photos, but whenever I'm here, I just want...