Pure Soul — Restaurant in Durham

Today was my second visit to Pure Soul and I can say with confidence that it is my new favorite restaurant. If I could, I would eat here every day. Both times, I brought different omnivorous family members and both times, despite their begrudging indulgence of my plant-based desires, my teenager (1st visit) and my partner (2nd visit) both raved about how delicious the food was, how lovely the setting, and how delightfully attentive the staff was.

You can go for super indulgent and have rich beautiful desserts and fried delectable dishes - the sweet potato waffle fries are the BEST fries I have ever had - I don't know what they sprinkle on them but they are fried heaven. OR you can go lighter and greener with something like the kale caesar salad with toasted chickpeas - better than the real thing, for real!

Today we were there for the celebration of their 2 year anniversary. There was live music out on the patio and a bucket of chalk for folks young and old to draw on the ground. When you approach the patio you can see the care they put into making the space feel verdant and cheerful. Both inside and out, bright colors and plants of many shapes and sizes are abundant. This effectively makes the air inside feel very different from most places that cook fried foods. I could breathe.

Almost all of the disposable products they use are compostable or recyclable. Make sure to sign up for their rewards system - it got me a free drink and money off on my first visit!

Kudos to the owners and staff of Pure Soul for creating such a lovely eating establishment. You have a fan for life...

My husband and I stopped in today for the first time, and it was a delightful experience in every facet that comes with dining out. This is without a doubt the best restaurant meal we've had in the 18 months we've lived in Durham. I read about it on the Bull City subreddit sometime last year, and I'm not sure what took us so long to give it a go, but everything was stellar!

From the person taking our order (who also let us know drinks were on the house for first timers), to the cozy, quiet atmosphere, to the person bringing out order to the table (who even complimented my The Smiths tee referencing meat), to the food — it was to die for.

We're both NC natives, and while barbecue isn't something that we've eaten in at least a decade, it's a topic on which we both still hold very strong opinions. We ordered the NC bbq plate, mine as a sandwich and his not. The greens were so flavorful, soul mac was absolutely delicious and the other half said his cornbread was magnitudes better than the traditional stuff. The barbecue itself was greedily inhaled, not even a speck of it remained on our compostable trays.

Lastly, the fact that the food is served on/with no-waste compostable utensils and trays is the cherry on top of a perfect meal in a very comfy, warm, welcoming establishment that's definitely not the cold, modern aesthetic. There are well cared for plants spilling over the entry, actual fabric tablecloths a come as you are vibe mean we'll certainly be back....

I went in with a friend for a long overdue lunch and catchup date- it was a great experience from beginning to end! I was really overwhelmed by the beautiful atmosphere. The person at counter service was lovely- even was super patient with me when I almost forgot my water lol and as someone who's also in customer service, I appreciate that patience because I know it's not easy some days.

The food! I got a hot hunty chkn sandwich and a side of fries, I wanted to keep it easygoing for my first time in. I'd been an Instagram lurker for a while, and had a lot of anticipation lol. Everything tasted so fresh! The hot honey sauce was great- a little too sweet for me (I like it HAWT) but I understand that the majority of people like a sweet sauce.

Vibes were immaculate- DJ out front, people chatting and dancing, it's a great community spot! I also just really appreciate being in a POC centric vegan space, as there are just SO MANY vegan spots who don't seem to be...the most intersectional with their social navigation, to put it lightly.

My partner and I work customer service, and have odd days off that make it hard to go out and have cute brunch dates because everything is closed. I appreciate that Pure Soul is open on Sundays even if it is reduced hours! I Def have a new Sunday brunch date spot for my partner and I....