Blue Ridge Deli & Cafe

Blue Ridge Deli & Café is a locally owned restaurant in Durham, NC. On the menu is regular breakfast items, sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, salads & smoothies. They stop serving breakfast at 11:30AM. Lunch specials at $ 7.50 each. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. They use North Carolina products when possible. On my most recent visit during lunch I had the Gyro and it was just O.K. I do hear the breakfast is better.
Food C
Staff C
Décor C
Location B
Health Inspection 99.5 grade

Here is an old school type deli on the side of the road in a gravel parking lot. It looks like it has been here a while, and is a no frills type of place. Its a little dated looking, but clean for the most part. I didnt have any trouble parking or getting in and out. This place was packed out for breakfast, though I didnt have time to stop on the way in. Lunch was getting a steady flow, so I stopped in for a sandwich. They have a full menu plus specials posted. I got the all american sub. It came with free fries. A sandwich (with free fries) and a drink cost me $ 10. The food came out in a timely manner and was all exactly what was ordered. The fries were great with large salt crystals and rosemary seasoning. The sandwich was a nice size and was more than enough for lunch. It had a good taste and I enjoyed it. The meat was fresh tasting as were the toppings. My friend got a burger and said it was also good. I guess I will try it on my next visit. The restrooms definitely leave a lot to be desired. The staff was friendly. All in all I enjoyed my visit and would return anytime.

I’ve been here multiple times because it’s close to my job. They seem to be a small family owned establishment where everyone who works their knows the customers. There’s an awesome atmosphere when you walk into the establishment. The prices are great. They have a breakfast special where you get enough food for 2 people for $ 5. The parking lot is all rocks and dirt and they close at 2pm. Those would be the reasons for the lack of 2 stars. Other than that he food isn’t bad and it’s not the best but it’s better than fast food!!! I think…

This breakfast is soooooooo good! We always come here for weekend breakfast. I wish they were open on Sunday’s.
Very inexpensive. The breakfast croissant special is what we always order. It’s loaded with egg, cheese, and bacon. The baked potatoes are a great side. Makes me miss living in NYC!
#Yassssssss #homemade

Have made multiple visits in the last two weeks. First off, love the breakfast special. Delicious and cheap — my favorite combo! I got a croissant w/​pile of eggs and multiple strips of bacon, a steaming heap of fried potatoes like my grandmother used to make, and a drink (coffee/​soda). For only $ 5. Service was fast and friendly. I have to discipline myself not to go by there *every* morning on way to work. Have also made it by for lunch, and the burger w/​fries was also exceptionally good. Meat tastes like genuine hamburger meat (cook said it was 100% Angus beef), and the fries were hot and fresh. Burger was ca. $ 7 — wish that were cheaper, but I’m happy to pay that price for this quality. I will go back often.

Great little diner with friendly staff. I got a breakfast bagel sandwich and my fiancée got the pancakes and we shared some home fries as well. The bagel sandwich was very meticulously put together with care. The pancakes were fluffy and in a tall stack, still steaming after 10 minutes on the plate. The 10 minute wait for a breakfast was well worth it. We were checked on twice during our short breakfast. Very happy we just moved around the corner from such a nice local owned place.

Small, family owned deli with great people, lots of food and always happy to please. It’s like «Cheers»…they are always glad you came and will remember your favorites. I like going for the brunch. The price is really affordable. We had the pancakes and French toast platters with all the sides for only $ 4.99!!! I’m very happy with this place. I like to spend my money in places that appreciate my business.

This is a pretty good short order Breakfast/​Lunch Deli/​Grill type of place that also sells a variety of baked goods. I think my daughter would be all over the carrot cake. The place is SMALL and the atmosphere is that of a small-​town diner; unpretentious, very little to write home about in that respect The TV is tuned to a kids channel to help keep the youngsters occupied while their lunches are being made. The parking lot needs work and being that I have a low sitting car, my car bottoms out in the ruts at the entrance/​exits
The staff is friendly, and they appreciate the business they get — this is very obvious in how they address their customers with very polite gratitude.
Now, just because a menu says a sandwich is hot, do not take it for granted that it might be grilled. The Hot Pastrami is not the same a a grilled pastrami (for which the bread is grilled as well). I waited about ten minutes for my sandwich, which I do not believe is an unreasonable period of time. For an additional $ 2, add a fountain drink and chips. While this is not a NY style deli, it certainly has the makings of being able to compete with them for taste, quality of food and reasonable pricing. If one doesn’t tip, one can get out of here for right around $ 10 for lunch with the specialty sandwiches, but frankly, if one doesn’t tip, well… come on, really.
Look at the signs in the windows for Monday-​Tuesday specials that are designed to help bring them more business on traditionally slow days of the week (for restaurants of all kinds).
Lastly, for a «Deli» the only drawback is they do not sell pork here, so no ham or pork sandwiches.

Great place to spend your lunch break. Food is great and so is the service. Everything is made fresh and served hot.

If I could I would give this a 2.5.
I went there today for lunch and got the Chili Cheeseburger with fries.
If you go do NOT get the burger. The bun is great but the burger itself is thin and very similar to the frozen patties you might buy at the grocery. The cheese was also nacho cheese and the chili was very generic
The fries were very good. Big chunks of salt and too many for me to finish.
I looked at another patrons meal and it looks like their sandwiches or breakfasts are the way to go. If I go back I will try something else and it could very easily bump this to three stars.

Wife and I came for lunch to pursue our quest for divey eateries. Here’s the breakdown:
Good–
Staff are pleasant and pretty helpful. They didn’t mind «making it our way» and were very accommodating with our changes. They didn’t have pitas today, but surprised us each with a side of fries for the inconvenience. It wasn’t really that inconvenient, but hey, we weren’t mad… They also checked up on us during the meal, in a very not creepy or uncomfortable kind of way. Definitely a plus!
Food was pretty decent. I got the hot pastrami which was loaded with meat, not too much mustard, but was a little light on the cheese. Bread was fresh and it was perfectly warmed. Wife got the turkey sammie and said it was a little bland. I guess what do you expect when you order turkey. The toppings and bread were fresh and again, they didn’t skimp on the meat at all.
Less than good–
Parking lot is gravel and the entry/​exit is a little dicey if you are in a smallish type car.
We were hoping for something a little more stand-​out in terms of food, but I think we’ll try another visit before we settle in a permanent rating. 3 stars for now, but we’re hoping for 4 on the next visit.