Alivias Durham Bistro

Make certain you check your bill before you pay at this downtown Durham restaurant. It used to be one of our favorites, but 2 of the last 3 visits they have overcharged us on menu items. We like their food, but do they think we cannot read? more

I came into Alivia's at 10 PM, and was informed the kitchen closed at 10 and that I could not order food. However, 20 minutes later, I saw another group (who'd come in at least 10 minutes after me) ordering food. I attempted to order as well from the exact same server immediately thereafter, but was denied. I've been to Alivia's before and the food's just passable, but this was pretty ridiculous. I'll just stick to the Fed from now on, which always has delicious food and which also never has service problems like this. more

There were so many things on the menu that looked great that I had a hard time choosing my lunch dish. I finally settled on the Spicy Chicken Sandwich with the chipolte ranch dressing. It was great! The salad I chose for my side was very fresh and tasty as well. Pros: Nice Casual Restaurant more

Been going here for awhile and give it thumbs up. Great fire-pit seating outside. Friendly atmosphere. Menu is limited, but what's there is good. John is new manager and is making a positive difference in many ways....it's worth going several times to see how things are new and getting better. Talk with John....he'll listen! Pros: Friendly place...great outdoor seating! Cons: Limited menu, beer glasses not cold more

Alivia's has the best bartender in Durham - Jason K! If you are looking for a great martini, manhattan, no matter what it is, he can make it for you and it will be awesome! Pros: great drinks and food more

I am very optimistic about this business. I love the location of Alivias. Their food, beer, and atmosphere are top notch. There is one server I am not particularly fond of though. She is very rude to us and has messed up my order several times. Whenever I get her now, I ask for somebody else and the management tells me no. That's not good customer service. I sure hope they really do listen to customer complaints. I try not to let this bother me, because this is a rather classy place, but unfortunately it is the direct link. I do recommend trying them out in the end. Pros: Good selection of brews, great food Cons: Service more

Went to Alivia's the other week because it was so nice outside, and we wanted to eat outdoors. The whole restaurant opens up to the outside! Our food was very good. We HIGHLY recommend the provolone cheese appetizer! It was awesome. Additionally, Alivia's has a pretty good beer and wine selection for those of us that enjoy microbreweries and craft beers. Pros: variety of food more

I ordered some chicken wings once at Alivias and I am very patient. I went to the bar about 45 minutes later and my server had no order in for me and then I was told the kitchen was closed? Are you serious? I will never be back unless just for a beer. It's hard to mess that up but we will see. Pros: Nice place to have a beer but skip the food Cons: food and service more

I have been a fan of Alivia's since it openned & I do not understand why there are so many wanna-be critics that think that its ok to act like they're leading experts on local restaurants. Pros: Best Patio in Durham, Food, Ambience, Service, and Late Night Spot Cons: Before FirePits, the patio was too cold for winter weather, but NOT ANYMORE! more

i am distressed by the extent to which this restaurant is underperforming in the other reviews. It is easily the best place in brightleaf square and one of my favorite places in durham. it's outdoor seating can't be beat, the food is good and cheap (they now offer their lunch menu for dinner, allowing a good meal to be had for under $10). The drinks are a little on the expensive side ($4-5 for a beer) but are priced comparably with the other bars and restaurants in the area. more

We went in with a group of 12 on Saturday night, and were the only table. I never received a refill on water, another never received her drink order. The 20% mandatory gratuity for a large party seemed to ensure a complete lack of service. The waitress did not split the check and asked US to write down on the back of the check how much to put on our card. Including gratuity. Then split the check anyway, coming back repeatedly to check who ordered what. Very unprofessional for the price we were expected to pay for dinner. The menu was limited and expensive for the service we received. $40 for a meal for two is not in the one $ category! Pros: Decorating, bathroom Cons: Poor service, expensive food more

I have been going to Alivia's for a long time, and it is true that the place has seen some ups and downs... but what new place doesn't?! Recently, I can honestly say that Alivia's feels like it has figured out what it's trying to be. Lunch is fun and relaxed - counter service makes it much less stuffy than other local sit-down lunch spots. Great for a sandwich and beer on the patio (personal favorite is the roast beef). And dinner has improved SO much in the last month or so. Servers are friendly and seem to be enjoying themselves at their work. The young management is enthusiastic and new 'themed nights' like Martini night (awesome live jazz!) and 1/2 price wine night have brought in a really fun crowd. more

My boyfriend took me to Alivia?s for brunch on my birthday; I have to say that it was the best start to a day. We were able to sit out in the open patio area and watch the people walking past (maybe I?m strange but I like people watching). I ordered an omelet, which if I may say was soooo good (I dream of that omelet from time to time). Since my first experience there I have been back several times, I enjoy a cappuccino on the patio and read a book. Sundays not good for book reading but If you like live music someone is always playing/singing there. Good Times!! more

I've been to Alivia's before and thought the place was so cool with some of the worst people working there...Lately went for brunch on a Sunday and immediately noticed the service took a huge turnaround...After sitting there with our dog and a gentleman giving our dog water, we find out he's the new manager...We start telling him that we love the place and concept but hate the service so we had not been there in a while...He goes on to agree and say yes, that's why I'm here...The server was very friendly, omelets were great, and the manager, I think his name was John, was very cool...Looks like Alivia's is taking shape as the best place to hang out in Durham and hopefully for good cause the place has so much potential! Pros: Food, great atmosphere, good coffee Cons: service used to be bad, looks to be changing more

The only reason I'm not giving Alivia's 5 stars is because of negative experiences in the past. I went last night with some friends for dinner (they wanted to go, I had sworn the place off). In the past the service had been less than lack luster, but tonight every thing was right on point. They also increased the dinner options to include sandwiches and burgers on top of there regular dinner menu. I had the Alivias burger and it was on of the best in town. The overall experince was very positive. After dinner when went down the street for drinks, on the way back we stopped back at Alivia's for the live music which was really good, the best I'ver heard in a bar setting in Durham, and on top of the music the place was pack with people just hanging out having a good time. Pros: good food, service has turned around, great live music after 10 Cons: past service issues more

Alivia's has a good feel when you walk in. The staff is friendly and helpful. You can enjoy seating inside at a booth or relax outside and enjoy the weather. I have been there several times and each time has been a mouth watering experience. Pros: good food good people more

I must say the new management has created a whole new atmosphere for Alivia's. New wait staff, great food, and most importantly a place you will want to revisit! Pros: Everything! Great experience!! more

I'm shocked to discover the negative reviews of Alivia's. My husband and I live a few blocks away, and walk there in the mornings and evenings at least 4 times per week. During the day, Alivia's has EXCELLENT breakfast, great coffee, and big mahogany booths with electrical outlets for my laptop, and free wireless internet. In the evenings, the big glass doors open and the space turns into a dining/bistro restaurant. We love the pork loin and the steak; the sides are awesome too. We've had only courteous service from very professional wait staff. Seriously, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND the negative ratings. I guess folks only write on boards like this if they have a bad experience. I'm breaking the trend and writing because I love the place so much. Pros: Ambience, space, outlets+internet, food quality for price Cons: Can't think of any more

Nice atmosphere--has European-style open windows that open out to a large patio on the corner of Main and Gregson. We ate on the patio. Food was ok--has potential but not worth $75 a couple. Calamari appetizer was very good -- right amount of crunchiness & texture, nice marinara dipping sauce & fresh salsa, nice presentation. Split large spinach salad with my husband; kitchen prepared two small ones for us, which was nice of them. The spinach, raspberry viniagrette, & bleu cheese crumbles were tasty, but the ""candied walnuts"" looked like they were rolled around in sugar. They also needed a little spicy kick to go with the sweet. Hubby ordered risotto with shrimp for main entree. The shrimp were good, but the risotto wasn't creamy like risotto is supposed to be, and it was underflavored. I ordered the tuna special -- grilled tuna to order on a bed of greens. Tuna was cooked perfectly, but there was no flavor to any of it. I would have been happy with just some soy sauce or balsamic viniagrette. The greens were very nice, but again, not very flavorful. There was some kind of dressing (mustard? flavor not strong enough to tell), which helped the greens. Deserts & decaf coffee were good -- chocolate bundt & key lime, with nice presentation. Our waiter was better than described in other reviews, but you could tell he was inexperienced--he said things that betrayed a lack of loyalty to the restaurant and he seemed anxious and insecure (trying too hard). At the time, I hadn't read the reviews, so I was left thinking that the restaurant was new & management was still working out the kinks. However, now knowing it's been around over a year, it worries me that they still don't have a great menu or great service to go with the high prices. Pros: Ambiance Cons: Food not worth the price; service so-so more

My husband and I like to try new places, so we thought we would give Alivia's a try for breakfast......what a mistake. The guy working behind the bar, taking orders, was so rude!!!! He acted like we had just ruined his day by walking into the restaurant. He was so rude that we turned around and left. We walked over to Parker and Otis where we were greeted with a smile, were served an amazing breakfast, and even thanked for our business, go figure! To the manager at Alivia's---you really need to get rid of that guy who was working on Saturday morning--he is the last person you want in the front. Cons: RUDE more