Commonly referred to as the Jack Tar Diner, Jack Tar and the Colonel’s Daughter is a neighborhood restaurant in the heart of downtown that serves both upmarket and fine dining cuisine. The dream team behind Durham’s Pizzeria Toro and Littler includes founders Gray Brooks and Cara Stacy, as well as seasoned local chef David Alworth of Guglhupf and Watts Grocery brought Neapolitan pizza and hearty small meals to the city. Although JT’s cuisine differs significantly from its sister establishments, you can anticipate a similar dedication to homemade and local foods. It is not a greasy spoon.

The throwback architecture (the restaurant is named after the original 1960s motel; Jack Tar is a slang nickname for a sailor), which is warm and inviting with blonde wood and huge windows to let in as much light as possible, is a natural fit for the mid-century modern ambiance with millennial splashes of color. Watch the magic unfold in the open kitchen behind the counter or at the vintage orange juicer. Craft beer and a variety of cocktails are served either at your seat in the diner or at the separate, adjacent bar.

Jack Tar Diner serves a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic selections at the bar. They have Athletic Free Wave N/A Hazy IPA for non-drinkers, aside from other non-alcoholic drinks, like Counter Culture Coffee, Homebucha Kombucha, and Uncle Scott’s Root Beer.