Devines Restaurant and Sports Bar

Well, I would have loved to try the drinks and wings raved about in the reviews, but as soon as I stepped through the door I was turned completely off by the atmosphere and lost my appetite due to the smell. I was blown with the stale scent of urine as soon as I walked through the door. There was no greeter, and no one to seat me. I wasn’t acknowledged at all. Then I went to the restroom; big mistake. There were two females in one stall, and it sounded as if they «needed privacy.» That’s what hotel rooms are for… the only reason they don’t get one star is due to the discount my employer offers. Hopefully it was a bad night and they will be able to improve by the time I visit again.

I purchased the Half Sandwich and Soup option from the menu by phone. Adam answered the phone and had a friendly, prompt, greeting. He took my order, asking me which sandwich I wanted. He even asked me which bread options I wanted for the sandwich, which I didn’t know I would get (didn’t see that on the menu), and he asked me if I wanted the sandwich cold or toasted.
I went with the Turkey on Rye bread, toasted. I chose to try Devine’s Famous Chili, instead of the soup of the day. He said it would be ready in 10 minutes.
I arrived a little after 10 minutes and the food was ready to go. The staff was friendly and prompt.
The turkey sandwich was very good, with standard lettuce, tomato, and a very good portion of turkey meat on it. The chili was fantastic, and had a nice, subtle, spice.
I didn’t know it when I ordered, but the sandwich and chili also came with a side of their homemade chips I believe. I’m not sure I was supposed to get the chips, or if they just included them to be nice, but it was a nice surprise.
This was a great first choice for me, and I’m excited to try other things off the menu now. Including a larger serving of their chili!

They have some good wings, and a really good price on Mondays and Tuesdays… The desserts are pretty good too, and they definitely have a great wait staff… The owner has connections to Duke Athletics, and this establishment has been around for awhile… Great place to watch some college ball. They also have live music.

Best Wings in Durham! Beats out hooters or bww’s any day!
The price is also hard to beat, no complaints at all
Always friendly and fun music. Great atmosphere
I’d recommend it to anyone

I really like this place. The patio is great in the summer. Their wings are delicious. Always have good beer. What else do you need?

Great little sports pub located just off of Duke’s east campus. The drinks are cheap, and it has some of my favorite bartenders in the area. The food is way above par for a hole in the wall sports bar, and it has some surprisingly healthy options.

Great place to hang out and have a drink. There is a street level patio with plenty action depending on the night of the week. Burgers are delish as well!

The atmosphere and the patio is nice. Kids are welcome even though it has more of a bar vibe to it. When we went to get some drinks, the bartender had us waiting for 20 minutes. There were a crowd of people. and whenever we tried to get her attention she told us all the other people were before us waiting a while too. that it would be 5 minutes. This 5 minutes turned to 20. I think that if the place gets packed like this, as a bartender you should be quick and at least look happy. With this kind of service, this place will lose customers.

Went to Devine’s to watch Duke-​UNC game. Great atmosphere to watch ACC basketball, and especially Duke games. Ordered a couple of Sweetwater Blue pints and a tuna salad plate, which was delicious. Would return here again.

If I could give this place a negative 5 stars I would. The service was terrible. Never in my life have I walked in a restaurant, sat myself and waited 15 min to be acknowledged; and not because the waitress comes over to greet us but because after waiting forever WE decide to still give them the benefit of the doubt and go up to the bar to ask for service. Once she comes over she’s rude, another guy who works there is just as rude. It was just an all around awful experience and they’ll never get my money or time.

Looking for the worst bartending in the triangle? This might be your place. They take forever. They’ll skip over you. They’ll make you think they’re doing a calculus proof. Nope, third grade math.
…and the chicks claim a visit to the bathroom will replace your perfume choice to eau de mothballs.

Had burgers and everyone thought they were good. Nice selection on tap. Sat outside and weather was nice. Could have done without all the people smoking outside. Service was good and waiter was nice.

I give it a 2 for environment. It’s a great place to watch a game and get some beers but the food is basic. Great location! I can tell my burger was frozen before it met the grill with it’s perfect shape. I eat burgers all over Durham so it’s not hard to tell. It was normal not bad, but with Satisfaction Restaurant & Bar across the street normal isn’t okay.

The drinks were strong, the burger was delicious and the service was just attentive enough to get what I needed and then they left me alone to enjoy my meal in peace.
Be careful though. If you go for that third drink you may need to wait a while before you can safely drive home.
2013 #187 /​365

Awesome location on Main St. right near Brighleaf Square. I work in downtown Durham and play in a kickball league on Sundays who meets at Devine’s after games, so I’ve been there few times. Devine’s is a classic sports bar, burgers, fries, TV’s and beer. They have a decent outdoor patio with a corn hole and sometimes there is live music, although I haven’t been there to see it yet.
The food is decent, and they often have good local beers on tap. Their burgers are probably the best on the menu, with a side of cheesy fries. A nice, healthy lunch :-)
Staff is very attentive, even when they seem to be short staffed. It’s never busy during the week at lunch, so you’ll never have trouble finding a table. Stop by sometime. With the warm weather approaching, you will be able to start enjoying their outdoor patio. Although they do not have the outdoor bar like Alivia’s this is still a cool place to hang out!

I go here to watch basketball. Lots of TVs, good beer on tap and always seating for my friends. The food is bar food so I am not usually here for that reason but it is definitely a go to for game viewing!

I came to Devines on the strength of the burger reviews, and I was not disappointed.
I had the Cajun Burger with some mayo and was extremely pleased. They really nail the toasted bun, which I’ve always maintained is a key ingredient of the perfect burger.
The fries were good, if a bit generic. Nothing that some salt and pepper won’t fix!
Also PBR bottles were $ 1, prompting me to order 2 despite looking forward to an afternoon full of work.
Service was prompt and friendly. My only complaints are the country-​heavy soundtrack (completely subjective) and the low light that prevented me from getting a picture that truly captured my burger’s deliciousness.
Also, seems like a good place to catch your sporting event of choice. Bonus points for repping the Hurricanes.

I am such a jerk. I’m guilty of talking trash about Devine’s without ever giving it a shot. I mean, its Main Street/​Brightleaf location is awesome, but you can do a literal side-​by-​side patio comparison with Alivia’s – and Alivia’s will obviously win because of the fire pits, outdoor bar, heck – even the paintjob. But Devine’s deserves a chance.
While not as pretty as Alivia’s, the patio is really comfortable. There’s a TV out there, a cornhole set, and sometimes live music, too. The other patrons were friendly and warm; the servers are attentive; it’s gay-​friendly – all good (GREAT) things.
As for the food, I had a really solid bacon cheeseburger with a side of deliciously crispy fries. I was really bummed that my tomato slice was way more pink than red, which is inexcusable during tomato season. What gives?
Despite the tomato shortcoming, I was pleasantly surprised with Devine’s and apologize for all the trash I talked in the past.

I stand by my previous review overall, but a few things to note.
(1) Last time I was there I was craving chicken fingers and was disappointed with theirs — they tasted frozen food-​esque.
(2) The condiments didn’t help: watery ranch, questionable honey mustard, and mayoish-​tasting bleu cheese. (I ran the whole gauntlet of them looking for something workable and came up emptyhanded.)
(3) Lastly, I think the beer prices are on the spendy side: $ 4.50 draft is on the high end of comparable bars in the area, and close enough to the Joyce, the Fed and other bars that I tend to go to the others when I’m just in the market for a good place to get a beer.
Burgers, onion rings & sandwiches are good (see earlier review), and of course a good place to watch games.

I’m surprised that this place is rated as high as it is. I guess if you are looking for a place to watch the game, then Devine’s is your spot. If you are just looking for a place to have a cocktail or beer with friends, you should go elsewhere. When I was there, I had to pay a $ 2 cover to access an empty place, and there was a $ 15 credit card minimum. A friend tried to order a drink with a lime, but the bar was out of limes.
I do not plan to return to Devines.