Durham, NC restaurant is No. 1 in Yelp’s Top 100 list. See all Triangle winners.

This week, Yelp released its list of the top 100 places to eat in North and South Carolina. Its top spot is right here in the Triangle.

Pure Soul in Durham was deemed the best place to eat in both states. Its “fresh, flavorful veggie dishes” keep customers coming back to the vegan joint, Yelp says.

“Southern cooking, comfort food, and plant-based cuisine come together in surprisingly soulful ways at this popular vegan cafe. Fans love fresh, flavorful veggie dishes, like sleeper-hit Big Kale Caesar Salad or the ‘hearty and filling’ Soul Bowl — a take on Southern-style hoppin’ john made with black-eyed peas, yellow rice, and locally grown vegetables (based on an old family recipe from chef and co-founder Nikolas Spaulding),” Yelp said.

Spaulding is proud of Pure Soul’s mission.

“Our minimum wage is a living wage. We compost, we eat clean and we believe in putting kindness first in everything we do,” he told Yelp.

Here are the popular dishes and what “Yelpers” recommend:

Durham restaurant named #1 in North, South Carolina

Vegan barbecue is the center of the “plant-based everything” eatery Pure Soul.

Here are the popular dishes, Yelp says:

“The NC ‘BBQ’ Plate, featuring pulled-pork-style ’cue made from locally grown soybeans, is ‘a healthier way’ to get a smoked-meat fix. (“I saw it say ‘vegan’ and I was skeptical…but this place is delicious!” says barbecue fan Ethan B.) Plates come with house-made coleslaw and 2 sides, including the ‘sooo creamy’ Soul Mac, made with a nut-based cheese sauce (a gluten-free version is also available).”

The restaurant was established in 2018, when the founders started by traveling to food festivals and charity events to “spread the word about kind comfort food.”

“Pure Soul boasts a diverse team and ownership with one mission: Bring vegan soul food to Durham, NC and create a kinder future,” wrote Spaulding and co-founder Andrew Justad on Yelp.

Pure Soul is proud of its commitment to composting. In the restaurant’s impact report posted to their website, they’ve diverted nearly 8,000 pounds of organic matter from the landfill, turning that into nearly 800 pounds of compost.

All food and beverages are packaged in fully compostable containers, along with compostable utensils and napkins, their website says. Compost bins on-site help their mission.

Where is Pure Soul? You can visit Pure Soul at 4125 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd Suite 1 in Durham. Order online and see the restaurant’s deals at puresoulff.com. Contact the restaurant at 877-376-7685.

Best restaurants in Raleigh and Durham, from Yelp

Here are the Triangle restaurants listed on the top 100:

#11: Bombay Curry in Raleigh.

#18: A Place at the Table in Raleigh.

#19: M Sushi in Durham.

#30: Ideal’s Sandwich and Groceries in Durham.

#36: St. Roch Fine Oysters + Bar in Raleigh.

#68: Akami Sushi Bar in Apex.

#76: City Market Sushi in Raleigh.

#80: Press Coffee, Crepes & Cocktails in Durham.

#85: SmokeStacks Cafe in Raleigh.

For the full list of the 100 restaurants, visit yelp.com/article/top-100-places-to-eat-in-the-carolinas-2023.

How Yelp names the top 100 restaurants

This list was identified by ranking restaurants by total volume and reviews between Jan. 1, 2021 and March 31 of this year. All businesses on the list were required to have a passing health score as of March 31.

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