6.6 miles from “Major” – the heart of downtown Durham
5826 Fayetteville Rd #106, Durham 27713
919-797-0497
Hours: Mon 7:30 AM to 8PM, Tue – Fri 7:30AM to 9PM, Sat 8AM to 9PM, Sun 10AM to 3PM
http://www.dulcecafedurham.com/
The Vibe: Low key, conversational and friendly
Wednesday, December 20, 2019 @ 2:14 PM
The café is active today in a friendly, well-paced kind of way. A diverse group of customers are finishing lunch, savoring their meal and conversation. There is definitely a family feel, as if you were in your neighbor’s kitchen enjoying the company. Relaxed and conversational describes the patrons. They move at their own pace. It’s warm and cozy inside, and the shop if filled with the fragrance of baked sweets!
Thursday, February 21, 2019 @ 1:14 PM
I’m at Dulce Café in south Durham. Several middle-aged professionals are having lunch, either by themselves or with company, and there are one or two people with headphones on, lap-tops open, but it’s a mostly older crowd today, and by older I mean 50 years old and up.
Music is playing quietly in the background. I can’t really discern the exact songs, but the genres are classical music and jazz. Probably because it’s still around lunch time, many people here are eating. And the food looks fresh and good. Dulce Café serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For the most part, soups, salads and sandwiches dominate the menu. They also serve beer and wine.
The Setting
The café is located in a mixed-use property, a collection of two-story buildings featuring residences, other restaurants and shops, a dance theatre, and professional and medical offices. The coffee shop takes the shape of an L-shaped. A long rectangular space, bounded by large windows on three of the four sides, makes up the long part of the “L”. The far end of the café includes a portioned off breakout room. This afternoon a book club is meeting in there.
Most of the tables are 4 tops (I count 9 of them) and even though there is a window bar with stools and small table at the entrance, Café Dulce isn’t super conducive for camping out by yourself for hours. It’s more designed for company.
People linger over conversation. It looks like they have come here to meet, perhaps regulars, and who have a rapport with the wait staff. I don’t know for sure, but Dulce Café feels family run. A person who could be the owner is bringing food out from the kitchen. It’s surprisingly busy. For example, the place is completely full at 2:07 PM. By 2:30, the café has mostly all cleared out. But at 3:06 another small wave of mostly gray-haired folks trickle in.
Notably, Dulce Café’s tag line is, is “Savor the Sweet Life”. The Cafe’ features a rotating menu of gelato – their website says the flavors change frequently & quickly. Along with gelato, Dulce sells other treats, like pastries and cakes. It is a great place to meet over coffee and a light bite to eat.
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