It’s all about keeping it local at Respite Café.
Respite’s owner Courtney Brown, a 2007 Duke School of Law graduate, pulls from Durham’s unique food scene by using local vendors and ingredients for nearly the entire menu in the coffee shop.
“Almost everything we offer in the shop has a local connection, so all the food is baked by local vendors," Brown said.
Respite offers exactly what its name implies—a haven away from campus to do things at your own pace, whether that means doing homework on one of the comfy couches or spending a relaxed day solving puzzles.
“It’s very much an open, receptive place—not just for meeting. There are also a lot of students who come in here, put their earphones in and just go about their business,” said Tony Alderman, a painter and Respite regular. “The ambiance here is bright and open.”
On a Monday afternoon, Respite is largely filled with working patrons—professionals taking breaks from their offices and small groups of artists catching up with each other. As the afternoon progresses, the couches fill with high school students from Durham School of the Arts and an eclectic crowd of Duke students.
Students can reserve a conference room for up to eight people, or sit in comfortable couches in the back of the shop, Brown said. Most of the students who frequent Respite are seniors or graduate students because of its convenient proximity to off-campus housing.
Writer Larry Shriener, also a Respite regular, mentioned that the seating options there create a social atmosphere that he said is hard to find in other Durham coffee shops.
“The seating is such that it creates an environment where people can meet each other,” he said. “It’s very easy for me to say something to them and vice versa, whereas if you’re all sitting in your own tables and chairs that doesn’t happen.”
Besides being an airy study environment, Respite also caters to gluten-free and vegetarian diets, and offers copiously caffeinated beverages, without skimping on quality. Shriener said his meal was the seasonal chili from Bull City Burger. Another popular dish is the clotted cream and scones, which Brown noted pair well with Respite's local jams.
Similar to their diverse food offerings, Respite carries an extensive collection of around 40 types of tea and several varieties of local coffee, Brown said.
“They’re real experts at selecting the right kind of coffee beans and grinds—it’s not just an assembly line,” Shriener's wife Elaine said. “It’s really unusual to get this kind of quality.”
Respite is located at 115 N. Duke St. #1A, Durham, N.C. 27701.
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