We were excited to hear from Vice Roy in Durham. We met with the General Manager, Nick and their Reservations Manager, Chloe at their well placed location in Downtown Durham. Nick’s background is from British and Indian descent and his cultural upbringing gives him great insight into how to set up this fusion concept in a new market. Desi Junction was the first Indian British Pub in Nick’s hometown and gave inspiration for Vice Roy.
Vice Roy began as a food truck a full two seasons before this location opened in November 2016. They proudly represent themselves as the only true British Pub in the Triangle area. They quickly moved on from the food truck as they opened with a strong demand. The menu has many options and there is a strong focus on amazing dinner options.
The decor of the restaurant is one of a kind. As they prepared to open, the decision was made to strip the building from front to back and create basically custom everything from the ground up. The owner is a dedicated purveyor of antiques and it shows with the details which include church lights from Lumberton, columns from Lexington, and Indian themed wall paper imported from England. Everything fit perfectly together and fused historical$ North Carolina pieces with an Indian/British authentic pub feel.
We sampled several of the British/Indian fusion plates including the curried shepherd’s pie, which is cooked with the appropriate amount of Guinness, the corned beef bidia, beef Wellington, and a delicious pan seared fish and chips. Much of the produce is sourced from local farmers markets and include great tastes such as jack fruit.
All in all, we had a great time enjoying great food and spirits in a classy atmosphere. We would highly recommend them for many occasions. Be on the look out for some of their fun events such as Bollywood Bash. We’re looking forward to a return visit! Cheers Vice Roy!
