106 Main

Durham, North Carolina

Field Note

Durham’s potent bar scene has a little bit of something for everyone, from a New Zealand-themed dive bar to the requisite set of college drinking spots one would expect in the shadow of Duke University. 106 Main in downtown Durham offers something just slightly different, a no-frills sliver of a bar that is part dive, part cocktail lounge.

Owner Mike Bourquin has cultivated something special in the heart of Durham’s always-shifting, now densely-packed downtown district. Countless drinking and eating options now pack what was a somewhat sleepy part of town not long ago. With that in mind, Bourquin focused on creating a differentiated experience and luckily for downtown drinkers, affordable pricing and stiff cocktails became part of that plan.

Part of the downtown location’s charm comes from its old school entrance, a single door recessed between two bay windows in classic style. String lights criss-cross the glass pane windows in front, everything nestled in the middle of a brick-lined block. Inside, the layout is simple, a line of red & black vinyl booths on one side of a shotgun-style space, the 106 Main bar along the opposite wall. A handful of tall tables and a few stray drinking ledges divide the space roughly in two.

Some of the building’s age is able to peek through what is otherwise a modern dive bar, the floor the most noteworthy element with bits of cracked tile and mosaic-style flooring alternating as the space stretches toward the rear of the building. The illuminated liquor selection draws the eye quickly, the set of options here well beyond dive bar standards. A handful of signature cocktails mostly modeled after classic concoctions have the reputation of featuring notoriously strong pours.

106 Main’s most compelling feature might be its affordable beer list, a nod to the location’s double purpose as a prolific bottle shop. A set of domestic dive bar classic beer cans can be had for the low, low price of $3 with drafts starting at what is an extremely reasonable $5 in today’s dive bar drinking climate. Local beers, seasonal selections and even a handful of last-chance options can be had for just a few dollars in stark contrast to some of the more expensive options nearby.

Though 106 Main doesn’t offer a food menu, the bar has been known to offer free food on select Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays, the options ranging from hot dogs to nachos to anything the kitchen decides to prepare that day. The 106 Main experience is one that can be stitched together with other great downtown drinking options thanks to a downtown drinking zone called The Bullpen where drinks can be carried throughout a select outdoor district until 10 PM.