Fuse

The default bar for a group of my friends. A small place with a pretty calm atmosphere. It is a bit out of the way by Chapel Hill standards seeing as it is on Rosemary and closer to Carrboro but a cool place nonetheless.

Cheap, generous drinks. Didn’t try the food. Was pretty empty on a Saturday night so the vibe was kinda weird. 80s music. Might go back but I with lots of other options in the area, it’s hard to make a compelling case over other places.

With plenty of other good options within walking distance, not sure how Fuse gets away with such crappy service. Seriously, the bartender here is atrocious (and I say this as someone who has formerly tended bar — i can appreciate off nights, but this guy has been awful every time I’ve been dragged to Fuse). I can’t really put my finger on it, but the vibe is usually generally weird. I’ve somehow managed to end up at fuse with some degree of regularity, as it’s the default bar for some of my friends, and it always feels a bit strange.
I’ve only tried the food once (on a night when it looked like we were the only table in the place — not a great sign), and it was almost inedible — the greasiest, saddest, most limp and overcooked burger I’ve ever eaten. McDonald’s is several large steps up. Gross. My wife actually got food poisoning. (This was about two years ago, so maybe things have changed. Bartender still sucks as of last week.)
If Fuse were the only bar in town, I’d be able to justify giving my money to someone who clearly doesn’t care about my business. As that’s not the case, I’ll never spend it at Fuse.

Why is this place always empty? Seriously… it’s awkward. Every time I show up at Fuse I feel like I shouldn’t be there simply because nobody else is. Yet, when my food gets delivered I am reminded about why I went in the first place. Fuse serves really good inexpensive food. The place itself feels like it should be a dive bar, but the food does not reflect that feeling. The food looks and tastes gourmet. High-​end even. When I eat there I feel like I am enjoying a well-​kept secret.

«Tasty, reasonably priced tapas in Chapel Hill»
I’m generally not a fan of tapas– often expensive for small quantities– but this place was both very good and relatively affordable. Not many other tapas options locally– Six Plates is in Durham but we didn’t like their six options for tonight, so we tried this place. The outside is vaguely sketchy, but the interior was more nicely decorated albeit a bit dark. Jazz music playing in the background. We went right at opening (6pm), so we were greeted and seated quickly.
My wife and I split 4 dishes: beet/​avocado/​goat cheese salad, vegetable & cheese dumplings, chipotle chicken empanada, and crab cakes wrapped in seasoned squash. Each was ~6−7 dollars. The salad, dumplings, and crab cakes all came with a soy-​sauce-​based topping/​dip.
The salad was perhaps the best in terms of quantity– a BIG bowl that was plenty for both of us to share. It was extremely tasty– I especially liked the cheese in it, but the rest was also excellent. I also really liked the chipotle chicken empanada– it was a fried «torte» with two kinds of sauces (one tomatillo, one cilantro-​based): I would be happy getting just those first two for a meal (if getting dessert elsewhere). The dumplings were pretty good (came with 6 in all– see partial picture) — I couldn’t even really taste the cheese in it, and they were set up next to a bowl of soy sauce for dipping. My wife liked it more than I did. The mini-​crab cakes were good (6 small ones in all– see picture), but a little unexpected in terms of flavor. They came with an interesting & tasty corn side dish and rosemary «picks» stabbed into them.
Service was pretty fast, attentive, and friendly, especially given the only waiter/​bartender had a broken arm (in a cast).
Overall, I’d give it 4 stars– better than I would have expected both in taste and in price. My wife and I had the full meal (with water to drink) for $ 33 including tip.

Hogi sandwich with Korean marinated barbecued beef filling, spicy crunchy Asian inspired cole slaw, and local brew while listening to killer house music. Doesn’t that sound good? Well my friends, that is how I got to kick off my North Carolina adventure. What a lucky guy I am!

very good eats in a town that expects great things. my buddy makes me meet him here every time i come back to the Hill, and for good reason. every dish they serve is unique and delicious. good beer on tap and friendly people. plus it’s not smack in the middle of franklin street so parking is a little easier.

I finally made my way back to dear Chapel Hill after a ten-​year hiatus. A lot has changed over the years, so I was elated to see that this strange bar was still around. It still has its mix of hipsters and college kids. I’m sad to say that I am at that age where I found the pervading second hand smoke to be off-​putting. I forgot that tobacco is NC’s main crop, and thus smoking in bars is still legal. Nevertheless, I had a glass of pinot noir, and enjoyed the gorgeous North Carolina summer night. This is a great place to peoplewatch and reminisce. I’ll suppose I’ll be back in ten more years to try their tapas. Oh, and Tarheels suck. Go Duke!

I don’t hate fuse. As bars go, there’s not anything to hate. It’s a quirky little hole in the wall with tons of hipster cred, a surprisingly good selection of bottled beer (Victory’s Hop Devil is my current fave), and outdoor seating. The problem is, I love dumplings. As such, I’m always tempted to treat it like more than a bar (which is, I think, what they’d like people to see it as).
So each time I go, I’ll grab something from the menu (usually a dumpling in some form) and be sorely disappointed in what I just ate. And that’s it. Now the whole evening is ruined because all of the delicious beer in the world can’t get that decision (that I knew I’d come to regret) out of my mind and I’m left poking at a half-​eaten bowl or plate of something that I had talked myself into.
So no, I don’t hate Fuse. When people suggest it, I maybe flip through some of the more desirable Chapel Hill watering holes before agreeing, but I always agree to head out there. So enjoy it as a cute and quirky little bar. But stay away from the food. Drink your drinks and head to Time Out instead.

I don’t usually even like sweet potatos, but Fuse’s sweet potato fries are one of the more delicious dishes I’ve had in Chapel Hill. I also love the dumplings, and fortunately all the food is reasonably priced. At least half the regular menu is vegetarian, and they have an abbreviated late night menu that is served until 2 am. I’ve always thought the service was decent, just not terribly friendly. And I love the décor, especially the big blue painted archway. Christina makes a really good point — Fuse is a literal and figurative halfway point between the college debauchery of Franklin St. and the hipper than thou vibe of Carrboro.

interesting menu. they got bibimbap, tofu-​fredo pasta, and garlic and peanut dip with chips, among other random dishes.
the pasta was bland and made me kind of nauseous. but the bibimbap with teriyaki tofu on top was really good. (you gotta ask for the additional tofu) better than at vit goal in durham.
everyone who worked there was really nice though, so that always makes the experience a little better.

I’ve only been to Fuse for drinks, so I can’t comment on the food, but I have had good experiences when I’ve been here. I love the fact that they have outdoor seating, but come here early if you plan on actually finding a table. Prices are reasonable, and the crowd is really relaxed, so it’s a nice night for a chill drink.

We are so cool! We are so hip! Let us snap fingers now!
This is maybe one of the most hipster spots around, and if you didn’t guess that by the first three words in the name, then you’re not cool enough to each here. They are super cool yippes!
Fortunately, they make that work. The food here is absolutely fantastic, original and varied. I’m not going to say I’ve never walked away disappointed, because I have, but it’s not normal. The prices, likewise, are better than I would have suspected. Get a variety off small dishes to maximize your experience (standard tapas rules apply).
The service isn’t the best. The waiters and (especially) bartenders give off the vibe that they just have better things to do than deal with your lameness.
If you’re patient, though, you might just discover one of the relatively untapped jewels of Chapel Hill.

Oh Fuse, how I love thee. I come here for dinner and for late-​night. Definitely more of a graduate-​student hang-​out, and positioned on Rosemary across from an open-​access gravel lot, so it’s nice if you want to escape the student-​encrusted scene on Franklin Street and if you feel like Carrboro is just too hipster for you.
The menu used to be more of an Asian-​fusion thing, but it’s evolved (especially the bar menu) to include other things. I’m no longer much a fan of the bar menu (though it’s still worth coming here if you have a late-​night appetite, and don’t want Mexican, pizza, or Time Out). It’s classy bar food, if you will. Great mix of seating here — at the bar, in the dining room at tables, in the lounge on couches, or on the patio. I’ve always felt as though it’s kind of a best-​kept secret, because it never manages to get over-​run. They did start bringing in a DJ a couple years back on weekends, and it’s just not quite the space for that; I’m not sure if they’re still doing that regularly or not.

This is a cool little hide away, dark and smoky, but it is loads of fun with friends. There’s a front area with seating on chairs and sofa’s also. Some nights they have a band playing & Thursday’s are open mic nights. The outdoor patio is awesome for a small or large group, considering how busy they may be. What’s excellent is that they serve food up til 2am, the fresh cooked potato chips are a treat by themselves or with a burger.

Cool place to grab a drink with your buddies and chill out on the deck in back. Food is impressively good for a bar, and is probably the only place in Chapel Hill where you can find Korean food. No joke. Bi Bim Bap and everything. Nice wait staff, but don’t be thrown off by the bartenders if they don’t serve you immediately. They’re hanging with their friends who are sitting at the bar and are cooler than you.

Must have been an off night. Four of us stopped by Fuse at 8pm on Friday night and we were the ONLY people in the place. Because it wasn’t any activity I was skeptical of opening up the kitchen, so we just had drinks. Well poured drinks that were reasonably — $ 4 – 5 for Call brands.

Great place to go for drinks with friends. While there isn’t much on tap its pretty good and when we do want a bit of food they have some great late night options.

My husband and I love going to this place, especially on a warm summer evening. The food is mighty tasty (we always get an array of small plates). My favorites are vegetable and cheese dumplings, chipotle chicken empanada, and Crab cakes. My husband loves the dumplings, too, along with the tempura battered vegetable fritters («This baby can flash-​fry a buffalo in 40 seconds!»). Sitting out on the little patio is so relaxing. Plus, the wait staff is (for the most part) very good. And we usually have dinner (with leftovers) and a couple beers each for around $ 30 in total. Can’t beat that!