Cafe Meridian & Catering

Fried Green Tomato BLT. Oh my God! You guys hit it out of the park. Delicious fried green tomatoes with a light crispy crust, crispy delicious bacon, green leaf lettuce, spicy pimento cheese on a focacia roll. I ate half of the sandwich for lunch and heated up the other half after a long day-​every bit as good, even reheated! Thanks for making the greatest lunches in RTP and beyond.

If you order of the menu, be prepared for a ton of food. I ordered cobb sandwich, very tasty.

Great food. The club sandwich I had a few days ago was AWESOME. Very fresh and a wide variety of dishes and sandwiches.

Totally agree with all the positive reviews. In town for business without a car. This is walking distance right down the street from the Doubletree. Beautiful day so sitting outside. Pork carnitas in a poblano, chicken lemon rice soup and kale salad. unbelievable quality and fresh selections for the price. Generous serving size. (mine with soup was $ 11)

This is truly a hidden gem in Durham. This place has excellent healthy choices and a very kind, hard working staff. This is hands down my favorite place to enjoy lunch!

What an incredible lunch place! The food here is top-​notch classic new American with a Mediterranean flair, served in a cafeteria style point-​and-​serve line that never takes longer than 5 minutes start to finish. There’s varied seasonal hot entrees that change ever day, with some favorites on the menu like Chicken Burritos on Thursday and Catfish on Friday! It’s a very fresh and vegetable-​centric approach to the classics, like Italian meatloaf with spinach and mushrooms, or shrimp cannelloni with spinach and peppers. Basically, I can’t get enough!
For under $ 10, you can have any of their daily hot specials + 2 sides, and it’s always made fresh that morning!
They also have a full sandwich menu every day, seasonal rotating soups, and a steady list of cold sides like Garbanzo bean salad and pesto orzo, as well as things like Caeser and Strawberry spinach salad.
I make it a point to get lunch here at least once a week, because where else can you find hot, healthy, FAST in-​and-​out lunch for so cheap, that never gets old!

The mac salad is one of my favorite side items here. However, the last two times I been here the macaroni has always been undercooked. My coworkers and I noticed that it’s not as soft as it used to be. Not a big fan of undercooked pasta. That’s pretty much my only gripe.
The Vegan wrap is my go-​to choice. Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and garbanzo beans all tightly wrapped perfectly. The pickled jalapeños adds a nice bit of spiciness.
Portion-​wise, it’s plenty of food for lunch and always leaves me feeling stuffed.

These Folks know what’s up. The food is amazing, the staff is always super friendly. Richie and Gina have this nailed down to a science. Don’t be discouraged if you drive by and the line is long. These guys are amazing at getting people what they want and quickly. Their catering menu is EXTENSIVE, lots to choose from and VERY reasonably priced for what you get per person. I work in an office with some very picky eaters and those with significant dietary restrictions. They always go above and beyond to make sure everyone is happy! I highly, highly recommend them in every aspect of their business!!!

If you’re trying to decide if you should visit Café Meridian for lunch, let me help you make the decision. One, you MUST visit them during lunch, because guess what, they’re only open from 11−2p on M-​F. Two, you SHOULD visit them for lunch because they have a HUGE list of delicious handcrafted, made when you order, sandwiches and salads as well as a bunch of pre-​made salad, hot casserole and soup options.
Café Meridian offers a great value; you can get a whole sandwich for $ 6+change and they offer a free drink when you check in on Unilocal.The only negative part of my experience was the fact that I felt the «side» options were pushed onto customers. You have the option of purchasing chips or a pre-​made salad bar option for an additional $ 1.25. After requesting no side, the line cook informed me that it came with my meal. However, when I went to purchase my meal and repeating the information to the cashier, I was still charged for it (obviously things aren’t lining up there). I did have the German potato salad as a side (red potatoes, butter, sour cream and chives), which was delicious, as was the Caliente sandwich. I think Café Meridian could easily be a regular option weekday lunches and I can’t wait to return and try more of their sandwiches!

We are never disappointed when Café Meridian caters. The taste of the food, the quality, the size of the sandwich and sides are always more than acceptable. Our team of 80 employees absolutely love their food and we consider them among our first when catering. Keep serving your delicious food Café Meridian and you’ll be hearing from us

So convenient and so fresh. If you work in the Meridian parkway offices you may agree that this has become the «cafeteria» for many of us. They have specials everyday. The Salmon is a favorite, as is the sweet kale salad. Make sure you try the burrito on Thursdays, the line will be long but they move quick and those burritos are worth it. The staff is very friendly and get you in and out in no time. Make sure you pick up a punch card. $ 5 on your 11^th meal

Pro’s: Sandwiches are great. Sides are varied and very tasty. Most food is fresh and the price isn’t too bad.
Con’s: Don’t eat anything that includes fried chicken. They use the same processed patties for these dishes, and they taste horrible. Very tough with very little chicken, just awful. Stick to the sandwiches and other offerings. Most of the things I’ve tried off the unique «daily special» menu have not been up to par with the sandwiches.
Also drinking anything other than water will make it a $ 10 meal, so just be prepared for that. Not too bad for the quality, but still not as filling as say, Subway.

Held a Meetup here because the reviews were so good. This is a great little luncheon place. The food is fresh and a lot of the food is made to order. True, it is a stand in line place and I notoriously prefer to be served but what the heck? The food is fresh, good and honest. Lots to mix and match with. It is busy busy at lunch but the line waxes and wanes within minutes. Service is fast and the staff very pleasant There are even specials to choose from. The owner was so good to us and held us a table for 12 for our group.

I love the presentation. When you walk in, you’re greeted by a menu board showing the day’s hot food specials, and then you walk down the counter to choose your sides. You get a chance to «see» all the various entrees and sides before deciding on which to order. Everything «looks» fresh and vibrant. You won’t find any wilted lettuce or anything dried out from the heat lamps here.
The food tastes so fresh and delicious! There’s a nice variety of salads and sides to choose from. You can also order from the regular menu if you don’t want one of the day’s specials. For the most part, the regular menu consists of salads and hot/​cold sandwiches and wraps.
There’s usually a long line, but the crew manning the food line are fast and eager to help with special requests and needs, such as taking my plate of food to the table and fetching my drink when I had to use a walker for a while.

Awesome! Anything there is very good. I used to eat here 1 – 2 times a week since it was close to work. I highly recommend.

If having a lot of choices at lunchtime is something that overwhelms you, you may want to consider bringing a brown paper bag to Café Meridian. Deep breaths. You really can’t make a bad decision. It’ll be okay.
With a massive list of hot sandwiches, daily/​rotating specials and more homemade sides than you will know that to do with, Café Meridian is certainly not lacking in menu variety.
If I’m feeling like a sandwich to tame my lunchtime appetite, one of the best I’ve had here is the BLT+. The + is none other than avocado, as the sandwich pairs creamy slices of that green goodness with plenty of crispy bacon strips and the classic lettuce, tomato, mayo combination the sandwich is known for. Many of the sandwiches can also be made half-​sized, with the addition of a side or soup.
Of their daily specials (these stay the same each day, not to be confused with the rotating specials), the Spanakopita is a home-​run. A traditional Greek spinach pie, its wrapped up in crisp flaky phyllo dough and stuffed with three different cheeses. Served with two sides of your choice.
Oh my Goodness, the sides. Strawberry salad with feta, pesto bowtie pasta and kale cranberry salad are just a few highlights of the many choices that greet you at the ordering counter.
AND I haven’t even mentioned the rotating specials (including soup), that get tweeted out around mid morning before the lunchtime rush. With each new day, any number of culinary treats are possible: chicken pitas, blackened fish fillets, burritos or even pasta dishes.
I’ve been many times for a mid day break from the office, and can say I’ve never ordered anything I didn’t enjoy.
So consult your taste buds, check twitter, and come in hungry. You won’t leave that way.

This is probably the best lunch spot I’ve ever been to! I go here for lunch about 2 – 3 days per week. I’ve never had a bad meal here. The portions are a great size and I always leave happy. Some highlights are: Bourbon St Chicken, chicken parm, baked ziti with mini meatballs, chicken burrito on Thursday and buffalo chicken sandwich. The sides are great too. If you’re in the rtp area, be sure to go here

Café Meridian, Why haven’t I found you sooner??? You have so many delicious and healthy options that are booming with tongue jumping flavor!
Went to Café Meridian for lunch today and the parking lot was packed and I was expecting a wait, but to my surprise the service was very quick and all my questions were answered with a helpful smile. I ordered the Strawberry salad, which isn’t in season, but they make the same exact salad with pears!!! I added grilled chicken to top it off! The salad was to die for! The dressing was light and not over powering but still flavorful which added to the cranberries and pears in the salad!
My friend ordered the chicken sandwich that was topped with pepper jack cheese and jalapenos and lettuce. I was lucky enough to snag a bite and WHOA… It was juicy, spicy and crunchy all in one bite! Think that will be my next order!
The inside of the café was also surprising, there were so many people there but it didn’t feel crowded at all. The building is deceiving from the outside, it is much bigger than it looks!
AWESOME FIND!!! Can’t wait to go back!

I highly recommend Café Meridian!
I am ashamed to say it took me a year and a half to discover this gem! It is so close to campus and my apartment, right off of NC 55 and I-​40. Don’t let the somewhat sterile appearance of the building fool you, Café Meridian will not disappoint.
The menu in the actual restaurant is much larger than the menu posted on the website. The menu also changes daily, as the Café is also a catering company. You order by approaching the grill line and chefs. There is a cold bar with all of the salads of the day – all look delicious.
I ordered the turkey-​cranberry panini with the red skin potato salad. My panini was delicious! Just the right amount of cranberry and high-​quality meat, cheese, and bread. The potato salad was mayonnaise based, and not overwhelming, very delicious! My friend and fiancé had identical orders – the cuban and twisty-​noodled pasta salad. The cubans looked so delicious I had to take a bite. Café Meridian’s Cuban sandwich is better than the sandwiches I have at local Cuban restaurants. I didn’t try the pasta salad, but it looked tasty as well.
This is a dangerous place to discover so close to my routine – I am excited to keep trying new dishes.

I’ve been here a couple times now and it’s really good food served up to the workforce in the area, which I happen to be a part of. It’s literally less than a mile from my office after all. I’d rank it pretty high in my list of good places to eat around here.
The first time I went I had their Italian Stallion sub and I got a strawberry salad with it. The sandwich is made with genoa salami, black forest ham, cappicola, pepperoni, onions, banana peppers, provolone, lettuce, tomato, spices, balsamic & italian dressing on a hogie. Yummm. Their strawberry salad is made with mixed spring greens, baby spinach, crisp hearts of romaine, fresh strawberries, red onion, creamy feta cheese, glazed pecans and our raspberry vinaigrette and they’ve always got plenty of fresh salad waiting for you.
Last time I went I got a piece of grilled chicken, salad, and fresh fruit salad with it. They have daily hot lunch entrees so I figured I’d change it up and get somethign a little bit healthier. The guys behind the counter are always super friendly.
They also have lots of homebaked goods to choose from for dessert. I’ve had their brownie and a slice of the lemon cake. Delish! One thing that’s also really cool is that they have a punch card you can use up to get a free meal. I really appreciate how friendly and sweet the cashier is too. Just all around good environment to step into when leaving the office.