Our story

Named for a market street
in the Seventh

Rue Cler takes its name from the famous market street where the parents of founder John Vandergrift lived, in the Seventh Arrondissement of Paris.

The enamel street sign for Rue Cler in the Seventh Arrondissement of Paris

In the kitchen

Executive Chef
Gregory Rogers

Chef Rogers’s passion for food began around the family table, where holidays and special occasions were always centered around sharing great food and creating memories.

After culinary school at Nash Community College, he gathered years of experience in North Carolina kitchens — Mandolin in Raleigh, Herons at the Umstead Hotel in Cary, and across the greater Triangle. He came to Rue Cler in 2022 as Chef de Cuisine, drawn to the timeless techniques of French cuisine.

“Respect the ingredient and let the season guide the menu.”

The goal for every trip to Rue Cler is a memorable dining experience — one cherished long after the meal has ended.

A downtown institution

Feeding Durham
since 2006

Rue Cler is a vanguard of the now thriving downtown Durham restaurant scene. We have been happily feeding our neighbors since 2006.

The building that houses Rue Cler dates back to the early 1920s and has been a landmark in downtown Durham.

Its history on Open Durham

Join us for dinner

Tuesday through Saturday. Prix fixe or à la carte, whichever kind of evening you are having.