Durham’s St. James Seafood restaurant will return after being closed nearly two years
Saint James Seafood, the Durham restaurant that reopened for only 39 days last year between a neighboring gas explosion and a global pandemic, will return next year.
Chef and owner Matt Kelly announced Tuesday that his Bull City seafood palace will reopen in late January. The popular restaurant served takeout for several months in 2020, but has kept its dining room closed since the beginning of the COVID pandemic.
Kelly, who also owns the restaurants Mateo Tapas and Mothers and Sons, said he feels fortunate to be able to reopen Saint James.
“I’m lucky,” Kelly said in a phone interview. “I feel so much gratitude to be able to stand where we are now.”
A seafood wonderland
Saint James opened in 2017 as a seafood wonderland, putting shellfish towers of oysters and crab claws on the same menu as Calabash-style fried fish. The drinks tipped toward tiki and wines and beers that pair well with oysters.
But the restaurant closed for nearly a year following a deadly gas explosion on its block in Durham’s Brightleaf district. Saint James reopened on Jan. 23, 2020, but then closed its dining room in March ahead of the pandemic.
Kelly said the timing of the reopening followed a more normal stretch of business in his other restaurants, allowing him to open the third.
Saint James will reopen with a similar menu as before, with popular dishes like crab dip, Juan’s Aguachile, chowder fries and buttery barbecue shrimp making their return.
‘Great fish from great purveyors’
The new menu will also include some additions from Saint James’ temporary takeout menu from 2020, including a double cheeseburger and a pickle-brined fried chicken sandwich.
But the spotlight will remain fresh seafood, Kelly said.
“Just like before, we’ll have the most extensive raw bar in the area,” Kelly said. “Great fish from great purveyors. We’ll continue the hard work and have a good time.”
When it opens, Saint James will serve dinner Wednesday through Saturday and later add a Sunday brunch.
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 10:14 AM.
