Da Kine's Kava

Da Kine's Kava is one of two fully alcohol-free bars in the Raleigh-Durham metro, and the only one in Durham. It sits in a unit on West Chapel Hill Street just west of downtown, in the Burch Avenue neighbourhood, and keeps hours that no coffee shop does — noon to midnight, seven days a week — which is the whole point. The bar exists so that there is somewhere to go at ten on a Friday night that is not a bar serving alcohol.

The house drink is kava, and it is worth being plain about what that is: kava is a root from the South Pacific, traditionally ground and steeped in water and served in a coconut shell, drunk for a calming, sociable effect. It is not alcohol and contains none, but it is psychoactive in its own mild way, and it is not for everyone — people on medication, pregnant, or with liver concerns should talk to a doctor first. If you are avoiding alcohol specifically, kava is a genuine alternative; if you are avoiding all mood-altering drinks, this is not the room for you, and the Triangle's cocktail bars below will serve you better.

Beyond the kava shells, the menu runs to herbal teas and botanical tonics, including a house lemonade built on pomegranate, mint and ginger. The room itself is set up as a lounge — low seating, conversation-height music, no television showing the game — and the crowd skews to students, recovery-community regulars and people who simply want a night out that ends clear-headed. Discover Durham lists it on the city's own non-alcoholic drinks page, which makes it one of the few Triangle venues whose alcohol-free credentials come from the tourism board rather than a blog.