I've certainly done enough bitching in my time about the lack of late-night restaurants in Durham and especially the lack of places to get nachos at 3:00 in the morning. Imagine my surprise when I was informed, a week ago, that the Ninth Street section of Durham is now home to a place called the "Cosmic Cantina" which serves Mexican-style food and stays open until 4 am every night of the week. I had trouble finding it at first -- when I first went looking for it, they didn't have a sign to indicate where they were, so I had no idea that the restaurant was on the second floor of the building at the corner of Ninth and Parry and that you get to it via a stairway on Parry Street right across from Bruegger's. I found it one night later with a friend and was pleased to find a fairly sizeable restaurant, occupying the old Carolina Carpets location, with an indoor room with old brick walls and an outdoor deck under the stars. I was not really impressed with the food the first time I went there -- the burrito I ordered was large and full of chicken, but was extremely bland. This view was shared by everyone else I talked to who had been there in the first few days the restaurant was open -- the salsa was extremely bland. I went back tonight at 3:00 in the morning and ordered a burrito and was pleased to learn from the counterpeople that they've made a second salsa with more heat to it -- and after I had it on a burrito, they listened to my comments and said that they'd probably add a little *more* in the way of chopped jalapenos to it. If they get the salsa hot enough, I'll be there regularly, because you get a bellyful for $6 if you get the giant chicken burrito and $7 if you get the giant steak burrito. I was surprised to find, last Friday, that the place really does stay open late -- having had experience with restaurants that claimed to stay open until 4:00 but which closed at 1:30 or 2:00 if things were slow, I was hoping they really would live up to their late night claims. Well, last Friday some serious crowds started coming in after midnight, and it was obvious that the lack of a sign wasn't hurting them. Tonight, when I showed up at 3:00, there were three employees on duty, there were other customers present, and more contined to come in after I'd gotten my food and gone out to sit on the deck. In short, it's a place worth going to, especially if you get hungry late at night and want a good meal for a reasonable price. You can stand there at the counter and tell them exactly what you want on your burrito, and they're happy to take comments on the food. They're not a fly by night operation -- look at the photos by the doorway showing the incredible amount of work they went to in order to change the place into its current form. As far as I can tell, the odds of this place lasting a good bit longer than your average new restaurant are pretty good. I hope they *do* last. I've wanted a place that really stayed open late and sold burritos and nachos ever since I moved to Durham, and this place seems sincere about staying open late. They're open until 4 every night of the week, including Sunday. Just remember that if you like your burrito hot, *ask* for it that way. As with many American-run Mexican restaurants, they err on the side of mildness to avoid people bringing the food back and saying "this is too hot, I can't eat it."
North Carolina