How have I lived here all my life and not known about this local jem. I learned about it from someone I talked to on a flight who said they were the best buritos ever. If you don't know what you're looking for you may miss it. As we walked up and the hubs looked in the door, he questioned my choice. There is graffiti all over the walls and doesn't look like anything good would be there. We walked in to an open seating room and on the left, if you go out the door they gave a very cool outdoor roof area. You order and then go to your seat until its ready. Mike got steak burrito and I got a grilled chicken and cheese quesadillo. Both were jam packed with ingredients, fresh and delicious. The chicken was the best chicken ever in my quesadillo... the flavors were off the chart. The salsa was fresh at yummy. Definitely lived up to the best burritos ever! read more

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I visited yesterday and placed an order to go. It was a burrito and a Margarita. I have done this before...to go. I was given my alcoholic beverage and was told I needed to drink it there. I refused. I asked for my money back for the beverage and told them it would not be safe to drink and drive. The establishment refused so I left the drink on the counter. Such poor service. Accident not going to happen read more

Cosmic cantina never fails to impress! It's always open late and never lets us down. The portions are huge and plenty to fill your appetite or have more for a later snack. The service is always great. Staff are always making sure to have your order right and to give you warm, fresh food. Ambience is casual, but all you need for quick, yummy delicious Mexican food. read more

The Cosmic Cantina - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

The food was genuinely not worth eating. I am not sure what they think a chimichanga is, but it ain't what they're serving. Gross, will never be back as we are from out of town and would much rather enjoy a different place if we visit again. read more

My friend and I got dinner around 5:30 pm on a Sunday and it was pretty quiet inside. There were lots of open tables and we were helped right away. The menu on the wall doesn't have much detail, but they have hard copy menus as well with more information / ingredients listed. I ordered the regular chicken burrito and thought it was big, but it was half the size of the giant one that my friend got!! Portion sizes here are very generous - especially for the price - and the food came out in less than 10 min. Most importantly, even though it was made from simple ingredients, the burrito had really great flavor! Would defintley come back to try some of their other menu items. read more

The Cosmic Cantina - 11.- Regular Chicken Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I do go back and forth with this place. Definitely in a unique location. You go up some suspicious stairs and get to the funky door. I thought the food was ok. I felt it needed a little something.. they have this hot sauce that that I recommend. Added the little kick everything needed. read more

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This place is hidden in a brick building in Durham and the overall feel of it was great. When walking in, it felt like you were walking into somebody's kitchen. The windows facing out could use a cleaning though so they can be enjoyed better. The food was good, but my quesadilla edges were very burnt; they were black. The guy at the front was well enough but he had an AirPod on when taking orders and wasn't very friendly. It's a great late night spot though. read more

The burrito i had was super dry, it used to come with salsa now they want $2 and you used to get chips, but thats besides the point the burrito could have used the salse it came with before when their burritos weren't So Dry! read more

Suchhhhh a good place after a night out. The burrito was immaculate. Rice and chicken cooked to perfection, rolled into a massive burrito. Demolished this in literal seconds. Service was great, so fast! A little hectic inside the restaurant, but I didn't mind. read more

The Cosmic Cantina - 32.- Steak Chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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First time trying this place and was so cool! Loved how it feels like a whole in the wall and gives Austin TX vibes. Loved how much history is still here in the space. We got the asada nachos and a marg! So good and that marg was fire! Thanks for a fun lunch! Will definitely drive back up here to try other things. read more

The Cosmic Cantina - 22.- Steak Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Walked in the door and was immediately hit with the smell of good food. Small and cozy, most likely sits about 30 people. Food was prepared quickly and was consistent across the board for the party of people I was with. I had the deluxe steak burrito which was a meal and a half. Great flavor and a good value. read more

I love this place! It's a dive, no frills and super cool. There's so many options including vegetarian! The burritos are huge! We had nachos ($11) and they were delicious. Generous amounts of chicken, black beans, guacamole, white cheese and tomatoes. Can't wait go back! read more

The Cosmic Cantina - Chicken Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

You'd be forgiven if you couldn't find this place if you were told about it. It's on a very dark side street off ninth Street in Durham. It's a second floor location, so there's nothing on the ground floor to tell you that it's there except an arched doorway with a handpainted unlit sign over it. Go ahead walk up the stairs and it's on your right. You enter a nicely lit, open area with the food prep bar in front of you across the narrow room. A huge menu is hanging over the glass panels. There are paper ones around as well. Regarding the decor: you just walked up stairs plastered with stickers and graffiti and into a door that had no readable label. There will be no tea lights and cloth tablecloths. It's a late night dive, and fills the spec perfectly. Actually, it's nicer than most dive bars I've been to. But temper your expectations, ok? Anything is good. I like the quesadillas, but the burritos are fine, too, just messier. I'd only eaten in once, but frequently stop in on the way home from work or after a game night. They are open until 4 am, so good for after hours folks. ‍ To go orders are made quickly, so the pupper at home waiting after work doesn't get too much worse. read more

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Best Mexican spot in Durham. Vibes are immaculate, food is excellent and affordable, love the graffiti staircase, great spot for pics. When I order pickup on my lunch breaks, I don't even have to say anything, the guy just instantly hands me my order. read more

The Cosmic Cantina - Met some really nice people - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

The cosmic cantina never fails to deliver. We got the old school and veggie burritos. Both without cheese or dairy. We were pleasantly impressed by the size of the burritos. There is no skimping on size here and all for about $5 for the veggie burritos. Service was fast and pleasant. It was moderately crowded for an early Friday evening. read more

Food was so bad. Got a burrito and I honestly didn't think you could mess up a burrito!

Cool vibes and the best Mexican I've ever had. Quick service. Low price and big servings. Counter service. Serve yourself soda and free refills. I had the veggie enchilada plus chips and salsa. Everything was delicious. read more

Late night tip. I took my wife here after we got off the plane from Arizona. All of our favorite places had already closed. The chips and queso was really good. I got the chicken burrito which was good. My wife got the nachos, the nachos you can share with two or three people. Over all is a good late night spot. Decor I would give it a 4.5 out of 10. read more

Incredibly good vegan-friendly Mexican food! Many of their menu options can be made vegan by omitting the cheese, sour cream, etc. They do have vegan meat substitutes but I opted for a burrito with both black and pinto beans instead and loved it. Also really good guacamole. read more

The Cosmic Cantina - Vegan burrito - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

It's classic Durham for a reason--cheap, good, and a fun hole-in-the wall location. I got the burrito, it was large but not too-overstuffed and delicious, as was the guac and chips. read more

Cosmic is a Mexican place located in a cool hidden alleyway. They had great prices and pleasantly surprisingly quick service. They are also open everyday until 4am, which is really convenient. Deluxe steak burrito was slightly soggy but tasted great regardless. Will be coming back again read more

The Cosmic Cantina - Deluxe steak burrito - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Food is great, but they knowingly overcharge customers. Told me to my face that it was a certain price and the charge on my credit card was 2 dollars more. Not the first time. read more

I was in Durham for work and wanted to check out Duke University. While I was walking around the area, I found the Cosmic Cantina, a hole in the wall up a shady looking flight of stairs. It's open late, up to 4am most nights. They serve what appears to be Texmex. I got a deluxe size steak chimichanga, and it was huge. The steak was well seasoned and tender, and it was loaded with rice, beans, and cheese. It was also topped with a pile of pico de gallo and even more cheese. The tortilla was nice and crispy after being deep fried. It's basically as good as a chain texmex place like On the Border, but cheaper and open later. Definitely a place for less than sober college students, but at least they know it. read more

The Cosmic Cantina - Steak chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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The food here was really good. The staff were friendly upon arrival. This is a nice place to freely tag on the wall or hang out. I got the vegan chorizo which was really good to me. I've never had pork before but the taste reminded me more of beef or impossible meat. The guacamole could've had a bit more flavor to it. Maybe just a tad bit more salt would've made it perfect but other than that it was fresh. This is definitely a spot you want to make note of as they stay open later than many other places. read more

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I ordered burritos and quesadillas for an office meeting last week. The food was delicious! I've never had so many positive comments from the team. 80 thumbs up!!! read more

I ordered a tofu burrito with guacamole and no cheese no sour cream...vegan to go. Get home and we have cheese. Wtf?

TLDR: your local late night mexican place Everywhere needs a place like this. Going above and beyond the usual late night mexican joint this place has an extensive amount of vegan options. Open super late we really appreciated it! read more

My first visit and I was not disappointed. I got a chicken burrito and it was delicious!!!

Limited options and a staff that really seems like they couldn't care less that you were there. I gave it two tries, that's all it takes for me. The burritos are BIG, but don't really have a lot of flavor to them, and very limited customization... when I asked if I could get peppers and onions I got a disgruntled response along the lines of "they don't come with that"... the next visit I went for a quesadilla, it has potential, if it had onions and peppers... or if I spent extra for sour cream or guac. Two stars because they have Coke Zero, matches the amount of effort they put in to the place. read more

I finally found the courage to go up the stairs. I'm so glad that I did! There were a few people in front of me and waiting for their food but my food came out in an instant! I was surprised how fast I received my food. I went with a medium sized chicken chimichanga! There are 3 different sizes that you can choose from. If you're very hungry, the medium should be good. If you're planning to split it, go for the largest size. The chimichanga was delicious! It came with lots of condiments which paired well. I also got an side of the cheese sauce. That went well with it as well. Overall, it was good. My only complaint is that the chicken tasted a little burnt. I look forward to trying other items on the menu in the near future. Overall, fantastic customer service. Everyone was very kind. The price point was the best part! Bang for the buck and quality! read more

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Pretty good burrito for Durham. Nice casual place. Counter service was quick to get my burrito.

First of all WOW! I did not know what to expect from this place. It is set back of the street in a little pedestrian walkway/alley. The restaurant itself is tiny! There are maybe 8 tables total. They do a lot of takeout and it's so quick (15 minutes!).The staff are very friendly and efficient. I wasn't sure if I would find vegan options but they had vegan specials on the menu and some of their main items like the veggie burrito can be easily modified to be vegan. The prices are insanely good - $5 for the vegan plate or the veggie burrito. Even the giant steak burrito my bf got was less than $15. Highly recommend stopping by this place for takeout if you are in the area! Your stomach and your wallet will be happy! read more

The Cosmic Cantina - Vegan plate (special) - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

We got a deluxe chimichanga, a burrito and chips and salsa. Portions are definitely huge. I really enjoyed the chimichanga, but they put beans in when I asked for no beans. I just picked the beans out, I'm not one for wasting food. I did enjoy the taste though, especially the guacamole. We really didn't need a side of chips and salsa with how big the portions were. The salsa was fresh and really great, it had large amounts of cilantro. My boyfriend enjoyed the burrito but said it was a bit plain. The shop itself is quite small and you order up at a small counter. read more

The Cosmic Cantina - Deluxe Chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

The location in Chapel Hill is way better. They give you free chips and salsa with your meal. This location is meh. It can be difficult to find. The stairway could be a professional for some, but it's nice to get some steps in. Mediocre food, honestly. read more

I was told that this restaurant was a bit of a landmark for Durham, and after eating there late-at-night I can see why. Not many after-hours eateries are found in this little college town but Cosmic Cantina, which serves beer, wine AND great-tasting Hispanic grub is infamous. I went with an extremely tasty (regular) chicken burrito (about $8) that was the size of a very chubby toddler's leg; so huge, in fact, that I could only stomach half, taking the other half home to enjoy later. I found myself imagining what a deluxe burrito would look like if a regular one had this much girth and length to it! My date chose chips with queso and avocado dips, which she thoroughly seemed to enjoy and devour. After ordering, you're free to sit yourself or roam about the restaurant's interior or outdoor rooftop lounge area where seating is as plentiful as it is inside. Once the name left upon your order is called (via speaker system installed to be heard throughout the establishment), you can dine in and take out. As my date and I sat outside eating, we were not surprised to see many more arriving customers increasing to put in an order from Cosmic Cantina's affordable, reasonable menu. read more

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Atmosphere: The steps leading up to Cosmic Cantina can feel not the safest especially at night. Once in the restaurant, it has a very local feel with a nice outdoor area. Service: The line can get long at times, but the service has been reasonable for the most part. Food: We've ordered several different items in the past, but on our most recent visit, we got the beef burrito and a loaded burrito with chicken. The beef burrito is pretty standard and has a good amount of filling. It's not the most amazing burrito by any means but definitely gets the job done at the price.The loaded chicken burrito has more fillings and can comfortably feed two people's cravings. Again, the portions are quite generous and the quality is decent. Overall: We wouldn't say that Cosmic Cantina has the best food, but it satisfies our appetites after a night out. Cosmic Cantina's late hours (open until 4am) are what give the restaurant most of its appeal, so we would probably not find ourselves here in the daytime. Either way, our review lies somewhere in between a strong 3 and light 4. read more

The Cosmic Cantina - Loaded Burrito with Chicken - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Let me say the walk up had me nervous walking up but this is definitely great Hispanic food. The grilled meat was terrific with the smokey flavor. We got the nachos and quesadillas, both chicken and it was delicious. We are too fast and forgot photos opps. read more

The Cosmic Cantina - a neon sign in the window - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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I've been here a couple of times and really want to like it. However this last visit was a very frustrating one! Not only did it take 30 minutes to get my food, but it was super bland! Come on, do better. Just be honest you forgot my order! It does not take 30 minutes to do a quesadilla and you got the 5 orders behind me done before I had to remind you! So here's the cons: - Poor customer service and rude employees - 30 mins to get a veggie quesadilla - Bland food - Food not worth the value Save your yourself the headache and disappointment. There's way too many choices on 9th street. read more

Great food! Very yummy and the price is unbeatable. Also good vegetarian selection! Not something if you're looking for anything fancy but fun ambiance for casual dinner/lunch! read more

Love this place. Queso is the best and steak burrito is bomb. Long lines tho during the evening and night time.