Lacto
Beer/Wine
Mexican
Latin, Puerto Rican, Cuban
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Latin American cuisine with a handful of lacto-vegetarian dishes, some can be made vegan upon request. Displays art by local artists. Open Mon-Thu 11:30am-9:00pm, Fri-Sat 11:30am-9:30pm.
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716 9th St , Durham, North Carolina, USA, 27705
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- Outdoor seating
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 14 Dec 2017 by Guest
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11 Reviews
First Review by AdamDaum
coloradomom
Points +66
Overall good - Edit
Really cute restaurant on 9th street. We sat on the patio
Read morePros: Atmosphere, Outdoor seating, Fun date night
Cons: Food not as fresh as I would like, Limited vegan options
Guest
Vegan_ACL
Points +2632
So much flavor - Edit
It seems that everyone goes with the black bean grittle cakes. The menu made it seem like the entree was veganizable but everything is vegan in this dish as listed so that was cool. Our server was knowledgeable and when she didn’t know an answer, she went and found out very quickly.
Read moreGuest
Kitkat1105
Points +184
Amazing Vegan Food - Edit
We stopped by while traveling and wow the vegan food is good. Black bean cakes and black bean bowl were delicious. So many other vegan dishes I'd love to try
Read morePros: Tons of vegan options, Every vegan option I tried was delicious.
Guest
WHA
Points +1602
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Edit
The tostones and guacamole were good. I didn’t care for the black bean tortas or the rice. I would perhaps give a different entree a try in the future but for the price point I’m more likely to just go to a different restaurant.
Read moreGuest
CharonMoon
Points +1111
Lots of options - Edit
It's been a few years since I've been. Back then, there weren't many vegan options, but now they have a ton! The menu is clearly marked with which items can be made vegan. There is a whole vegetarian section on the menu and most dishes have the vegan option. They also have daiya cheese for quesadillas and such, but there is an upcharge for it.
Read moreI had the vegan tortas, which was delicious. The portion was large too, so I got two meals out of it.
The waitress was friendly and knowledgeable about the options.
Pros: Many options, Knowledgeable staff, Large portions
Guest
fawneyes
Points +49
Underpaid staff - Edit
I have not eaten here while vegan so I can’t speak on that but for such a low volume and generally overpriced place it’s inexcusable to make their workers rely almost completely on tips.
Read moreGuest
YumVeganCookies
Points +74
Good vegan selection - Edit
We've eaten here several times and enjoy the food. They are not always the best when it comes to modifying dishes, e.g., my friend wanted a small plate of something (she didn't like part of a dish) and they wouldn't do it - for what sounded to us like an unreasonable reason. However, the tasty food when it comes out is carefully prepared and presented. We've had some iffy service (one waitstaff person said one of us didn't order something, but we all heard her order it!!), but, for the most part, they're friendly.
Read morePros: Tasty food with fresh ingredients., Colorful artwork decorating the walls., You can make online reservations!!
Cons: Some dishes are a little pricey., Occasional unfriendly/iffy service. , Parking can be challenging in this area.
Guest
Schwartzie
Points +33
Excellent food! - Edit
Enjoyed an early evening dinner here. Started my meal with the Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew which was topped with avocado. It was amazing- flavor was excellent! Serving size was generous and could be a meal almost on its own - split it with my companion. There is a large vegetarian menu and they offer daiya cheese for vegans. For an entree I ordered the Grilled Eggplant and Roma Tomato Quesadilla. The quesadilla came with black beans, plantain chips, and mashed sweet potatoes. The entree was super filling, tasty, and amazing!
Read morePros: Big menu, Friendly staff, Great flavors
Cons: Parking lot not always free
Guest
GypsyRain
Points +20
Fabulous Food, Service and Selection - Edit
This was our first visit to a Blue Corn Cafe, so we were only going based on other reviews and after reviewing the online menu (which is slightly outdated as I learned the recently changed parts of the menu). I can honestly tell you that we were very impressed. Even my difficult to impress husband, who doesn't typically agree to eat ethnic foods of any kind (the spices just overwhelm him) was delighted and impressed and said this is his new favorite restaurant!
Read moreI am a vegan for medical reasons and my husband is an omnivore. Therefore, we sampled items from each side of the menu.
I opted to order three appetizers (two to share, one was a stew just for me), with a happy hour vegetable taco and my husband ordered the dinner special and I ordered the Cuban Happy Hour Taco for him to expand his palate.
The first appetizer was Island Nachos. A very generous serving of fresh nacho chips, topped with tomatoes, black olives and artichokes. For an additional charge of $1.50, they substituted a very generous portion of Daiya Mozzarella cheese for regular dairy cheese. They also provided a cup of salsa that was so thin it looked like you could drink it, but I wouldn't recommend that. That stuff was hot! I didn't care for the salsa and that was probably the only thing about the nachos I didn't like.
The second appetizer was the Plantain Sampler. With this one, if you choose to order it, be certain you have already informed your server that you are vegan. One of the sauces normally served with this platter is a combination that includes mayonnaise. This can easily be left off, or in situations like ours, easily pointed out so the omnivores can enjoy it while the vegans can safely tuck into the mango purée sauce. The three versions of plantain include a savoury deep fried chip form, another savoury that was fried and mashed then fried a second time. The third and final style is the wonderfully sweet fried plantains that I and my family have loved since our first bites.
At first I wasn't fond of either of the savoury versions, but I finally found a use that brought the taste of both to the front and made them sing. The tomatoes and lettuce served with the plantains sang backup for the chips and my stew was the complement to the mashed fried plantains.
The stew was amazing. Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew, served with sliced avocado floating on top is vegan to start so requires no modifications. I highly recommend this dish.
My husband chose the dinner special which was a chicken and cheese stuffed pupusa with honey chipotle glaze served with rice and sweet plantains. I realize that this is a vegan and vegetarian food finder, but I know I'm not the only vegan that has to share the dinner table with an omnivore. His take on the entire experience, as I already mentioned, was pure pleasure and he was blown away!
All in all, I would give Blue Corn Cafe Five Stars except Happy Cow won't allow anything above Four Stars for restaurants that serve meat.
Pros: Fabulous food, Daiya Cheese on request , Terrific Service
Cons: Horschata is not dairy free, A loyalty program would be nice, but that's small
Guest
Alyannkar
Points +1175
Surprise vegan cheese! - Edit
I was a tad iffy when I was choosing a restaurant with some of my friends while we were in Durham. We were trying to stay on one street in particular, obviously the road this restaurant is on. We ended up just sitting down outside and I was surprised when I was given the menu. There were several options that were marked as vegetarian, but they did not specify as to whether they were vegan. Because it was Mexican food, I was not as concerned as I would be otherwise. When talking to our server, she lit up when I mentioned being vegan, offering Daiya cheese at no extra cost, as well as adding guac to my order of enchiladas. She was incredibly knowledgeable, which was refreshing. Also, the food was awesome!
Read morePros: Knowledgeable staff, Decent food
Cons: Unclear menu
Guest
AdamDaum
Points +56
Highly recommended - Edit
Excellent food, nice decor, relaxed atmosphere, good value, what more could you want?
Read moreGuest
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