New Ninth Street vendors draw rave reviews

Newly opened restaurants and cafes in Durham’s Ninth Street district have become trendy destinations for students.

In the past year, many new dining options have opened on Ninth Street, including a burger restaurant, a coffee shop and a Venezuelan eatery. Many students have expressed positive reactions to the changes, noting the eateries’ high quality and service.

“Ninth Street is awesome,” said freshman Anika Mukherji. “It encompasses cuisine styles from all cultures and is very affordable.”

Burger Bach—a gastropub located near Erwin Mill that serves gourmet grass-fed beef and lamb burgers imported from New Zealand—has generated enthusiasm among freshman in particular, who received $10 off coupons during Orientation Week.

Freshman Sam Sadler noted that she was impressed by how the restaurant was able to accommodate for vegetarian and gluten-free customers. The eatery attracts a diverse customer body, ranging from local teenagers and college students to families and older couples, she said.

The interior decor is warm and comforting with many table seats, bar seats and even outdoor seating, explained sophomore Lucy Chen.

“Heating is available outdoors so you don’t even have to worry about being cold,” she said.

Chen added that she enjoyed the lamb burger, oyster and fries that she ordered, noting that she thinks $10-$20 price per meal is reasonable and “totally worth it” for an average college student. She explained that she liked the French fries especially—which can be accompanied by one of the 13 types of dipping sauces, ranging from ketchup and Chipotle BBQ sauce to Tzatziki Sauce and Bach Béarnaise.

“I would say the only downside is probably that you would often have to wait in line for a while to be seated,” she said.

Ninth Street Coffee House and Juice Bar—which opened in March in the space formerly occupied by Market Street Coffee—has also become a popular spot. Owner and chef Lindsey Williams said that the shop makes smoothies and organic coffee with beans from Ethiopia. It has a cozy, relaxing and artistic environment that makes it suitable for resting and socializing, he said. He added that on Saturday afternoons, it also provides live entertainment featuring artists from the local area.

Freshman Sujata Kishnani said that she likes how Ninth Street Coffee House has a 10-20 percent discount specially for Duke students.

Epa Chamo—a Venezuelan restaurant—opened on Ninth Street at the end of May. It specializes in arepas, or corn-based flatbreads filled with cheese, vegetables and pulled meat. Mukherji said that the arepa tasted light and spongey but was not too heavy.

As a sports bar, the restaurant has a lively atmosphere during sporting events, with customers dressed in jerseys to root for their teams, said sophomore Yasmine Miao.

Epa Chamo will soon be joined by another arepa-serving restaurant named Guasaca at the end of October, said Guasaca owner Heliangel Mendez. The eatery also has a Raleigh location, which has been popular among students from North Carolina State University.

After catering Engineering Department events at Duke three to four times a year, Mendez said he thought that opening a Durham branch—and possibly a Morrisville branch in the future—would help meet the increasing demands.

“I’m positive that once Duke students try our arepas and see the price range, they will feel very good about it,” he said. “You can walk away very satisfied with only paying $4-7, and what we serve has a much higher quality than fast food.”

Mendez added that he is looking forward to collaborating with the online platform Groupon to provide discounts, as he has been doing at the Raleigh location.

In general, students reported being highly satisfied with the options available on Ninth Street.

“The only thing I hope to see in the future would probably be a frozen yogurt shop,” Mukherji said.