​Cosmic vs. Chubby’s: Battle on Ninth Street

For many Duke students, Ninth Street is an off-campus haven. Home to Harris Teeter, various apartment complexes and popular restaurants such as Burger Bach and Happy + Hale, it’s a thriving mecca of food and commerce conveniently situated right at the nexus between East and West Campus. Ninth offers diverse cuisines from Mongolian to Vietnamese, Italian to good old-fashioned diner food, yet one cuisine stands above it all—Mexican. Renowned among Duke students for their satisfyingly tasty food and low prices, Chubby’s Tacos and Cosmic Cantina are mainstays of many Blue Devils’ off-campus dining options. But which is better? Whose cooking is king on Ninth Street?

Chubby’s, currently rebranded as Guacamaya Fresh Mex yet still colloquially referred to by its previous moniker, excels in the sheer variety of food available. The menu lists at least ten different fillings ranging from common fare like beef and fajita veggies to fancier options like al pastor and pineapple hot chicken. The key is how you use the fillings. Chubby’s lets the customer put their multitude of fillings into quesadillas, tacos, burritos and chimichangas and often allows for mixing and matching of meats and vegetables for a wholly unique experience.

Most plates also come with a side of rice and sumptuous refried beans, which may be the secret weapon of the entire enterprise. The Chubby’s al pastor burrito is a king among burritos largely due to the wonderfully rich creaminess afforded by the beans, refried rather than the more typical black bean option, and cut through with citric tang from braised pineapple. The restaurant’s heralded salsa bar has eight options, the best of which are the herbal guacatillo and the thick, smoky arbol. It’s hard not to get all eight options, especially considering you get a heaping side of deliciously seasoned tortilla chips. Chubby’s excels at the classics—just make sure to get creative with your meats and salsas.

On the other hand, Cosmic Cantina works best when you go gonzo. The comparatively low quality of the tortillas means that dishes like tacos and burritos lack the soft, pillow-y texture of Chubby’s, and the meat options are standard yet disappointingly basic. However, smothering a Cosmic Cantina meal in the restaurant’s delicious guacamole and even better queso sauce improves the quality of any dish. The queso sauce, made with Monterey jack and white cheddar cheese, has a perfect mix of salt, spice and cheesiness that will make you want to go back to double dip.

While tacos and burritos might not be Cosmic Cantina’s strong suit, less healthy fare like quesadillas and chimichangas satisfy. The single best thing on the menu is the steak chimichanga smothered in guacamole and queso. It arrives nestled atop a bed of chips swimming in queso, golden brown and full of sizzling grilled steak. The onion-filled guacamole adds vegetal flavor and a hit of lime that alleviates the richness of the rest of the dish. It might be too much for dinner, but, paradoxically, it’s perfect for a late night snack.

The choice between Chubby’s and Cosmic Cantina comes down to what you’re looking for in a Mexican restaurant. If you want simple, fresh food with a nice degree of customizability, go to Chubby’s and you won’t be disappointed. If you’re in the mood for a fried quesadilla as big as a basketball after a night at Shooter’s, try Cosmic Cantina.