La Salamandra

The fish here is awesome. Literally perfectly cooked, great flavor, the whole deal. The negative reviews talk mostly about the décor, which is no doubt somewhat lacking if that’s your thing. The friendly, über-​attentive service more than makes up for «the bright orange walls,» in my opinion.
The owner says they are now open for breakfast seven days a week. I was there for brunch a few weekends ago and it was pretty good and very cheap.

This is our favorite mexican restaurant in the Triangle! I have lived in Mexico, and this is the real deal! The food is fairly priced, authentic, and delicious and the owners are fantastic. It’s just 5 minutes from Duke’s West and East Campuses, and even closer from Central. Highly recommended!

Yet another update. I think prices may have gone up yet again… it could just be my imagination though. They seem to have cleaned up the décor a bit and added a buffet, which, to be honest, is probably not something I would brave at a spot like this. Another reviewer gave the spot 2 stars for their tortas. I actually totally agree. I had a torta here and it was somewhat of a disaster. Definitely not something I would order again, so I can understand where they got off giving a 2 star review
All of that being said, the rest of the food really is great. Definitely the best I’ve had in Durham… for starters the guac is absolutely incredible. You have to try it. Also the chicken tacos are great, any of the burritos I’ve had there were amazing, and most of the other things I’ve had were incredible too. Just avoid the tortas and you will avoid a 2 star experience. You’ve got to try this place.

After a few consecutive Mexican misses, I was so, so happy to have La Salamandra for lunch.
The service was friendly, albeit a little slow, but I didn’t mind because it was clear my pastor taco and cheese pupusa were made fresh.
My party agreed that the salsa that comes with the table chips was so good! And that’s a difficult feat, considering we ranged from a discerning Mexican (me) to a bland food-​loving eastern European.
I used that same table salsa on my meal and mixed it with a smokey salsa from the bar. Very wise choice.
I think I’ve found a new favorite.

Simply put: I’m a fan.
The food was delicious — but I suppose that’s largely due to the way queso fresco has me salivating at first glance. The menu was not unbelievably cheap, but it was definitely more than fair. The complimentary chips were fresh out of the fryer when they arrived at our table, and the accompanying sauce was better than a basic salsa.
At the time, my boyfriend and I were the only people in the joint, but I trust that Sunday night is not the best for pulling huge crowds. That said, the service was a bit slow considering the circumstance. But I can’t complain — I didn’t appear to be in a huff, so I’m sure it was the usual pace.
The atmosphere is unusual. It seems to be a hole-​in-​the-​wall type, but the interior is decked out with what appears to be a full bar and a visually interesting array of colors. Granted, the table cloths do not match the décor, but why get lost in the details?
All in all, we enjoyed ourselves. The food was definitely a deal and the waitress was nice. I will be coming back, no doubt about it.
I should mention: There were a couple vegetarian options, so don’t shy away if you keep off the meat.

La Salamandra is such a wonderful addition to our neighborhood. Really yummy food and sweet service. The first night we went, we shared a margarita, two tacos, two sopes, and sides of rice and beans — we had more food than we could eat (especially with the complimentary chips and delicious avocado salsa) and were out of there for under $ 15. On a return visit, the chicken enchiladas were super — the verde sauce was perfect! Definitely give this spot a try.

Based on others’ reviews, we were hoping for culinary deliciousness, but we were disappointed. Service was terrible, the sole waitress and the kitchen seemed overwhelmed by the not-​quite-​full house, and delivered things slowly, requiring multiple requests, if they even delivered them to the right table.
We had 4 different tacos, 2 sopes, and chicken flautas. The chicken had no seasoning, and the flautas were just OK. The tacos had nicely cooked/​crisped tortillas, but some of the meats were overcooked and dry, they were completely covered in a ridiculously heavy layer of cilantro and raw onion that had to be removed by hand to make them edible, and the tacos cried out for SOMETHING to give them some moisture. The sopes were nicely crisped and tasty, albeit suffering a bit from overcooked meat.
Based on the food only, I was going to give it 3 stars and another visit on a quieter night in hopes of better results… that was, until we both ended up with pretty miserable gastrointestinal distress as a result of our meals. We won’t be going back.

Excellent food (amazing salsa, fish tacos, tortillas) and wonderful service. Highly recommended!

In a nutshell: real food made by real people. Very good. Fresh hot chips, fresh salsa, anything made vegetarian on request, not loaded down with cheese like some Latino food restaurants. Friendly service. The chef even came to see how everything was. Highly recommended.

We walked into a pretty well air-​conditioned space with pop-​out tables and chairs, and ceiling fans a-​whirring. Our waitress was great, helping to accommodate vegetarians’ requests at a neighboring table, getting our drinks out, keeping water filled, and bringing extra napkins. I got the three taco plate, carne asada, and it was pretty darn good! Lots of meat, cilantro & onion. The hot sauce was surprisingly not hot (especially considering the guac/​salsa was extra spicy – and also amazing). Phil enjoyed his diablo shrimp entrée a lot. And a margarita at just $ 3.50! Better Mexican food than other wait-​service options nearby. We’ll be back!

I had the Shrimp in Hot Sauce and quite enjoyed it. It came with a side of beans, rice, sour cream, and lettuce. The hot sauce was not unique to this dish (it’s the same hot sauce that you get when you request extra hot sauce) but it was quite good. I just love how Hispanic food mixes together; mixed the hot sauce with the rice; mixed the sour cream with the beans; mixed the beans with the lettuce (you get the idea).
This is not your typical «Speedy Gonzalez» Mexican restaurant. You won’t find Combo #1, Combo #3, or even the cheese dip. Don’t get me wrong, I like the Americanized Tex Mex restaurant every now and then but this is not that type of restaurant.
The complimentary salsa was very good. It was salsa verde mixed with avocado. Our waitress called it guacamole but it wasn’t what I would call guacamole. The salsa had a lot of spicy kick (perhaps beyond most people’s comfort level) that was also very flavorful.
I would also like to emphasize the $ 3.50 margaritas. THREE DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS margaritas. The drink had plenty of tequila and I assure you that you’re not just drinking sour mix.
Atmosphere was actually better than I expected for a more authentic taqueria. They have a nice bar, plenty of ceiling fans, and plenty of tables. The parking lot was a bit small but luckily we grabbed the last spot (other nearby parking spots belonged to nearby business and signs threatened that vehicles would be towed).
Overall, nice experience and I will be back.

I have fallen in love w/​this Lil Gem! Friendly staff very easy going! They may have a good movie playing, be sure to order yourself a $ 3.50 Margarita! I mean that’s good enough to stop by! Veggie selection not really noted but just ask and they will make it! The portions are very generous! The Fish en tree’s are all good!

This place was great! I had the fish taco special — the fish was tender and cooked just right. There was tons of cilantro and fresh lettuce and tomatoes to go with it. The beans and rice was flavorful. I also had the papaya juice which was delicious and the waitress kept refilling and refilling. Everything was great!
I don’t understand the bad reviews at all. It seems like the bad reviews cared more about appearance than substance.

Don’t trust the favorable reviews. «Run down» just doesn’t capture it. Apparently they’ve had some water damage, many acoustic ceiling tiles are missing and moldy fiberglass insulation is hanging down. Saturday, 18:30 and we were the only customers until just ready to leave which couldn’t come soon enough. There was a TV, but it wasn’t playing. Very distracting all the folks coming in through the front door, milling around the restaurant and kitchen, then leaving back out the front. Is this place a front for some other business? They scored 97 on the health inspection. Surely there is a missing decimal point between the 9 and 7.
The chips and salsa (ask for the red, not green) were OK. The tortillas used in their enchiladas tasted stale, or soured. Nothing original in the enchiladas, tasted something like jerk chicken with a tomato, no cheese, no sauce. Some brown sauce was poured over the top. My spouse was more adventuresome, went authentic,. but the dish was not recognizable by taste alone.
Margaritas were awful — too sweet, too acidic, flavorless, and no tequila.
This place will not be in business for long unless they have another source of revenue.

«Mexican, but not nearly as good as the competition in town»
Ah, Unilocalers, you let me down badly on this one with all the 5-​star reviews. I don’t mind the sketchiness– the run-​down-​looking building, the dark interior, bright orange walls, folding chairs like from a party rental, or picnic-​style tablespreads. That’s all par for the course with a lot of good and cheap food.
However, the food was neither good nor unusually cheap. I got an azada torta with sauce on it (see picture). It basically just had meat in bread, tons of tomato sauce (that tasted very much like from a can) poured on top, a slice of lime, a few onion bits, and some cilantro. The azada meat was tough, chewy, and fatty– not nearly as tasty as the azada meat from ANY of the other taquerias in town (Vaquita, Los Comales, Buen Sabor, or even Chubby’s). It was probably the worst torta I’ve ever had. Second, it cost $ 7. I have no idea why it cost that much (nor why more than their regular tortas) when it seemed to come with far less to it aside from the «bath» of unimpressive tomato sauce.
Maybe I was unlucky with my order, but the fact the meat itself was not good suggests that they are, at best, variable in their quality.
There are also either changes since or factual errors in the other reviews. The burritos are NOT $ 4.25, but are actually $ 6.50 (see menu picture). The lunch specials at $ 4.99 on their sign are mostly actually breakfast options (e.g., huevos rancheros), even though the restaurant serves them from 11am-​3pm. The tacos are indeed cheap ($ 1.60), but not unusually so– Buen Sabor right now is hosting $ 1 tacos on Wednesdays, and the meat on those is 1000x better than this.
Why not just 1 star? The chips I got were really good: salty and warm. They also came with a spicy guacamole dip, too, rather than plain salsa. They did have a (minimal) kids’ menu, too (e.g., chicken nuggets and one other option). Service was OK– I wouldn’t call it «very attentive» or «inviting» despite the other reviews, but it was acceptable. Then again, I was THE ONLY customer in the restaurant, so it should’ve been VERY attentive. I guess the fact I was alone should’ve been a warning sign at just after noon on a Friday…
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Short update: went a second time to give it a second chance, given the positive reviews. Not better than my first review– the regular torta was not half as good as at Vaquita (the quality of the meat and seasoning was, again, underwhelming), and the service was nearly non-​existent– had to chase down a waitress both to get the check and to pay the check (after a LONG wait), even with only 2 other tables occupied in the restaurant.

Great service, yes they do understand English. Horchata with multiple refills. Though vegetarian items not listed on the menu, they will do most any item in a vegetarian fashion (if you do not like broccoli should mention that). Burritos had rice inside (rather than beans), chorizo burrito really good. Excellent sauce on enchiladas. Unique and delicious guacamole sauce with the chips.

I’ve passed by this place many times, and it always sparked my curiousity. One day, I decided to check it out. I was the only person in the restaurant, but none the less, the service was very attentive. I ordered two appetizers. I shouldn’t have… WAY too much food! But I ate all of it, it was just that good. I’ve been back three times in two weeks. The owner was very friendly, and told me he could make anything I wanted vegetarian! I love this place, move over Chubby’s, move over Cosmic. La Salamandra is fantastic!

Just had delicious huitlacoche and squash flower and carnitas tacos — perfect with cold jugo de jamaica. The only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars was that the décor needs a little work — but the food is authentic, fresh, delicious and inexpensive!

Fantasitc place, great food and very friendly and attentive staff. Don’t pay attention to reviews that say their English isn’t good: it’s great, just heavily accented.
Great family run place. Give it a try!