I can't get over how clean it is. Oh, the food is wonderful. I could eat the pollo saltado every day. The chicken is juicy, the veggies are fresh. I..just can't stop thinking about how clean the place is. I've dined in a couple of times, and there is always someone polishing or wiping or sweeping. I got so fixated on it that I started looking for any exception. As if I were the Inspector General, I started looking into the corners to see if I could find one little bit of dust. I got so curious, I went into the restroom and ran my fingertip on the underside of the toilet handle - perfectly clean. In this regard, Alpaca is peerless. There's plenty of handicap parking, and the dining room is easily accessible. There are a lot of people constantly coming in to pick up to-go orders. It did not get past me that many of my fellow diners were speaking Spanish. If you haven't been to the Alpaca on 9th Street, go now.
Tammy McAfee
Jun 27, 2023
5
Family oriented!!! While eating my food, a server gave a genuine smile. She clearly liked that I was enjoying my food.
Quintin Coppola
Jun 8, 2023
5
Alpaca Chicken was a pleasant surprise! I picked this place before seeing that it was a local chain - chains always make me worried about quality. However, with it being so small, and local, they've been able to maintain it.
The food was great - the chicken was tender and flavorful. The tostones were made fresh - nice crunch and salted well. The black beans were well seasoned. The greens beans had tons of flavor and were the right texture - cooked but still some snap with a nice green color. The green sauce is where it's at, I could put that on anything - main takeaway from the flavors were cilantro and jalapeno (?) forward. Yellow sauce was okay, it was more like a honey mustard to me. The Chi Cha Morada was great, I've never had this before - combo of sweet, some sour, and warm spices.
The place is nice and bright and clean. The people and the service were all fast, efficient, and friendly.
If I lived here, I'd definitely be a regular!
K. Dennis
May 3, 2023
5
This was a pleasant surprise. It was so nice to get green food on the road. The chicken was moist and the food delicious. Loved both of the dipping sauces. I will definitely go back when I am in town.
Tara Kirby
Apr 15, 2023
5
Excellent service, delicious food, and wonderful staff! Can't say enough great things about this place. The Pollo Saltado is AMAZING!
TODA LA COMIDA ES MUY DELICIOSA!
Tamarea The Model
Apr 2, 2023
5
This is literally the ONLY ALPACA location I frequent. I’ve tried others and the flavor was not there. This is super close to downtown Durham and maybe the good quality and freshness can be attributed to the fast pace environment.
It’s usually pretty hard to find parking in this area weekdays at lunch time so just be patient, and BEWARE.
Mar Pepin
Mar 27, 2023
5
We came here to eat because it was within walking distance to our hotel, and it was something that was more unique from where we came from. I got the 1/4 Dark plate with yellow corn and hand-cut french fries (so I wasn’t really trying anything crazily unique, but I’m a picky eater!) The food was delicious. Ordering was a smooth process. It’s almost like cafeteria style where they put the food on the plate as you order it, and then you pay for it and sit somewhere. They have silverware and you can bus your own table after you’re finished. It was a really nice experience, and the outdoor seating area was nice to enjoy the weather.
