Chef Oscar Diaz Opens Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Cafe in Durham

Two-time James Beard semifinalist Oscar Diaz and his partners at Mezcalito Inc. recently opened Aaktun at 704 Ramseur Street in Durham, North Carolina. In 2023, Diaz opened Little Bull (810 North Mangum Street) to high praise, and now the buzz in the Triangle is all about Aaktun.

The newest Diaz project is a coffee cafe by day and a Tulum tiki party by night. Diaz was never really a coffee person until recently, but he says he would visit shops in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago for breakfast sandwiches or breakfast burritos. “I like a morning spot that feels fun,” says Diaz, “And not to take a knock on the bigger coffee companies, but their little display with sandwiches and stuff always makes me so sad. It’s a microwaved egg sandwich, and all these people eat. We can do something better than that.”

Diaz has also always wanted a tiki bar, so why not combine the two? “I love tropical stuff,” he says, “I love having plants everywhere. So the design guided what we wanted to do with the food and drink.” The space was cavernous with no windows, so the team decided to put in skylights and turn it into a room similar to cenotes found in Mexico. A pink Brazilian marble bar anchors the room full of greenery, low lighting, and banquettes tucked into cave-like spaces.

In the morning, Aaktun features a variety of egg sandwiches, from the classic B.E.C. to a chorizo version with queso dip. The lunch offerings feel like a tropical beachside cafe menu with a papaya salad, fried calamari, coconut shrimp, and huli huli chicken skewers. The dinner follows the same flow with ceviches, whole fried fish, mahi mahi tacos, jerk chicken, and pork belly adobo.

Aaktun will continue to evolve. Diaz has plans to put in a tamaki (sushi hand roll) bar and add late-night offerings. “As a chef, I like pushing myself to do things that stress me out, and I don’t know why I do it,” he says, “The lesson that I’ve learned through all this is that once you’re on the other side, it’s so worth it, because now you add another tool to your utility belt that no one can take it away. I don’t know what it’s gonna mean in the grand scheme of things in life, but it’s just it feels good to conquer that fear.”