Barburrito is a Mexican style fast food restaurant where the main food item on the menu is the ‘worlds famous’ burrito. The first ever UK burrito restaurant was opened in 2005 by Barburrito and was actually opened in Manchester Piccadilly. After great success in Manchester Piccadilly, Barburrito opened further restaurants in and around Manchester and several more restaurants around the UK, including London, Bristol, Scotland, Leeds and many more. The restaurant has now become a national brand in the UK and although seen as a fast food style restaurant, they aspire to serve fresh, healthy, Mexican inspired food, namely the burrito.
Like any fast food restaurant, you have a choice of different dishes and at Barburrito you can choose either the Classic Burrito, Loaded Burrito, Superfood Burritto or the Naked Burrito. There is also the option of Quesadillas, Tacos, Nachos, Fries and even a Kids Menu.
Once you decide on the type of burrito that you want, you then choose your main filling, which can either be; grilled chicken, pulled pork, fried vegetables, chicken and chorizo, grilled steak, sweet potato chilli or spicy shredded beef. Your main filling is accompanied by white or brown rice or beans (mild or spicy which are similar to kidney beans) and then either pepper and onions or mushrooms. You then also choose the salsa (a mild, medium or hot sauce) and any additional extras like guacamole, cheese, tortilla chips and coleslaw.. trust me it does taste nicer than it sounds!
Like any fast food restaurant, you have a choice of different dishes and at Barburrito you can choose either the Classic Burrito, Loaded Burrito, Superfood Burritto or the Naked Burrito. There is also the option of Quesadillas, Tacos, Nachos, Fries and even a Kids Menu.
Once you decide on the type of burrito that you want, you then choose your main filling, which can either be; grilled chicken, pulled pork, fried vegetables, chicken and chorizo, grilled steak, sweet potato chilli or spicy shredded beef. Your main filling is accompanied by white or brown rice or beans (mild or spicy which are similar to kidney beans) and then either pepper and onions or mushrooms. You then also choose the salsa (a mild, medium or hot sauce) and any additional extras like guacamole, cheese, tortilla chips and coleslaw.. trust me it does taste nicer than it sounds!
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I’ve mentioned a few times on my blog that I am always looking out for new and different places to eat for lunch. With Barburrito on the door step of the office, I took a short stroll through Piccadilly Gardens and got in line to order my burrito. The que at Barburrito was lined up outside of the door but people were served very quickly and there was plenty of seating inside if you wanted to eat in, rather than take away.
As soon as I was served at the counter, I was asked if I had ever been to Barburrito before and if not, they would explain the concept and the options available to me. I thought that this was great customer service, especially if you are unfamiliar with the concept and it was great to hear them ask when they were so busy. I had already been to Barburrito before so I was already familiar with how to order, however it was new to my friend and they explained it clearly to her.
I ordered the small Classic Burrito (£5.95), with grilled chicken, white rice (they didn’t have brown) and a medium salsa. Unfortunately there were no pepper and onions available and I settled on ordering mushrooms, lettuce and grated cheese as my additional toppings. My friend ordered the small Classic Burrito (£5.95), with grilled steak (60p extra), white rice, mild salsa which consisted of a mix of tomatoes and onions and then for her additional toppings mushrooms, lettuce, grated cheese and guacamole (£1.00 extra).
Overall, the choice of main fillings was quite extensive for a burrito restaurant but some fillings do cost extra, so be careful to read the menu above the counter before ordering. The service of creating my burrito was very quick from start to finish, however, my burrito was not exactly what I ordered. I did ask for the medium salsa to be added to my food but instead I was given the mild salsa (tomatoes and onions). I’m unsure if the medium salsa was unavailable at the time of ordering as I couldn’t see when they were making my burrito, however, it’s important that food is made to order, especially when people have different allergies and diets that need to be catered for. I was also disappointed that they didn’t have all of the additional toppings when I placed my order as this meant that I had to basically have what they had left or none at all (I wanted the pepper and onions but had to have mushrooms), which didn’t seem fair as the toppings are included in the price of the burrito.
I was also disappointed at the length of time I had to wait to pay for my food. It took longer to pay then it did to actually order and create my burrito. The service throughout creating my burrito was very good and all staff were really friendly and attentive but it was let down by the wait paying at the end and the fact that the member of staff on the till didn’t seem to be interested and wanted you to pay and then move on as quickly as possible.
TASTE
Ignoring the fact that my burrito was not the exact fillings which I ordered, the burrito was actually very tasty. I could taste each and every individual flavour and I did enjoy it. There could have been a little bit more of each filling (for the price) but to be honest it did more than satisfy my hunger. It was wrapped up firmly, keeping the fillings in the tortilla tightly wrapped up and the foil kept my food warm which was ideal for taking it back to the office to my desk. My friend also commented on the fact that she really enjoyed her burrito and again hers was tightly wrapped and the foil kept the food warm on the short journey back to the office. Again, she commented that a little more filling could have been added to the tortilla wrap, especially the main ingredient (grilled steak in her case) but she would return back to Barburrito again.
COST AND VALUE
Both small Classic Burritos cost £5.95 each but as my friend ordered hers with grilled steak and guacamole, it cost a total of £7.55. When taking into account that a burrito is just a tortilla wrap, filled with one main ingredient, rice and beans and then salsa and additional toppings, I think that it is quite an expensive lunch option. However, I did find the burrito to be quite filling and I wasn’t hungry afterwards. Taking into account that the restaurant is in Manchester City Centre and is made in front of you with fresh ingredients, I would consider Barburrito to be a ‘mid-range lunch option’ which would be my go to lunch for a treat every once in a while. It was just very disappointing that my order wasn’t right and the toppings that I wanted were not available.
OVERALL
I really enjoyed the Barburrito concept and experience of choosing my own ingredients and toppings and having my food freshly made in front of me. Most members of staff were really friendly and added to the ‘build your burrito’ concept. However, it was let down by getting my order wrong, lack of toppings and by the final member of staff on the tills, who seemed to be trying to rush through getting payments (which I know is their job) but it felt like that were not interested in their customers and wanted to get payments and clear customers out of the building as quickly as possible.. this resulted in a que of people then waiting for a bag or their drinks at the side, whilst others paid.
It was however great to see that they were offering a small discount to customers who worked locally which I think is a really good scheme and creates a loyalty amongst local workers.
Overall, my food was tasty, still very warm when I arrived back to the office and I could taste the different flavours from the toppings and ingredients that I had chosen. I wasn’t left feeling hungry afterwards and it satisfied that lunch time hunger! The overall cost for a burrito is a little on the expensive side (for what it is) but I would definitely return back to Barburrito again.
PROS AND CONS
Pros
- Freshly made in front of you
- Tastes delicious
- Discount for local workers
Cons
- Order made partly wrong and lack of fillings
- Slow when paying
FOODIE RATING
I give Barburrito in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester a Foodie Rating of 3/5. It would have been a 4/5 if they would have given the option with the rice and if they had not got part of my order wrong. Paying at the till also let it down as it took longer to pay than it did to order and create the actual burrito.
Want to know more about Barburrito? You can check out their website and social media here: barburrito.co.uk
