Burrito Splendido is one of Winnipeg's newest fresh, fast-casual eateries to pop up in the last six months. The adobe chicken burrito is a massive endeavour loaded with black beans, Mexican rice, shredded chicken, mango salsa and a host of other choose-your-own ingredients
Burrito Splendido
Address: Unit 4A 3380 Portage Avenue
Phone Number: 204-885-3889
Website: www.burritosplendido.com
Neighbourhood: St. James/ Westwood
Burrito Spendido is right on trend.
The new Mexican eatery in St. James is one of several new fast-casual restaurants to open in Winnipeg in the last six months or so.
This ever-burgeoning restaurant trend is sweeping the U.S. and Canada. Subway was one of the trailblazers. The fast-casual scene has been around since the 1990s, but experts say it’s really taken hold and caught fire since 2010. An entire arm of the restaurant industry has dedicated itself to the promotion and growth of this niche market. For a peek inside the scene, look no further than fastcasual.com.
In the U.S., places like Chipotles, Tropical Smoothie Café and Quiznos, have dazzled crowds with fresh, made to order meals set in dining rooms that straddle the line between café and fast-food eateries.
In Winnipeg, Modern Taco Company and Saigon Jon’s Vietnamese Kitchen , Burrito del Rio, and Tea Story all fit the definition. There are more on the way, including Saigon Jon’s second location.
Burrito Splendido is a welcome relief from fast-food standards like cheeseburgers and french fries. Judging by Monday’s big lunch crowd at the Portage Avenue spot, other Winnipeggers feel the same way. The menu is big on burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and burritos in a bowl (salads).
Diners choose their meat of choice and their delivery method. Then they select their favourites sides to load into their burritos, tacos and salads. We loaded our chicken adobo, whole wheat burrito with mango salsa, black beans and bacon, refried beans, mild, chunky salsa, a tangy hot mango salsa (yum), shredded lettuce, chipotle mayo, Mexican rice and rough cut cilantro. The result? An enormous beast of a burrito that was easily enough food for two, or one, very hungry tradesman. It was, fresh, fast and tasty. Insider’s tip: Try to exercise restraint when loading your burrito or risk losing all those great flavours in a mish mash. More isn’t necessarily better.
A shredded pork (carnitos) quesadilla was more modest in size but no less noteable. Tender and luscious shreds of mildly seasoned pork mated well with grilled onions, peppers, quesa fresco and cheddar cheese. All told, Burrito Spendido is a welcome addition to Winnipeg’s burgeoning fresh, fast-food culture.
In other news, here are a few Winnipeg restaurants expected to open soon:
- Jan 21: Shawarma Khan, 225 Mc Dermot Avenue in the Exchange District
- Jan 24: Raw: almond, pop-up restaurant on the frozen river junction of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers
- Opening day TBA: Carnaval, Waterfront and Bannatyne
- Opening day TBA: Thomas Bargen (coffee house), 64 Sherbrook Street
- Opening day TBA: Blue Nile and Midnight, West End eateries
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