Food Review: Casa Burrito

Casa Burrito

520 Portage Ave

UPDATED: OCTOBER 2014

At Casa Burrito you are among friends. Indeed, one would have trouble finding a friendlier owner anywhere. Vinay is always happy to talk to customers about anything from downtown events to the challenges of owning a restaurant that is so influenced by the U of W student’s seasonal comings and goings. Sometimes you’ll find him in a van at the folk fest or at the fringe and those events are all the better for it.

I have gone there a few times. One of the advantages of the place is that you can order a beer alongside your food, which is uncommon for a "fast food" restaurant. They have a respectable selection of local beer and a few Mexican imports. The restaurant itself is in a clean but fairly unexceptional place with a counter and a few chairs. They are always playing an eclectic mix of music and the posters of Mexico round out the décor. If it’s empty, you get to chat. If it’s not, you can pick up a copy of The Uniter and read the U of W’s paper.

The place is set up to give you a few choices: taco/burrito/quesadilla? Large or small? and your choice of salsa. They also have sour cream an occasionally sour cream with mango bits in it, which is great.

           
I have ordered:

• The Cocoa Yam (discontinued)
• The Bean & Cheese
• The Curried Lentil

I prefer the quesadillas because there seems to be more cheese and less filling. None of the salsa's are very hot, but the salsa verde will certainly warm your mouth. The mango salsa is a good choice for a sweeter burrito. I tend to order the bean and cheese, because I like lots of beans, sour cream. The curried lentil is also a good choice if you are feeling like a mexican-indian fusion.

This is a good place to grab dinner in a hurry. It is perfect if you are going to a show, a play, a hockey game, maybe even a club, but it doesn’t really feel like a social destination. 

Until next time,