This branch of BarBurrito is one of three branches the Mexican street food outlet has in…read moreManchester, the city where it all started - in 2005 BarBurrito opened the first burrito bar in the UK nearby at Piccadilly Gardens, 13 years on they advertise they've sold over 5 million burritos since then, and of course this store has opened in the Manchester Arndale's £11m new development, Halle Place. Located on the lower floor of Halle Place, next to the first eatery to open in the new area, Wolf Italian Street Food.
As this store is new, inside it is pretty modern, the vibe for a mall restauraunt really is pretty cool, it's modern, it's vibrant and exciting, and I really like what they've done with this unit that's been so many different and unsuccessful stores over the years, multiple tables with boots and power sockets really is a cool, bonus.
So what is BarBurrito? This is the question I asked myself, having not visited for a few years now since a poor experience at the nearby Piccadilly Gardens branch - it basically is like a Mexican subway serving burritos, but it has a bonus - most of the stuff on offer here can be made gluten-free in the form of a naked burrito, compared to Subway which is virtually a cross contamination nightmare.
Originally, I struggled with the ordering concept before being explained to by a member of staff, you start off with a bowl and choosing the type of rice: white or brown, before moving on to select beans or veg and then your type of meat and then any extras from chilli, to sauces to guacamole. I found the jalapenos to be too spicy on my first visit, and the slaw just to taste a little hard and messy but the food still was good - to the point I managed to establish what will be my regular and of course favourite order:
Naked Burrito in a bowl with white rice, mild beans, chicken, medium salsa
I find the medium salsa to be much tastier, its wetter and goes well with the rice and rest of the burrito bowl.
The chicken on my first visit tasted fresh and great quality, however, the chicken was a little brown the second time and slightly chewy - so maintaining freshness of ingredients is something Barburrito need to make sure they do in the future.
Sadly, on the day of my second visit there was an issue with the signal, with mobile data (even calling and texting) being down and next to impossible with O2, I was told I was unable to register and use my loyalty card - this was a shame. I only found out about it online, sadly I wasn't told in store when I made my first visit the day before.
On my second visit, I felt less rushed, my food was served in a real bowl, but you have to ask for it as this place is a traditional fast food joint, grab and go food.
Pricing of the food is pretty cheap, a burrito costs around £7, and they do have a 20% student discount, extras include £1 for guacamole and £0.50 for veggies (if you also want beans.)
The staff at the store seemed friendly on both occasions, they seemed to go out of their way to help and even explain the menu - which I had previously struggled to understand and basically been turned around the week previous from their Piccadilly Gardens branch due to noise and unhelpful staff.
I also like how they have a counter at the front making ice-cream rolls, this looks really appealing from the front of the store and also you can see them make something which looks rather impressive and inviting to the store - which goes alongside the nice, fresh smells you get from the counter.
Napkins are kept behind the counter, meaning you have to ask for them - I didn't even know they had any on my first visit!
Overall, Barburrito's branch here might be new and there might be some issues such as with the loyalty card promotion and activation, the menu being difficult to understand at first and quality of some sides (guacamole and the chips I found to be tasteless and cold), but this is the best branch of the chain I've visited, it's affordable and a really shining example of good Mexican food, so it does deserve a four-star rating.
UPDATE: I've managed to visit on numerous occasions now, it seems like the enjoyment and success of my first visits, was down to the excitement of trying Mexican food for the first time, on recent visits I've been really disappointed with Barburrito. I've found parts of the rice to taste microwaved in the sense, it is often hard and stuck together, which ruins the quality of my dish. I've also found issues with other meat compared to the grilled chicken. For example, the chicken and chorizo had a "funny" taste to, I couldn't seem to pick up on which wasn't very pleasant, also the peri chicken was covered in stringy onions and pepper, which also didn't go down too well, considering these factors and those mentioned earlier, I sadly feel Barburrito deserves just two-stars instead of the four previously awarded earlier this month.