El Burro Pollo

If you don’t like this burrito you literally deserve to be slapped in the face.
Seriously, it’s incredible and I almost got in a car accident speeding here because I was scared they’d run out.

What is this place? I walked through a restaurant and up a half-​flight of stairs and there was a teensy kitchen with one guy and a lady saying «Whattlyahave?» I opted for the chicken burrito as a salad, and walked away with an enormous pile of incredibly moist, beautifully spiced chicken topped with [non-​mayonnaisey] slaw and a bacon cookie, all for $ 8.50. I then squirreled myself away in a corner of the Plaza Theater and ate this under cover of darkness.
The texture of the meat is perfect, and the flavor is so, so nice. Due to the fact that I couldn’t see much of what I was eating, I’m not sure if the slight oversaltiness was due to one of the sauces or was a feature of the meat, itself. Although I appreciated not having to deal with rice or beans – not to mention a tortilla – I’d have liked a little cotija cheese or more identifiable crema to cut the salt and spice, and maybe a little acidity in the slaw. Also, I was underwhelmed by the bacon cookie – it could’ve used some of that extra salt, and didn’t have any of the light crumbliness shortbread should.
I’m a big fan of weird locations, so that was fantastic, and I also enjoy that they’re open for only around three hours every week.
Overall, this episode made me realize two things: 1) maybe I do like burritos, after all, and 2) I really should eat food in the light.

By far the best burrito experience I’ve had in Atlanta. These aren’t traditional California-​style that Willy’s is known around the city for.
In college, I could handle the carbo-​fat bomb that was a giant 12″ tortilla stuffed with guac, rice, beans, cheese, sour cream, lots of salsas — my metabolism would shrug it off while chugging a Miller Lite — now, it adds about 3 pounds in the midsection.
I discovered El Burro Pollo on a Saturday afternoon when my friend invited me for another round of KoP on the «corner», and we saw the signage all over the place (this was more than a year ago, before the drama around the Food Truck movement and Fulton county.
My typical is the 10″ chicken burrito, extra salsa verde, extra triple chile (which I come to understand is chipotle, habanero, and roasted serrano with a ton of garlic), and extra crema. The burrito comes served in newspaper, with a freshly toasted tortilla wrapping the «payload», with just enough fresh greens and radishes to provide some crunch. Delicious.
Chef Hector is one of my favorite Atlanta personalities, and you regularly see him slinging burritos on Saturdays (and used to serving up the delicious Media Noche at the now-​expired Super Pan on weekdays — please return!). I love casually chatting with him — he’s much more Atlanta than Kevin Gillespie could ever be.
Parking used to be a problem until Pura Vida got to share the lot with the Massari center across the street — now that’s a never an issue for me.
This place is a solid 4.5 stars for me, the rounding to 4 is only because it’s offered on Saturday and sometimes I can get an inconsistently — yet still absolutely delicious — lukewarm burrito.

Awesome! Came here last Saturday and had the three chile chicken burrito and my husband had the special pork burrito. Sadly, the aguas fresca were all sold out… the order before me got the last passionfruit lemon agua! Nonetheless, the burrito were fresh and delicious… the pork one was seriously amazing! I would have liked a bit more of the salsa in my chicken burrito… it was all concentrated down at the bottom of the burrito, which made for final bites of goodness as I finished up my lunch. Overall, I’d say best burrito I’ve had within ATL city limits.

The absolute best burrito I’ve ever had. Only available on Saturdays in the basement of Pura Vida (the former Super Pan space).
The tortilla is charred over a grill, then stuffed with a huge portion of chicken thigh meat braised in chilis, then topped with a fresh cabbage, radish, and carrot slaw, and red, green, and white sauces. They finish by wrapping it up in an old issue of Creating Loafing and send you on your way, perhaps with one of their Agua Frescas, bacon cookies, or the special of the day, perhaps the Pig Head tacos.
My wife and I always split one. We leave feeling satisfied, but not gross, since they don’t bother with filler like rice and beans.

Why oh why did I wait so long to try El Burro Pollo?!? The chicken was tasty, the sauce was hot (which is a great thing) and the burrito overall was excellent. My only complaint is that it’s not available every day. Next time I’m getting the bigger burrito because even if I don’t finish it the thought of having it for leftovers makes me happy.

So after a million years, and nudges from Zack E. to come and check this place out, I finally wasn’t hungover one Saturday morning to make the trek in town to check them out. I’m so glad I did, the burrito was delicious, had just enough spice, and the veggies (team cilantro!), melded together wonderfully. They have a small menu chicken burrito, I think I saw tofu, a few specials of the day, a dessert, and auga frescas. The regular burrito was very filling and towards the end I gave up and couldn’t finish the rest. Great deal, awesome food!

First off I will say the same thing I said about Pura Vida and that is that I love the parking situation, the private lot is great and super easy to find a spot. Having to circle a block ten times, haggle for a parking spot and then search for quarters can really put you in a bad mood before you enter a place.
I ordered a regular chicken burrito. It was super hot (spicy) and had this red sauce all over it. It was so hot my nose started to run which isn’t good news for me because I don’t like spicy foods much less really spicy foods. Mine was redder and doesn’t look like the ones I saw in the pictures. I’m a little confused, Hector didn’t make it btw. When I pulled some chicken out I could tell it had a good seasoning but it was masked by all that hot stuff! The veggies helped cool it down a little. What I can appreciate about this burrito is the fact that it tasted very authentic, like something only a true Latino can make. I felt like I had really experienced something, I’ve never had a burrito like this before. That damn hot stuff really dampened it for me and it made its own little puddle in the wrappper; when I go back ill know better.

Stopped at High Road factory first for my Saturday only trifecta. Second stop — El Burro Pollo. Third stop — King of Pops.
How much is there to say about a burrito though? Tortilla — charred and smoke infused, very nice. Meat — loaded with shredded chicken, slight heat but nothing serious. Vege slaw really added to it. Lemonade — beautiful.
Overall — best damn burrito I’ve had. Wish they were open more often.

I finally visited Hector Santiago’s burrito stand, el Burro Pollo, this past weekend. Unfortunately, Fulton County conducted a bust of the street food vendors along N. Highland that morning. Luckily for us, Hector was still serving, just inside his sandwich shop, Super Pan.
Word has definitely spread about these delicious burritos. We ended up waiting about 30 – 40 minutes in line. But the wait didn’t seem that bad. It was a beautiful Saturday morning and we had fun chatting with other people in line. Some were regulars and gave us advice on what to order.
Apparently around 10:30 a.m. Hector was outside serving French Toast from his stand (yum!). They also told us that there are usually two burritos available, the standard chicken, and then whatever Hector’s serving that day (for us– tofu). He also sells delicious cookies (we had a chipotle chocolate chip) and agua fresca (like gourmet fruit punch)
The burritos are $ 5 – 7 for a regular size and $ 11 for a large. We got two regulars and it was plenty. He grills the tortillas, which gives them an amazing flavor. They’re filled with veggies you don’t typically see in a burrito (radishes, picked carrots, etc) and then either pulled chicken or grilled tofu. Wrapped in a newspaper, you’re good to go. We took ours outside and continued our conversation with our line-​friends curbside.
There was something really awesome about being out on a Saturday morning, enjoying the weather, and sharing a quasi-​secret with a bunch of other Atlantans passionate about good food and city life. It sounds cheesy, but I wholeheartedly recommend stopping by next weekend. I know I’ll definitely be going back.
(Located at the corner of Ponce and N. Highland, across the street from Pura Vida, or possibly in the Super Pan sandwich shop)

I was skeptical about a $ 7 burrito and the a giant mass of shredded chicken and not too much else in the nicely charred tortilla. Doubt went out the window with the first bite. They’ve mastered the seasoning/​heat/​sliced veg balance. So. Damned. Good.
Flan tasted like it came from a mix. Sorry if it was homemade.
Cheers~

After weeks of suggesting El Burro Pollo back and forth at each other, the timing finally worked for us to meet up with Zack and Rachel E to try out El Burro Pollo.
I’ve been totally off of chicken for a while (My dad’s low cholesterol diet meant that I ate WAY too much poultry as a kid, and then with the pregnancy, it became one of my aversions, particularly cooking it myself), so I wasn’t sure what I would think of these burritos. Now that’s some good chicken — very moist and flavorful. Speaking of moist, be careful — the juice will definitely coming running out the bottom of the burrito! We ended up sitting on the curb since it was such a lovely day that there wasn’t space for all of us at the one table. Curb-​sitting allowed us to let the juice drip onto the sidewalk instead of our pants.
Jimmy and I split the 14″ tortilla size (after all, why get 2 at $ 6 when one at $ 10 will feed 2 people, particularly when augmented by a cone of fries… more on that later). That they grill the tortilla prior to filling makes it really flavorful and gives it a great texture (more flatbread, less gummy). I never knew that radishes could taste so good and complement other food so well. All the fresh veggies really balance out the smokiness of the meat, and they’re extra juicy.
The agua fresca of the day was delicious (guava-​pineapple?), and worked quite well with the slightly spicy burrito.
Of course it helps that it was one of the few sunny days of the last 6 weeks and the temperature was above 50. And that we’d been running that morning, so I was very hungry. But this is exactly the kind of food that Atlanta needs — simple ingredients, lots of flavor, easily accessible.
#Yelp365 — ³⁹⁄₃₆₅

Did I die and go to burrito heaven? Hmmmm, meyhaps the burrito heaven in my dreams was warmer and required less standing in long lines. But goodness, the burrito itself is far beyond anything I would have expected, and I came to Hector’s little food cart with pretty high expectations.
The prices have gone up. The 10″ chicken burritos are now 7 dollars. The extra dollar is well worth it.
Your journey starts by waiting in a rather long line in a parking lot. This is the perfect time to talk to a few strangers and make eyes at the burritos that are walking past you. You get to the tent and immediately order and grab either water, sodas, mexican coke, or something freshly made (guava fresca was the option when I was there). Now your tortilla is warmed over a grill, divinely juicy chicken is added with a generous handful of fresh veggies (as Hector said, «this is the best way to get your vegetables!»), and finally some sauces are thrown on top. The result is a savory, smoky chicken burrito that is like no other. I would definitely recommend getting the burrito «all the way,» but if you aren’t a huge spice lover, you might ask them to avoid the hot sauce. One of my companions was clearly a bit burnt out by the end (I on the other hand will order mine extra-​spicy next time). They also carry tofu for the veggie lovers out there, but I can’t comment on how good they are.
If you get there early enough, you might have the opportunity to try something unique. I believe they often sell out of their special items before the chicken runs out.
I’d also recommend hitting up the fry guy before you stand in line for the burrito. It will give you something to snack on while you wait, and everyone deserves a little gluttony every once in a while!

The creations coming out of El Burro Pollo are a class of their own; everything else is substandard. I snagged one of the 10″ chicken burritos for $ 6 along with a $ 3 fresca (cash only). This was, without a doubt, one of the best lunches I’ve had in some time. The meat was about as fresh as can be, veggies were crisp and delicious, and the tortilla was hot off the grill. The fresca (guava + raspberry… i think) was sweet, sour and refreshing, perfectly complementing the savory, spicy, and smoky flavors of the burrito.
If you’ve not been, you’re missing out.

Holy Burro mecca. As my boyfriend says– this isn’t a burrito, its a burro.
We have gone twice this winter — the first time we split the el orginal — the large burro and they cut it in half for us. The tortillas are cooked on the grill and the burros are wrapped in yesterday’s creative loafing. We scored a seat at the tiny table next to some scrabble playing hipsters and I had the mora lemonade and he had a mexican coke.
The burros are just our style– nothing but spicy, flavorful, juicy meat and delicious tangy, crunchy veggies — some of which I barely recognized but I think are various types of radishes.
Last weekend we went back and we each got our own– my boyfriend destroyed the large burro and I had the smaller one — they were even better this time– more juicy, more texture. We also split an order of the beef and bean chili to try it — it was spicy, but not thick enough for me but great flavor.
The mexican chocolate is a thick, kicky, sludge of deliciousness that coats your throat and feels like dessert. Wow.
Can’t really get enough of this place. Hope for more specials so we don’t get sick of the chicken burritos. This week he was serving korean short rib burros with kimchi but we passed…

I first tried El Burro Pollo ages ago, but held off on a review because, honestly, my burrito was kind of dry. This disappointed me in a way food shouldn’t. I mean, it’s not like the burrito called me up one random day and told me he’s dropping organic chemistry because he thinks med school is a joke and he wants to do something else. And it’s not like he floated around, moving from major to major before ending up majoring in friggin’ PSYCHOLOGY of all things. That’s a GIRL major. So what if he got into a PhD program? How is he supposed to make a living off of PSYCHOLOGY? Stupid burrito.
Um, and about all that: Sorry, mom.
Anyway, I knew my burrito had more potential, not only because he had some kick ass GRE scores, but also fellow Unilocaler James H.‘s burrito was juicy and luscious and he ordered that thing literally 30 seconds before I did. But whereas James got his burrito immediately, I had to wait for Chef Hector to go through his assembly line of 6 other burritos before completing mine. By that time, somehow, my burrito meat dried out.
Unfortunately, it took me a while to return. College football got in the way. Now that Auburn bought its way to a championship, my Saturdays are free for me to go eat burritos in a parking lot which is what James and I did.
I’m glad to say that my burrito was indeed juicy and luscious. And spicy. And BIG. Don’t expect variety. You’ll get chicken or tofu. Or, I guess you can request chicken AND tofu, but then you’d be weird. The tortilla isn’t made in-​house, but since it’s prepped on the open flame grill, it takes on some of that rustic smoke flavor. The many-​flavored lemonade (s) (depends on the day, really) are good, but hold off drinking it. Otherwise you’ll be halfway through your enormous burrito, bite into something spicy and have to suck on your leftover ice. We also ordered chili, a special of the day. Now THAT folks, was awesome. I daresay it was better than the burrito.
OK, ambiance is lacking. Well, it might be lacking for some. You’re standing in a parking lot for crissakes. For foodie douchebags (of which I have to count myself as one), it seems novel, rustic and paradoxically urbane at the same time. My parents (who are NOT foodie douchebags) would say, «Why are we eating in a parking lot? One table? Do we have to eat with strangers? And when are you ever going to take your MCAT?» So take that as you will. I certainly enjoy the experience and I enjoy the burrito. I LOVED the chili. I’ll give 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 because of that dry first burrito.

I like these burritos very much, and the Mexican hot chocolate is NO JOKE. Nothing much to add to the food reviews, but I wanted to note that the single-​serving burrito is now $ 7. They had to raise the price a bit. I’m sorry, I forgot to check if the $ 10 one got an increase, too.
So, still great, and still about the same price as Chipotle. Well worth a visit.

So glad I was finally able to enjoy the weekend only exclusive of El Burro Pollo. Went in today (it was located inside Super Pan, probably due to the freezing weather outside) with my roommate and got our orders of 10″ burritos in quick. And we got them back quick, too and got to see the entire process of how the cook put everything together.
Note, they ONLY serve spicy chicken burritos, which all they need to serve, because it is so delicious. The meat is very juicy, so much that it will leak right out of the burrito! The only ingredients are tortilla, spicy chicken, salsa, hot sauce, and some salad, which is a far cry from «Traditional» burritos, but the combination is so excellent, and you get so much meat in the meal. Pair it with a Mexican coke and you’ll be good to go.

I made sure we got here early before the even opened on Saturday. I’m from Southern California and I have yet to find a good burrito in the ATL. Any suggestions are welcome but I don’t think were going to get much better then this.
For 6 bucks you get a sizeable burrito but you have to go for the grande as its enough to feed 2 people and it comes in at 10 bucks.
We added an agua fresca that they make with a different flavor every week it was pretty good.
The burrito had was very good and ill be back for sure, when you go ask for extra queso and green sauce, we wish they put a bit more on ours.
Cock a doodle doo!

It’s hot as Hades and I am standing on pavement waiting in a queue 15 deep for my chance to order a delicious «road side» burrito from Señor Santiago of Pura Vida.
$ 6 for a 10 inch and $ 10 for a 14 inch original. These burritos are comprised of charred on the grill tortilla, perfectly shredded moist chicken in a reddish sauce, sliced radishes and leafy greens, tomatillo sauce, crema, and my favorite, smoked spicy peppers that add a wonderful pop to the already great burrito.
No worries about health here ladies and gentlemen. The chicken and sauces are prepared in Pura Vida and rolled out last minute to sit in a warmer. The tortilla is grilled and the burrito is assembled while you wait. The tortilla is then presented to you in a beautiful paper wrapping that somehow keeps all drips off you. You can either eat it under the tent at a table surrounded by chairs or you can take it to go. If you get it to go I promise you that you will have it eaten before you make it home.
Hector offers one type of agua fresca every week. This past time is was Tamarind and I believe the time before that was guanabana aka soursop. Also on the menu, at least this past time, was tuna escabeche.
FYI:
–Cash Only
–Stand opens at noon Saturday and Sunday and closes around 3 or so; The line starts forming about 2 minutes until noon. I have gotten there at 1ish and not had to wait, but that might change once more people get wind of the stand.
–Stand is in the church parking lot across from the old San Fran coffee on Highland and is catty corner from Pura Vida.