I don’t know if anyone else has noticed this but there has been the increasing amount of burrito places appearing in across Dublin over the last year or two, they are every where. I remember a few years ago, the only place that served decent burritos at a reasonable price was the original Burritos & Blues in Ranelagh but today, that has all changed. Budding restaurant owners have seen the demand for this exquisite cuisine and jumped on it.



I used to take the most ridiculous detours on my way home just so I would find myself in Ranelagh and say to myself, ‘Ah sure, I’ll just pop in for an oul Irish Pub Burrito as I’m here. It’ll keep me going for the day.’ They were so good, it’s actually making my mouth water now - PS - I have noticed that the Irish Pub Burrito has yet to appear on the menu of the new Burritos & Blues joints in town, why is this? They were the tastiest things you could get your hands on; they had chips in them, amazing! But, I remember, you had that place and then the two places in town - Acapulco on Georges Street and that place in Temple Bar beside Elephant and Castle, both of which were tasty but were scandalously expensive. ‘12 euro for a burrito, get the fuckin boat, mate’, so Ranelagh was the only place. Then, suddenly, out of no where, Burritos & Blues closes. To say I was heartbroken was a complete understatement, I felt like someone had just raped my cat . . . . . . . . okay, I don’t know why it made me feel like that but it did. I was distraught. Two years, I think, would pass until I heard of new decent in Dublin, two long years. But, now, as I said earlier, they are flourishing, they are every where and I couldn’t be happier. So happy that I literally cannot stop eating burritos, I have at least 6 burritos a week . . . . . on average. I am up to my neck with loyalty cards, I am eating them so often that I can tell a dodgy one from just the smell. I can tell a dodgy burrito from the expression on the face of the dude whose serving me. I am obsessed and I don’t know what to do. . . . . . . . until now. I am going to blog about it.



Burrito & Blues



Okay, the original burrito spot in Dublin that reopened there about a year ago on Wexford Street and now has another branch on Stephens Street. First off, that’s a weird little move right there, the two places are very near each other and the Stephen Street one is a bit hidden if you ask me. I reckon the Stephen Street one will be closed fairly shortly. Anyway, I have to say, I was wearing the Burrito and Blues jersey for a very long time, they could do no wrong in my opinion. The burritos were big and tasty, they were the only burrito place in the area, prices were reasonable, grand, I was a happy customer. But in recent weeks I have noticed the standard dropping a little, as I’ve gotten to taste all the other ones, my opinion has been raised to a higher standard now. The Silver Bullet is getting a bit sloppy. I’m finding by half way of my burrito, its falling apart in my hand and I have juice running down my hand onto my arm, down to my elbow. But they are fully responsible for the Salsa Fries which I hold in very high regard, bravo on that one lads. The lads at Burritos & Blues have also incorporated the loyalty card, a huge pull for me, I love filling my cards.



Pablo Picante



Pablo’s have been open for a while, it’s just I didn’t know about it because I have very little business down on Baggot Street, but as soon as I heard there was a burrito place on Baggot Street, you can bet your bollix I was there with bells on. They have in recent months opened another place at the top of South Williams Street, down that little lane way where the costume shop is. Pablos make a tasty fucking burrito; they don’t have the sloppy factor what so ever and the thing stay intact for the duration of consumption. If I was to say anything about them, they are a little bit thin; they could be a little bit thicker. I have, I will admit, been kind of hungry, unfulfilled after a visit to Pablo’s occasionally, this is a big no-no for me. The other places serve their burritos larger and you are in bits after them. In Pablo’s, they are a bit small, a bit thin. Also, they have to do something about there tortilla chips, the chips are tasteless which is such a surprise because there burritos are probably the tastiest in the city. Pablo Picante also have the best student deal going, it’s a fiver for any burrito. I care who you are a burrito for a fiver is the deal of the century.



Boojum



In the Italian quarter, just over the Liffey, the north side of the Millennium Bridge, there is Boojum. This in my opinion is the best place in Dublin, the way the place is laid out, the service, the quality & quantity of the food & the prices. Just beyond the Budda Bag shop, you’ll see it on the left beside the KOH restaurant, at lunch time there is normally a huge cue coming out the door and onto the street but have no fear, you will not be standing in line for a half hour, the cue bolts along at an grand pace. This is the first thing I wanted to talk about, the layout, everyone cues up, you as the first person behind the counter what types of burritos you want, he gets that together, and passes it to the second person who asks you what salad and sauces you want and rolls it and raps it. The third person is a person at the till, you pay and you’re done. I cannot tell you how quick it seems. The service is always great as always, big smiles and really chatty Ozzie birds who are borderline flirting with you, it makes the whole experience a lot more enjoyable. The burritos are as big as the ones in Burritos and Blues and they definitely are a close second to Pablo’s burritos. The student deal is quality as well, 15% off.



Burritos & Oranges



Burritos & Orange was a strange name, I thought as I was on my way to Boojum. I stop and I check the place out. Burrito & Orange is new enough I think. It’s is situated by the Jervis Luas Stop, at the bottom of Upper Liffey Street. The thing that struck me the most was their lunchtime deal – ‘Burrito and Any Drink for €5’. Now, I don’t know about anyone else but when I’m working in town and I am wandering around looking for something to nibble on to get me through the rest of my day. I very rarely like to go over the €5 mark. I do all the time as all I eat are burritos so when I see a deal like that, I’m gonna try it. The burrito selection wasn’t the best and the place was a bit of a shit hole but the food area was clean and when I saw the food, it looked tasty. ‘Fuck it, I thought to myself, I’ll have a chicken burrito for shits and giggles.’ Now I normally have sparkling water with my burrito but sadly they could not accommodate me with this respect, I take plain oul water and wander to my seat. The burrito itself was a nice size and tasted average, not as nearly as tasty as the others but for a fiver it did the trick. That is pretty much all I can say about this place. MY arse forgot about it the second my ass left the seat.



Little Ass



This place is a little hidden gem. If you cast your mind back to when Pizza Hut used to be the place to be at the corner of Upper Rathmines Road and Rathgar, well, those days are gone. Now it is a slick little place that lashes out burritos like there is no tomorrow. I’m fuming because I spent many years living in Rathmines, always pacing the main street in search for somewhere to frequent and now that I’m gone, they open a fucking burrito spot just around the corner from my old gaf. This place is the business, every time I’m in Rathmines I make an excuse to pop in and they have this yellowy / greeny sauce that no other place has, it tastes the bomb. They also had the great idea of a breakfast burrito, amazing idea, I thought to myself. There I am in bed, its morning time, I waking up and I’m hungry, ‘I know what I’ll do, I’ll jump on my bike at head down for one of those new breakfast burritos.’ I do and the place was closed, I was very disappointed to say the least. I then find out that they took it off the menu, very disappointed altogether, I’d say they would have been unreal. One thing for the owners if they are even considering reading this thing, change your sign. It's a tad bit ripped off from Joe Burger



Anyway, I hope I have advised everyone who read this well in the art of seeking out a good burrito in this town. I know, the standard is getting better and I hope it to keep getting better and better as time goes on, actually all this talk about burritos is really getting me hungry, I’m gonna head out to find a new place that does Mexican food, Café Aztera up at the top of Dame Street and I’d say there are on or two now in Temple Bar. I’m going to check it out.