Business & Tech
Customers Review New Burrito Bus Restaurant
Everyone seems to have an opinion about Palm Harbor's Burrito Bus Cantina and Margarita Bar, a new restaurant from veteran restauranteur Chris Fragale. The Mexican-themed restaurant opened for business on Sunday, July 28, 2013.
Have you heard? Palm Harbor's Burrito Bus Cantina and Margarita Bar opened for business on Sunday, July 28, 2013.
The restaurant has a unique feature, an eye-catching burrito bus parked on the front patio. Customers can place "to go" orders at the bus, just like you would at a food truck. Customers also have the option of dining inside where the restaurant's waitstaff takes orders and serves food.
Menu prices are very reasonable and start at $2.99 for a Taco and go up to $12.99 for a Camarones entree featuring sauteed shrimp and corn in a Mexican cream sauce served over rice and served with refried beans and tortillas.
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Many of the items on the menu are priced in the $5 to $7 range.
"It's not only purely authentic Mexican food straight from Mexico City, but it also is so reasonably priced. The value is unbelievable," said owner Chris Fragale, 60, a chef who spent a great deal of time in Mexico and also owns another Palm Harbor restaurant, Ozona Blue.
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The Burrito Bus menu includes mexican restaurant favorites like Burritos, Tostadas, Quesadillas and Chimchangas. Some other items on the menu that caught our eye were the Spaghetti & Meatballs Taco for $4.50, the Hot Dog Taco for $4.89, the Croc Taco made with alligator meat for $5.99, and a Duck and Mushroom Taco for $6.99.
Tacos, Burritos, Tortas (Mexican Sandwich) and Tostadas are ordered with your choices of fillings and toppings, which is an appealing option for vegetarians.
"Our vegetarian and our vegan menu is off the charts. The fresh spices, the seasonings, we take extra care," said Fragale.
"We got the extra mile to make it a delicious experience."
The tortillas, salsas, sauces and guacamole served at Burrito Bus are made at the restaurant and will eventually be for sale at a retail shop inside the restaurant.
If you like margaritas, you're in luck. The restaurant's margarita bar features a wide variety of fresh fruit margaritas, including some that are 22-ounces for $5 and 32-ounces for $7.
How Does the Food Taste?
We stopped in at the Burrito Bus this week and tried a $6.99 shredded beef Burrito Supreme and added roasted corn and cilantro, then had a $3.89 Chocolate Peanut Butter Taco for dessert (see photos).
The burrito was filling and very tasty; the cilantro and corn was a nice addition. The Chocolate Peanut Butter Taco appeared to be made with a thin soft cookie that was formed into a "shell". Inside the shell was chocolate peanut butter fudge filling, and whip cream with some chocolate chips sprinkled on top.
We think it would be beneficial to also serve a scoop of vanilla ice cream with this dessert, which will no doubt wind up becoming a kids' favorite.
One other suggestion: the menu is hard to read. It might be beneficial to make the font size a bit larger.
Have you been to the Burrito Bus?
Some Palm Harbor Patch readers have already visited the Burrito Bus and thoughtfully sent us their reviews, which we've included below. Please feel free to add your own opinions about the food and drinks served at Burrito Bus in the comments section.
From Palm Harbor Patch reader Tony Giallourakis, who visited on Sunday and also submitted photos of the food:
"We got there around 11:00 AM this morning, just as they were opening for business. We were their first customers.The selection is awesome. You don't see this kind of Mexican themed food anywhere else in this area. We ordered at the bus outside, and then were given a number to take to our table. The service was great, fast and friendly. You can take out or dine in. You can order at the bus or go inside and have a waiter or waitress take your order. The seating outside has large fans keeping everything nice and cool, but we choose to try the inside for our first visit.
We ordered several kinds of Burrito's and tacos at the outside bus window. We were blown away by the great prices and the quality and taste of the food was off the hook. Their kitchen has a lot of experience, you can tell they know what they are doing.
I highly recommend the premium tacos, like the shrimp and lobster taco, the short rib taco, and the spaghetti and meatball taco, they were all amazing. So was the duck taco, OMG it was perfectly prepared. They even have a hot dog taco, we tried that too. You get the idea.
There is Mexican themed music, an attractively decorated interior, and a fully stocked bar with a host of specialty margaritas offered at price points that no one else can match in this area. The seating was comfortable and spacious. The place was spotless. Everything was clean and neat.
From the sweet corn to the fresh guacamole, it was all delicious. The place was already filling up by the time we finished, so it looks like they are off to a great start.
Check it out for yourself, you'll find the selection and quality worth the trip. When word get out about this sibling restaurant to Ozona Blue and City Fish, I can't imagine it won't be packed from opening to close, although on Friday and Saturdays, they are open 24 hours."
From Palm Harbor Patch reader Victor Fuentes, who visited on Sunday:
"Opened today. Wait was very long for ok food. Will try again sometime when they have a chance to get their stuff together."
The Burrito Bus Cantina and Margarita Bar is located at 34718 U.S. 19, Palm Harbor, (727) 754-7805
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