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 Es muy fresco. Spanish to English translation, “It’s very fresh”! I found this out in speaking to Samuel Engelking – one of the owners of the new Mexican inspired joint Casa Burrito on Portage Avenue across from the U of W. And after tasting a delicious Mexican Braised Chicken Burrito with “the usual salsa” I was convinced; they’ve got a good thing going on there.Not only is the food tasty, but the prices are reasonable for the portions you get. Engelking and a friendly staff of 10 help to prepare burritos and quesadillas that come in 10” or 12” portion sizes and most menu items, including tacos, nachos and salads, are between five and eight dollars. Not bad when you consider Casa Burrito offers healthy unprocessed menu items – everything is baked, nothing is fried. With your choice of delicious exotic salsas ranging from mango and smokey chipotle to extra spicy green or “the usual salsa” – and with the added bonus of being able to order a good old fashioned pic-a-pop – the dishes are fresh, unique, and a delight to partake in. Engelking said that is exactly what he and business partner, Vinay Iyer – who also happens to be president of the U of W Student Association, had in mind when they began molding the concept. Engelking goes on to explain that when he and Iyer would go out, they could never choose a place where they wanted to eat; so instead they decided to create one. At first they thought of opening a non-traditional pizza place similar to that of the California Pizza Kitchen chain, offering very unique pizza toppings and flavours. Upon researching, they found that with large number of pizza places currently operating in the city and with the arrival of pizza pizza from out east, the market in Winnipeg on pizza was not a good fit. Then Engelking mentioned he used to work across from a burrito place in Toronto, his home before he made the trek to Winnipeg to open a restaurant. He and Iyer thought this concept would work well as they could not think of many non-full service Mexican-based restaurants located in Winnipeg. It was decided then that Engelking would move to Winnipeg and open the niche fast casual eatery with partner Iyer. A business proposal was made, a location was chosen, renos were completed, a menu was created by a professional chef, staff was hired and the rest is history. Casa Burrito opened up September of 2008 and has been getting more and more word of mouth attention. People are reacting and Engelking notes that opening up a fast casual burrito joint next to a university has been great. When asked about choosing the Portage Avenue location, Engelking stated simply, “it works”. When the former Sarpino’s Pizza site was listed on the market, there was no question that the 520 Portage Avenue opportunity would be jumped on by the duo. Engelking mentioned the downtown specifically, “We like being surrounded by other businesses, there is a diverse mix of people down here and we eventually want to be able to give back to the community.” Further, Engelking and Iyer want to include opening a second location as well as contributing to the revitalization of downtown as part of their plans for the future. There is also one more thing that Engelking would like to make sure the public knows, and that is that Casa Burrito is now on the map. “We exist!” he follows. So go out and try it for yourself! Casa Burrito is open Monday through Friday from 11am – 9pm and Saturdays & Sundays from 4pm – 9pm. Casa Burrito Owner, Samuel Engelking Owner, Vinay Iyer 520 Portage Ave 204-774-2272 |
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