They had their grand opening last Thursday.
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Lunch at Freebirds
November 11th, 2011, 4:22 pm · 5 Comments · posted by Amy Nichol Smith
inShare0All the hype about Freebirds (located at 2521 E. Expressway 83 in Mission) seemed to drive a steady stream of customers to the burrito chain which had its grand opening Thursday morning.
The casual eatery’s decor is best described as groovy. A figure of Lady Liberty on the seat of a motorcycle busting through the wall hangs low from the ceiling and the walls are covered with peace signs and a VW van.
OK, so it’s a hip place. But what about the service and food?
A review of service on the first day at any restaurant is likely going to be same: enthusiastic greetings, lots of smiles and prompt servers, who seem genuinely interested in whether you’re having a good day. Then again, this could be a permanent attitude at the super friendly Freebirds.
I went alone to pick up four burritos for friends and co-workers, so my experience was a bit different. Ordering food at Freebirds is a little like ordering a sandwich from a deli where you pick your toppings one by one.
(HUGE TIP: If you’re ordering more than one burrito, do so online or by card at the restaurant or you’ll be going through the line again and again.)
First, you choose your tortilla (flour, wheat, cayenne or spinach). Then you choose the size you want (four sizes from small to monster), and then a burrito roller moves down the line with you as you decide on beans (pinto, black, refried), cheese (three different kinds), meat (white chicken, dark chicken, steak or pork), veggies, salsas, sauces, cheese sauce, sour cream, guac, etc.
Once your burrito is stuffed, it’s rolled, foil-wrapped and delivered to you at the end of the line. It’s a fairly fast process, and the choices seem endless.
This is the regular "Freebird" size, and it's massive.
I tried a chicken burrito with cilantro rice, Monterrey cheese, refried beans, pico de gallo, lettuce and a bit of hot sauce on a spinach tortilla. Frankly, my burrito was a bit bland, but I think that’s my fault.
One of my friends wanted a steak burrito, and I know he likes a good spicy kick. So I chose a cayenne tortilla and the habanero salsa. After I had a bite of his burrito, I knew I had chosen wisely – for him, anyway. It was a tasty bite.
Tip for flavor-seekers: Make good use of the salsas available at the bar. They seem to make all the difference.
Sauces (not the salsas) here include BBQ, hot and mild (green).
That said, I liked my burrito. I prefer bright flavors, like cilantro and fresh pico de gallo. Next time, though, I’m loading up on the salsa.
If only the place served fish, I might be able to replicate the fish burritos I used to eat at this little shop called Juanita’s in Encinitas, Calif. … or Baja Grill in McAllen (which closed a while ago).
Not sure where I’ll head next week. I need more suggestions!
