Tios Burrito

God I hope I don’t get sick. Cheap Mexican food should be good. This is kinda like cheap Mexican except its not cheap and definitely not good.

Stopped here on our way to a CSU game. Several hours later, we wished we would have ate at the stadium. Me + their pork green chili = 5 trips to the can. That aside, it isn’t good food. I felt like the contents of my hot beef burrito were frozen. Didn’t taste fresh at all. To top it off, toppings are extra. That’s ok, but the counter help should have asked if we wanted toppings — lettuce, tomatoes, onions etc. It basically was a frozen burrito smothered in some really awful chili substance. Next time I’ll just go to Taco Hell when I want fast and cheap Mexican. It’d be better than Tios Burrito.

Went here yesterday while waiting for our dog’s appointment at CSU vet school. We wanted good, cheap and quick, and we got all three. AND as a bonus also got into a great conversation with Robert, one of the owners. In fact our convo with him was even more fun than the meal itself!
We had a quick lunch of guac tostada, bean & cheese burrito & a cheese quesadilla. It was filing and for $ 15 what more could we ask for? Well OK, one th ing: how about a few more creative options for vegetarians? That’s about it really.
We’d go there again to try their dinner items, which looked greawt.

This is very hidden Mexican spot just off of Drake and Shields and the only reason I knew it existed was because I’ve done my taxes at the H & R Block next door. So, it’s very unassuming and nondescript except for their tiny sign above the door. Accordingly, I had no knowledge of what to expect and I was optimistic that maybe I found a hidden gem for Mexican in Fort Collins. Unfortunately, I was sadly disappointed. Here’s the story:
We walked in for lunch and we saw a very open layout for such a small space. There were only four tables, which had an awkward shape that would make a party of five or more feel kinda cramped to sit at. We observed a gigantic chalk board with what was currently being served. The options seemed fine. They had breakfast burritos, lunch & dinner burritos for only $ 4 each. Clearly this was a lot cheaper than its competitors. I was pleasantly surprised because I was thinking, «Wow, I’m going to get lunch for half price today!» We all decided what we wanted and went to order the food at the register.
There was one guy on duty (for what we could tell) with a backwards turned baseball cap. He wasn’t the most enthusiastic of sorts, but congenial at least. Most times at mom and pot eateries like this you have an owner or someone in the family that is radiating with energy and willingness to help you decide on your food and maybe make suggestions. If he was the only guy on duty, then he had his work cut out for him and he just too focused on everyone else to make small talk. We paid for our meal right then and there without ever seeing the food (pretty clever).
We all found a table and sat to wait for the food. I thought we’d get a number or something so that everyone got the right food, but I guess he just remembers what everyone got and we had to trust that he did. As we waited, I had my smart phone out and I was reading the Unilocal reviews on this place. It wasn’t until this point that I started to become a little worried. I read Kristin M’s take on the place and I had felt like she was right there describing exactly what I was seeing. The food took a while to come out so I was able to read every review. The same guy would come out with someone else’s food, then apologize to every one else for the wait. So, this process of delivering and apologizing continued for quite a while until he finally delivered our food.
The moment of truth had arrived. My cheap burrito sat before me and I was looking at something about the size of a store bought version that you’d find in the freezer section. I was impressed with the tortilla the most. It was extremely fluffy and fresh — probably the best tortilla I’ve had. However, it was the contents of the burrito that were so sad and bland. The idea of refried beans and oil-​based cheese mixed with your choice of bland (likely frozen) meat is not worthy of any culinary merit outside the scrutiny of a Taco Bell back-​line cook. I cannot see why you’d ruin such a good tortilla with this tasteless mess of cheap ingredients.
Needless to say, we’re not coming back and we’re not recommending this place to anyone.

Just picked up a Chicken, Potato, Bean and Cheese burrito. Very Good — tons of chicken. Good quality produce. Spicy salsa is one of the best (if not the best) salsas I’ve had in Fort Collins. Robert (owners son) served me, the man likes his food! Thanks Tio Burrito.

I’d driven by this place a number of times before I finally dropped by recently. Had their basic burrito since it was pretty cheap. In this case, the quality of food matched the price. It wasn’t bad, but there are certainly better burritos out there and nothing really sets this one apart. Probably not a place I’ll be seeking out anytime soon.

It’s the same level of quality as you’d expect to come from cheap eats, but with locally-​owned flair. I felt like it was comparable to a bargain shopping burrito with price being the most important factor and flavor being a bottom priority.
The staff is certainly friendly and kind, and you can tell they genuinely care that you are there to order. But, it’s not a comfortable place to eat with four sparse tables and echoing walls. There are two menu boards — and the chalkboard is a million times easier to read than the dry erase board — if you’re not looking over someone sitting at the table trying to eat directly underneath that.
However, what does matter most, is the quality of food. For your protein, you can choose cheese, chicken, or beef. No carne asada, no carnitas, nothing specifically «Mexican.» While choices are very limited, they taste pretty average. Better than Taco Bell, but not better than any other Mexican restaurant in Fort Collins (and they are a dime a dozen). Outside of tacos, burritos, and quesadillas, you can find chili cheese fries smothered in green pork chile, Frito Pie, and (what I appreciate most on the menu, and it’s only available on the weekend) — menudo. That seems to be about the only «real» Mexican dish available, while everything else is typical American-​Mexican fare, or New Mexican.
As with all of the other meals I’ve had there — the best part was the tortilla. My burrito was pre-​made that morning, and popped into a microwave before serving it to me. The ingredients — especially the cheese — just screamed «cheap food», and not in a good way. Runny, thin, yellow cheese that was just steps away from Velveeta, mushy potatoes that were sparsely hidden in tasteless egg with speckles of fatty sausage. Not good.
I’m all for bargain shopping, and even cheap eats. Any way to save a buck, right? But I’m not willing to sacrifice flavor and quality for penny pinching. The atmosphere, the impression that came with being served on cheap paper plates, and most importantly for me — the quality of food — I’m not that desperate for cheap, mediocre, Mexican food that’s comparable to a Wal-​Mart burrito.

This place is pretty tasty, and I would definitely recommend it. I went with my boyfriend who used a coupon that made it 7 dollars for the two of us. We both got smothered burritos, which were fresh and so good… loved the green chile! For dessert we got a «sweet burrito,» which had sugar, cinnamon, and peach pie filling, it was freaking delicious!

Great authentic food and great prices. I would recommend this place to everyone. I love their pork green chili!