Freebird Burritos

A burrito was needed, and a burrito was obtained. I enjoyed the smoky medium-​hot salsa, but wish there was more of it; also, the rice was a wee bit overcooked and some peppers not chopped fine enough for my liking. No extras, and tortilla chips aren’t included in the £5.

I had the vegetarian burrito with all the trimmings (guacamole, cheese etc.) and unfortunately it was pretty bland and tasteless. I love burritos and have had them from various other places and none of them were this bland. Not even the cheese and guacamole could make up for the lack of flavour of the rest of it. I’m afraid to say I really couldn’t recommend this.

*review for the stall at 186 Shoreditch High Street*
I have had limited exposure to Mexcian and pseudo-​Mex food. My Californian friends keep telling me that I’ll love the ‘real’ stuff, but it’s hard to come by here. Anyway, FB falls under the pseudo-​Mex bracket I guess. Nothing particularly striking on the menu (fajitas, burritos), but if done well, it should be pretty tasty, right? I was pretty disappointed with my smoky pulled pork fajita. I mean. It was fine, fairly filling. The flavours weren’t anything particularly special. I thought the meat could have done with more seasoning and it really needed some lime to cut through, as it was it was a little bland. I had a bit of tummy trouble afterwards which I wouldn’t be surprised if it were the fajita, but I can’t say for certain (The Mission in Oxford caused at least one casualty a month amongst my friends in this department).
I mean. I’d give it three stars if it weren’t for the staff. I rarely mark down for service, let alone at a food truck, but this was possibly the iciest service I’ve ever received at a food stall, I kid you not. I was a little taken aback by this. The guacamole on the tortillas was the fact that one of the servers put the pot of guacamole upside down into my friend’s tortillas… just…I mean, you know, nothing quite says «I don’t give a toss» like that.
So there we are. I don’t care if it’s real or not real Mexican or whatever. Just little to redeem the entire experience.

Reasonable price. Burritos are a very good size, so great value. Medium spice has a good kick. Tacos have little filling but you get three in a portion, so overall, a reasonable amount. Location is great, station is less than 50 yards away. They had a can of coke with love on it, must admit I dig that.

Guys! Come back! I think this Freebird has turned a new feather. I rarely rate a place above the average, so I am instantly suspicious of myself, but I think this is worth a second look. Of course, we don’t all have the same taste, but I would love to know what people think about it now.
Or maybe my above-​average rating is from the fact that there really is nothing like a hot burrito after 10 hours on public and private transport in one terrible, terrible Tube strike day. I looked to Freebird as a source of much-​needed nourishment and solace after seeing the dozen-​person-​long taxi rank line at Liverpool Street Station. Distracted by dejectedly reloading Hailo and AddLee for the umpteenth times to no avail (sorry no to £24 minimum and 3x surge pricing Über), it was all I could do to say, «Please… chicken… burrito. Brown rice… pinto… yes… yes… no, thank you… yes, please.»
And one contactless transaction later, I had myself a bit of edible comfort. My luck picked up a little over the course of being in the rather characterless little box that is Freebird, however – I wasn’t sure why I got a 10% discount, but the burrito artista mumbled something about it and then it showed up on the card reader. Guesses include: Post-​8pm discount? Tube strike discount? She thought it was my birthday?
Taste-​wise, I was just so pleased that I got brown rice (and without the usual surcharge that comes with it) and a good handful of sweet, crunchy lettuce, which I always miss in authentic Mexican burritos. Contrary to what I’d expect from other reviews, the chicken was juicy, flavorsome, and plentiful. My only gripe is that, as with most Mexican food, it was a little salty for me after the first half.
Anyway, I’m going to go ahead and credit Freebird karma with the fact that I got a cab on the street a couple minutes after getting my burrito. And if that ain’t worth four stars, I don’t know what is.

Not sure about the other reviews here, maybe some hiccups when they first opened?
This is the excellent burrito I know and love from Freebird’s soho markets, but in a store. Generously proportioned and with good flavour the main differential is the meat, which is juicy and tastes like real chicken, not frozen stuff.
I’ve had about 5 – 10 in the last 2 months, and as burritos go, i’d say it’s comfortably the best in the area.

«Whatever this is, it’s not Mexican.» — that’s what I kept repeating to myself as I ate this.
When people at work asked me what I was eating, I had to say «food» and actually use air quotes when saying it because I couldn’t give it the honor of actually calling it a burrito.
First of all, the chicken just tasted all wrong (and I got the regular «grilled chicken», and not one of those faux-​southern things they were attempting here). I chose the chicken fajita burrito thinking it would be good, but it just didn’t hit the spot for me. I had more «authentic» tasting Tex Mex fajita-​food at El Padron. I just get the impression that this place was started by someone who had never had a burrito in North America, and they assume people over here aren’t going to know what they’re supposed to taste like.
It’s not Mexican. It’s not Tex Mex. It’s just… No bueno. Maybe I’d have better luck with one of the non fajita-​style items on the menu (though I really doubt it).
By the way, the Liverpool street location is take away only, so don’t come here thinking you can dine in. I’m not taking any stars off for that, but I feel like people need to know that in advance.

Typical burrito place. not bad. They all taste like chipotle to me. I had not been to a freebird since Austin in 2007. I had the chicken and it was fine. I think it was more bland than what I remember. Most mexican food in London is not as saucy as the ones in the US.
It’s a perfectly good choice for lunch, just don’t expect to be blown away.

The tale of a London burrito: I had high expectations of having some authentic Freebirds here, but alas, as I ran out of the Liverpool station across the street to what I thought would be tastebud bliss. I was somewhat disappointed by Texan standards. By no means is this negative, it’s allperspective! The food was good for local standards. I was expecting some beef fajitas and or some chicken fajitas. I found none of the above, but I did find some intersting beef and true guacamole. The girl behind the counter was amazing, she laughed with us and gave us some samples. We settled on some stewed beef, and the trimmings, of which there was nothing Texan/​Mexican about this. No spanish rice, no refired beans. No chips n salsa. Again I stress if you’re from London, go check this place out, but if you are form the great state of Texas, be prepared for some London eats in burrito form. All in all it was filling, and was better than some of the other food I’ve had. Limited soda selection, but that was solved by the shop around the corner that had more beverages than HEB. Also this is take out only. Not a park or table in sight to sit and eat, but this is not the establishments fault. Summary: Go for lunch and head to your office place and have a tasty? London burrito.

below average. dry meat, super stingy with the chilli sauce and in a massive hurry to push you along the conveyor belt (even though it wasn’t busy). Much better places out there.

Another Monday, another new Mexican joint in London.
I really wanted to like this place (I feel guilty giving it only 2 stars) as it’s pretty close to work and also they gave me a free burrito on opening day wooh, but alas I did not.
I just found ita a bit bland, and given the prices are competing with Chilangos and Chipotle, you’d hope the food would be as good :-(
What I do like are the different fillings you get here, brisket and barbacoa, though I feel everything else kinda lets it down. Nevermind.

Free burritos are a great way to get new fans! I have tried Freebird burritos at a market stall before and been a little underwhelmed. My expectations 2 days ago were therefore fairly low when standing in line for a free burrito to mark their new actual shop (as opposed to market stall).
The burrito was decent though, and the salsas were flavourful. What I don’t understand though, is how staff always seem to be confused when you ask for a little more guac on a vegan burrito (no cheese and sour cream saves them money after all!)
Anyways, this is still no Chiptotle (me, obsessed much?!) but a fine substitute for when you’re in a rush ;)

A friend told me that there are no decent burrito places down this end of London, and seeing Freebird’s name above the door made my heart leap for a second: their cart up in Goodge Street was reasonable, so surely this would be of similar quality, right?
I ordered the standard benchmark grilled chicken burrito (brown rice, black beans), added some smoky salsa and watched with hope as the girl executed a great wrapping technique firm but not over tight, and oriented the correct way so that you don’t get all the meat up one end. It seemed odd that they didn’t have any paper or plastic bags, so in a bin-​depleted environment like The City you’re snookered into walking around with a potentially messy food and no way of catching the bits. Odd.
As I turned to enjoy my ambulatory Mexican morsel I spied on their menu that they had 3 bbq style meats as well as the more standard fare: the lady was more than happy to give me a sample fork of the brisket, which was nice of her.
My conclusion is therefore that though Freebird have good will in abundance, sadly their burrito just isn’t up to it. The brisket tasted like it was low-​grade meat masqueraded in an overly sweet sauce. And, sadly, the grilled chicken tasted a lot like something I’d expect to be on top of a bowl of spaghetti. Not bad per se, but not really appropriate.
Bear in mind that I’m comparing this to the burritos I’m more used to the likes of Benito’s Hat, Chipotle, Daddy Donkey, et al. They may actually not be objectively bad, but they’re not what I’m looking for.