Allison Geyer
At first blush, the idea of a burger-burrito hybrid seems wildly unnecessary. Why mess with two foods that are already perfect on their own? But a new restaurant on Monroe Street dares to do just that.
Burgrito’s, a New York-based restaurant that serves burgers, burritos and the amalgamation of the two, opened to the public March 16 at 1835 Monroe St., in the former Double S BBQ space. It’s the fifth location for the restaurant, and the first outside New York state.
“We jumped a lot of states to get here,” says Darin Laby, who co-owns Burgrito’s with his brother, Lawrence. “We think Madison is a great town for Burgrito’s given that there’s a major college and a thriving local community.”
At a soft opening party on March 15, invited guests tried some of Burgrito’s signature items. The deconstructed cheeseburger comes wrapped in a tortilla stuffed with French fries, chopped romaine lettuce, tomato, onion and tangy chipotle mayo. The vegan option, called the Veg-Rito, swaps the burger for a substantial plant-based patty, similar to falafel. Burgrito’s also serves conventional burgers and burritos, plus salads, wraps, fish tacos, quesadillas and nachos.
Lawrence Laby, who is vegan, developed the restaurant’s vegan and vegetarian menu, which includes a veggie burger and a guacamole burrito. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner and also offers delivery via EatStreet, Uber Eats and Grubhub.
Burgrito’s opening coincides with a major construction project on Monroe Street. The normally busy thoroughfare is down to one inbound lane (to downtown) from Odana Road to Regent Street until November. Still, Laby is optimistic about the launch.
Says Laby: “We have a lot of hungry construction workers out there.”
