Road Food – Neato Burrito
I am big on these new fast, casual burrito joints. They’re quick, tasty (better than fast food), and somewhat healthy. I’ve tried all the mainstays – Chipotle, Moe’s, Salsarita’s, Qudoba, and Baja Fresh. Each is a great option when on the road and looking for alternatives to fast food restaurants. I have even tried a few regional joints where you get a little more local flair like Phat Burrito in Charlotte (simple and delicious), Neo Burrito in Asheville (extremely green and extremely creative), and Tijuana Flats in Orlando (more salsas than I thought existed).
Neato Burrito
Until today, I have not felt compelled to blog about any of these joints. Neato Burrito in, get this, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania completely blew my mind. I had a freaking taste-bud euphoria explosion in my mouth. To walk you through my experience, I thought it would be best to follow the ordering process and highlight what I chose:
- Tortilla – The choice is not just limited to flour or whole wheat. Neato offers a plethora of Gourmet Tortillas. I chose Chipotle Chili but had choices that ranged from Honey Wheat to Jalapeno Cheese.
- Rice – No white rice is offered here. BBQ, Spanish, or Brown are the choices. I was feeling healthy and went with Brown.
- Beans – Black, Refried, or Chili. The burrito guru constructing my burrito suggested Chili so I went with his instincts.
- Filling – Veggie, Beef, Roasted Chicken, Cajun Chicken, or, wait for it, Hummus. Okay, hummus sounded a bit weird so I told the man to slap some Cajun Chicken on my Chipotle Chili tortilla.
- Salsa – A mild Pico de Gallo, a medium Salsa Verde, or a hot Salsa. I was going for a flavor jubilation and chose Salsa Verde.
- Sour Cream – Regular or Non-fat. Mrs. Gourmand will be so proud of me: I chose non-fat.
- Vegetables – Lettuce, tomato, cucumber, or jalapeno. Guacamole could be added for a dollar more. I chose all but the cucumber. It sounded to wussy for me.
- The Finish – To grill or not to grill. I grilled.
Now that's what I call a huge burrito!
My burrito with extras like the guacamole and gourmet tortilla plus a drink came out to be around nine dollars. Sure, Toxic Hell (Taco Bell) is cheaper, but I came away with what I think turned out to be a ten pound burrito. Check out the photos. It was huge! And the flavor? This is where I was plowed over. The spices of the Cajun tortilla and chili beans, smoke of the chipotle, earthiness of the salsa verde and brown rice, and creaminess of the sour cream and guacamole created a flavor that I am at a loss for words to describe. The only description I can come up with is New Age.
Yum!
It was even a cool place to be in. The atmosphere screamed eclectic. The building was an abandoned fast food restaurant complete with the retro brown tile floors. Some sections of tile were missing and grouted over for effect. The tables had a red and white checkered print that didn’t seem to quite fit in but yet still did all at the same time.
The decor - trendy, retro, cool
If you ever find yourself in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania you have to check this place out. They have five locations in total. However, if Harrisburg doesn’t show up on any upcoming itineraries, I hear they are opening one at the Philadelphia Airport. Check them out and help support eating local!
Brad would be all over this! One of the best places we’ve ever been in some small latino grocery in Napa across from our hotel!
As a Harrisburg native, I absolutely love Neato Burrito. If I had the cash flow to eat there more frequently, I would. With great food, excellent service, retro furniture, and indie music, you don’t get a better, more unique experience anywhere else. What’s even better about Neato is that, to my knowledge, all of their ingredients are locally grown and raised. Even the chili which you chose is made with beer from a local microbrewery (Troegs, some of the best beer in the area!). Every time I have friends over from out of the area, or meet someone who just moved here, I tell them about/take them to Neato Burrito.
Excellent review, man. Couldn’t agree with you more!
I had the opportunity to sample a few Troegs while I was in town. It’s a very high quality craft brewery.
Next time you should try the cowboy crunch! Its kind of their signature go-to burrito. UH-MAZ-ING. basically a normal chicken burrito but with crushed up tortilla chips inside, its the only kind I’ve ever ordered from there and I live about 5 minutes from the location you visited.
Hip new restaurants come and go in Harrisburg, but Neato Burrito maintains. Unique, retro and delish, Neato is on our dinner menu several times a year. Go, try it!