Burrito Box: Maybe the Best Mexican Delivery in Midtown

Date February 1, 2008

My previous post detailed my delivery disaster with Blockheads Burritos. As a result, I still hadn’t quelled my Mexican craving. Thanks to my Menu Pages method of finding a restaurant, I took a chance on Burrito Box, a place I’d never heard of. The menu seemed to offer the no frills Tex-Mex I was looking for. For once, I assumed right. I can’t crown it the best after one visit but I’m looking forward to eating here again.

Corn chips, grilled chicken tacos, and half of a grilled chicken and steak quesadilla all for $20 including tip.

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Discover my Menu Pages method for finding great new restaurants plus what makes Burrito Box so good after the break.


The Menu Pages method is a simple way to bring some order to an NYC eating conundrum. Can’t decide what you’re in the mood for? Bored of ordering from the same places?

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown for finding a new QUALITY place to eat:

1) Go to http://menupages.com/ and click on your neighborhood on the map

2) Choose your cuisine on the left side of the page

3) Click on the Reviews header link at the top right of the restaurant list

4) Now start clicking on restaurants with at least 10 reviews and a star rating of 4 or better

5) Read the reviews, make sure they don’t all seem like the restaurant put them up there. A good way to detect this is when a review is ultra positive and full of praise for the owners and information on specials and claims of the best food in the neighborhood.

Now you’re off to an educated start on what can sometimes be a daunting journey.

Back to the Burrito Box.

My craving was for tasty Mexican food with no gimmicks and Burrito Box delivered.

Below you’ll see a pile of quesadilla. Mark Lewis and I split a Grilled Chicken and a Steak ($6.95 for each).

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Both were delicious but the steak was tastier.

– The steak was hot, not too fatty, and like the chicken, tasted flame-grilled

The Grilled Chicken Tacos ($5.95 for an order of 2) arrived hot and tightly wrapped in aluminum foil. When unraveled, they looked like tiny little bricks of tasty goodness.

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Filled with shredded Romaine, chopped tomato, and hot pieces of flame-grilled chicken, these tacos, when smeared with sour cream, salsa, guacamole, and dipped in some of my personal favorite, El Yucateco Habanero hot sauce, were just what the doctor ordered.

Why the Tacos were delicious:

– They were hot and tasted fresh

– The grilled chicken wasn’t sinewy or fatty and tasted like it had been flame-grilled

– Despite their small size, they packed a punch that didn’t leave you overly full

Burrito Box didn’t skimp on the sauces either. Included with my bag of what tasted like freshly fried tortilla chips, was a plastic dish of house made salsa ($2.65 for the chips & salsa).

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The salsa was chunky and fresh with pieces of roughly chopped onion and cilantro swimming throughout. Unfortunately, the salsa was a little strong on the garlic, but not offensively so. Overall, it was tasty enough to merit another try.

You can see the generosity I alluded to earlier as far as sauces go:

– Ordinary Pico de Gallo on the left

– Nearly-neon green chile sauce to the right

– Solid guacamole in the middle. They only sent over two little thimbles of guacamole so if you’re big on guac, make sure you ask for extra. For a side order you can choose from three sizes: Small ($0.95), Medium ($1.75), and Large ($2.95).

Interesting Discovery:

After seeking out Burrito Box’s website, I discovered there’s a sister restaurant right next door called Lunch Box. Offering a generic menu of sandwiches, soups, salads, espresso, cappuccino, and juices, NYC Food Guy will make sure to check it out and report back.

————–

In the end, Burrito Box delivered big-time. This may have been my best Menu Pages discovery yet. I plan on ordering from the Box again and I hope they continue to impress because if so I’m ready to anoint them the best Mexican Delivery in Midtown. Keep your eyes peeled for an update.

Burrito Box

885 9th Avenue b/t 57th and 58th Street

New York, NY 10019

(212) 489-6889

Open 7 Days 11AM – 11:30PM

Free Delivery

15 Responses to “Burrito Box: Maybe the Best Mexican Delivery in Midtown”

  1. Dan said:

    i’ve been to burrito box and it was just as good as you’ve described. nice review nycfoodguy.

  2. The NYC Food Guy said:

    Dan-

    Thanks for the feedback man. I’m pumped to try this place again.
    Keep an eye out for additions to the review.

    NYC Food Guy

  3. lauren said:

    Those soft shells look good – I like flower instead of corn tortilla in a soft shell.
    What about Tulcingo? How could you say “best” without trying out that gem? I am not big on the burritos but the food is very authentic. Pozole, Tortas, etc..all great.

  4. The NYC Food Guy said:

    Lauren-

    Soft shell tacos are money, they’re little bombs. By flower do you mean flour? The tortillas at Burrito Box are flour tortillas as youll see on their website. Regardless, I have been to Tulcingo Del Valle and Tehuitzingo and was unimpressed. The thing is, those are authentic Mexican i.e. double tortilla filled with nothing more than meat, cilantro, and onions. I guess Burrito Box is actually Tex-Mex, what most Americans consider Mexican but really isnt. Either way, after eating authentic Mexican at the Red Hook Ball Fields, those Tulcingo and Tehuitzingo fell royally short. In the end, you shouldn’t be getting tacos at Tulcingo anyway, as you said, it’s their entrees that shine, though they’ve effed up our delivery orders numerous times.

    Thanks for the feedback
    NYC Food Guy

  5. Jeremy J said:

    Thanks food guy! I got the BBQ burrito, and it was quite possibly the best burrito i have ever had! i have been dreaming of it ever since

  6. lauren said:

    oops…yes flour.
    I prefer the authentic Mexican, but the soft shells you show do look like a nice Americanized alternative.

  7. The NYC Food Guy said:

    Jeremy-

    Thanks for the comment, I’m glad the Box held it down for you. Let us know how it goes if you get it again. What’s the 2nd best burrito you’ve ever had?

  8. The NYC Food Guy said:

    Lauren-

    Americanized says it best. You need to get to Red Hook Brooklyn for their next season, if it goes down, for some of the best tacos and Latin American food Ive ever had.

  9. Tom said:

    I used to go to Burrito Box almost once a week and was a loyal customer for years — it is good straightforward Tex-Mex as you write. But beware — the cashiers are dishonest and will rip you off if you’re not careful. One of them intentionally ripped me off tonight (and the other backed him up). I accidentally handed over three $20 bills instead of one $20 for an order and when I got back the change for a $20 and started wondering to myself where the rest of my cash went, the cashier suddenly got nervous and handed over one of my missing $20 bills. I was still confused because I knew I had another $20 on me but both cashiers insisted I had just given them one extra $20. Their body language said it all though and now I’m wondering, is this any way to treat a regular customer? Watch out for these guys. They’re blatantly dishonest and will lie to you to your face.

  10. The NYC Food Guy said:

    Tom-

    First off, thanks for the essential feedback. I call it “essential” because this is the type of information I’m happy to see coming through on the site. It’s more than just a recommendation about food, which you admit is pretty damn good, it’s something serious, i.e. not getting ripped off.

    I’ve only ordered delivery from Burrito Box and I feel confident in saying everything has been fair.

    One recommendation: Do Not order the small order of chips and salsa. You literally get about 7 chips and a tiny cup of salsa. The large is well worth the $3.00 price tag.

    Thanks again Tom. Keep the good info coming.

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  12. alaina said:

    Burrito Box is bland mediocre at best – I’ve been several times. I grew up in San Diego, and concur there is not a lot of good mexican food in NYC.

    Here are my Top 10 Tacos in Manhattan (Red Hook Ballfields is in Brooklyn, and I definitely want to try some of the places in Sunset Park, BK):

    1) Red Hook Ball Fields in Brooklyn (spring/summer/fall only)
    2) Zaragoza Mexican Grocery – 13th and Ave A
    3) Tehuitzingo del Valle – 10th Ave and 47th St
    4) Pinche Tacos – Soho
    5) Mercadito – 13th and B
    6) Vamos Tacos y Tequilas (fish tacos) 20th St and 1st Ave
    7) Downtown Bakery – 5th St and 1st Ave
    8) Taco Truck – 14th St and 8th Ave
    9) Taco Truck – 96th St and Broadway
    10) Snack Dragon – Avenue B and 3rd Street

  13. The NYC Food Guy said:

    Alaina-

    Did you see my review of Zaragoza in my East Village food tour? I’m glad I just made it there, I have to completely agree with your top two choices. Red Hook being a big step ahead of everything. Hernandez Chorizo and Spicy Enchilada Pork Tacos, I can’t wait till it gets back on. You see they’re good to go for 6 more years?

    Thanks for the great response. I couldn’t agree more when you say Burrito Box is mediocre at best. What I will say is that it’s really quality Tex-Mex for affordable delivery purposes in Midtown. I would never go out of my way for the Box. That being said, they do have excellent salsa even though you won’t get a kiss after for a few hours.

    Great Taco List.

    I have had both Taco Trucks and the only thing worth getting on 96th street (Super Tacos) is the Al Pastor Taco. I’ve had everything else and it’s all weak, unfortunately, they always run out of Al Pastor. Then I had the one on 14th and 8th and I was stunned, delicious. The Al Pastor Pork was great, flavorful, moist, and not too fatty.

    I think you’re getting Tulcingo del Valle and Tehuitizingo confused, which one is it? Either way, both are unimpressive. Very standard and plain. Tulcingo makes great Chile Rellenos and I recommend any dish with a sauce on it, particularly the Chipotle Chicken and any of the Moles. Tethuitzingo, is weak, it was dirty and small and I was pretty worried I’d get samonella because there was raw chicken all over the kitchen.

    I haven’t been to Pinche, Vamos, Downtown, or Snack Dragon. They are all now on the list, Snack Dragon and Pinche were all ready there so thanks for adding two more.

    Can you say Taco tour of NYC? You want in?

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  15. Wow said:

    I just got burrito box for lunch, and I’ve never been happier with Mexican food. Not only did it survive the delivery unharmed, but it made it here during the peak of lunchtime in 20 minutes. I got a grilled chicken burrito and a side of chips and salsa (as per the recommendation from this site). Both were excellent (i got guac on the burrito instead of sour cream). I think this burrito was better than any ive ever gotten at Chipotle or Moes or any of the other fast food esque mexican restaurants. The salsa was definitely homeade, and had a nice little kick to it. The chips were great, but even better if you throw them in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm them up. Overall, love this place and anyone craving Mexican should definitely go for this.

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