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Review: Purple Burrito Express

We don’t care what color the burrito is; we just want to eat it.

People keep talking about Purple Burrito Express, which opened in June in an unassuming strip mall-corner on Campbell Avenue just north of Sunshine Street. A co-worker, Style Coordinator Nicole Fuller, told me she had tried it (loved it). I took her enthusiasm to heart, and that night I tried it (loved it). All of a sudden people were all aflutter about this quick little Mexican joint. On my first visit, I even saw other visitors raving about it while they were there and bragging about how they are spreading the Purple Burrito love to their Mexican food–craving pals.

And with good reason. It’s a combo of bold flavors that won’t break the bank. Its super-affordable a la carte menu items are ordered at the counter like at Chipotle or Qdoba, but they are light years beyond those two chains when it comes to yumminess. I think that stems from simplicity. Instead of serving a one-pound-baby burrito packed with everything in sight, Purple Burrito focuses on simple toppings paired with your choice of meat: carnitas, pastor, carne asada, chicken, fish, chorizo and more.

The tacos ($1.75 to $1.95 each) are far and away the stars of the menu. My dining buddy, Eli Estes, and I sampled many of them. Our favorite was the pastor taco. I ordered it soft: a small corn tortilla with chunks of tender marinated pork and topped with chopped onions and plenty of cilantro. Simple and delicious. The carne asada taco was great, too. I ordered that one crispy, which means they fill the corn tortilla before they fry the entire thing (rather than filling a pre-crispy tortilla). Way better. I grabbed some lime slices and homemade salsas from the condiment bar and personalized each taco.

Eli was excited to see machaca on the menu. It’s a jerky-like beef often served for breakfast (and Eli’s machaca burrito had eggs in it), but it’s not super-easy to find in Mexican restaurants in our area. Another surprising menu item is the beef tongue taco. We passed on that one.

I may be raving about tacos, tacos, tacos… But this place has a very big menu for an order-at-the-counter spot. There are burritos, flautas, tostadas, enchiladas, nachos, fajitas and even tortas, aka Mexican sandwiches. Purple Burrito Express even serves breakfast. You can get typical fountain soft drinks or bottles of Mexican soda. We tried a drink called horchata, which is milky, sweet and very cinnamony.

The only thing I’ve tried and disliked at Purple Burrito Express was a side of refried beans. They tasted like… nothing.  But that isn’t going to keep me away from the restaurant. As a matter of fact, I’m about to head out to lunch with the art department, and we have tacos on the mind.

Purple Burrito Express: 1700 S. Campbell Ave., Springfield, 417-863-6688, Hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.