Currito – Burritos Without Borders

Wifey had been wanting to try this place for a while and we needed a quick bite. The best way to describe it Chipotle-​esque, but with international sauces. We got the Indian one and the Thai one in small burritos (yes, they come in three sizes instead of the Chipotle Food-​coma one). Besides the regular drink fountain, they also have unsweetened black tea and honeyed green tea. I had about 5 cups of the green because it was delicious.
I am not a big fan of Thai flavors, but both burritos turned out quite tasty. The chips were a tad weird, but the mango salsa was great.

A-​ok. Not a destination but a good stop for a quick inexpensive bite. The burritos have very interesting flavors. We tried the Indian and the Thai one. Both had a lot of interesting flavors and textures. Liked the sauces in both. The peanut sauce in the Thai was quite good. I really liked that you can order a small size burrito. Gave us the chance to try two instead of splitting one. Didn’t care for the quality of the chicken or the steak. The chips and salsa were decent.

Currito is just nummy! I am a die-​hard Chipotle fan, I could eat it weekly. And I usually brown-​bag it to the office. But when someone suggested walking to Currito for lunch one day, I grudgingly agreed to, but I didn’t have any expectations.
I have not liked any other fast-​casual Mexican places so far other than Chipotle (Moe’s, Hot Head, Qdoba, blech). And I was honestly kind of turned off by the whole ethnic fusian spin on burritos. Asian? Greek??? Weird.
No, no, no, it totally works, my narrow little burrito mind has been expanded and the flavor horizon is awesome to behold. I have since eaten here twice and I have loved both my orders. The portions are big, filling, wonderfully varied in textures and flavors and cost me $ 7.50 each time. The place has been crazy packed, but didn’t have the snail’s pace that a lot of Chipotles seem to be cursed with. The staff get you through the lines (it’s a little confusing at first, Neil choose wisely and take this path for a menu item and this path for a self-​select, but whatever).
I don’t really think outside the box when it comes to lunch so I just pick the house salad with chicken and quinoa (it is soooooo good!). Black beans, pico de gallo, feta, scallion, corn salsa — NOM NOM NOM! I love this salad, taking it back to the office is an al desko treat. I don’t even bother with the dressing, since there is so much flavor packed into it.
I have also experienced a little of the brusque, argumentative service here that I’ve read about in multiple reviews but it has been minor. And honestly, I don’t come here for small talk, I just want to feed my face. And Currito adequately allows me to do it in quick manner and affordable price. So I’m a definite repeat customer.

Places like this downtown mostly cater to the downtown lunch crowd and Currito is no exception. If you get there after 11:30 on a weekday get ready for a line!
Overall though the wait is worth the food they serve. Compared to other lunch restaurant options downtown Currito is a good mix of quality and price with plenty of options.
I typically go for the selection of «off the shelf» ingredient combinations that they offer but haven’t been let down yet. I’m sure I’ll end up here often with coworkers because even though it is a burrito place you can get many types of different offerings with a wider selection than most other burrito places.

They are always ridiculously busy over lunch, but they are always super quick! Their mango smoothie is a must try… I would even venture to say that it is one of the best smoothies that I have ever had.

Eh, I tried really hard not to update this review and take this place from 3 to 1 star but enough is enough. I’m not sure what has happened here but the service and food at Currito is on a serious decline. The ingredients no longer seem fresh and service is truly lacking.
Recently I went to Currito with a friend. She ordered food and I was just tagging along for some company. I specifically heard her tell the cashier NOT to put corn on her burrito bowl; my friend is pregnant and has issues that prevent her from being able to eat corn. The cashier read my friend’s order back to her and it was correct. We got to the end of the line where my friend’s food was being packed up to go and she noticed that there was corn on her burrito. She let the lady know that she could not have corn and that she already requested her burrito not to include corn. The woman gave my friend the death stare and told her that she should’ve told the cashier that in advance. Perplexed, my friend told the woman that she already told the cashier that she absolutely could not have corn. The woman proceeded to argue with my friend until the manager came over. The manager came over and inquired about the situation. He even went as far as to ask which cashier took the order. Why did this even matter? Why not just re-​make the order without the corn and keep the line moving? Their behavior toward my friend in this instance was completely out of order and awful customer service. My friend kept her cool yet stood her ground. They finally re-​made her order and we were out the door. And nope, no apology whatsoever.
Now after the nonsense mentioned above, I really should not have gone back to Currito but I was in a time crunch and needed to grab a quick meal before a meeting. I stopped by and ordered a Summer Bowl. My food was made pretty quickly and I was out the door. I headed to where my meeting was located and began to eat my food. I took a bite out of the mango salsa and there was complete shock to my senses and taste buds. The salsa was FROZEN! Yes, frozen! Cold! Not room temp, not warm, COLD! It tasted like it was literally just taken out of the freezer. Ugh… the frozen salsa completely made everything else in my bowl cold. The chicken, the rice and the beans were all cold. I couldn’t even eat it. If it weren’t for the fact that I had to be at a meeting soon after, I would’ve taken that bowl right back to Currito and demanded my money back. Also, worth a mention is the guacamole that was green-​ish brown, like it had been sitting out for hours.
I used to be a fan of Currito but I will not be back there for a very long time.

I had lunch there today and the food is very good. My biggest complaint is that the noise level is VERY high. It has poor acoustics so any noise gets amplified. But they make it worse by cranking up the music too loud. I guess if I were a bar person it might be something that wouldn’t bother me, but I like to be able to have a conversation without having to speak really loud. With that change it would be 5 stars for me!

Teriyaki tofu burrito was so good! I got this burrito exactly how the menu read and I really enjoyed it. It tasted different from all of the other chains that I frequent.

I’m a fan. The concept is interesting. It takes a little more time than Chipotle but the larger variety of options is worth the extra time.

A few coworkers and I had Currito delivered a few days ago. We work a bit far from Fountain Square but still within their delivery area. We were told over the phone it would be about 30 minutes. After an hour passed we called to check on the order and the same woman who originally told us 30 minutes said there was a giant order before ours and they were behind (we’ve heard this same thing from other coworkers who have ordered in the past). She then said our food was on its way. After ANOTHER half an hour our food arrived. If we were told it would be over an hour it would not have been that big of a deal… we know we are downtown and it was around lunchtime, but we were told 30 minutes.
After we told the delivery guy how long it took he said «well, it’s a really long walk.» He then proceeded to say that the reason it took so long is because there were women in the kitchen. At first we thought he was joking but he then continued on about how if men were in the kitchen it would have gotten to us quicker but its the women who are slowing everything down. We we’re shocked.
The food itself was not horrible. I got the summer burrito bowl with black beans and mango salsa. It definitely was no Chipotle but still not the worst food. It was the service that will most likely prevent us from ordering food from there again.

I ate here over the weekend, and it’s a pretty standard place if you’ve ever been to Qdoba, Moe’s, Chipotle, etc. They do have a lot more interesting options here though, and I was pretty pleased overall, but I do think the steak was a bit on the dry side. I’d probably try a different meat option if I returned.

So I am Chipotle’s biggest fan. To the point where I eat there at least weekly. But I’ve gotta say — Currito is slowly working it’s way up on my favorite list. It’s not surpassed Chipotle yet, but it’s getting close!
I don’t go for all the fancy schmancy stuff at Currito (read: hummus, tofu, etc.). I get exactly the same ingredients as I get at Chipotle (rice, chicken, two salsas, and cheese). I also add some broccoli just to make myself feel less guilty. It is delicious. Trust me!

MMM good, just stopped by for lunch with a friend today.
Walked right in, our orders were taken promptly with a smile and our food served hot & fresh. I selected Summer Chicken bowl, while friend selected Mediterranean Tofu bowl.
My Summer Chicken bowl just hit the spot, mixture of cilantro, lime and black beans, corn and rice. My friend enjoyed her Mediterranean bowl, which also looked very good.
I will return for more Burritos without Borders soon.

New-​ish fancy burrito place (part of regional chain) downtown. Their particular shtick is bringing flavors from other cultures to a burrito (e.g. Indian, Thai, etc.) and they have a few more ingredient choices than usual. They offer both small and regular size burritos as well as bowls and they have combos with chips, drinks, etc.
On a recent visit, I tried a small Bangkok burrito with chicken and an iced tea (and shared some chips & salsa with a friend). The burrito was indeed small and expensive for the size (small burrito + drink = $ 8) and the predominate flavor/​ingredient by far was the chunks of cucumber. There was very little chicken and I didn’t really get the rich peanut flavor I was hoping for from the sauce (more acidic/​spicy).
One thing I didn’t realize was that if you order a specialty burrito (vs. build your own), you need to specify when ordering if you want anything different; otherwise, they will just automatically make it as listed. The iced tea is Fuze brand and they have unsweetened and green tea with honey (a half and half combo is really good and not too sweet).
The inevitable comparison is to Chipotle and for me, it falls short. I would certainly give it another try, but next time order a build-​your-​own regular size burrito to have a little more control over exactly what goes in.

Right around the corner from Fountain square, this spot is always bustling during the lunch break hours. Nonetheless, the service is always pretty quick. This is always a giant plus especially when I’m rushing. However, comparatively to Chipotle… I’m just not a fan. There’s more variety yes but I’m a classic burrito bowl kind of girl and the flavors here don’t cut it. The meat is always under-​seasoned, the cilantro lime rice is dry and salsas are just lack-​lustered.
Also, the prices higher and customer service… is just not good. I’ve been to this location several times and every time, the cashier has a sour-​puss on his/​her face. They’re impatient and just not very welcoming. Lucky, they’re fast with a good location.

Currito you really surprised me (in a good way). Knowing the basic concept I was under the impression Currito was just a glorified Chipotle. Another build your own burrito chain like all the others (Re: Hothead, Qdoba… the list goes on).
I stopped by one day after work because the location is right across the street from where I catch the bus and I was entering the ‘hanger zone.’ That dreaded area of hungry where someone looking at you the wrong way can send you over the edge. There was absolutely no one in Currito so I knew it would be a quick in and out.
I was surprised by their menu. I had to take a few moments to look at all the options (you can also just build your own burrito). I finally settled on the Currito House Salad with Chicken. It seemed the safest (though you can go crazy and get an Indian burrito or many other flavor options).
The House Salad tastes fresh and the flavors are matched perfectly. It comes with creamy lime dressing on the side… so refreshing!
For a quick option Currito is a winner!

I like this spot for a quick lunch. The staff is friendly, the system very fast.
I tried the tikka massala bowl and really liked it.
It’s not haute cuisine but it is good and fast and a lot cleaner and friendlier than Chipotle.
A great addition to Fountain Square!

I love that you can get small, or regular sized burritos. Avoid the bowl, they charge you more for that. I also love that it has brown rice options. I have been here enough times to have gone through their basic burritos, and I must say they are not boring. They cover the range of profiles from the intense buffalo burrito, to the subtle tikka masala burrito, Oh, and they have like 4 registers and 2 assembly lines, so there is no way you’re going to be waiting a long time for food.
Now, the down side. This place has serious problems with cold blasts from the outside during the winter. Other negatives, too many people go here for lunch, so it can be difficult to find a seat.

Wow, how does one even begin to describe Currito? I I love burritos but the same old thing from Qdoba or Chipotle (where every burrito tastes the same) just doesn’t do it for me. Enter Currito.
It’s like the United Nations of burritos — well, almost. The menu is a bit too small but «burritos without borders» describes them just fine. My husband and I got three burritos to split — the Bangkok, Tikka Masala and the Buffalo. All with different meats too, just to get some variety. All three burritos were just fantastic. I can’t pick a favorite — because all of them were so delicious in their own separate ways.
What’s even better is that at the end they put them in a sort of grill thing to make them even hotter. After a 30 minute drive from downtown (we got take-​out on our way home) to Mason the burritos WERE STILL STEAMING! Holy cow! I can’t imagine how hot they must be to people eating in the restaurant, but they cooled off quickly after we took them out of the foil wrappers.
I’d like to see the menu get expanded to have more other interesting styles of cuisine-​in-​a-​burrito, but for now the menu is suitable and delicious. The burritos are fairly priced, filling and the website even has nutritional info for all of them (minus the meats, annoyingly.) This is a great place to go for burrito lovers and all who are very hungry.

I’d been aware of Currito over by UC ever since we moved to Cincinnati a few years ago, and I’d been pretty skeptical.
First, what the hell is a «Currito»? A curry burrito? A burrito that offers the «cure» for your hunger? A burrito you’re curious about? A burrito that’s «current» and hip? See, the name of this place creates instant confusion. (FWIW, an Internet search reflects that «currito» roughly translates to «working man.»)
Second, Currito’s byline is «burritos without borders,» which Currito’s website pitches as some sort of novel concept. In other words, Thai burritos, teriyaki burritos, Mediterranean burritos, and so on. Well, Currito, I’ve been around awhile, and I’ve been here and there, and your concept ain’t novel. In fact, your concept has been around since at least the 1990s, which is about how long I’ve been unimpressed by it.
So I never went.
But I work downtown and had grown tired of the overcrowded and not-​so-​well-​run chain burrito place that’s been downtown for a couple of years. (You know, that other burrito place that begins with a «C.») Currito recently opened up this shop a stone’s throw from work, so it was inevitable that I was going to pop in.
And I’m glad I did. Currrito’s pretty solid in comparison to a lot of the Cal-​Mex/​San-​Fran-​style burrito competition. In fact, it’s better than most around here. Everything tastes pretty fresh and flavorful. I haven’t tried any of the burritos represented by the «burritos without borders» tagline, but the «classic» and «summer» are pretty straightforward Cal-​Mex burritos. The former comes with pinto beans and pico, and the latter with black beans and magno salsa. One excellent idea that sets Currito apart from its competition is to heat up the burrito in a press just before it’s served, which melts the cheese and imparts some additional flavor to the tortilla. But while Currito’s barbacoa and carnitas are pretty tasty, they tend to be a little dry, in contrast to the «C» chain’s tender, sous-​vided-​in-​Chicago (yes, it’s apparently true) carnitas and barbacoa.
Another nice thing Currito does is offer burritos in «regular» and «small» sizes. The small is actually decent-​sized and is about a buck cheaper. The only immediate difference I can tell between the small and regular is that the regular seems to have more rice. That’s not much value for your extra dollar.
The restaurant is sharp-​looking and clean. But as Stephen G. says, it is clamorously loud when more than a few diners are present.
Another big plus: Currito is a local business. Its owners are the same folks who have opened the wildly popular Bakersfield OTR.
Overall, 3.75 stars, and a very welcome downtown lunch addition.