Brito's Burrito opens in downtown St. Cloud

ST. CLOUD — Downtown St. Cloud welcomed a new Mexican restaurant on June 15 when Brito’s Burrito made its way to 515 W. St. Germain St., near the old Polito's Pizza.

Brito’s Burrito comes to St. Cloud after successfully opening other Minnesota locations, primarily near the Twin Cities, with its first location opening roughly three years ago in St. Louis Park.

The family-owned company was started by two brothers Luis and Manuel Brito, but the St. Cloud location is run by Brandon Brito, who is Luis’ son.

“They've always had the dream of opening up restaurants. They worked 20-plus years in the food industry, both of them, even before I was born,” Brandon Brito said. “They just never had the courage. As me, my siblings and cousins got older, we encouraged them and helped them out.”

Customers can choose a main dish with options like a burrito, burrito bowl, tacos, nachos, cheese quesadillas or a salad bowl. From there, protein and other toppings can be added at the customer’s request in a similar style to Chipotle or Subway.

Protein options include chicken, carnitas, taco meat, tofu, steak and more. On the weekends, there are shrimp, fish and breakfast burrito options.

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However, Brandon Brito said what makes the restaurant unique is its tortillas. The staff comes in each morning to make the tortilla batter. The pre-portioned batter is put on a press and cooked on the grill within seconds of the order being placed.

“We have our own mix in the back. We also incorporate flour, water and that's something that's done every morning,” Brandon Brito said.

There is a variety of products available to drink, including Mexican soda and energy drinks.

Customers can choose to sit in the lime green decorated restaurant at one of the restaurant's booths or indoor picnic tables, or they can take it to-go.

Brandon Brito said he’s excited to bring the family restaurant to St. Cloud and be a part of reimagining the downtown neighborhood.

“I do hope that we can help stirrup downtown because I hear there's less people coming in and out,” he said. “Now, customers can try new food as well as explore their community.”

Corey Schmidt covers local government for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Brito's Burrito opens in downtown St. Cloud