Bluegrass, burritos and beer are the perfect ingredients for a fun night out, and El Burrito in Five Points is offering all three as part of its fall Bluegrass Thursdays concert series.
El Burrito, located at 934 Harden St. across from Food Lion, is quickly becoming a Columbia go-to for live music. The venue recently hosted WUSC's first fall concert of the semester featuring Peter Wolf Crier, Milagres, Dylan Dickerson and Young Mumbles.
The fall 2011 concert series isn't El Burrito's first. The restaurant also hosted bands on Thursday nights during the summer. Past performers include the Packway Handle Band, Randy Lucas and Old Growth String Band.
Weather permitting, Bluegrass Thursdays will be held weekly. Concerts typically start at 7:30 p.m.
But El Burrito is much more than an occasional music venue.
The restaurant has called Five Points home for more than five years. It's unassuming from the outside; the light blue building isn't even marked with the restaurant's name but does have a small neon sign, which reads "Bienvenidos" (Spanish for "welcome"), above the door.
The cozy outdoor patio that hosts the bluegrass concerts is often crowded during lunch hours. Indoor seating is limited, but the restaurant has a tiled counter with colorful bar stools for patrons who prefer to sit inside.
The mosaic blue-and-white tiled walls, the clothesline filled with black and white Polaroids and the snow globe collection that resides under the bright yellow menu board give the restaurant a unique charm.
And El Burrito's menu features a variety of Mexican favorites, including hard and soft shell tacos, burritos, salads, soups, chips and dip and kids meals for the under-12 set. The restaurant offers several vegetarian meal options, including its signature "Mean Bean" burrito and taco. Every entree on the menu is under $10, with prices starting at $1.50 for a single Mean Bean taco. The prices don't equal poor quality, though. El Burrito's ingredients taste fresh, and its entrees are filling.
The restaurant's beverage options include sweet and unsweetened tea, bottled Coca-Cola products, VitaminWater and a variety of alcoholic beverages including Pabst Blue Ribbon and Corona.
El Burrito makes its salsa in house and offers hot and mild varieties, which can be purchased in bulk by the pint ($8) or quart ($14).
The El Burrito staff is friendly and laid-back, and service is relatively quick. The restaurant's kitchen is exposed to customers, allowing diners to watch as their food is prepared.
The restaurant offers specials daily for lunch and dinner. Current specials include free chips and salsa from 5 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays and $1 side salads with the purchase of any taco or burrito from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
El Burrito is open Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. until 9 p.m.