Ohio City Burrito - Funky Mexican

Over the weekend I headed out to the IX Center to check out the Motorcycle Show, overall not bad, but was a bit disappointed that there was no BMW display. On the way home figured I would stop in Ohio City and check out the new Tanqueria. I have a soft spot for good cheap Mexican and ever since Que Tal folded, I have had to head out to Oberlin when I got the urge (see Agave Review here). Ohio City Burrito is located at 1844 W. 25th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44113 (map is here). Just a small storefront with a small patio area out front, but the skeleton holding a burrito certainly seems promising in an offbeat manner. Inside is a narrow shop set up with tables up front, with the counter in the middle and a walled off prep kitchen in the back. The decor is funky Mexican with warm golden brown walls, a white tin pressed ceiling and just enough decor to make the place look inviting. The large front windows let in a lot of light and the promise continues. The menu is quite simple and straight forward, even for this type of place, a meat burrito, a veggie burrito, tacos, taco salad, nachos, chips and salsas. The meat items come with a choice of chicken, beef or pork, but I of course went for the veggie burrito. I ended up with a big burrito stuffed with both black and refried beans, rice, veggies, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, cheese and salsas. A nice touch is that items such as the fajita veggies and the guacamole are included in the price, where some places charge extra. The burrito was very tasty and well balanced, although a bit milder then I would have expected based on the medium salsa, although I was of course able to spice it up with hot sauce. The guacamole was fresh and had the right mild taste and umami feel. The refried beans were especially good, with a warm earthy taste without being overpowering. The rice was moist and mild to allow a nice base to the burrito. About the only thing disappointing were the fajita vegetables, which were OK, but could have used some more carmelization and probably a bit more salt. What I ended up with was a very good meal at a reasonable price. While not quite as memorable as the burritos from Agave or Que Tal, OTC provides a very good product at a good price. This is a major upgrade over what you would get at Chipotle or any of the other Mexican Chains and hopefully OTC will do well.