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Mexican Restaurant Brings Hefty Burritos to Underhill Avenue

 A new Mexican restaurant opened April 1 at Underhill Avenue and Dean Street.
L.A. Burrito Opens in Prospect Heights
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PROSPECT HEIGHTS — The neighborhood's crowded field of Mexican restaurants has a new addition.

L.A. Burrito opened on Underhill Avenue at Dean Street this month, joining the nearby spots Taqueria de los Muertos, Citrico, Pequena and Chavela’s.

The eatery is offering something its manager hopes will attract California expats: hefty, inexpensive, West Coast-style burritos stuffed with fresh ingredients.

Each of L.A.'s burritos, priced between $5.25 and $9.00, are at least 20 ounces and contains ingredients like shredded beef, salsa, grilled tofu and soy cheese, something manager Aurelio Gabriel said customers really seem to like.

“They say, ‘Wait a minute. Grilled tofu? We can only find that in California,'” he said.

For burrito purists keeping score, L.A. Burrito puts brown rice in the mix, something not typically found in burritos from Los Angeles. But the owner of L.A., who Gabriel said is from that city, must be doing something right — the 43 Underhill Ave. restaurant that opened April 1 is the company's third location in Brooklyn. The first L.A. Burrito opened in 2006 at Bedford Avenue and South 1st Street in Williamsburg, and the second, on Wilson Avenue and Jefferson Street, opened in 2009.

Those who have eaten at the first two L.A. Burritos gave them mostly positive reviews on Yelp, with some disagreement from Californians about the big burritos’ authenticity.

“You will not be disappointed,” user Giselle E. wrote about the Williamsburg location. “I've lived in California, and this is just what I was looking for to satisfy my nostalgia.”

“It's good to get full off of eight bucks, but it's not a true Los Angeles burrito,” reviewer Ryan S. said about the Bushwick location.

The Prospect Heights location — which replaced Purity Restaurant — has 26 seats for customers who can choose from a full menus of fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, nachos and soups. They also have an assortment of fresh-squeezed juices, including hibiscus, mango lemonade and tamarind. Delivery is free for orders of $10 or more, and they accept credit cards. 

Gabriel said L.A. came to Prospect Heights to “try something different” and so far, business has been steady.

“They are happy,” Gabriel said of his new customers.