CONCOURSE — The first Chipotle in the South Bronx will open this winter just a short walk away from Yankee Stadium, according to company spokeswoman Danielle Moore.
The popular burrito chain will set up shop at 260 E. 161st St., across the street from the Bronx County Hall of Justice and in the same building complex as a relatively new Starbucks.
Although Chipotle already has three Bronx locations in Throgs Neck, Fordham and Kingsbridge, this will be its first store in the southern part of the borough, according to the company's restaurant locator.
The specific opening date of the restaurant's upcoming South Bronx location is still up in the air, but it should be ready for customers by the end of the year, Moore said.
Cary Goodman, executive director of the 161st Street Business Improvement District, said he was excited for the chain to open up in the neighborhood, as he viewed it as a vindication of the idea that The Bronx is entitled to be served by nationally recognized eateries.
He maintained that the neighborhood was still a bit of a food desert and needed more places where people could go grab a meal.
"You need a few of them so that people can feel like that’s part of a neighborhood experience, and maybe one week you go in for Italian, and then the next week you’re going to go have Thai food or something different," he said.
"Now, Chipotle is not going to solve that problem," Goodman continued, "but it’s going to inch us closer to being recognized as a place that can support more dining options, more eating options."
Hints of the restaurant's arrival first surfaced last fall, when the blog Welcome2TheBronx reported that construction workers at the building said the chain was on its way.
