Fresh Mexican drive-thru opens in Boise area with 1.5 lb. burritos. Ay-ay-ay, Los Betos?
If you’re a veteran of the Mexican drive-thru scene in Boise, you’re familiar with the area’s burrito boss: Los Betos. With multiple restaurants open 24 hours daily, it’s the undisputed gut-bomb goliath.
But a new player has appeared in Meridian: Rapido Burrito. And its limited but straightforward menu might tempt regulars from Los Betos or competitor California Mexican Food.
Recently opened at 1050 E. Fairview Ave., Rapido Burrito is a new venture for Boise-based Arete Food Group. That’s the company behind successful regional chain Gyro Shack, as well as Negranti Creamery. Last Friday, Rapido Burrito quietly debuted in a recently shuttered Gyro Shack.
Rapido isn’t trying to be a new Los Betos. Its menu is much smaller and focused — sort of like Gyro Shack’s. Plus, Rapido is only open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, not all night long.
But if you’re famished, this tiny, standalone building with a few tables outside should be on your list. Much like Los Betos, these burritos are substantial.
Rapido Burrito is “focused on fresh ingredients, drive-thru and speed,” explains Arete Food Group President Seth Brink. “My opinion, when you go to see some of these other burrito shops, you’re not necessarily getting ingredients that are as fresh as we feel like we can deliver. Whether it be gyros or Mexican. So that’s the approach that we’re trying to leverage.”
Hitting the drive-thru on a recent weekday, I was the only vehicle just before 11 a.m. After ordering, I shifted into park and watched a worker assemble my burritos through the window. The few-minute wait was worth it.
“Kind of an insane amount of food,” my wife observed after I brought home the order, which cost $16.50 before tax and optional tip.
Yep. The Breakfast Burrito ($7) weighed almost exactly one pound. (This is the true joy of owning a postage scale, by the way.) If you eat this burrito for breakfast, you might wind up going right back to bed.
Meanwhile, the Idaho Burrito ($9.50) arguably was an even better value. It was nearly a pound and a half — and generous with the meat. (Too generous, in my wife’s opinion. “Meaty,” she called it. I was not complaining.)
Hefty burritos aren’t a rarity in the Mexican restaurant world. It’s expected. But life is even better when they’re solid eating. Rapido Burrito’s flour tortillas tasted fresh, with just the right hint of subtle chewiness. Hidden inside the Breakfast Burrito was a thick layer of fluffy eggs, along with shredded cheese, Mexican chorizo and potato puffs — aka crispy tots elevated by an addictive seasoning. (I’d recommend that Rapido start selling these puffs as a side. Sort of like Potato Oles at the Taco John’s chain.)
The Idaho Burrito is Rapido’s answer to the California burrito at local Mexican restaurants. Packed with carne asada, it also included pico de gallo (the green pepper chunks were excellent in the burrito’s flavor profile), potato puffs, refried beans, rice and a bit of white cheese.
All entrees, including burritos, come with red and green sauces on the side. Both are good; not tongue-blazingly hot but with just enough kick.
Sampling each burrito, my wife leaned toward the scrumptious simplicity of the Breakfast option. But for extra-large appetites, the Idaho Burrito is a satisfying face stuffer. You really can’t go wrong with either choice. Unless you attempt to run a marathon afterward.
Also appreciated? Neither burrito was messy. We barely even needed napkins.
The menu offers two other burritos: the Rapido ($9.50) and the Vegetarian ($7.75). It also has tacos ($3 each) with your choice of carne asada, chicken, al pastor or carnitas. There’s also a quesadilla ($7.50), a rice bowl ($10.50), nachos ($10.50), a salad ($10.50) and a handful of sides.
If Rapido Burrito becomes as popular as Brink hopes it could be, more locations will be opened, he says.
Until then, Arete Food Group will enjoy its new brand. Especially its universal appeal.
Unlike Gyro Shack, Rapido Burrito doesn’t need any explaining.
“Even in the Boise market, with it growing as much as it is, 40 to 50 percent of our customers don’t know what a gyro is,” Brink says. “So we still get those questions all the time … .”
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 4:00 AM.