Burrito News

Dallas' Uncle Julio's debuts its own burrito-themed ghost kitchen

This burrito is savage.

Photo courtesy of Savage Burrito

The Irving-based restaurant group that owns the Uncle Julio's chain is getting on the "ghost kitchen" trend with Savage Burrito, a virtual kitchen that delivers burritos, bowls, and salads.

According to a release, Savage Burrito was created to fill a need for high-quality delivery options accessible from apps such as Door Dash, Grubhub, Uber Eats or Postmates. It will operate as a virtual kitchen with no physical location, and will be available only via those third-party delivery companies.

They're launching in Grapevine first, but will roll out more widely across Dallas-Fort Worth in the coming weeks.

The food will be prepared in Uncle Julio's kitchen, and will emphasize from-scratch cooking and bold flavors. Tortillas will include flavors such as salsa, jalapeno, and Cholula flavored.

Signature items include:

The O.G. with choice of mesquite grilled steak, chicken, or vegetables, plus avocado, chipotle crema, jack cheese, white rice, black beans, roasted corn, sautéed peppers and onions
The Notorious P.I.G. with marinated pork carnitas, white rice, black beans, roasted corn, pickled jalapenos, pico de gallo, lime crema and jack cheese on a salsa tortilla
Nashville Hot Chicken with hand-breaded chicken wrapped in a Cholula tortilla
Savage Garden, a vegetarian option with eight slices of avocado

Once the burritos are wrapped, they'll be lightly pressed to create a perfectly-crisp texture. You can also create-your-own, whether it's a burrito, bowl, or salad, exactly as you want. Prices start at $7.50.

There are also chips and salsa, white Hatch chili queso, guacamole, and churro bites with chocolate sauce, a dozen bites to an order.

Margaritas to go are available as Frozen Margarita Pops, and come in boozy traditional, hibiscus or mango flavors, frozen into a slushy pop.

You can also get cans of Corona Familiar, Corona, and Modelo Especial, or non-alcoholic drinks such as Mexican Coke, Mexican Sprite, Jarritos Pineapple, Mandarina Mexican sodas, or Topo Chico.

To celebrate its launch, Savage Burrito is hosting a special pop-up drive-thru event at the Uncle Julio’s in Grapevine at 1301 William D. Tate Blvd. on October 15 to feed first responders and healthcare workers.

trends

New sushi spot

Kichi Bar rolls out sushi and late-night happy hour in Carrollton

Photo courtesy of Kichi Bar

A spread at Kichi Bar.

A hidden-gem Japanese restaurant and bar is serving late-night happy hour in Carrollton’s Koreatown neighborhood: Called Kichi Bar, the restaurant showcases elevated sushi, sashimi, hand rolls, and seasonal cocktails.

Located at 2630 Old Denton Rd. #130, in Carrollton’s lively Asian dining, retail and entertainment hub, Kichi offers a modern atmosphere for social and shareable dining. Chef-owner Chris Han says it starts with strong technique in the kitchen and focusing on quality guest experience.

“From the beginning, our goal was to create a place people could come to often, not just for special occasions,” Han, a first-time restaurateur, says in a release. “We focus on consistency, quality, and making sure guests feel comfortable every time they walk in.”

Since Kichi Bar opened in August 2025, the restaurant has garnered praise online from patrons and local food social media influencers for its artistic plates and happy hour deals.

The chef at work.Photo courtesy of Kichi Bar

Sushi and sashimi menu items start at $4 and $10, or diners can opt for shareable set menus, such as the $69 Kichi sashimi set, which comes with miso soup, salad, maitake or chicken, and sashimi for two.

In addition to a range of sushi and sashimi, Kichi's menu features savory dishes such as $12 creamy uni pasta and $28 chopped lamb with truffle soy tomatoes. Han recommends their nigiris and the black cod dish.

“We go through an aging process for all our fish anywhere from 24 hours to 72 days,” Han says. Aging fish is a technique that enhances the umami flavor fundamental to Japanese cuisine.

For something sweet, Kichi serves ice cream flavors including coffee, cinnamon, and ube. And the drink lineup includes a sake martini, seasonal cocktails, and a variety of alcohol-free options such as a pineapple mint cooler.

Han began his culinary journey in college working as a server in a Japanese restaurant. At the encouragement of the owner, Han began training in the kitchen, working his way from dishwasher to learning how to make tempura and perfecting sushi rice. Since then, he’s worked at other Japanese restaurants in Dallas-Fort Worth including Bluefish, Edoko, and Uchi.

Han says he appreciates Japanese cuisine for its simple flavors that allow quality ingredients to shine. His culinary philosophy, which is “guests eat with their eyes first,” informs the techniques and aesthetics at Kichi.

“My focus is to make sure to do the basics. Clean plates, clean presentation,” Han says.

Late-night happy hour starts at 9 pm, Sunday-Thursday.Photo courtesy of Kichi Bar

Kichi serves dinner seven days a week. Late-night happy hour, when select drinks start at $4 and kitchen menu items start at $5, is on tap Sunday through Thursday from 9 pm to close. Reservations are encouraged on weekends and holidays.

“We try to make our restaurant more guest focused, being near the Asian community where everything is fast paced can be a bit complicated concept for some,” Han says. “But I hope that when people dine [at Kichi Bar], they take their time to enjoy their meal. We don't push out all our food at once … we want them to enjoy their time here.”

Kichi is open for dinner service 5-11 pm Sunday through Thursday, and 5 pm-midnight Friday and Saturday.

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