Downtown News
Big big burritos are coming to downtown Dallas thanks to Freebirds
Downtown Dallas is poised to get some big ol' burritos: Freebirds World Burrito, the Austin-based chain, is opening its first location downtown, in the Arts District at 2000 Ross Ave., #190, below the JW Marriott Arts District Hotel, and across from Trammell Crow Center.
According to a release, it's slated to open in 2022.
Freebirds is a build-your-own burrito concept, with burritos available in four sizes and four tortilla flavors, then assembled to your order with ingredients such as beef, chicken, pork, veggies, salsas, queso, and guacamole. Burritos range in size from a normal-ish size to the signature Super Monster which can weigh in at seven pounds.
It has also expanded its menu to include salads, tacos, nachos, quesadillas, meal kits, bowls, and low-carb bowls.
They're strongly identified as a Texas company, but the concept was originally founded in California in 1987 by by Mark Orfalea, who opened the first location across from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
They expanded into Texas in 1992 with a location in College Station, becoming a growing chain that was acquired by Tavistock Restaurants LLC in 2007. There are currently 55 locations, including 16 across North Texas, in Allen, Arlington, Dallas/Greenville Avenue, Fort Worth, Addison, Richardson, Lewisville, Plano, Frisco, Grapevine, Denton, and Irving.
Freebirds recently announced its intention to double its total number of locations over the next five years across Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. That is four of the five cities where a CultureMap bureau is located, so we not only clap at their wisdom but also look forward to documenting every last one of those 50-or-so store openings with pithy stories such as this.
Freebirds hopes to solidify its position as the second largest burrito chain in Texas (Chipotle is the biggest with 260 locations), meanwhile CultureMap hopes to solidify its position as the state's best online media site. Forget second, we're going for #1.