Fun Lunch Friday – Barburrito Queen Street

Friday 28 October 2016

Fun Lunch Friday – Barburrito Queen Street

I’ve been raving about this for a while now, but today officially marks the start of my attempts to find alternative lunch venues to my work’s kitchen. Food is a big thing for me and, forever feeling like I’m on a diet, food can get pretty boring. It doesn’t help that I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t saving for a wedding, and I’m always reluctant to splash out on anything that doesn’t seem necessary. Saying that though, back when I was an undergraduate I would drag my good friend Elizabeth for food every Wednesday afternoon, and we had a great time - who knew yoghurt on a pizza would taste so good?! In an attempt to inject some fun back into the boring office lunch affair, I have now convinced Sarahjane to join me as I rekindle my love of the lunch friend date – albeit on Fridays and much less regularly than every week! Our first one on the list – Barburrito, Queen Street.

This was always a favourite haunt of mine, back when it was called ‘Pinto’, so I was pleased that Sarahjane suggested it for our first ‘fun lunch’. I was even more delighted when we walked through the door and noticed the ‘20% student discount’ signs everywhere – yes please! We wanted to avoid the lunch time rush, so arrived just before twelve, when the queue was still small – by the time we had ordered, it was out of the door! Luckily, we had enough time to browse the menu adequately, without feeling rushed, and I think we were both satisfied with what we ordered.

For those who’ve not been before, Barburrito is essentially a Mexican fast food restaurant which prepares your meal fresh at the counter from a selection of different fillings and dishes. You choose your dish (burrito, tacos, nachos), your filling (beef, pork, veggie), then add your extras (sour cream, guacamole etc). There’s also a single dessert option of Churros, but I can’t imagine people are left with much room when you see the size of the portions! Sarahjane had never been before, so chose a burrito, but I fancied a wee change from the usual and opted for nachos instead – with my student discount, I only paid £5.20 and was definitely full after eating it!

Despite initially thinking that the nachos looked a little sparse, the amount of different things I had in the dish more than made up for the lack of tortilla chips. I even added some beans and salsa to the concoction, extras that I’m not usually keen on! One thing I did wish I’d included was a soft drink of some kind. I knew I had a can back at my desk, but Sarahjane’s fresh lemonade was really making my mouth water!

Sarahjane secured us a booth by the window (with plenty of natural light for the blog pictures) and we managed to pass our time relaxing and chatting, on the first of many lunches away from our desks. The setting was clean and comfortable, with plenty of space due to our early arrival. The majority of customers were also taking their lunch away, so this further reduced the busy feeling. Despite choosing to leave the office and eat elsewhere, we were close enough that we didn’t feel rushed on our return, and were even back at our desks before the full lunch hour was up!

For anyone wanting a quick bite to eat in the city centre, Barburrito is the perfect place to grab something a little different. I’m so pleased that I took this opportunity to escape from my building, as it’s really left me feeling more energised for the rest of the day. Taking a break is important, and this was just what I needed – I can’t wait for our next Fun Lunch Friday!