Review: Zambrero, Reading

Get a burrito at Zambrero, and you immediately hear about their mission to fight world hunger. Through their Plate 4 Plate initiative, every burrito purchased results in their donating a meal to someone in need via their partner Rise Against Hunger.

So far so good: who wouldn’t want to enjoy some ‘Feel Good Mex’?

Zambrero is an Australian fast-food chain, specialising in burritos, tacos, and quesadillas, that expanded into the UK several years ago. There isn’t an Oxford branch, but Bitten were kindly invited to try the one in Reading, which isn’t far.

It’s tucked in a little side street midway between the train station and the Oracle shopping centre, so very handy to fuel yourself before any retail therapy.

A key feature of the restaurant is that your meal is freshly custom-made to order right in front of you.

First you pick your style (want a classic burrito or a burrito bowl?), then choose your fillings, toppings, and sauce from the display counter. The staff were friendly and informative, and I enjoyed watching them make a wrap to my requirements. It starts with a large flour tortilla, followed by a base of rice and beans.

To top that, I selected slow cooked barbacoa beef, then corn salsa, cheese, and finally some jalapeños for that necessary heat. In no time at all I was handed a generously stuffed roll of loosen-your-belt proportions. As an important side note, it was well wrapped to avoid the danger of half the ingredients ending up on your shirt front.

How did it taste?

My initial reaction was disappointment that the burrito wasn’t hot. Perhaps that was my mistake in not ordering the ‘toasted burrito’ from the menu, but I did wish they had explained that to me. I think a good burrito should be warmed. As for the fillings, they were loosely Mexican inspired and just tasty enough as a combination. I quite liked the corn salsa, which added both texture and interest to the rather underwhelmingly spiced beef.

The classic pickled jalapeños helped a little, too. I had the chips and guacamole on the side (part of their meal deal), and these too were basically alright rather than anything more. Although the guac was smooth and cooling, it was also overly mild, with no added zing from lime or chilli. The tortilla chips looked homemade but didn’t taste that way.

Overall, my hearty meal was just okay, so Zambrero gets a food rating of ‘average’ based on my experience. However, I did get that promised ‘Feel Good’ from their initiative to fight hunger, so I will award them top marks in this category.