A popular breakfast burrito pop-up is going brick-and-mortar in the space vacated last month by beloved Kirkwood restaurant Dish Dive.
Nick Melvin, formerly of Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q and Venkman’s, is set to open his Poco Loco ATL next month at 2233 College Ave. NE, Atlanta Magazine first reported and Melvin confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“There’s not much for us to do,” Melvin said regarding the quick turnaround to re-open the space . “There’s already so much magic in that place anyway, and we just want to keep that going.”
Borne out of Melvin’s desire to continue cooking after he furloughed himself from Fox Bros. at the beginning of the pandemic, Poco Loco has turned into a Tex-Mex juggernaut, selling hundreds of burritos a weekend out of its pop-up location in Lake Claire.
Fans of the pop-up should expect more of the same when Poco Loco moves into its permanent space. Offerings will include four or five rotating frozen and hot to-go burritos made with locally and regionally-sourced ingredients, including eggs from Moore’s Farm in Alabama, meats from Pine Street Market and salsas and seasonings from Beautiful Briny Sea, all served on homemade tortillas.
Recent burrito options have included Happy Clouds made with chicken chorizo, frijoles, borracho beans , jasmine rice and quesadilla cheese and the Grateful Dog made with smoked chicken pastor, eggs, macha stewed white beans and jack cheese.
Also on offer will be rotating provisions including smoked pineapple salsa verde, tortillas, smoked meats by the pound, and frozen doozie balls, a sweet treat of malted chocolate chip cookie dough with crunchy salt.
“The quick grab and go was already a trend before the pandemic,” Melvin said. “But it accelerated it. It adds a freshness to the industry.”
He said the cozy Kirkwood space is the perfect spot to set up shop on a more permanent basis.
“It’s too small to let egos take over, and it forces us to stay in our lanes,” he said.
He’s also excited about bringing his wife, Kristen, on board (”She’s way smarter than me,” he said), and continuing to operate the pickled vegetable business, Doux South,
Once open, the takeout only Kirkwood space will be one of two spots that Poco Loco fans will be able to snag their burritos. Melvin is also partnering with local burger eatery Farm Burger on setting up a stand in the parking lot of the forthcoming Virginia-Highland Farm Burger location.
Eventually, Melvin plans to expand with Poco Loco pop-ups at other Farm Burger locations as well as local coffee shops, with the hope of one day getting his burritos into the freezers at Whole Foods.
The Kirkwood location will start out with weekend-only hours, but will soon be open from 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays. Melvin said for now, the restaurant will stick with its “OG” method of ordering, asking customers to email orders along with their Venmo handles, but plans to make online ordering available soon.
Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
About the Author
