Friday, January 4, 2013

Mojo Burrito Wants to Roll One for Dunwoody

Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Mojo Burrito is rolling into Dunwoody.

The three-unit burrito chain will open its first restaurant outside of its Chattanooga home base in Dunwoody Village later this spring.  Mojo will occupy a roughly 2,300 s/f space next to Blooms of Dunwoody, in the shopping center anchored by The Fresh Market and also home to Walgreens and the more recent addition of Marlow's Tavern.  For all my ITP readers, Dunwoody Village is also home to Dunwoody Prep, the site of the murder of Rusty Sneiderman in November 2010.  It is a few miles from Perimeter Mall, bounded by Chamblee-Dunwoody Road and Mount Vernon Highway.  

Mojo's nearest competition will come from a Moe's Southwest Grill, located in the Publix-anchored Dunwoody Hall shopping center, a stone's throw from Dunwoody Village.  

Mojo has been around for ten years and according to their website, is a big supporter of local artists and makes an effort to feature their work in the restaurants.  Sources tell me the Dunwoody location will be a corporately owned store.

Mojo's menu is simple with a variety of tacos, burritos, nachos, salads and other southwestern options.  Main menu items like burritos and tacos look to be  priced on par with  the likes of Willy's and below those of newcomer Lime Fresh.  Lime Fresh entered the Atlanta market last year ripe with cash from being acquired by Maryville, Tennessee based Ruby Tuesday.  Lime opened high profile locations in Buckhead, South Buckhead and Midtown and from the looks of the parking lots at peak hours, are not doing well.  

Personally I think Lime will fail by the end of the year and that the best burritos in Atlanta still come from Willy's. 

Where do you go for burritos?  Will you try Mojo Burrito?  What other tenants would you like to see added to Dunwoody Village?

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

What's the latest on the Willy's that was supposed to open in Brookhaven?

TheJohnP said...

For non chain burritos, my top three in Atlanta are Raging Burrito, Tomatillos and Bell Street Burritos (not necessarily in that order).

Chain burritos, would probably go for Willy's. Moe's used to be good but their quality has disappeared over the past several years. Never liked Chipotle (hated the fact that chips cost extra), Barberito's is decent. Haven't tried Lime yet and is Qdoba still even around?

Atlantan99 said...

@Anon RE: Willy's Brookhaven,

As I originally reported, the plan was to have the restaurant open this month. I'm told that "red tape" and "unforseen circumstances" have delayed the new Willy's at Hartsfield which they plan to have open before Brookhaven. Currently, they hope to have the Hartsfield location open in a few weeks and Brookhaven would then follow in late February / early March.

Thanks for reading the blog and for the comments.

Atlantan99 said...

@TheJohnP,

I'm not so much a fan of Bell Street but agree on Raging B.

I was one of the first people to eat at Moe's when it opened near The Peach back in 2001 and have seen a slow progression to cheaper ingredients during a time that they also increased their menu prices. Once a Raving Fan of the brand, but no longer.

I've never been a fan of Chipotle's meats or burritos and the fact that they charge for their chips is icing on the cake!

Qdoba has re-entered the Atlanta market and currently has locations in Alpharetta and Suwanee.

Thanks for reading the site and for the comments.

SB said...

I was in college at UF when Moe's really got going and it was heaven. When I lived in Tampa and Miami afterwards it was sought out for lunch during work constantly. But I agree with prior comments, it has gone way downhill. The consistency between locations is awful. The original on Peachtree is still great, most the others are not. The one in Dunwoody Village I have been to about 40 times over the past 3 years working nearby. About 35 of those times were the first 1-2 years at the job and only 5 times since. Even when they re-did the inside, the food remained shitty. Hard rice, non-seasoned steak. I go to Willy's now every week at Hammond and Peachtree Dunwoody. As if any of you care.... burritos rule. I will try this new place.

Anonymous said...

Barberitos all day

Anonymous said...

Any idea what restaurant is going in the old Cheeseburger in Paradise location? I was told it was a sports bar/pub type restaurant.

Karen Chatters said...

I'd rather see a Willy's in Dunwoody Village but am happy to see some competition for Moe's. I will definitely check out the new place.

MOJO Dunwoody said...

Greetings to Everyone! This is Doug Bassette of Mojo Burrito. We are very excited to be coming to Dunwoody Village. We plan to deliver not only the freshest, highest quality Southwestern style foods, but also a comfortable, warm, friendly place to be with friends and family, relax and enjoy our little home away from home atmosphere. We want to become a part of the community you love to come to because we are enjoyable, satisfying, and memorable.

G.G. said...

This news is so terrific that there isn't a hat size that'll fit it. We stopped by their store near Red Bank in November, and their East Brainerd store last month on our way home from Ohio. I prefer Bell Street, but only by a nose, because this place is terrific and fun. We'll eat here frequently.

Kelly said...

I've heard Mojo is awesome! I can't wait to eat there and check it out!

Atlantan99 said...

@ Anon RE : Cheeseburger in Paradise,

A source tells me that the owners of Cheeseburger in Paradise may launch a new as yet unnamed restaurant in the same space.

Thanks for reading and for the question.

Anonymous said...

@Doug Bassette,

I am loving this news! Whats you're ETA on opening?

Also, Cheeseburger in Paradise isn't my favorite---hope that news isn't true... Plus Village Burger is pretty decent as it is. . .

Anonymous said...

We'd rather try El Azteca in Dunwoody Village or Marlows!

Dave in Dunwoody said...

Mojo Burrito in Dunwoody rocks. The fish tacos are to die for. Came accross Mojo when I left Fresh Market. Yum !!!!

Anonymous said...

Went to Mojo Burrito , the owner was rude , and seemed rushed even though there were only 2 tables occupied. My fish taco had to two pieces the size of a small nuggets .The steak burrito had so much juice from the meat that the tortilla wad soggy.I am all about helping our local restaurants but this was a bad experience.

Anonymous said...

Just left Mojo Burrito disappointed!Manager/owner was indeed rude! The beans were extremely bland,no salt, no seasoning, no cumin, no flavor. There was no hot salsa in the place and the owner seemed quit put-out by the fact that my husband asked for it. Thought this was Tex-Mex! There were a few hot sauces on the table to choose from. Really don't see the difference between Moe's and this place other than the
bad attitude. When is Dunwoody getting a Taqueria del Sol or Willy's????

dhbenda said...

why do we need a willys, when we have marlows and el azteca next door that are both fine, awesome and great dunwoody establishments! Not to mention a variety of other parcels with great restaurants!

Anonymous said...

I was excited to eat at the new Mojo Burrito in Dunwoody Village. I am a longtime Dunwoody resident and I try hard to frequent the local establishments. I walked in about 2:30 pm, I wasn't acknowledged by anyone, not even a nod. The manager had a scowl on his face the entire visit. Unfriendly management, dark environment inside, food is good. I'll be staying at Marlow's and Village Burger from now on. When you pay premium prices for food it would feel better if you were appreciated while doing it. Manager needs a manners class.

Anonymous said...

Couldn't agree more about the rude owner... I won't be going back again because of him - his general demeanor is not well suited for the restaurant industry. I think he should go work at chick fil a to learn about what good customer service looks like but I can't see chick fil a hiring a guy like that.

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