Muchachos

Welp. After walking around for over 30 minutes in the sticky, hot Singapore evening trying to fill my empty belly I came across Muchacho’s on Unilocal.Allegedly they have some of the best authentic Mex in the eastern hemisphere. Too bad I will never know. I get to this place, and the queue is about four people long. I wait my turn, get to the register, only to be cut off by a Caucasian male who wanted a side of guac. Instead of waiting his turn like the rest of us, he was privileged enough to skip the line and get his order taken. I look on in disbelief as the girl behind the register motions for me to wait. Nope. I and the two people behind me turned around and left. I will starve before I give my money to a business that, foremost, doesn’t value my time and treats me like a second class citizen. Obviously the people behind me agreed, or simply weren’t impressed with the menu. Either way they missed out on a profit that would have been far more than the 2 measly bucks that the guac cost the guy. Do so much better, Muchacho’s.

I’ve only had a chicken burrito with guacamole, but so far, I’m impressed! And I have high standards when it comes to latin/​tex mex food. The burrito is so huge!!! Definitely bang for your buck. I could only manage eating half of it! I’m a small eater normally but evem being super hungry as I was, I STILL couldn’t eat it all. Also bonus points for having Jarritos soda.

Having tortured myself with watching YouTube videos about my local Mexican options in the Mission District of SF I needed som Mexican fast.
And this is where Muchachos steps in! The burritos are large and the tacos delicious.
Although expensive for Mexican food this place is possibly the best taco option in town.

I was taken here on a Friday night and we arrived here about 8pm. Reservations are not taken here, and seats are readily available, with high chairs and regular tables and chairs for your pickings.
We got two beers, a prawn burrito (+guac), pork burrito bowl (+guac), and steak tacos. Water is self-​serve here, and you get your own serviettes and plastic cutlery (my only grouse). I didn’t try my companion’s burrito bowl as it has the same ingredients as my prawn burrito. We were surprised that my prawn burrito had crunchy, fresh, sea (not farmed) prawns. My burrito was big, fat, and juicy with guac, rice, beans… Oh so yum!
I didn’t like the steak tacos; would not reorder. I will, however, be back for my burrito fix in future!

Best place to go when you’re having chipotle withdraws!
Best burrito and Mexican beer you are going to find.

I got their chicken burrito bowl and devoured it. Had their margarita slushy as well — but didn’t finish it. This is definitely a good version of Chipotle that I’ve had in Asia. I’ve tried CaliMex in Hong Kong and not as good as this. This is definitely comparable to Chipotle in the US. And also, met the owner 2 nights ago — he traveled and lived around the world including LA and NY so I think he’s done a good job of capturing the essence of Mexican food in the States and bringing it to Singapore. One less star is because of the space — hard to get a seat if you’re more than 4 people. And it’s hot. But it’s hot everywhere in Singapore I guess. It would be awesome if they could open up an upstairs area for sit down space if the space allows.

For first timers, ordering may be a bit time consuming due to the nondescript menu. On one side there’s a list of the restaurants special burritos but it doesn’t list what the ingredients are. This is where it can be time consuming and start to irritate the rest of the folks in line if you want to know.
On the other side, are meat choices for either a burrito, bowl, or quesadilla. Again, this isn’t like an assembly line so you’re not told what goes inside your burrito unless you ask. If you don’t request or ask, you get the works.
Over all for flavor, not bad.
Maybe before you order, walk past the cashier to the window where the food is made to see the ingredients so that you’re prepared.

Been hearing about this place for a long time, probably passed by it a few times … but finally got a chance to try it out.
Came here for CYME — glad to meet both old and new friends :)
Ordered carnitas tacos as the burritos and quesadilla came in a bigger portion. Had quick bites at another place before coming here too.
Space was pretty small as it is located at one of the shophouses along Keong Saik Road but at least we managed to get a seat even though crowds were trickling in during dinner time. Food was served pretty fast.
The carnitas are tender and juicy. Definitely reminds me of Chipotle even though it hasn’t got similar ingredients on it.
The refillable water and cutleries can be found at the side table around the seating areas.
Next time here I’ll probably try out the burrito with an empty stomach :)

Muchacos has the REAL Sriracha hot sauce! I really enjoyed the carnitas burrito with refried beans, rice, sour cream, pico de gallo, and salsa verde. If I could get some fries in there and a cold horchata, I’d feel like I’m back in San Diego again. Yum. Thank you :)

Well, well, well… What can I say? I’m impressed. I mean it definitely isn’t the best burrito I’ve ever had but it’ll do since my Mexican food standards in S’pore (that’s what the cool people who live hear call it) are pretty low. The lettuce was browning and the Mexican rice was kind of dry, but they know how to make a burrito so that counts for something right? Go here for a fix but don’t expect Chipotle! I’m in love with Chipotle.

I go to muchachos to satisfy my mexican food cravings. It is on a pricey side if you compare it to mexican food back in the bay area yes but compared to Singapore mexican restaurants its pretty decent. I do hope they give out nachos for free.

Since moving to Singapore, I have been missing Mexican food, and the stories of the $ 10 taco hasn’t helped either. After stopping by 3 beer stalls at the 335 Smith Street Chinatown complex, we were ready for some food. Fortunately, on the way back to my friend’s place, we passed by Muchachos and stopped by for some tasty Mexican food. Ok, so it wasn’t exactly the most authentic. In fact, the quesadilla looked like a burrito that has been pan fried! It’s actually my first quesadilla in Singapore so I’m not sure if this is a local thing, but I was expecting something with a larger surface area and much thinner. Anyway, whatever it is, it’s quite tasty! I would say the big problem is that usually we need more cheese in a quesadilla and these did not have much. However, if you like meat, you are in luck. We tried both the chicken and carnitas, and between the two, the carnitas version was by far the tastier one — moist, tender, and flavorful. Having some proper hot sauces is also a plus. The damage? Two of these quesadilla/​burritos will run you $ 25. But they were a true value, especially considering the size/​weight. If they added more cheese, it would be even better. Definitely looking forward to trying the rest of the menu soon!

How does that famous quote go? «You can take a girl out of Chipotle, but you can’t take Chipotle out of a girl???»
ANYWAY, as a someone with 13 years of burrito eating experience under her belt, one can only imagine the fear of moving to a Southeast Asian country with the possibility of no burritos in sight.
Luckily, Muchachos has come to the rescue to fill this void in my life. This joint is the closest I’ll get to an upscale, fast casual Mexican place* with a burrito baby** assembly line. Whenever I find a burrito I like, I stick with it, so I can only write good things about the Pollo Asado (chicken) burrito. I usually put cheese, rice, pinto beans, pico de gallo, and sour cream; wrap it all up, slap the foil on there and I’m ready to go to town!
The chips and guacamole are pretty good, and the 50 cent wings on Wednesday are what motivates my colleagues to take a short bus ride here for lunch. They also offer Mexican coke and Jarritos, but you’ll definitely pay over $ 4 per bottle. Despite the burritos costing around $ 11 – 13, this is still a more viable option than a sit down place like Señor Tacos in Chijmes. And considering it’s location on trendy Keong Saik Road, it’s definitely one of the cheaper eateries that’ll fill you up; a perfect pit stop before a night of fancy cocktails down the road!
*There’s also MexOut, which I have yet to come back to after my super salty burrito experience.
**I’ve been googling other slang terms for burritos and to my disdain, it has taken me to some pretty sketch parts of the Interwebs. Search with caution.

One of the better burritos in Singapore with mostly premium ingredients, but still rather disappointing.
Still suffering from SoCal withdrawal (lived there for a couple of years), I stumbled into Muchachos looking for my burrito fix. The self-​serve style of restaurant is similar to a Chipotle tex-​mex fast food type place in the United States. The fact that they also served Jarritos, Mexicoke and Corona raised my expectations somewhat.
However, those expectations were short-​lived. I ordered a Carnitas burrito and proceeded to choose the ingredients. The black beans looked hard, and the pinto beans looked insipid. I then watched the staff member behind the counter struggle with rolling the burrito. Chips and salsa were not free.
Burrito-​wise, the flavours were fairly good, and the everything tasted relatively authentic. However the refried beans were too watery, and the carnitas filling was stringy and had too much liquid still remaining. All said and done, I ended up with a soggy dripping burrito. It’s like serving a popiah without the liquid drained from the turnip filling.
To put things in perspective, it’s definitely one of the better burritos in Singapore, but there isn’t much competition to speak of. Still lookin’ for a new love… hasta la vista, baby.

Best Mexican food in Singapore by a mile or 1.6km.
Can’t wait to go back.
Qualifications to give this review: lived in LA for over 30 years. The. End.

Please read the previous review for all the good points.
This review is an UPDATE, and only that.
OH NO THEY’VE CHANGED THEIR MENU.
No more mini burritos, they’re all now the same massive size (and the higher price).
They no longer list fish on their menu even though it’s there on the line.
They’ve added quesadillas, which were alright, though I prefer them crisper with way more cheese. I’m not quite sure why they’ve changed the menu. Needless to say, I’m less of a fan due to all of these changes. Enough to take off a star.
I’m not quite sure why they’ve so many new staff. (And stuff I guess)
I’m not even quite sure why the food just didn’t seem as good as I remembered.
I’m just sure that wings are still 50 cents on Wednesdays and they’re still delicious.
GIVE ME WINGS AND GIVE ME WINGS NOW!

Quesadilla is new on the menu, according to the staff, so I guess the menu has been changed. The burrito now comes in one standard size (big and fat) with an option for burrito bowl.
I guess I was expecting more on the menu but when the choices were limited to just burrito, burrito bowl, quesadilla and buffalo wings, it kinda deflated my enthusiasm. I had the beef burrito which was obviously the wrong thing to order after the first bite. The beef was very tough.
If you love cilantro in your rice, you might want to ask them for more as their presence was barely there. And if you are expecting Chipotle, don’t.
The fish was deep fried and very average, and that was being kind. It was just a bit floury and mushy inside. Some liked it that way though.
The winner seemed to be the quesadilla. It is a folded quesadilla like an envelope and not the usual half moon sliced into 3 pieces. And the winning filling is the carnitas (pulled pork).
The hot sauce and habanero sauce are also not that spicy. I think there was a mis-​match of expectation as the staff warned us that it would be very spicy and it was not. And for the soda, we were told the guava jarritos was very sweet but it was not either.
Drinks — there are only 2 options for alcoholic stuff (2 types of beer). The other drinks are basically soda. Regular fountain drinks. Mexican coca cola which is really from Mexico. We finally found out the difference. Mexican cola is made with sugar (cane sugar I think) while the Coke we have been drinking here is made with corn syrup. The taste is hardly discernible. The only difference I can taste is that there is a watery finish/​aftertaste in Mexican Coke, whereas the usual Coke has a sweet finish/​aftertaste.
There is a wide range of Jarritos (Mexican soda) made with real fruit flavors. I guess it is something to try but I am not a fan of it. The mandarin flavor is similar to Fanta Orange. Then there is also O.N.E. Coconut water which tastes super strange that words cannot describe it. It is not like the fresh coconut juice we know, straight from the coconut itself.
We sat outside at the only 2 tables available as we were a big group. That was a good decision as there was a strong smell of the food inside so your hair and clothes would definitely be stuck with that.
I think the food is decent if you order the correct item and if your expectation is lowered, otherwise you will be quite disappointed. It is also no longer that budget friendly. My beef burrito with guac (extra charge $ 1.75) and a Jarritos came close to $ 20.

Compared to other Mexican joints in Singapore, this place is a gem. I’m sorry for the previously harsh review!

I’m on some kind of mexican roll. This is my third joint this month alone, and it’s a hit! (Come on Unilocal,where is my mexi-​can badge?)
Anyway the burritos here are legit-​sized for $ 12. We shared a burrito with pulled pork and black beans, and it was. Heaven. I especially enjoyed the guacamole, which is made from california haas avocadoes. I love california.
They also do 50cents buffalo wings on wednesday nights. we had 6pieces of those (3pc per person) with this amazing dip that we couldn’t quite figure out — i think it was yogurt and dill or some kind of cheese? No, it’s not blue cheese.
Washed it all down with a bottle Negra Modelo, and now we’re happy-​stuffed.
A+++ will come back again!

Oh hell yes. Muchachos just upped their game with some shockingly, unexpectedly, review updatingly good buffalo-​style chicken wings. The liberally slathered ultra vinegary sauce, the not-​quite crispy skin, the tender chicken, the homemade creamy dill dip, the fact that they’re .50¢ per wing on Wednesdays… all I needed were a few slices of celery and some drunken Bills fans to actually believe I was sitting in an East Coast bar — that’s how authentic these puppies were. And the entire time, stuffing my face well beyond the meat-​sweat-​zone, I just couldn’t believe I was sitting in a mission-​style burrito joint on Keong Saik road in Singapore. Only this can adequately sum up how astounded I was by the situation’s delicious factor:

Well that, and this glowing 5-​star review.