Senor Burritos Reopens Across Town in Westminster, and Fans Follow

Senor Burritos has finally reopened in its new/old location, a few months later than originally planned. The move from its home in the Baker neighborhood, where the family-owned restaurant was a fixture for 34 years, took longer than expected. But fans were willing to wait for the longtime favorite.

Rising costs had caused the Baylon family to close up shop last December and relocate to a Westminster building they owned and had been renting out. (The original Senor Burritos location just reopened as Lucky Noodles, a Thai restaurant that left its tiny spot on East Colfax Avenue.)

The address on Federal Boulevard in Westminster had housed a Senor Burritos in the past, but the group leasing the space turned it into a Taco River. After that lease expired at the end of the year, the Baylon family's plan was to reopen in January as a Senor Burritos, but renovating the location delayed that.

The new Senor Burritos finally opened on Tuesday, May 27, serving the same menu of burritos, soft shell tacos, flautas and Mexican entrees cooked according to family recipes that it had for decades. The lineup includes the shop's award-winning green chile, which is a treasure drenched over a dish like a carnitas burrito. Diners can eat in the roomy, bright dining room, or take their food to go.
While there is still a Senor Burritos location in Lakewood, at 2553 Kipling, the Baylons were pleasantly surprised — and very happy — to see a flock of familiar faces find their way from the Baker address to the northern suburbs after five months.

One difference between the OG Senor Burritos and this new iteration is the drive-through window, something the original restaurant lacked.  One of the delays that held up the reopening was a contractor who was supposed to install the ordering kiosk with a microphone and speaker, as at a typical fast-food outlets. The man never showed up, so the family is now waiting for a new contractor to get the job done. Until then, staffers have to keep watch for cars pulling up to the window and then take their orders "IRL" — in real life.

As Vicente Baylon, who calls himself "the third generation future owner," explains: "No, we didn't have one the first time. We're getting the work done on the microphone (for ordering), but they have to come to the window for right now."
But everything else inside is new, spacious and shiny, and ready to start another decades-long run.

Baylon eagerly introduces the family. "That's my dad, Sergio. He's the man in the back. He runs the show in the kitchen," he says. He also points to his mother, Martha Baylon, who has seen the changes in the Baker district over the years — the gentrification as well as the issue of the unhoused in the neighborhood, which was another reason they decided to move out.

The Westminster spot, she says, is sort of a homecoming, even though they left the location so long ago. For one thing, the family lives in Westminster, close to this Senor Burritos, so the commute's a huge improvement. Vicente notes that he went to Westminster High School, so he's back in his stomping grounds. In an interview last December before the move, he told Westword, "It's gonna be a big change — my car will probably drive itself here!"

Instead, his car is probably happy to not cover so many miles every day.

The reopened Senor Burritos is at 7195 Federal Boulevard, Westminster, and is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; follow it on instagram.com/senorburritos1.