It was a bitter cold Saturday night when my wife and I pulled into the parking lot of Lil' Burro. What we were met with was warmth: the food, the atmosphere, the service. What a wonderfully warm reprieve from a night so cold it actively hurt my face. Inside is just plain cozy. A homey retreat filled with authentically vintage seats, tables, and décor. Old Coca-Cola and Pepsi signs of a bygone era adorned the wall nearest our table. The kind of signs that are clearly genuine and have probably been hanging there since they were new, not like some forcefully curated collection meant to simply evoke character. Real charm in a restaurant, like the delicious sauces I will describe herein, take time. So it was that time and warmth were the theme throughout our brief stay at this quaint lil’ hole in the wall.

We were greeted and promptly seated by the personable staff. We passed on any of their house made margaritas, but I know countless people who make Lil’ Burro a regular drink stop. Instead, we started with the Burro Fries and elected to add the cheese and spicy pork sauce. A most wise decision it turns out. I truly love good fries and am disproportionately disappointed in bad fries. The Burro Fries were absolutely dy-no-mite. Just the fries themselves would have been a treat. They were large but crispy, were wonderfully seasoned, and came in an ample portion for the two of us. The cheese turned out to be a warm, creamy queso sauce and the spicy pork was some sort of thick, chili salsa loaded with finely ground pork. It definitely carried a pleasant kick and its dark, rich appearance and flavor had clearly been allowed to slow-simmer for hours. There is no other ingredient like time to achieve such deep color and associated taste. It was just plain good and we found ourselves scooping up the remaining sauce with our complimentary tortilla chips. I would take that pork and cheese on almost anything.

For our main course, I ordered the green pork burrito with rice and beans, and my wife ordered à la carte: a bowl of pozole soup and some shredded beef flautas. The food arrived sooner than I expected, and holy smokes, my plate was huge! I don’t know if you can tell from the picture, but my burrito, rice, and beans came on a platter that was at least fifty percent bigger than my face. Without exaggerating, my 3-year-old could probably have used it as a modest sled. I was hoping to keep the spice level up, but the green pork burrito didn’t come with that option. This was but a minor disappointment as the flavorful green sauce smothered the tortilla and yet left it with a good texture, neither mushy nor tough. The pork itself was rich and tender. Again, time seems to be a recurring ingredient here. The rice and beans served their part as a trusty sidekick.

My wife’s pozole did come with ample heat. It was delicious, and she enjoyed the spice, but did note it would have been nice to have the salsa on the side so she could add it as she saw fit. And for a pozole, it was a little short on the signature hominy, but overall, she enjoyed the generous serving of classic soup.

The flautas were also very rich and filling. The shredded beef was tender and flavorful. The crispy ends of the fried tortillas and meat were a special treat. The red sauce in which the flautas were smothered was not bad, but it did appear to be a very tomato-heavy salsa.

As we sat and stuffed ourselves more than we have in a very long time, a steady din of lively conversations filled the restaurant. It was just enough to make the place feel full and lived in. There wasn’t music, but I think it would have been too much if there were. The happy voices of the other patrons were intermittently broken up by the all-too-familiar loud, popping sizzle of an order of fajitas. Moments later, the smoky and intoxicating aroma of charred peppers, onions, and meat would tantalize us all over again. My wife pre-declared that she would order them upon our return.

Lil’ Burro knows what they’re doing, and they do it well. The no frills, home-style aesthetic is appointed with just enough bric brac and flare, and their staff is helpful and attentive while seeming like an aunt you forgot you knew. Pork, either shredded or in its spicy pork sauce, seems to be a staple throughout the menu, and you can’t go wrong there. The sauces are dark, rich, and slow-cooked. The meats are tender and portions are ridiculous. Thanks, Lil’ Burro. We’ll be back for more!

Matt Hebert is an engineer and self-published author. His dopamine-fueled creative pursuits have spanned from chicken keeping, sand sculpture, acting, and public speaking, but writing is nearest and dearest to his heart. He lives in Bellevue with his wife and two daughters. You can find him on Instagram at @jerkofalltradeshebert or email him at matt.hebert.books@gmail.com

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