Santa Fe Burrito at the Heart of West Central

Best of West (West Central from the bridge to West Street) introduces the businesses and organizations that are built around the pedestrian- and car-friendly West Central Street and are often overlooked by residents. This is the first in the series of highlights...

Santa Fe Burrito Grill has continued to grow into a small family-owned restaurant group with locations across Greater Boston.

The Franklin location, at 28 West Central St., was one of the first, opening  in 2018 under owner Hector Angel, who has emphasized fresh preparation, quality ingredients and affordability. Angel is also associated with Mexica Burrito Grill locations in Tewksbury and Billerica.

The Franklin restaurant occupies a familiar location for longtime residents. The property previously housed a Friendly’s Ice Cream restaurant, a fixture at the site for decades, and later Rick’s Restaurant before Santa Fe arrived.

Santa Fe offers a fast-casual take on Mexican food, with customers able to customize burritos, bowls, tacos, nachos, quesadillas and salads. Menu choices include chicken, steak, carnitas, barbacoa and carne asada, along with sides such as chips and queso, guacamole and Mexican street corn. Churros and flan are among the dessert choices. Food is available for on-premises consumption of for take out.

Since opening in Franklin, Santa Fe has expanded to Weymouth, Melrose, Acton, East Boston, Malden, Rockland, Revere and North Reading, with another location planned for Stoughton.

Customer reaction has generally been favorable, with diners frequently citing generous portions, freshness and value. Readers can also find customer comments on Santa Fe Burrito Grill’s Yelp reviews.