Tucked between the antique stores and T-shirt shops on one of Magazine Street's funkier blocks, Juan's Flying Burrito offers diners a casual, inexpensive, and delicious meal.

The food is Mexican-inspired, but the atmosphere is not. Rock music generally plays through the long narrow dining room. The open kitchen separates two seating areas -- both adorned with brightly colored paintings of flowers and skulls. It's not likely that the wait staff will win any awards for spectacular service. But the deliciously satisfying fare for relatively few dollars generally influences the casual diner to overlook the informal service.

The Jerk Nachos are a fun and filling way to begin a meal. The heaping pile of tortilla chips is smothered with spicy jerk chicken, two kinds of cheese, chunks of avocado, fresh cilantro, chipotle sour cream and pineapple salsa. The fruity salsa calms the heat and adds a sweet tang to the dish. Be warned -- like most of the Juan's dishes, the nachos are huge and best for sharing!

The burritos, the namesake of the restaurant, are also the highlight of the menu. Several different varieties offer options from the traditional to the extreme. The Flying Burrito is perhaps the most decadent of such. This variety is stuffed with a carnivore's trifecta. Grilled steak, chicken and gulf shrimp, along with cheese, yellow rice, black beans, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole push the grilled tortilla's capacity to the max. Plan on making a second meal out of this order! For a lighter burrito option, check out the Super Green. The bulk of this burrito is grilled broccoli, mushrooms, spinach, peppers, and avocado. The ingredients may be lighter, but it is equally as large as the meaty, flying version!

The burritos are impressive, but the rest of the menu should not be forgotten. Since 1996, this 'Creole Taqueria' has been serving up notable versions of quesadillas, fajitas, and tacos -- nearly all for less than $10 -- with favorite Louisiana ingredients like shrimp and crawfish.

The Juan's menu also offers a surprising number of tasty-looking vegetarian options. The Veggie Punk burrito, Wicked Garden fajita plate, and Mardi Gras Indians tacos offer creative versions of vegetarian dishes. Meat isn't just removed from their regular menu items to create the veggie options. Instead, these offerings are filled with different combinations of tasty ingredients like squash, spicy slaw, and spinach.

In addition to the long menu, a chalkboard on the sidewalk entices diners with a special or two each day. On this particular visit, the special was a quesadilla made with a spinach tortilla and stuffed with melted cheese, sautéed onions, chicken and raspberry vinaigrette. Crispy pieces of paneed goat cheese topped off the unique take on the quesadilla. Though the vinaigrette and goat cheese first seemed as though they would be out of place on what would otherwise be fairly traditional Mexican restaurant fare, the combination worked well, adding a new dimension to the entree.
Top off your meal with a margarita (half-priced during happy hour) and you're sure to leave Juan's satisfied!

Juan's Flying Burrito
2018 Magazine St.
New Orleans
504-569-0000