New to Destin, Dat Burrito Place is built on 30 years of love

They may be new in Destin, but not new to tacos and burritos.

Dat Burrito Place, 4410 Commons Drive E., Suite 101, next to The Yard Milkshake Bar, opened in late March and is already getting great reviews.

“It is going good so far and we’re getting a lot of feedback by word of mouth,” owner Armando Ruiz said. 

Dat Burrito Place already has about 60 reviews on Yelp and Google, and all are five-star ratings, except for one who gave them a four because of gluten in one of the dishes, Ruiz said.

Dat Burrito Place is not a chain restaurant, but it is part of a family business that started more than 30 years ago in California with Cotijas Taco Shop. Since then, the Ruiz family has opened taco and burrito shops in Nashville, Tennessee, Arizona, Alabama and now Destin. The restaurants in Tennessee and Alabama go by the name Oscar’s Taco Shop or Westcoast Taco Shop. 

“But we are all family,” Ruiz said. 

And Dat Burrito Place located near Paradise Key in Destin is “something new, and it’s been very great,” Ruiz said. 

The “fast casual place” is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

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“You can come in or take out,” Ruiz said.

And although the name says Dat Burrito Place, they have more than burritos on the menu.

“Our red tacos and Birria sell a lot,” Ruiz said.

A red taco is a shredded beef taco with red sauce on the tortilla — “that’s why we call it a red taco ... it looks red,” Ruiz said. He said it is kind of like a miniature quesadilla with dipping sauce on the side. “It’s really good,” he said.

And of course, their specialty Dat Burrito is already becoming a favorite on the menu.

“It has everything in it but the kitchen sink,” Ruiz said.

On Dat Burrito you get a choice of meat — chicken, steak, pastor, carnitas or ground beef. Rolled with black beans, rice, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, pico and cheese.

The tortas, which he said is like a Mexican sub sandwich, is also a popular item on the menu and it comes with a side of fries.

Another favorite, Ruiz said, is the rolled quesadilla. Instead of a pie, they roll it.

“We roll it ... it’s easier to pick up and eat,” he said, and it is loaded with beans, cheese and guacamole.

Dat Burrito Place recently added a breakfast burrito to its menu. They offer a ham and egg, or a bacon and egg, or sausage and egg, all wrapped in a flour tortilla.

And being located near the Gulf of Mexico, they also offer “From the Sea” selections such as a fish burrito, shrimp burrito, fish taco, shrimp taco and shrimp quesadilla.

“We have to have the seafood ... and people love the fish tacos,” Ruiz said.

The fish on the tacos is usually fried, but customers can ask for grilled.

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“Everything we do is fresh every morning,” Ruiz said, noting the salsas and guacamole are made fresh every day.

“Nothing comes in a can but our jalapeno and our tomato puree,” he said.

As for salsa, they have a salsa bar at Dat Burrito Place where the customer can pick their own salsa. On the bar are such items as pickled carrots, pickled onions and hot and mild sauce.

With summer just weeks away, Dat Burrito Place will be offering paleta’s, which is an ice cream popsicle. They will come in raspberry and cream, passion fruit, lemon lime and more.

After being in the business for three decades, Ruiz said a couple of his favorites are the red tacos and steak fries.

“It’s a big plate of French fries with steak, and they’ll put sour cream, cheese and guacamole on top,” he said.

They also offer buffalo fries topped with grilled chicken with buffalo sauce, cheese and house sauce.

“Everything is well portioned ... good sized. It will fill you up,” Ruiz said. 

For now, the restaurant is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. However, they might extend their hours to 10 p.m. during the summer months.