There’s a new burrito place up on Jefferson Avenue. You know that great big fancy shopping center they put in not long ago, across from Olive Garden and Red Lobster? Yeah, that one with Ross, and TJ Maxx and Kohl’s. Well, Jefferson Commons includes quite a few restaurants in amidst the stores. One of them is Moe’s Southwest Grill.

Yes, it’s a chain, and there’s already one in Norfolk (on Forest Hills Ave.) and Chesapeake (S. Battlefield Blvd.), but they’re new on the Peninsula, so the place merited a good checking out.

This place is kind of like a Tex Mex Subway. The customers follow their down the line as it gets put together. It’s behind a glass and all the fillings are right there in front of you, so as you move down the row, you can tell your meal-makers just how you want it.

Try not to go during peak hours, though. If the line gets long, it seems like the girls behind the counter slow down exponentially.

Burritos are definitely the specialty. They’re huge, and could definitely make two meals if you’re a light eater. The quality is not much better than OK, but hey, it’s basically fast food Tex Mex that’s better than Taco Bell. The menu consists of burritos, tacos, quesadillas, taco salads, fajitas, and nachos. Depending on the individual ingredients you want on yours, there are a variety of fun names to choose from. A “Homewrecker” is a burrito with rice, beans, meat, cheese, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and lettuce. A “Triple Lindy” is all that, minus the sour cream and lettuce. Who can say how they came up with these titles, but at least they keep life interesting. The kids menu offers tacos, burritos and quesadillas, all under cute monikers like “Puff the Magic Dragon”, “Moo Moo Mr. Cow”, and “Mini-Me”.

Special things to note…

• They cater, although there is a minimum order required for delivery.
• Tofu is available upon request.
• They usually prepare their food mild, but will kick it up a few notches if you ask.
• They have free wireless internet access.

This place is kind of like a Tex Mex Subway. The customers follow their down the line as it gets put together. It’s behind a glass and all the fillings are right there in front of you, so as you move down the row, you can tell your meal-makers just how you want it. Try not to go during peak hours, though. If the line gets long, it seems like the girls behind the counter slow down exponentially.

Overall, it’s a great lunch place, but watch out for the crowds. It’d be a good place for when you don’t want regular fast food, but don’t have the money for a nice sit-down restaurant. Since they have wireless, it would also be great for sitting down to work, as long as you don’t mind getting up once in a while to get more salsa or order more chips.

Store Locations in this area are as follows:

12551 Jefferson Ave., Suite 231, Newport News
520 W. 21^st Street, Unit F, Norfolk
237 S. Battlefield Blvd., Chesapeake