The Comenian

Issue date: 3/19/09 Section: Entertainment

Having written restaurant and store reviews for several months now, I'm always on the look out for new and interesting places to talk about.

Guido Burrito just so happens to be the kind of place that a person can pass by on a somewhat regular basis, and overlook more often than not. I've known about it for months, but I never really had enough interest to actually take the time out of my day to go. That is, of course, until a fellow Yelper (www.yelp.com) told me about how they have the most amazing cheese steaks in the Lehigh Valley.

That was it--I'm all over a place if they have the best anything in the area.

Having mixed experiences with cheese steaks in the past, my interest is piqued even more, especially from a "Mexican" restaurant.

Every time I pass this joint, up on Linden Street, I remark to myself about the tiny size and how I hardly ever see anybody in there. The restaurant only sits about a handful of people at a time, and a small handful at that. Then again, Guido Burrito follows loosely in the footsteps of the great American hot dog stand, where you have a small restaurant, with an equally small menu, but really good food, quickly, that you can take on the road.

What they make, they make fairly well. I ended up getting a large cheese steak and an order of mozzarella sticks. The mozzarella sticks were absolutely phenomenal. They were better than most places I've been.

The cheese steak, however, was alright. It was certainly better than most that I've had; however it wasn't the best. What made it great was the sheer size of it. The large is about 8 inches long, stuffed to the gills with meat and filling. A sandwich this size definitely takes a large appetite to finish.

Another point in this restaurant's favor is that the kitchen is right there, in plain sight, right behind a pane of plexiglass.

Something about watching the cook work on my food, with the ease and speed of it was a little mesmerizing. Even for the lack of service, the service was really quick. I had the mozzarella sticks quickly, and the cheese steak before I was even done with those.

While I was eating, an order came in. They said it might take about twenty minutes to get it ready. The cook had it done in maybe ten.

While the lack of other customers contributed to that, the cook was very quick, efficient, and professional.

While the service is efficient, the food is tasty, and the atmosphere is comfortable, there are a couple of things that may not work well in the restaurant's favor.

The biggest problem is the location, if you don't already know that it's there, chances are you probably will have a hard time finding it.

Beyond that, the price is a little high. But given the quality and quantity of the food, it's worth it.

All in all, though, I definitely recommend Guido Burrito if you want some classic Americana style food.

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