Jacky’s Burrito Express expands again
May 23, 2023
Jacky’s Burrito Express has nearly doubled its seating area, expanding for a second time.
The Guatemalan eatery operated by Wilson and Leslie Reyes, the children of Jacky’s Restaurant founder Jacky Vanloh, took advantage of an adjacent opening in the retail center on West 12th Street.
The previous tenant, the bodega Tienda el Quetzal, moved in March to 112 S. Van Eps Ave.
Jacky’s Burrito Express opened in 2017 as a quick-serve restaurant with tightly packed seating for about two dozen customers and added a dining room in 2020 when it took over the former H&R Block space next door.
That provided seating for 60, and there’s twice as much room now with more tables and booths.
While the second dining room is open, Wilson Reyes said they still need to decorate it. They’re also planning to add a bar in that section. It will feature Mexican beers and malt-based margaritas, both on the rocks and blended.
That project likely won’t get started until they’re finished expanding the kitchen. They’re putting in a new cooler for the product storage needed to accommodate the growing number of customers.
“We’re busy at lunchtime, dinner, all the time, especially the weekends,” said Roberto Lopez, who works for the family.
“We don’t stop cooking – all day Friday, Saturday,” Reyes said. “It’s just all day cooking food.”
The restaurant at 2315 W. 12th St. is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Remodeling work for another expansion of Jacky’s, a new quick-serve restaurant in the former Fuddruckers space on West 41st Street, started this week, Reyes said. Jacky’s Express Guatemalan Style Restaurant will feature a menu similar to Jacky’s Burrito Express. Vanloh hopes to open it sometime in July.
Jacky’s also has a full-service restaurant on East 10th Street and a location in the food court at The Empire Mall.
