ALLISTON, ON — New Tecumseth isn’t home to a lot of Mexican eateries, but Abbasi Kothari wants to change that. After moving from southern US to Angus, Ontario, Abbasi missed Mexican food. He noticed that outside of the GTA, there weren’t a lot of options for Tex-Mex. With his love for cooking and 10 years of experience running his own business, opening a BarBurrito restaurant in Alliston just made sense.

“Working for somebody has never been for me”, he explains. Abbasi initially spoke with other burrito franchises, but their visions didn’t align. “Usually when you deal with corporations, you need to make appointments and the whole process takes longer. With Alex (the BarBurrito president), he’ll pick up your call at 10 pm at night. It’s a very personal approach.”

So, why Alliston? “I shop here everyday, and I love that nobody is rushing here (because everything is 10 minutes away). Even though it’s quiet, it’s a very vibrant place that has doubled in size over the last decade.”

Abbasi’s eventual goal is to set up more locations that can run on their own. His favourite menu item? “Barbacoa, any day. No beans, but I’ll get all of the other toppings.  I’m pushing for us to serve chimichangas,” he laughs. “Otherwise, if I were to pick another restaurant to eat at, it would be Hakka Chinese.”

When Abbasi isn’t working, you can find him going on random drives with his family to destinations unknown. “17 years ago, before we had a car, we’d hop on a bus without any idea where it was going. We love finding hidden gems.”

You can find them at 50 King St South at King St & Young St, next to the Starbucks. Visit on MadMex Monday to get a $4.99 regular classic burrito or bowl! (Edit: This promotion has now ended).