Healthy, Inexpensive and Delicious - Let's Do Lunch!
This little hole-in-the-wall on Winooski Ave. is one of the best kept secrets north of Pearl Street. It doesn't look like much from the outside, and I must admit, I passed it by several times before I deigned to try the food there.

The reason for this was the cramped and spartan interior. The place is less comfortable and less spacious than a Subway sandwich shop. This is not the kind of place you necessarily want to sit and eat.

However, if you're looking to grab some lunch or dinner to go, their wraps are phenomenal. When I picked one of the five or six wraps off the menu to order, it was in the spirit of trying something new. I was completely unprepared for the excellent, wholesome-tasting food on which I was about to gorge.

I had ordered the Thai chicken wrap, which was packed full of freshly cooked rice and a spicy peanut-ginger slaw (as in cabbage) as well as the chicken itself. The spinach tortilla wrap had been lightly toasted. The result is a sublime and delightful meal that consists of mouthful after mouthful of conviction that you have just eaten something delicious AND healthy.

New World Tortilla has two other things going for it: economy and efficiency. They don't pre-manufacture these in the back kitchen, but when you order a wrap, they have it ready for you, hot, in about 3 minutes. I've never been kept waiting here long enough to even think about looking at my watch. And at $5-6 for just the right amount of food to fill you all the way up, (without any guilt!) it's a veritable bargain.

One word of caution: The wraps are drippy. They serve them in a waxed paper sleeve inside the foil wrapper, which contains the drippings pretty well. However, if you remove the waxed paper, you'd be wise to be standing outside, or in the shower. I just eat the whole thing while holding it from the outer foil bottom, and have never had a problem (but my dining companions have needed more than one napkin on occasion.) Just be aware that they do drip.

Next time it's a perfect day for a picnic and you're downtown on lunch break, I strongly recommend giving the fine wraps at New World Tortilla a try.    [27 Oct 2002 04:27:36]

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Recommended Dishes: Thai chicken wrap, chicken club

     ­Anonymous   

Shirts, Shoes, No Service
I have to admit, I have eaten at this restaurant for two years now, but have recently stopped forking over my hard-earned cash because the service absolutely sucks.

If the owners didn't act like they were doing you a favor every time they 'prepared' a burrito for you I'd be back.

Service is king and this place doesn't deliver.    [18 Jun 2003 17:23:43]

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     ­Anonymous   

Another Former Regular...
I was really disappointed the last time that I went in here. I left without even ordering. I used to get the Montezuma a couple of times a month when I needed to get stuffed on the cheap, but the last time I went in with my girlfriend we were totally ignored while standing in line for 10 minutes. To make matters much worse, they were ringing up sales, handling cash, and then going right back to handling food with filthy hands.

Rudeness and filth make it very difficult to eat somewhere. They need to get their act together if they want to attract anyone other than hippies.    [10 Sep 2003 15:26:47]

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     ­Bob   

Big City Sass, Home Town Quality
I hadn't been here in about a year, and I was impressed with their recent renovation. The food was just as good as ever, and I noticed that they now have weekly specials - my friend got the spicy pork and she said it was fantastic but messy. I can see why some people think these guys are a little sassy, but I'm from NYC - lighten up, it's part of the charm. Although I waited in line to order (because the place was packed - a good sign), I got my wrap in under 4 minutes (and that included slicing up a chicken breast hot off the grill and toasting the tortilla on the griddle - no microwaves here). Say what you want, but the food quality is tops. If you want someone to make cute small talk and kiss your butt, go to the culinary school. I'll be at New World.    [12 Apr 2004 01:26:14]

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Recommended Dishes: chicken Vera Cruz

     ­TrevorB   

I Love This Place. What Do They Put in the Salsa?
I could eat their salsa by the spoonful. I want to work there just so I can get the recipe and make it for myself at home :)    [30 Mar 2005 17:01:43]

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Recommended Dishes: chicken flatwrap

     ­Anonymous