Boojum is the burrito brand promising big flavours and epic portion sizes – and they’ve just arrived in the Merrion Centre.
If you’ve been lucky enough to spend some time in Dublin or Belfast over the past decade or so, you might have already discovered the burrito brilliance of Boojum. If so, get ready to gorge on those tasty flavours again. If not, you’re in for a treat. That’s because they’ve hopped across the pond to open their first home outside of the island of Ireland right here in Leeds, taking over the former Dunkin’ Donuts unit on the Woodhouse Lane corner of the Merrion Centre.
The Boojum story goes back to 2007, when John and Karen Bilsard opened the first store in the heart of Belfast, on the doorstep of Queen’s University. Fast forward to 2015, it was taken over by former professional rugby union player Andy Maxwell and his brother David – since then, it’s been non-stop growth, with now 17 restaurants across the island, from Belfast and Dublin to Galway and Cork. Where next? Across the Irish Sea was the obvious answer.
“Leeds was a big tick in so many different areas,” David told us. “When we started to think about where in Leeds, we looked at the city centre, we looked more towards the university area. And again, we absolutely warmed to that, because we’re really excited to obviously get on the doorsteps of the main university campuses, close to where students are, but also somewhere attractive enough to reach shoppers and office workers.”
Their central location has already added a big splash of colour to the area. The bold blue and pink signage is surrounded by bright artwork, while the transformation continues inside. It’s unrecognisable from its past life, with a cool cantina feel, from the raw wood and scaffold pole tables and benches to the colourful walls and Leeds-inspired graffiti murals. That’s all soundtracked by a high energy playlist to create an atmosphere people will remember.
As impressive as it looks, it’s the food that sees Boojum really strut their stuff. They’re serious about their expansion into Great Britain, so have coupled a store opening with their own dark kitchen site in Leeds, where they receive their fresh ingredients, all sourced from a new and bespoke supply chain set up for their restaurants over here to get the best quality produce – it’s here where they prep their range of flavour-packed dishes.
You can eat in or take away, and the only place to start is with the burritos. It’s a create-your-own affair in five simple steps. It kicks off with your choice of cilantro lime rice or Mexican savoury rice and black beans or pinto beans, before you hit the main fillings. Their chicken, pork carnitas, chilli con carne, chorizo and, our favourite, barbacoa beef are all immaculately seasoned and slow-cooked, while non-meat eaters can choose from veggies, 3 bean chilli or an onion and pepper mix.
Step three takes you into the world of salsa and here, it’s all about how spicy you want it. The tomato and sweetcorn salsas are for the wary, but you can amp it up with a tangy salsa verde, the fiery salsa roja and smoky chipotle. Feeling brave? The naga will attempt to blow your socks off. Cheese and/or sour cream are up next, before you complete the burrito with any extras, from jalapeños and pickled onions to chorizo crunch’um – a mix of tortilla chips, chorizo and lime.
Once in your hands, the first thing you’ll notice is the size of it. They’ve built their reputation on not only tasty food, but for not scrimping on portion sizes and that’s something that isn’t just on their burritos. You can get the above fillings in their fajitas, tacos, burrito bowls and salads. Want more? There’s build-your-own nachos and a whole range of enchiladas. To round it off, you can never go wrong with churros – dip yours in dulce de leche or chocolate hazelnut sauce.
Wash it all down with your usual Coca-Colas, Fantas and Monsters, but you can also try something a little different. They’ve got a range of Gunna’s refreshing lemonades alongside a proper Mexican favourite – Jarritos is one of the biggest soft drink names in Central America and their Mandarin orange flavour is the perfect burrito accompaniment. They’ve also got a range of authentic Mexican beers and ciders.
So there you have it. Boojum has brought burrito excellence across the Irish Sea with a big ol’ bang. Whether it’s a treat at lunch big enough to keep you going for hours or a pre-night out bite to eat, head over to the Merrion Centre and build the burrito you’ve always wanted. Or as David told us, “It’s an experience that you’re going to want to come back to. And ultimately, I think that’s really what you can expect – high value, great experience and loads of choice.”
Boojum, 92 Merrion Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 8NG. It’s open from 11:30am to 10pm, Monday to Sunday.
