Employee, Jose Diaz, makes a burrito Tuesday at the opening of “1800: Simply the best burritos and tacos.”
Owner and operator Jose Manriquez takes orders at his restaurant's grand opening.
LANCASTER – Jose Manriquez has dreamed of opening his own restaurant since he was a little boy. His dream became a reality Tuesday when “1800: Simply the best burritos and tacos” officially opened for business on The BLVD.
“I’m really excited,” said Manriquez. “I’ve been working with food for the last 25 years, so this is a very big deal for me.”
City officials joined Manriquez Tuesday in celebrating the restaurant’s grand opening. The new eatery offers healthy Mexican-American cuisine at reasonable prices, with all menu items prepared daily.
Several City officials joined Manriquez Tuesday to celebrate his eatery's grand opening.
“We use no preservatives, no lard, no canned food, nothing; everything is made from scratch,” said Manriquez. “We have to get here really early to get everything ready by 8 o’clock in the morning for breakfast.”
The eatery also features unique salsa that is made fresh on site, utilizing special seasoning from family recipes passed down through generations, according to Manriquez.
“It is spicy, but once blended with food, it is just the perfect balance between taste and spice,” said Manriquez. “One bite and you will be addicted.”
Vice Mayor Ron Smith dives into a health-conscious taco Tuesday.
Owned and operated by Manriquez, 1800 was established by InSite Development with assistance from the City’s Commercial Property Improvement Program (CPIP).
“The CPIP has helped give entrepreneurs the tools necessary to achieve their goals of turning ideas into real business, while at the same time helping us enhance the newly revitalized BLVD,” said Mayor R. Rex Parris.
“1800 on The Blvd is another great piece to the puzzle,” said Scott Ehrlich, principal of InSite Development. “Simply put, 1800 will be an eating destination for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night munchies.”
1800 is located at 649 West Lancaster Blvd. Restaurant hours are from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., except weekends, when the eatery is open until midnight.
1800 is located at 649 West Lancaster Blvd.
To-go orders can be placed by phone at 661-951-8226 or by fax at 661-951-8221.
Jose Manriquez is now the second member of his family to own a restaurant on The BLVD.
His brother Atanacio “Tacho” Manriquez owns the Brooklyn Deli right down the street at 730 W. Lancaster Blvd.
Food was good. What I didn’t like was the cashier telling me to “keep it gangsta” and then the cashier and cook playing loud rap music that used offensive language and was extemely sexually graphic. There was an older lady in there who immediately got up and left. I won’t be going back.
GREAT way to increase your clientel! Keep it gangsta homie!
These a$$holes can stay, the ghetto barbershop can stay, but the appliance store must go?
I tried 1800 for lunch today. I understand that the place is new and needs time to work some things out but the chicken burrito was inexcusably bad. The pico de gallo was 90% thick cut raw onion and that was really the only thing I could taste. I was charged .95 cents to add sour cream and another .95 cents to ad cheese. When I checked my bag the cheese was nowhere to be found and they gave me a spoonful of sour cream on the side. I don’t think I’ll return.
Darn. I was actually planning on going there today before I read this article and your comment. I love burritos, especially the pork burritos at Chipotle which is closer to my Palmdale home.
I guess I’ll give it a try in a few weeks when they’re more settled in. I know lard isn’t good for ya but it makes the best pie crusts and flour tortillas. I can’t find flour tortillas made with lard any more for an occasional treat.
I bought a dozen tamales at the gourmet tamales place on the BLVD about a year ago. They were very good but the BLVD isn’t a convenient place to get to or to park for some strange reason. Even if I park in the median in front of where I’m going, it still feels odd. I don’t know what it is. I’ve lived in San Francisco where parking is practically non-existent and managed somehow but the BLVD has me wanting to leave as soon as I can after I’m done eating or whatever. WHAT is it?
My guess is that Parris plans on replacing many of the low-rent type places on the BLVD with more upscale shops/restaurants. Other than the 2 blocks around BeX, the rest is nothing exciting to stroll by. It’s almost depressing except for the expensive landscaping. In a couple of years, as it’s built out more, parking will be horrible. You’ll have to park 2 blocks up a side street in front of someone’s house like you have to in LA and the San Fernando Valley.
In their effort to be “health-conscious”, they charged extra for the bad stuff (sour cream and cheese) and forgot to give you one of them! lol
Great point. I missed it. Too funny. To paraphrase the Soup Nazi “No sour cream and cheese for you”.
Knock yourself out…
This was MY OPINION on restaurants generally…
I hope the above photo DOES NOT imply that the owner handles the money and then the food…
THAT would be an UNHEALTHY food handling process as per the LACO Health Department.
What GRADE is placed in the window there?
Or do restaurants on THE BLVD get a pass because Rex and Mike Antonovich are such pals?
When I want a Burrito… I want a BIG one full of good ingredients.
Is their Salsa “Fresh..”? THAT would be a selling point.
“Healthy..” conotes Sprouts and stuff like one would get at The Whole Wheatery on 10th. St. West…
Name calling is ALWAYS a handy tool when you cannot discuss an article or post here, on intelligent terms…
LARD has always been an important and TASTY part of Latin Cuisinne.
***
I still don’t understand your thesis. Oh well. Who said anything about handling money and preparing food? I know that in NY they wait a few weeks before giving a restaurant a grade, not sure about LA County. So basically, you like a different type of Mexican food. Okay, got it.
Ace Carter has bad critical thinking skills:
1. Healthy or diet food. (The article didn’t say diet, it had big words like “fresh” and “no lard” with a photo caption that said “health conscious”)
2. Family Style Cooking. (I guess this is a general advice from you for restaurants in general since 1800 is not family style. Your advice is worth the price others pay for it.)
3. Running lots of ads. (Again, I presume this is not referring to this article.)
Yeah, people who hate having to make any left or right turns while driving, or have to walk to support a local business should probably stick to Subway since they’re so abundant. Oh wait, they have that unsuccessful slogan, “Eat Fresh.” And I think I *have* made a U turn to get to one. And they smell like Lysol. I’d rather go to a place like 1800, and if it’s consistently good, I’ll park, walk over to it, and go again. If you don’t want to, don’t.
I don’t really even have any reason to defend the restaurant or the Blvd in general, except for the fact that your post is highly obnoxious and I am glad to see the changes in town.
Glad to be short one idiot in Lancaster. Thank you for boycotting.
Extremely well response Mr. Nixon. Well played! I will shuffle over to The BLVD and give 1800 a go this weekend. For one, I love Mexican food, and two, if I can get it fresh and healthy, it’s a win-win for me. And finally, it really warms my heart to see obvious hard workers getting their fair share. Bravo to Jose Manriquez!!!
Advertising Tips For Restaurants…
Any of the following make me have a negative attitude about a restaurant based upon their wording…
1. Healthy or diet food. (Really means crappy tasting..)
2. Family Style Cooking. (Dull and cheap food, screaming kids and the smell of Lysol from the MANY spill cleanups.. Like The Home Buffet for instance..)
3. Running lots of ads. (Restaurants DEPEND upon Word Of Mouth to succeed).
Good luck to both brothers. The BLVD is NOT, in my opinion a “Good Location..” for anything other than Tattoo Parlors and Pawn Shops..
Maybe a Head Shop with dope paraphenalia would prosper there too.
MOST people PREFER an easy to get into and out of location on the SAME side of the street they are traveling in. They also do not like parking problems…
PERHAPS these two new restaurants will be SO FABULOUS that people will drive into the POORLY planned BLVD and dine there…
Sorry… I am BOYCOTTING Lancaster…
How about YOU..?
***