With every end there is a beginning — the shuttering of Red Hook’s French bistro Pit Stop has opened the door for the expansion of popular Queens Mexican joint 5 Burro into Brooklyn.
Queens’s quirkiest eatery has finally made a run for the border, with plans to open on Columbia Street as soon as April.
The Forest Hills favorite serves up Mex classics such as chiles rellenos alongside more Americanized fare like surf and turf specials and, of course, the restaurant’s signature pitchers of Margaritas.
Owner Marla Cornejo said that she’s developing a menu that’s just a touch more “authentic” for the Brooklyn outpost, including michotes (which roughly translates to meat-filled packages of goodness). For the most part, however, the new spot will closely resemble the Queens locale, albeit with outdoor dining and Pit Stop’s fabled petanque courts.
“Our name is 5 Burro, so we thought that after 20 years it was time to expand to another borough,” said Cornejo. “We’re very community-oriented and looking forward to becoming a part of the Brooklyn fabric.”
Pit Stop’s comforting French classics are sorely missed, but pitchers of Margarita go a long way towards calming the separation anxiety.
5 Burro Café (127 Columbia St. between Kane and Degraw streets, no phone yet)
