In a city where restaurants come and go, El Burrito was a rare gem that felt permanent.
Now, after 65 years of serving traditional Mexican plates like tostadas, fajitas, burritos and mole, the Fort Collins staple announced in a Nov. 14 Facebook post that it will close its doors by year’s end. The Godinez family has not yet provided the Coloradoan an official date or detailed reasons for the closure.
El Burrito’s story began in 1960, when Army veteran Jesse Godinez purchased Sam’s Place — a small bar at 404 Linden St. — with his wife, Dorothy Godinez, and his brother, Willie Godinez. The bar had been opened in 1947 by Salome “Sam” Vigil and operated until his death in 1960, according to a 2002 historical survey of Fort Collins’ Old Fort Site, available through the Fort Collins History Connection…