TJ's Burritos has opened its second location in Bloomfield, at 695 Park Ave. The casual coffeehouse/restaurant, which originated in 2021 in East Granby, offers a full line of coffee drinks, bakery items, breakfast sandwiches and burritos in the morning and then a Mexican-inspired lunch and dinner menu later in the day, with burritos, tacos, quesadillas, salads and sandwiches.
In an Instagram post, TJ's announced its soft opening, noting the restaurant will be open every day this week from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. with a partial menu. The official grand opening will be held Nov. 1.
Owner Tricia Martin opened TJ's with Jeremy Jackson more than three years ago, merging Jackson’s vision of a beach-themed burrito spot and Martin’s dream of a coffeehouse with baked goods. Martin told Hearst Connecticut in August that its same beachy, surf shop-style decor would be replicated in Bloomfield, which was most recently home to Amna's Restaurant, and before that, The Sloppy Waffle.
Like the East Granby restaurant, Bloomfield's location plans to offer a full bar, with signature margaritas and cocktails. Many of its craft beverages are available in a flight sampling of four, including seasonal coffees, cappuccinos and hot chocolates. Alcoholic flights have included Bloody Marys, margaritas, espresso martinis, mimosas, Tito's vodka cocktails and assorted gin drinks, among others. Martin credits her daughters, who work as bartenders and baristas in East Granby, with creating new coffee and drink flights on a regular basis.
In August, Martin said the owner of the Bloomfield building is a TJ's customer, and approached her about a possible expansion. She has family in town, and said she fell in love with the location as soon as she saw it. The new restaurant is close to Bloomfield High School and just a short drive from the University of Hartford, and she said she's looking forward to bringing the Mexican menu to the area.
Martin said the plan was always to expand TJ's beyond East Granby, with multiple locations. Bloomfield will be a "stepping stone" to the further expansion, she said, and she hopes to open two or three more over the next couple of years, including one closer to the shoreline.
Oct 28, 2024
Leeanne Griffin
Food and Consumer reporter
Leeanne Griffin is a senior food reporter for CT Insider, handling coverage of restaurant openings and closings, trends, events and general news about Connecticut food and beverage businesses. She covers statewide food happenings, with a focus on Hartford County, and curates CT Insider’s weekly Taste of Connecticut food newsletter.
Leeanne joined Hearst Connecticut in 2021, but has been working in Connecticut news since 2006. Before joining Hearst, she was the food and dining reporter for the Hartford Courant for a decade.
She has earned several awards over the years from the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists and the New England Newspaper & Press Association, including a recent first-place SPJ honor for a story about lobster rolls. She has also served as a past Northeast regional panelist on the James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards Committee.
Leeanne lives in Hartford County with her husband and their three-pound Holland lop rabbit. A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, she holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University, where she first learned about the magic of New Haven apizza.
Reach Leeanne at [email protected].