DAVIS, W.Va. – Good food and a warm atmosphere are two things that come to mind when you think of Hellbender Burritos.

Picture of Hellbender Burritos from our previous Restaurant Road Trip over a decade ago (WBOY Image)

With its doors open since 2007, Hellbender Burritos is a unique restaurant named after one of the Mountain State’s most endangered creatures, the Hellbender Salamander. Since then, the eatery has been slinging out burritos, laughs, and good times.

Then in March 2020, like many other restaurants, the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic closed its doors.

“We were going strong for 12 and a half years and then, of course, the COVID pandemic hit, and we shut down for a little over a year,” explained Melissa Borowitz, who co-owns Hellbender Burritos with her husband, Rob.

Fast forward to December 2021, and the Borowitzes, who are the original owners, reopened the restaurant with a few subtle changes.

The Gravity Check burrito, a Chicken Bacon Ranch burrito, before it is rolled (WBOY Image)

“Our restaurant is pretty small and when we were dine-in, we were packed all the time. We had a waiting list and lots of people. Being take-out only, we are actually making more burritos than we’ve ever had before,” said Melissa Borowitz.

Burritos like “the Hellbender,” a Buffalo Chicken or Shrimp burrito, or the “Gravity Check,” a Chicken Bacon Ranch burrito are crowd favorites.

A rotating special, the Spicy Southwest Tomato Soup (WBOY Image)

They’ve been even cooking up unique weekly specials like spicy tomato soup, or the “Tequila Makes My Shrimp Fall Off” burrito with homemade jalapeño crema and tequila-marinated shrimp.

I really missed this place. I really missed the burritos and all of the food.

Nick Crawford, Davis

The food has locals, skiers, hikers and travelers from all over the East Coast and Ohio Valley coming back for more, even though things are a little different before.

Outside of Hellbender Burritos (WBOY Image)

Hellbender Burritos is located at 457 William Avenue in Davis. It is currently open Fridays through Sundays from 11 a.m. through 7 p.m. and are open for take-out only. Their menu is available on their website, as well as a look at their rotating weekly specials available on their Facebook page.