New York-based Mexican restaurant plans expansion to downtown State College
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- American Burrito will open a new Mexican restaurant at 114 S. Allen St. in State College.
- The restaurant is based in Fort Montgomery, New York, and opened in 2011.
- The menu includes fried burritos, quesadillas, tacos, churros and more.
A New York-based Mexican restaurant will bring ultra-stuffed burritos and more to Centre County when it expands to Happy Valley this year.
American Burrito plans to open a location at 114 S. Allen St. in downtown State College’s former Kish Bank, owner Max Crisp told the Centre Daily Times. Once it opens this fall, it will mark the restaurant’s first expansion of any kind outside its longtime home in Fort Montgomery, New York.
Guests visiting American Burrito will find a wide-ranging menu stuffed with burritos, tacos, quesadillas, bowls and more. Crisp says his fast-casual restaurant makes food to order and functions differently than Chipotle or Qdoba franchises, which use in-line concepts to gradually customize orders.
“We have flavor profiles in our burritos that you aren’t going to find anywhere else in the country,” Crisp said.
No burrito stands out more than the Grizzly, which is stuffed with brisket, pulled pork, pinto beans, cheese and a habanero cream sauce. Today, it outsells roughly every other burrito on the menu three-to-one, Crisp said.
Initially, American Burrito’s best-selling meal wasn’t on the menu at all. A teenage employee made one on a whim for Crisp, who ate it driving home one fateful night and immediately knew its mixed-meat mayhem was destined for a prime spot on the menu board just days later.
“I took one bite of this thing and brain matter was coming out of my ears,” Crisp said with a laugh. “My mind was completely blown by this burrito. It was immediately the best burrito I’d ever had in my life.”
Other menu options include burritos, quesadillas and tacos stuffed with chicken, fresh fish, shrimp, veggies and more. American Burrito also offers salads, children’s meals and other snacks like nachos, chili cheese fries and churros. Complimentary chips and salsa are available for those who dine-in, according to the owner.
American Burrito strives to make its food from scratch using simple recipes and fresh ingredients. Its “cowboy” pinto beans, for example, are made vegan not because they need to be, but because it would provide the best food for customers, Crisp said.
Those craving larger portions and heavy meals won’t need to look far. Any burrito on American Burrito’s menu can be served deep-fried alongside mesquite ranch.
“In this era of ‘health food’ and things like that, we’re going a different route,” Crisp said. “We’re taking healthy ingredients and saying, ‘Hey, if you want something healthy, we’ve got it for you.’ But if you want a ton of calories, we’ve got that, too.”
A burrito is born
Crisp, an Oregon State University graduate with a background in economics, never dreamed of owning a restaurant until his car broke down in the Oregon High Desert back in 1996.
He walked several miles through the summer heat before arriving in a nearby town freezing cold after sundown. After checking in with a mechanic, he was pointed in the direction of a small taquería for a badly needed meal that could help pass the time. With no menu available, Crisp ordered the only thing the shop made: a brisket burrito.
“It was unbelievable,” Crisp recalled. “All of a sudden, I was eating this thing, and for about 11 minutes, I was on vacation. I was done with that and remembered about my car. I forgot about my troubles and immediately thought, ‘You know what? I’ve got to sell this.’”
After moving to New York, the former mortgage broker dusted off a business plan for a burrito shop he crafted as a college student, ultimately laying the groundwork for what would become American Burrito in 2011.
Expanding to State College
Crisp has visited State College annually since at least 2017 and long viewed the bustling college town as a prime candidate for American Burrito’s first expansion. Those talks became serious when he found the right space back in October.
The downtown scene’s proximity to Penn State’s flagship campus produces a key melding of target demographics for his restaurant. Though American Burrito’s New York restaurant routinely feeds cadets at the United States Military Academy in nearby West Point, New York, other State University of New York institutions didn’t present the same downtown atmosphere and town pride as State College, Crisp said.
“We’re doing some really fun stuff here that I think will go over well with the student body in State College, as well as locals,” Crisp said. “I think it’s going to be a real breath of fresh air for people.”
Crisp plans to move to the State College area and operate the new restaurant alongside his “A-team.” Chief among them is American Burrito’s longtime kitchen manager, Darwin Perez, who Crisp says has rolled more than 5 million burritos over the past 15 years.
“That’s a statistical fact,” Crisp said.
American Burrito is working toward opening the new location around Labor Day, though that timeline remains fluid. Crews are currently initiating the permitting process and starting demolition inside the former Kish Bank.
Crisp said the premier Allen Street storefront will give his restaurant a distinct look.
“It’s a unique space, but it’s got a really good shape to it,” Crisp said. “It’s got an atrium, which will be key for late nights.”
The owner said he expects American Burrito’s State College restaurant would open at 11 a.m. daily and continue operating until as late as 3 or 4 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The restaurant will likely hire roughly 20 employees to help cover extended hours.
Crisp credited a wide range of State College officials, including the Downtown State College Improvement District and Continental Real Estate Management, Inc., with welcoming his crew to the area and offering transparency throughout the process. He said he’s overly excited to bring his restaurant to the area later this year.
“The energy in State College is so exciting and reinvigorating, just being around the student body and the local businesses that are there, too,” Crisp said. “I’ve had nothing but great experiences, and I’m excited to be a part of the business community there.”
This story was originally published February 19, 2026 at 5:44 AM.
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