Gladys Ponce opened Burrito Borimex on South State in early July. No one needs to have “burrito” translated, and “mex” is obvious–but what’s a “Bori”?

Ponce, who was born in Brooklyn and raised in Puerto Rico, explains that it’s short for Boricua, a Puerto Rican person (from Boriken, the Taino Indian word for the island). Although she’s initially serving familiar Mexican items like burritos and tacos, by the beginning of August she plans to add Puerto Rican food like arroz con pollo, arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), and lechon (roast pork) on weekends.

Ponce, thirty-seven, came to Ann Arbor with her then husband. She’s since picked up a degree in business management from Washtenaw Community College and worked at Sabor Latino. Her head chef is her boyfriend, Ramon Martinez, and her other employee is her son, Sergie Aviles.

Burrito Borimex is off to a slow start, due to road resurfacing that will continue through the summer, but the road crews themselves are picking up some of the slack. Rob Wagner, a city inspector for the engineering department, and Jeff Robinson, project superintendent for Ajax Paving, were sitting out front enjoying burritos and tacos the first week Borimex was open. Admitting that their criteria for lunch is “anywhere that’s open and cheap,” they said Burrito Borimex had happily filled their expectations.

Burrito Borimex, 2285 S. State. 222-1770. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.