Eye-catching Gilbert food business serves flavorful burritos, elote and soft serve

GILBERT, AZ (AZFamily) — Take a drive through downtown Gilbert, and you may notice a giant gopher with lit-up eyes and a hat on the side of the road. This eye-catching building is not a decoration; it’s a food business that serves delicious Mexican American food like burritos, elote and soft serve.

Topo, Spanish for gopher, opened just before the COVID-19 pandemic near Gilbert and Elliott Roads.

Owner Joe Johnston says the idea of Topo began with the desire to offer to-go or quick-service food that people could enjoy while walking around the area.

The gopher, Johnston says, is an enemy to Gilbert farmers, always digging holes in the fields. “That guy’s still around, and it’s kind of a whimsical and yet nefarious character,” said Johnston.

As an engineer, Johnston helped design the gopher and kept its construction hidden in Tucson. Then, one night, the gopher was placed on top of the building, surprising Gilbert residents.

“We’re trying to set it in a certain age. So this is designed to look like it’s always been here,” said Johnston, who is also a partner of Joe’s Real BBQ right next door.

“It’s like it was built when the BBQ was built, which the building was from 1929. So just kind of like in the 20s. What might something like this have looked like back then?” he said.

Another inspiration was for the building to look like something people would see on Route 66.

“There were a lot of people down here walking and driving by, and we wanted something would catch their eye. Like what is that gopher up there with lit eyes, the hat — what’s the deal with that? To get them out of their car or from across the street to come over and give it a shot,” said Johnston.

Topo serves delicious and hefty burritos, such as the Topo Loco, which has beans, a choice of chicken, pork or brisket, Fritos, hot sauce, cheese, corn, crema and cilantro. The burritos can also be made in a bowl without the tortilla.

Another item on the menu is the Elote, which has corn, crema, cheese, chile powder and cilantro. Those wanting something more can get the brisket elote, which also has brisket made fresh in the smoker.

Customers can have vanilla or prickly pear soft serve (or a swirl of both) dipped in a chocolate, lime, or prickly pear hard shell for dessert. The current seasonal flavor is a mango hard shell with mango puree added to the middle of the soft serve.

Everything at Topo is to go, so customers can enjoy their food while walking around the Heritage District of Gilbert. “It’s really, really tasty. It’s delicious food, and it’s a super good value,” said Johnston.

Topo has gained popularity on social media, racking up over 58,000 followers on Instagram. “It’s definitely a whimsical situation here. But we’re super serious about the food. So, you get serious food with fun and joy,” said Johnston.

Location: 301 N Gilbert Rd, Gilbert, AZ 85257

• Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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