Bluebird Taqueria, A New Mexican Eatery, Opens In Glenville

GREENWICH, CT — The food scene in Glenville has been turned up a notch with the addition of Bluebird Taqueria, a quick-service restaurant that offers authentic scratch-made Mexican cuisine.

Located at 21 Glenville St. within the shopping center, the new eatery officially opened on Dec. 9.

For Greenwich native, owner and chef Mike Pietrafeso, this latest venture feels like somewhat of a homecoming. He attended Western Middle School where he met his now wife, Krista.

"This is our third restaurant we've opened in Greenwich, and this is kind of the side of town we grew up on," Pietrafeso told Patch. "It's really nice to come back and just be able to bring something to this side of town and see faces I haven't seen in a long time."

Locals might know Pietrafeso from the popular Ada's Kitchen, as well as Roost Kitchen + Coffee in Cos Cob and Darien. A Fairfield location is planned for 2025.

At Bluebird, customers can find everything from house-made guacamole and chips and healthy salads, to burritos, quesadillas, fajitas, tacos, Mexican plates, and kid-friendly options.

Menu highlights include the birria tacos, which are filled with brisket that's been marinated in adobo and braised in an aromatic spicy broth; the carnitas tacos - a tender mix of pork shoulder and pork belly that's been slow-cooked and shredded; and the caldo de pollo - a rich homemade chicken broth topped with pulled chicken, avocado, fresh cilantro, radish, onion and lime — among many other dishes.

Krista spoke about the kid's menu offerings.

"We have three young girls who all have different discerning tastes, and thankfully there are some great kid-friendly items on the menu that I think will please our kids as well as a lot of families," Krista said.

Elsewhere on the menu, entree-like plates include enchiladas, grilled salmon, carne asada, and the hamburguesa, which comes with two 4 oz. Pat LaFrieda special blend patties, roasted poblanos, caramelized onions, romaine, tomato, chipotle mayo, all on a toasted brioche bun served with slaw and fries.

The tortillas at Bluebird are especially a favorite for Pietrafeso.

"We're making the masa fresh each day, so it's a fresh corn tortilla that's got this deep, roasted corn flavor that I love. It's kind of all over the menu," Pietrafeso said.

The tortillas also represent a theme at Bluebird — scratch-made food with fresh ingredients.

"That's everything to us... Good food should take time, is kind of the way I view it," Pietrafeso said. "We're trying not to take any shortcuts. We're trying to bring fresh food every day."

The concept for Bluebird spawned from relationships Pietrafeso has made with members of his Roost team, including head chef Santiago Juarez, who would cook authentic Mexican food at team gatherings over the years.

"I just thought it would be a cool addition if we could bring that to life. It was quite a collaboration between my staff and I to bring this concept together," Pietrafeso said.

It took a little over a year to prepare the space in Glenville, which is next to Longford's Ice Cream and Luca's Pizza. Green & Tonic is also slated to open in the shopping center, as well as DeCicco's grocery store.

In warm weather, limited seating for Bluebird will be available outside, but Pietrafeso sees the eatery as more of a takeout spot. Customers can order online for pickup or delivery.

Corporate and party takeout will be available in the future.

For more information and to view the menu, visit Bluebirdtacos.com and follow @bluebirdtaqueria on social media for upcoming news and community announcements.