NYCReview
photo credit: Kate Previte
Forsyth Fire Escape
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Before Forsyth Fire Escape started their current residency inside Chelsea's Olly Olly Market, the process of acquiring one of their scallion pancake burritos felt like a scene out of a Looney Tunes cartoon.
As a pandemic-era pop-up, they used a rope and bucket to lower their burritos from an apartment's fire escape to customers waiting down below. Eventually, they started taking online orders that you could pick up at a Chinatown bodega on Sundays. Now, the operation is less cartoonish—but the burrito is as flaky, saucy, and meaty as ever.
The only food item on the menu, Forsyth's $14 burrito comes with pernil, fried queso blanco, guacamole, and fish sauce-heavy lemongrass chili crisp oil—all wrapped in a thick scallion pancake. It's a tasty, greasy package of food, and the strong lemongrass flavor gives the whole thing a surprising kick.
Forsyth's official hours are 12-8pm, but arrive after 4pm and you might find an empty stall with a sticky note that says "Sold Out :(." We once encountered someone who proudly announced they took a sick day from work to come here. Whether you should use your PTO to snag one of these burritos is up to you.