How did one state get blessed with so many delicious burritos?

The burrito is a fairly modern invention. While its exact origin story is a matter of debate, the dish started to appear in Mexico sometime in the 19th or early 20th century, with cooks filling thinly pressed or stretched flour tortillas with stewed or grilled meats before folding them into appetizing handheld packages. Over the following decades, burritos made their way north. And while the dish eventually spread to all corners of the United States, California is the burrito’s spiritual home in this country.

Arguably the perfect food vessel, today burritos are one of the most popular meals in California, showing up splashed with salsa roja or mole negro, griddled with cheese on the plancha, and stuffed with eggs and crisp potatoes. Across the state, specific regional burrito styles have emerged. San Francisco has the famous Mission burrito, with its deeply griddled tortilla filled with rice, beans, guacamole, and pico de gallo, which became the template for numerous national chains, including Chipotle. In LA, the overstuffed, saucy bean-and-cheese Chicano burrito is a local favorite, while San Diego has its french fry-packed beauties, known simply as California style.

Beyond the most famous burritos in a given city, the California burrito scene of 2023 also encompasses the flavors and ingredients of the Golden State’s great immigrant cultures. Lebanese, Indian, Filipino, and Korean flavors meld within the tortilla, pushing the dish into exciting new territories and showcasing the innovation of a new generation of chefs.

This series is a celebration of the burritos of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, in both their traditional and genre-pushing forms. Here you’ll find stories of legendary local spots, explanations of unique regional styles, as well as anatomies of each city’s most iconic burrito. Peel back the foil and dig in. — Matthew Kang, editor

Essential Styles

There’s no one right way to serve a burrito, but California cities have a few strong preferences

Patricia Chang

The Definitive Burrito Styles of San Francisco

There are, in fact, more than just Mission-style burritos in the city by the Bay

Matthew Kang

The Definitive Burrito Styles of Los Angeles

From bean-and-cheese Chicano combinations to thin norteña, these are the main ways Angelenos cook and eat burritos

Matthew Kang

The Definitive Burrito Styles of San Diego

From the homegrown California burrito to classic carne asada, these are the most popular types of burritos in San Diego

Anatomy of

Take a peek inside the tortillas wrapping some of California’s most iconic burritos

Omar Mamoon

The Mission Burrito at Taqueria Cancún

How the Mission District late-night dining standby makes its legendary burritos

Matthew Kang

The Platillo Especial at Burritos La Palma

How Alberto Bañuelos makes his father’s Mexican American-inspired wet burrito

Matthew Kang

The Surf and Turf Burrito at JV’s Mexican Food

How this enormously popular taco shop builds its massive, best-selling burrito

Local Legends

Beloved neighborhood institutions whose burritos stand the test of time

Patricia Chang

How El Charrito in Salinas Became a Statewide Sensation for Burritos

El Charrito built up a cult following for its tortillas and burritos, drawing lines before 6 a.m.

Matthew Kang

There’s Nothing Quite Like the Smothered Mole Burrito at EK Valley

The Mexican American classic wet burrito finds a Oaxacan twist

Matthew Kang

San Diego Gem Super Sergio’s Makes a Textbook California Burrito

Why this drive-thru makes a straightforward but killer version of the classic San Diego burrito

Matthew Kang

Highly Opinionated

The best burritos in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, as determined by highly biased Eater editors

Patricia Chang

Editors’ Favorite Burritos in San Francisco

Matthew Kang

An Editor’s Favorite Burritos in San Diego

Matthew Kang

An Editor’s Favorite Burritos in Los Angeles

Handy Maps

Maps to the finest burritos in California

Wonho Frank Lee

Even in Taco-Loving LA, These Burritos Reign Supreme

From carne asada to grilled shrimp, where to get the good stuff

Patricia Chang

San Francisco’s Most Super-Sized Burritos

From Mission-style staples to vegetable-forward favorites

Matthew Kang

San Diego’s Best French Fry-Packed California Burritos

Where to find this San Diego classic

Credits

Editorial Lead: Matthew Kang

Creative Director: Nat Belkov

Project Manager: Jonathan Smith

Designer: Lille Allen

Contributors: Paolo Bicchieri, Farley Elliott, Bill Esparza, Dianne de Guzman, Mona Holmes, Matthew Kang, Omar Mamoon, Lauren Saria, Candice Woo

Editors: Cathy Chaplin, Matthew Kang, Lauren Saria, Jonathan Smith, Candice Woo

Photographers: Patricia Chang, Matthew Kang, Wonho Frank Lee, Kimberly Motos

Copy Editors: Nadia Q. Ahmad, Rachel P. Kreiter, Catherine Sweet

Audience: Kaitlin Bray, Avery Dalal, Frances Dumlao, Kristen Kornbluth, Mira Milla