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The Ultimate Guide to California’s Best Burritos

by newsconquest0136
The Ultimate Guide to California’s Best Burritos
The Ultimate Guide to California’s Best Burritos


A burrito from Tacos Tamix on a white paper plate with salsa on the side.
A burrito from Tacos Tamix. | Farley Elliott

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

A carnitas burrito on a plate.
Kimberly Motos
The Maggi burrito at Carnitas Uruapan.

Essential Styles

There’s no one right way to serve a burrito, but California cities have a few strong preferences
The wet burrito at El Castillito.
Patricia Chang
The wet burrito at El Castillito.

The Definitive Burrito Styles of San Francisco

There are, in fact, more than just Mission-style burritos in the city by the Bay
Grilled, split carne asada burrito with green onions on a parchment and green dish.
Matthew Kang
The Burrito 2.0 from Sonoratown.

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
A hand holds a halved burrito.
Matthew Kang
The California Burrito at Ortiz’s.

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
Gloved hands fill and fold a tortilla with shrimp, carne asada, rice, pico de gallo and avocado.
Matthew Kang
The Mar y Tierra Burrito from Sonoritas Prime.

Anatomy of

Take a peek inside the tortillas wrapping some of California’s most iconic burritos
The red-and-yellow exterior of Taqueria Cancún with two benches out front.
Omar Mamoon
The Mission District outpost of Taqueria Cancún in San Francisco

The Mission Burrito at Taqueria Cancún

How the Mission District late-night dining standby makes its legendary burritos
Wet burrito with tomato, chile, lettuce, and refried beans in a styrofoam container.
Matthew Kang
Platillo especial from Burritos La Palma in Los Angeles.

The Platillo Especial at Burritos La Palma

How Alberto Bañuelos makes his father’s Mexican American-inspired wet burrito
A hand holds a large surf and turf burrito.
Matthew Kang
The mighty surf and turf burrito at JV’s Mexican Food in San Diego.

The Surf and Turf Burrito at JV’s Mexican Food

How this enormously popular taco shop builds its massive, best-selling burrito
An employee at El Charrito stands behind the steam tray scooping meat into a tortilla.
Patricia Chang
The steam tray counter at El Charrito.

Local Legends

Beloved neighborhood institutions whose burritos stand the test of time
An employee pushes balls of tortilla dough into a machine that flattens the dough into a round tortilla shape.
Patricia Chang
An employee at El Charrito flattening tortilla dough.

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.
Chef wearing a black chef’s coat next to Oaxacan restaurant decorations.
Matthew Kang
Epifaniko “Epy” Garcia of EK Valley in Culver City.

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

The Mexican American classic wet burrito finds a Oaxacan twist
Hot sauce on a California burrito from Super Sergio’s.
Matthew Kang
The California burrito at Super Sergio’s.

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
Patrons crowd around a burrito joint that sits in a parking lot advertising tacos, burgers and burritos.
Matthew Kang
The walk-up counter at Lupe’s Burritos is a favorite of Los Angelenos.

Highly Opinionated

The best burritos in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, as determined by highly biased Eater editors
A foil-wrapped burrito with shrimp, rice, beans and pico de gallo sits on a plate with a ramekin of salsa.
Patricia Chang
The Super Shrimp burrito at Chuy’s Fiestas with chunky pico de gallo, rice and black beans.

Editors’ Favorite Burritos in San Francisco

A man extends his hand holding a gigantic burrito in a paper bag.
Matthew Kang
Lolita’s is lauded for the extra crispy, golden fries that make up the backbone of this exemplary California burrito.

An Editor’s Favorite Burritos in San Diego

A shrimp and steak burrito with guacamole in a metal box plate.
Matthew Kang
Mar y tierra burrito from Sonoritas Prime.

An Editor’s Favorite Burritos in Los Angeles

Two breakfast burritos wrapped in foil sit on a tray with salsa.
Wonho Frank Lee
Fanny’s in Redondo Beach makes griddles breakfast burritos stuffed with hash browns, eggs, avocados and a variety of breakfast meats.

Handy Maps

Maps to the finest burritos in California
A large shawarma burrito wrap on a sheet of paper.
Wonho Frank Lee
The shawarma wrap from Fatima’s Grill.

Even in Taco-Loving LA, These Burritos Reign Supreme

From carne asada to grilled shrimp, where to get the good stuff
A burrito with guacamole, jalapenos, and sour cream on a white plate.
Patricia Chang
A burrito from Señor Sisig.

San Francisco’s Most Super-Sized Burritos

From Mission-style staples to vegetable-forward favorites
A California burrito cut in half.
Matthew Kang
Super Sergio’s California burrito.

San Diego’s Best French Fry-Packed California Burritos

Where to find this San Diego classic
A griddled flour tortilla encases burrito fillings such as french fries, cheddar and carne asada.
Patricia Chang
Super Sergio’s serves a textbook example of San Diego’s iconic California burrito.

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

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