Tuesday, August 19, 2014
1. The Carne Asada Burrito: El Farolito, San Francisco
Kendra Aronson / Via thebigeatsf.blogspot.com
Why it’s magic: The Mission’s El Farolito has a passionate fandom that probably rivals Lady Gaga’s, circa 2010. One BuzzFeed staffer writes: “Discovering I had half an El Farolito burrito left over in my bag after a flight back to NY was the best day of my life.”
2. The Camaronera Style Burrito: La Camaronera,Miami
Why it’s magic: This shrimp-stuffed, melted-cheese-covered beauty is the most famous burrito in Miami, and one of the best seafood burritos you can get just about anywhere.
3. The California Burrito: Nico’s Mexican Food, San Diego
Why it’s magic: A “California burrito” — packed with the usual fixins’ PLUS french fries — is something that every burrito lover definitely needs to try. Nico’s topped Thrillist’s List of Best California Burritos in San Diego (as ranked by local surfers) because their burritos are perfectly mixed, so you get a good guac:meat:fry ratio in every bite.
4. The Geisha’s Kiss: Sushirrito, San Francisco
Why it’s magic: BECAUSE IT’S GIGANTIC SUSHI. This one goes out to everyone who’s ever finished their meal of sushi and felt unsatisfied (i.e. anyone who has ever had sushi as their entire meal). The Geisha’s Kiss Sushi Burrito — yellowfin tuna, cucumber, butter lettuce, piquillo peppers, and avocado — has all of the amazing flavor of a gourmet sushi roll, combined with the size and handheld convenience of a burrito.
5. The Spinach and Chorizo Breakfast Burrito: Villa Corona, Los Angeles
Why it’s magic: This is one of the best breakfast burritos in Los Angeles, and thus, probably in the world. L.A.-area college students swear by it as a go-to hangover cure.
6. The Mother Clucker: Carbon Live Fire Mexican Grill,Chicago
Why it’s magic: TONS of chicken, tossed in their signature tequila-lime sauce with cilantro and onions, all wrapped in a fresh tortilla.
7. The Original Hollenbeck: Manuel’s Original El Tepeyac Cafe, Los Angeles
Why it’s magic: The Original Hollenbeck, stuffed with pork meat simmered in a chili sauce, gets points for its sheer size, which has often been likened to that of a new-born baby. Seriously, you could probably split an Original Hollenbeck with an entire college rowing team.
8. The Grilled Vegetable Burrito: Anna’s Taqueria,Boston
Why it’s magic: Because you’ll never realize how enjoyable a vegan burrito can be until you eat this magnificent creation.
9. The Tinga Burrito: Taqueria Tepango, New York
Why it’s magic: Because look at this thing. It’s like, a beautiful cheese-crusted burrito pocket filled with perfectly stewed meat and vegetables. This Brooklyn hole-in-the-wall makes its burritos with ingredients fresh from the farmer’s market. One BuzzFeeder swears he saw them wheelbarrowing in produce one morning…
10. The Pig Bomber: Kono’s, Haleiwa, Hawaii
Denise de Castro / Via deecuisine.com
Why it’s magic: You should either get a normal Pig Bomber (filled with rice, caramelized onions, cheese, shredded Kalua pig, and tangy guava BBQ sauce) or a Pig Breakfast Bomber (egg, potato, and more Kalua pig). The sweet and spicy flavors of the Kalua pork make this an amazing Hawaiian take on the Tex-Mex classic.
11. The All Meat Burrito: Juanita’s Drive-In, Pomona, CA
Why it’s magic: You can get burritos at Juanita’s with rice and beans if you must, but why mess around with that stuff? The carnitas in red sauce is all you really need.
12. The Wet Vegetarian Burrito: Taqueria Cancún, San Francisco
Why it’s magic: Carnivores and vegetarians alike will marvel at Cancún’s flavor-packed veggie burrito, topped with green and red salsa, melted cheese, guacamole, and Mexican crema.
13. The Chipotle Pork Burrito: Calexico, New York
Why it’s magic: The chipotle pork is slow-cooked over 6 hours and comes out tasting like perfection.
14. The WV Hot Rod: Black Bear Burrito, Morgantown, West Virginia
Why it’s magic: These creative burritos famously straddle the line between burrito and wrap, with specials ranging from a buffalo wing burrito to the “Irie Member,” which contains jerk meat, pinapple, and jicama. The WV Hot Rod is one of their classics and contains chicken, bacon, pepperjack cheese, and spicy Dijon.
15. The Cap’N Crunch-Crusted Tilapia Burrito: Cucina Zapata, Philadelphia
Patrick Crutchley / Via seriouseats.com
Why it’s magic: CAP’N CRUNCH CEREAL BREADING.
16. The Carne Asada Burrito: L’Patron, Chicago
Joe Roy / Via chicago.seriouseats.com
Why it’s magic: The carne asada burrito at this taqueria is lauded for its perfectly seasoned and grilled beef. Pro tip: Be sure to get their pomegranate seed-studded guacamole on the side.
17. The Pollo Fundido: Someburros, Tempe, Arizona
Why it’s magic: This one is a bit of a stretch, but the pollo fundido is kind of like an inside-out burrito, with grilled chicken breast fried inside of a folded tortilla, topped with jalapeño cream cheese, grated cheddar, and green onions. Whether or not it officially qualifies, you should eat it.
18. The Octopus Burrito: My Ceviche, Miami
Gourmandj / Via urbanspoon.com
Why it’s magic: My Ceviche uses only the freshest fish in their burritos, with other options including shrimp and Yellowfish tuna. But come on, where else are you going to get an octopus burrito?
19. The Pork Burrito: Cabo Bob’s, Austin
Why it’s magic: This place has lots of options (including build-your-own), so choose wisely. The pork burrito is an ancho chile tortilla filled with grilled onions, lettuce, queso, shredded pork and their from-scratch 66 red sauce. It’s just good old-school Tex-Mex.
20. The Short Rib Burrito: Kogi BBQ Trucks, Los Angeles and Orange County
Why it’s magic: The short rib burrito from a Kogi truck is pretty much the only Korean/Mexican fusion item that the world will ever need. In addition to meat, their burritos contain scrambled eggs, hash browns, lettuce, shredded cheese, and a house chili-soy vinaigrette that is called “crack” by those in the know.
21. The Chile Relleno Burrito: La Azteca Tortilleria, Los Angeles
Why it’s magic: La Azteca’s fresh tortillas and meringue-battered, cheese-stuffed chile relleno set this burrito apart. It’s garnered accolades as the best burrito in bothLos Angeles and in the United States.
