SerpApi.Org
After years of eagerly unwrapping tin foil, coating our fingertips in lard, and testing the bounds of our appetites, we're finally ready to make some bold burrito proclamations. For instance, the best burritos in any particular city aren’t necessarily among the best in the country. (The recent influx of high-caliber tortilla makers in NYC are doing something special, but have only reinforced our conviction that those guys in Texas, California, and New Mexico really know what they’re doing. New York did not make the cut for this list.) And the breakfast burrito is and will always be its own genre of food—we did not include those here either. Most important: We've eaten at hundreds of taquerias, trucks, restaurants, and stalls, judging each on their signature offering. These 23 burritos stand out as the absolute cream of the crop.
THE BURRITOS
Taqueria El Farolito
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
San Francisco, and the Mission in particular, is filled with taquerias. But El Farolito stands out from the rest. This is the undisputed champion of the town-wide taqueria show, and what we would show an alien who just landed on earth and said: “Take us to your Mission burrito.” Per the style, it’s foiled-wrapped and absolutely packed with rice, beans, and a famously delicate, well-spiced carne asada that’s so perfectly cooked it’s been known to facilitate an out-of-body experience.
La Taqueria
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
San Franciscans will never stop debating if the riceless burritos at La Taqueria count as Mission-style. We’ll let you come to your own conclusion, but in the meantime, there are three things you need to know. The omission of rice really allows the smoky meat to meld together with the other fixings. If you’re at La Taq, you’re ordering the carne asada super burrito, which means you’re adding sour cream and guac to make it a full-on meal. And you better be getting it crisped on the plancha, dorado-style, to make everything 10% meltier.
El Metate
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
This Mission taqueria sells burritos that are longer and thinner than the aforementioned ones at places like La Taq—and more under the radar. But that’s all part of the charm. While some people might suggest getting a guisado burrito filled with stewed meat like chile colorado, for those in the know, El Metate’s unusually creamy, borderline emulsified carnitas are the true revelation. This burrito is a super dense gem that’s doing something a little bit different from everyone else in town.
Taqueria San Bruno
SAN BRUNO, CA
If Taqueria San Bruno weren’t on the Peninsula, it’d be one of the top spots on our San Francisco burrito power ranking, which is probably more prestigious than winning a MacArthur “genius grant.” But this isn’t an all-brains-and-no-brawn situation: You could throw out your back trying to lift one of these things, thanks to fillings like expertly fried pork and crunchy bits packed into nearly every bite, and a medley of tangy house salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. In terms of our favorite order, the smoky, charred chicken super burrito is a close second to the pork.
Burritos La Palma
LOS ANGELES, CA
Zacatecas-style tortillas aren’t as popular in the US as their bigger and thinner Sonoran counterparts, but the tightly wrapped burritos at Las Palmas are a perfect example of what can happen when a burrito’s wrapper is given equal weight to the fillings inside. These petite pockets hold nothing except tender beef birria dripping in smoky consommé. That’s right, there’s no guac, cheese, or lettuce to be found in these burritos, and that’s 100% OK. The juicy, beef birria is flavorful enough to stand on its own.
Sonoratown
LOS ANGELES, CA
Sonoratown makes some of the best tacos in LA, so it makes sense that their beloved Burrito 2.0 is basically an oversized taco de asada swaddled up like a newborn. The extra-stretchy housemade flour tortilla grabs your attention right away, even before diving into the charred steak, shredded jack, stewed pintos, and thick guacamole heaped inside. A powerfully hot chiltepín salsa comes standard, but if you’re less into spice, or have a pickier palate, their bean and cheese burritos are excellent, too.
Tacos De Canasta Jalisco
RENO, NV
This orange truck is where families with Marketón grocery bags, kids in soccer uniforms, gossiping abuelas, and the occasional burrito pilgrim gather when they’re seeking something fast that also has soul. The tacos here are great, but the burrito is the real prize. It’s a proper two-hander packed with rice, beans, and your choice of meats like buche, lengua, asada, or carnitas. Get the lengua. It’s got just enough chew to keep things interesting, and the green salsa—pulled straight from an ice-filled tray at the window—cuts through the richness with bright, incendiary heat. Reno might not have its own specific regional style, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s not a “burrito town.”
Ortiz's Taco Shop
SAN DIEGO, CA
For traditionalists, San Diego’s addition of fries inside a burrito may seem like sacrilege. But one bite of Ortiz's California burrito should turn anyone into a convert. Marinated overnight with soy sauce and house spices, their carne asada is grilled crispy on the edges and has just the right amount of smokiness. Off-the-griddle beef juxtaposed with the cooling sour cream is as refreshing as a cold one in the sun. While there are plenty of other shops in the area where surfers carboload after a session at Garbage Beach, Ortiz’s short ribbons of half jack and half cheddar cheese make for a more buttery burrito than any of its competitors.
La Perla #3
SAN DIEGO, CA
Yes, San Diego is known for their California burritos and the whole fries-instead-of-rice thing. But regardless of the time of day, the wait for La Perla's #3's enormous Oaxacalifornia burrito is over half an hour. Seriously: a whiteboard by the register warns customers about the wait, and the time seemingly never goes down. What’s causing the laws of physics to break down? A burrito that’s bigger than a human face and comes wrapped in an entire LP-sized creamy, Oaxacan cheese quesadilla. Probably one of the best mashups since someone first poured root beer over vanilla ice cream, this fusion burrito encases tangy carne asada and freshly chopped pico de gallo that crunches with each satisfying bite.
La Pasadita
HOMESTEAD, FL
Homestead is the gateway to the Everglades, and also home to some serious Mexican food, including our favorite burritos in Florida. They’re incredibly heavy and packed with so much meat, you could use them to do bicep curls. Plus, you can choose from less common options like lengua or tripe. We particularly like the massive asada burrito that comes with melted cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and just the right amount of rice. There’s also enough steak in this thing that you could use all the meat that falls out to make yourself a smaller burrito. La Pasadita also has a drive-thru, but we do recommend pulling over—this burrito demands your full respect, and two hands.
Xocome Antojeria
CHICAGO, IL
On top of being home to multiple burrito traditions, Chicago might be the steakhouse capital of America. We somehow have yet to make a guide to the best steak bits in town, but when we eventually get around to it, the asada from Xocome Antojeria will have a top spot. These thoroughly seasoned, pleasantly chewy pieces of meat make this one of our highest-rated restaurants in the entire city. If you order this incredible burrito for dine-in, it comes on a plate with a knife in the middle. Consider that a suggestion for sharing, but just know you won’t want to.
Diego
CHICAGO, IL
Despite mainly being a seafood spot, Diego cooks meat damn well—which shouldn’t be too surprising considering its chef also runs a steakhouse. What might be surprising is that the thing this place does best is an excellent Cali-style burrito. Loaded with juicy chunks of marinated steak, it’s simply the best display of beefy prowess on their menu. And when combined with the salty crunch from a thick layer of fries, rich avocado and crema, and the side of smoky chile de arbol salsa, we’d willingly suffer through a hangover just for the chance to be cured by this stunning, tightly-wrapped specimen.
King Burrito
PORTLAND, OR
Everyone in Portland has an opinion about who does burritos best, but King Burrito has earned its devoted following by bucking convention and skipping rice altogether, leaving room for velvety refried beans and generous portions of other fillings. The signature King Burrito packs steak picado and an entire chile relleno into a griddled flour tortilla, while the lengua version is equally impressive—and still priced like they forgot inflation happened. Before taking a seat, grab a squeeze bottle of punchy red or green salsa from the mini fridge to add heat and brightness.
Burrito USA
ST. HELENS, OR
If you're heading from Portland to Oregon’s North Coast you'll likely pass Burrito USA. And you should definitely stop at this family-run counter service spot that’s a hell of a lot better than any chain restaurant along the route. What you’ll want to get is the fajita burrito, which sounds straightforward but absolutely isn’t. Grilled strips of steak, sautéed onions, and red and green peppers do what they’re meant to, but it's the chunky refried beans, cool sour cream, and creamy avocado that make the whole burrito click into place. These aren't the forearm-sized Mission-style burritos that require a strategic eating plan. They're compact, satisfying, yet substantial enough to fuel the rest of your drive to the coast, whether you're chasing ocean views or finally living out your childhood Goonies fantasies.
New Mexico Beef Jerky Company
ALBUQUERQUE, NM
If you’ve never had a smothered (or wet) burrito, it’s like a Hulked-out enchilada you eat with a fork and knife. You could come to New Mexico without trying one, but as they say, when in Albuquerque, do as the Burqueños do. We suggest the chicharron burrito, smothered in your choice of red and/or green chile, from the New Mexico Beef Jerky Company. Choose red chile if you like something mild and earthy. Go for green if you can handle four-out-of-five chile peppers on the spice scale. Or, if you like the finer things in life and/or are the kind of person who watches Hallmark movies in July, you could order it “Christmas style” and get both.
El Parasol
SANTA FE, NM
You’ve had a burrito filled with carnitas or bacon, but in the Land of Enchantment, you’re getting your pork braised in a red chile marinade that’s warming, smoky but not exactly spicy. And after one bite of the carne adovada at local chain El Parasol, you’ll get why New Mexicans drive around with chiles on their license plates. To best appreciate this delicacy, get it in burrito form, which is just the meat wrapped in a warm, fluffy flour tortilla that’s just thick enough to keep everything from falling apart. The structural integrity is impressive, but don’t get cocky and wear a white T-shirt.
Mante's Chow Cart
TAOS, NM
To answer the question "will it burrito?” when it comes to a chile relleno, the answer is: hell yes. Something about wrapping a battered and fried, cheese-stuffed green chile in a warm flour tortilla makes an already perfect food better. The chile relleno burrito is a staple on New Mexican menus, and we’re partial to the one at Mante’s Chow Cart. Keep it simple with The Susie (flour tortilla, relleno, sour cream, and guac) or amp things up with the Trujillo (all of that plus ground beef and salsa).
918 Maples Tacos & Cantina
TULSA, OK
Queso is a way of life in Oklahoma, and the version at 918 Maples manages to feel bright and nuanced despite the generous pour of warm, liquid cheese. Their absolute boat of a wet burrito is also stuffed to the seams with seasoned, slow-cooked meat, grilled peppers, and onions. Zingy pico sprinkled across the top gives each bite a hit of freshness. As is the case with a truly great burrito, the flavors feel discrete and discernible, but complementary. The wet burrito originally came from Michigan, but this is the version bringing pilgrims down Route 66.
Rafa's Burritos
EL PASO, TX
Calling Rafa’s burrito “big” doesn’t quite cut it. Even words like “large” and “massive” only scratch the surface. This thing is a testament to the arrogance of man, matched only by the richness of the guisado packed into every bite. Choose your style—we’re partial to the colorado or verde—then wait as it’s rolled out on a wheelbarrow (OK, maybe it comes in a normal plastic bag). And in a city that takes burritos as seriously as El Paso does, Rafa’s still manages to stand above the rest. Thankfully, this isn’t a burrito that stands out for size alone. The fillings are flavorful and plentiful, and the fluffy flour tortilla is the perfect buttery vessel to hold it all together.
El Taco De México
DENVER, CO
In Denver, no burrito is complete without green chile. But El Taco de Mexico takes this one step further by taking a cheese-stuffed fried pepper, inserting it into a flour tortilla, further stuffing the tortilla with beans, rice, and even more cheese, and then finishing everything off with an extra blanket of their iconic, slow-simmered green chile. The chile is available with or without pork, but why exercise restraint? This spicy, cheesy, just-a-little-bit-crunchy culinary nesting doll requires a fork, knife, and maybe a nap after.
T-Loc's Sonora
AUSTIN, TX
T-Loc’s is a charred, beefy slice of goodness, the likes of which are hard to find outside of Mexico and Arizona. This Austin food truck imports its tortillas directly from northern Mexico and stuffs them with thick slices of tender carne asada, guacamole, and pico de gallo to create one of the best Sonoran-style burritos you’ll find this side of the border. The flour tortilla is thin, buttery, and pliable enough to mold itself around every savory bite. It's a nearly perfect burrito.
Mercado Sin Nombre
AUSTIN, TX
Mercado Sin Nombre, one of our favorite Austin spots to pop up in the last couple of years, uses chile colorado or chickpea con rajas in their incredible Juárez-style burritos. We tend to choose the chile colorado, which is meaty and stewy without ever becoming messy. We sometimes add egg, but we don’t want to get in the middle of any arguments about whether breakfast burritos are their own separate food, so just don’t know this burrito is just as good without it. Also: you might want to ask for extra salsa because every bite deserves a dunk in the rich, smoky red sauce that comes on the side. This isn’t the thickest burrito on the list, but its distinct Tejano flavors more than make up for it.
Ta’Carbon
GLENDALE, AZ
Phoenix’s burrito scene is heavily influenced by Sonora, and a local variation known as jaas or hazz (you’ll see it spelled both ways) adds a mild, roasted Anaheim chile and a gooey, white cheese to the mix. Ta’Carbón helped bring this speciality across the border in 2008, and they’re still doing it better than anyone in town, as far as we’re concerned. Their charcoal-grilled beef reigns supreme in town, but it’s the addition of roasted salsas that transform this burrito into a true Phoenix delicacy. If you’re wondering about the size, this style is also known as a percherón, named after a large horse breed. So yeah, you won’t go home hungry.
