O burrito, where art thou?

How would you like your burrito?

I like mine fresh, flavorful, wet inside, and bulging with whole beans, fluffy rice recently cooked, fresh cilantro, ripe tomatoes and chopped glistening onions. If there are whole avocado slices and subtly melted cheese—awesome. And if there is a creatively spiced sauce inside that integrates all of the above so that it approximates the One Holy Archetypal Burrito (OHAB)—then we’re talking loyal customer.

Who doesn’t love Mexican food? When it’s time to eat, and someone says “Mexican!” my Pavlovian brain immediately enters into a reverie of all of the tasty Mexican meals I’ve enjoyed in my lifetime (even if they’ve put me to sleep by mid-afternoon).

And yet, with so many choices … one has to decide: Where to go? The mind races, computing the last good place you ate in, with the geographical distance and travel time, divided by how hungry you are (and parenthetically wondering to yourself if any of those places you haven’t yet discovered might do the trick), and how much you are willing to compromise quality for proximity, or simply to please someone who just “loves” this certain place that you find dreadfully lacking.

This is the problem: Just because it’s “Mexican” doesn’t mean it’s going to be what you want. I wanted to know: Where were the places whose quality I could rely on to deliver me from hunger, and into bliss? Then I’d have my “Mexican food” problem solved for decades. I had sampled only maybe a third of the almost 40 places in Chico—it was for this reason that I conceived the torturous idea of eating in every single one (if I missed a place, I’m sorry, I did my best!).

And I couldn’t order just anything; it had to be the same thing each time; how else to compare “apples with apples"? I chose vegetarian burritos because the ingredients are common to all restaurants, and logically, if the veggie burrito is fresh, tasty, plump (and the price is right), the rest of the menu probably is, too. This does, regrettably, ignore the wonderful and delicious dishes that are made with shrimp, chicken, beef, pork, and perhaps tongue, hoofs (or is that hooves?) and half-heads of cows. But I had to draw the line somewhere.

In any case, as you can see from the chart, my “where-to-eat?” problems are solved. I say my problems because these are my completely subjective ratings, which should not be confused with dictatorships benevolent or otherwise. In other words, the dear reader’s tastes may differ from mine; and to that I say, ¡Qué viva la democracia de opiniones!

And believe me, what I often wanted to do was to eat the “specialty of the house” rather than another possibly dry burrito, knowing full well that the house served a decent prawn plate, or carnitas, or chicken enchiladas, or shredded beef tacos.

So please understand that this review does not rate the whole restaurant experience, nor the best plates served in those establishments. Lo siento mucho, señores y señoras. In any case, you will learn something about the quality of burritos in this town, which is my limited goal.

KEY:
(Establishment):
TT=Taco Truck;
OH=Order Here take-out window;
FS=Full Service.
(Ingredients):
B=beans
R=rice
T=tomato
O=onions
L=lettuce
Ci=cilantro
Ch=cheese
Avo=avocado
“+"=plus tax
Cust=customized (not offered on menu) I always omitted sour cream if it was part of the order.

Note: The numerical ratings (1-5) are only for quality of food (freshness, flavor and unity of ingredients). They do not factor in price, service, eating ambience and whether or not the food is “made with love;” although these factors are mentioned anecdotally in the “comments” area.

Taste rating
Place / Type
Price
Size
Ingredients
Comments

5.0
El Paisa; Eighth/Pine (TT)
$3
L-M
B, R, T, O, L, Ci, Ch, Avo
Clearly the best; try their shrimp anything

4.6
Tacos Cortez; 1530 Park Ave. (OH)
$3+
M
B, R, T, Sauce, Ch, L
Flavorful

4.5
El Patrón; 1354 East Ave. (OH)
$6+
XL
B, R, T, O, Ci, Avo
Tasty, fresh, juicy, big

4.5
Tacos Tonaya 2; 244 Walnut (OH)
$3.50+
M-L
B, R, O, Ci, L, Salsa, (“wet” $.75 extra)
Juicy, tasty

4.5
Tacos Tijuana; 1441 Park Ave. (OH)
$3.99
M
B, R, Ch, Guac, O, Ci, T (custom)
Fresh, tasty, flavorful

4.5
Tacos de Acapulco (OH)
Forest/32, $4.99+
L
B, R, Salsa, O, Ci, Ch
Fresh, tasty, blends without
“bite”

4.4
Chipotle; 620 Mangrove (OH)
$5.25+
M
B, R, L, Avo, Ch, Salsa
Fresh ingredients; clean, “industrial” atmosphere

4.4
Tacos Tapatío; Longfellow/First Ave. (TT)
$3
M
B, R, T, O, Ci
Good, wholesome and flavorful

4.35
Super Taqueria Willy
973 East Ave.
$5.31+
M-L
R, B, bell pepper, broccoli, zuchini, T, O, Ci, salsa
Fresh, good spice bite

4.0
Baja Fresh (OH)
2072 E. 20th
$3.65+
M
R, B, O, Ci, salsa
No lard, MSG, microwave, freezers, can openers

4.25
Burritos El Caporal; 3005 Esplanade (OH)
$3.75
M-L
B, R, T, O, Ci, Ch
Plastic plates and forks (frown)

4.25
El Grullo; 2409 Esplanade (OH)
$3.50+
M-L
B, R, T, O, L, Ch
Nice bite to sauce

4.25
El Tamborazo; 968 East Ave. (FS)
$6.99+
M-L
R, B, Ch, (T, O, Ci; extra $1), served “wet”: Ch & sauce
Pickled carrots and radishes, plus chips and salsa, to start

4.15
El Paisa; Walnut/Second (TT)
$3.50
M
B, R, Ci, Ch, T, O
The two Paisa trucks have different owners

4.1
Amigos de Acapulco; 820 Oroville Ave. (OH)
$4.75+
L
R, B, T, O, Ci, Avo, served “wet” with melted Ch/sauce
Mexican music playing, bathroom clean and fresh

4.1
Casa Ramos; 216 W. East Ave. (FS)
$7.99+
L
B, R, Ch, Broccoli, T, Corn, Squash, Shrooms, whole wheat tortilla
Excellent salsa & chips (heated); attentive service

4.0
Taquería los Amigos; 3524 Hwy 32 (OH)
$3.50+
M
B, R, T, O, Ci, Ch
New owners; veggie burrito not on menu (bean & cheese is)

4.0
El Pinolero; Park Ave. (TT)
$4
M-L
B, R, T, O, Ci
No price reduction for veggie (w/meat same price)

4.0
Casa Ramos; 2490 Fair St. (FS)
$7.95+
L
B, R, T, O, Ci, Ch; “wet” with sauce, Ch, B, R
Quick service, friendly; rest of menu is often delicious

4.0
Tres Hombres; 100 Broadway (FS)
$8.95+
L
R, B, Peas, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Broccoli, T, Corn, Bell, sauce/Ch on top
Chips & salsa yummy; would prefer traditional veggie option. Great service.

4.0
Taco del Mar; 605 Mangrove
(OH)
$5.95
M-L
B, R, Ch, L, Avo, Salsa (corn, flour, or spinach tortilla opt.)
Mod Mex/industrial ambience/American efficiency buffet train

4.0
El Rey Mexican Grill; 465 E. 20th St. (OH)
$6
L
B, R, Avo, Ch, L, Salsa
Didn’t have veggie option on menu; will in future

4.0
Speedy Burrito; 1031 Nord (OH)
$4.25+
M
Br Rice, B, Ch, L, Ci, O, Salsa
No lard, fresh and healthy, could have more pizzazz/flavor

4.0
Fiesta Tacos; Nord/W. Sac. (TT)
$4.25
M-L
Blk B, R, L, O, T, Avo, Ch
Cheerful fellows working there

4.0
Crazy Taco; 205 Park Duke’s) (OH)
$3
M-L
B, R, L, O, Ci, Salsa
Good and basic

3.9
Tacos Tonaya; Nord/Stewart (TT)
$2.50
M-L
B, R, L Ci, Salsa, T, O
Too much rice in the ratio

3.9
Teddy Malibu’s; 1002 W. Fifth (OH)
$3.95
M-L
B, O, Ci, Salsa
Surfing motif; large-screen TV

3.8
La Salsa; 855 East Ave. (OH)
$5.49+
M-L
R, B, T, O, L, Avo
Alt-rock music; 5 TVs; lacks flavor even though “fresh”

3.75
Tacos Cortez; 1110 Dayton Rd. (OH)
$3+
M-L
R, B, L, T, Ch
Incongruous interior decorating; TV showing crime news

3.75
Tortilla Flats; 2601 Esplanade (FS)
$7.95+
M-L
R, B, T, L, S, served “wet” plus soup or salad
Colorful Mexican motif interior w/ traditional music

3.7
Ricardo’s; 2365 Esplanade (FS)
$4.50+
M
B, R, L, T, Ci, Ch (a la carte take-out)
Needs more flavor

3.7
Aca Taco; 133 Broadway (OH)
$3.50+
M-L
R, B, Ci, O, salsa
Favorite among Chico High lunch crowd

3.6
Arsenio’s; 969 East Ave. (OH)
$4.15+
M
B, R, Ch, Pico, L, Avo (customized)
Cheese was still cold

3.6
Tacos Puerta Vallarta; Esplan./11th Ave. (TT)
$4
M
B, R, L, O, T, Ci, Ch
Dry, lacking flavor

3.6
La Hacienda; 2635 Esplanande
(FS)
$3.50
M
B, Ch only (a la carte take-out; not a menu offering)
Refried beans and melted cheese, “dry” taste needs sauce

3.4
La Familia; 1008 W. Sac. (OH)
$5.95+
M-L
R, B, L, Ch, Avo
Lacking in flavor. Nice salsa w/ chips; oldies music

3.25
La Comida; 954 Mangrove
(OH)
$3.75+
M
B, R; had to ask for O, T; “wet” red sauce/Ch
Refried beans seem larded

3.2
Taco Bell; Fifth St. (downtown) (OH)
$2.39+
S-M
B, O, T, L, red sauce
The oldest chain in town; mushy, pasty