I’m pretty picky about burritos. (If you are too, this list is obvious to you.) As a California girl – on my non-French maternal side – I like all of the styles of the Golden State. I love Mission-style burrito from my time near San Francisco when I roamed Dolores and Mission to handle the weight of the overcrowded giants wrapped tightly in foil. I did a lot of digging into the style of LA bought at food trucks or fancy Silver Lake coffeeshops, and the iconic San Diego style that made meat, beans, cheese, and potatoes (later french fries, which you call Cali ). In Texas, I love the stronger stick-to-your-ribs, meat-and-potato or guisado styles from northern Mexico, from which our flour tortilla tradition comes.
Here are the beautifully designed colossi that I don’t actually dream of Californian but still dream of, including decadent, creamy, satisfying, incredibly tasty vegan, breakfast versions and burritos that mimic Phở. Okay, full disclosure – one is in Fort Worth.
I know that for some, burritos are a subject that sparked heated debate and wild loyalty. All kinds of price points and all kinds of options abound. Without further ado, a couple of burritos that are worth gold.
Desert racer
One of Nick Badovinus’ mission-style burritos at Desert Racer’s makes smoked chicken his muse. (Yes, you read the menu description correctly, it also has a crispy flauta inside.) In its depths, smashed avocado and lime crema (with a tiny hint of lime) make a mess – in the best sense – with black beans, a light coleslaw, pico and Spanish rice. The smoke remains. Try the poke style – with sushi rice and ahi tuna – or weekend brunch burritos that beat up pancakes, waffles or French toast with hash browns and maybe cinnamon sugar or jalapeño-kissed maple syrup. The Baja-inspired playground isn’t afraid to roll like this.
Del sur tacos
There’s not much to say here other than that this is one of the best taquerias in our town and that Ismael and Olmy Sanchez also happen to make a very good burrito. It’s better than it needs to be at first sight, and just as good the next seven times you order it. The cali burrito, the only one on the menu, is overflowing and super creamy, adding convenience through rice, pinto beans and grilled chicken.
House
I vividly remember the first time the quartet of women behind Filipino-inspired pop-up concept Bahay brought out their Chicken Tocino Brunch Burrito, led by fried chicken thighs marinated in pineapple juice and Filipino banana ketchup. It is a Filipino breakfast to take away, framed by garlic rice, a lumpy tomato ensalada, and a fried egg. Note: check their website or Instagram page for future pop-ups.
Maskara’s Mexican Grill
If you’re in the mood for seafood, the spicy Shrimp Burrito Burrito de Camarones La Diabla is your siren song. Hopping shrimp, perfectly seasoned Spanish rice, lettuce, tomato and avocado fill the gigantic, beautifully grilled megalith to the brim. A man, a unique regular, orders and takes 10 burritos at the beginning of the week – that’s the story. I think it. I get it.
The spicy shrimp burrito from Maskara’s Mexican Grill is bursting with springy shrimp.
Eve Hill-Agnus
El Tacaso’s Cali Burrito is bursting with fajita steak.
Eve Hill-Agnus
The tacaso
If you want something that consists essentially of steak, beans, potatoes, and cheese, this is it. The cheese melts (and in its elemental simplicity) like a quesadilla. Four round, black upholstered stools in the outdoor area give you the feeling of sitting at the counter of a diner. The surprise is that some of the best fajita steaks are hidden in a plain bean, steak, and potato cheese at a 24/7 windowed order booth on a stretch of the Northwest Highway. (Not to be confused with the one on Westmoreland Road in West Dallas.)
Montes Burritos
There are excellent options from this “entertainment-only” gas station in Far North Dallas; no cash “slot machines should you want to play during your time while you wait. Choose the Carne Guisado, hearty beef tips in a spicy sauce with a round, soft taste. The south of the border offers all the comforts of fluffy scrambled eggs, bacon, pieces of ham, peppers, onions and a good helping of warmth. Or opt for strong strands of barbacoa with spring onions. Montes is one of the few places that makes its own tortillas.
La Victoria
As a staple of the breakfast taco scene, La Victoria in Old East Dallas attracts early morning foremen or weekend warriors with tough hands full creating a collision between chorizo, sausage, bacon, ham – all of your breakfast favorites – beans or scrambled potatoes Eggs. Scale up with special offers. Proceed for the ultimate customization. Carry on one morning; They close at 2 p.m. Visit Ruby’s Sno-Balls next door for a two-fer.
Cris and John
It may seem cheesy, but it’s actually pretty amazing: the phorito is full of pasta, bean sprouts, mint, and a choice of chicken, beef, or tofu. A touch of hoisin sauce boldly heralds the game. As soon as you have overcome the cognitive separation, comes the power move: a broth smeared with chili oil. Please add a fried egg to mine. Connoisseurs alternate between this and the ramenrito.
The Phorito riffs on the fragrant Vietnamese soup with their hoisin-soaked, protein-rich airship for dipping in broth coated with chili oil.
Courtesy of Cris and John
Nunos Tacos and VegMex Grill
Yes, other places have chimichangas but not vegan ones. Of course, I love the upscale, imaginative chimichangas of Las Palmas and Desert Racer, but I admire the greater technical difficulty of making a vegan one that is topped with bright yellow faux queso and red and green salsas. The insides swell with a high-octane mix of chipotle-spiced jackfruit, Spanish rice, and a cloud of velvety roasted black beans. Is it messy? Yes sir. Is it impossible to quit? Absolutely. It’s also totally delicious.
The vegan Chimichanga from Nunos Tacos and Vegmex Grill is doused in faux queso and drizzled with salsas.
Courtesy Nunos Tacos and VegMex Grill
Mariachis Dine-In
Even at a distance I can’t get it out of my head. My clutch burrito when I’m in Fort Worth is the Pastor pineapple from the vegan side of Mariachi’s menu. Say what you like about destination restaurants, I’ll do it for this one. The smoky warmth of pastor-style seitan, pervaded and balanced with the welcome bitter sweetness of pineapple and crinkled with vegan cheese, cashew chipotle crema, pico and salad is just the thing. It is my point of contact.
The vegan Pastor pineapple burrito is part of the alternative, purely vegan menu at Mariachi’s Dine-In in Fort Worth.
Lauren Neuburger
This is what tanned beauty looks like, courtesy of El Tacaso, where diner-style stools await you outside.
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