Made a quick trip to Sac and back so I decided to hit a bunch of places from the Eater list of Mexican restaurants along 99. Pictures aren’t great because we were driving but hopefully they can at least provide some idea of size.
First stop was Tacos La Villa in Bakersfield for a California burrito and a Hot Cheetos California burrito.
Burrito was a good size and broader than a lot of California burritos I’ve had.
Interior of California burrito. It came with choice of meat (carne asada in this case), cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole and fries
Interior of Hot Cheeto California burrito. Same ingredients plus Hot Cheetos. It was about 50/50 cheetos to fries, not a wholesale replacement.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by how good the burritos were. For some reason it’s really difficult to get a decent California burrito in LA- they exist but tend to be mediocre. I’d certainly swing by again even though fries were a little too crisp (almost hard) and the cheetos were fine but didn’t make a noticeable difference. Of the three salsas (green, spicy red, smoky red) the reds were pleasingly flavorful. The spicy red was a bit too much for me but had a decent garlic flavor kind of like La Vic’s in San Jose or Cotixan in San Diego. The smoky red salsa reminded me of what comes with Super Tortas DF sandwiches.
Second stop the next day was La Taqueria in Turlock. This one is the Turlock location of the SF outfit that won 538’s burrito bracket a few years ago.
Just got one quick picture while driving to show size. It has a decent heft, probably due in part to the fact that there’s no rice in it. Standard burrito here comes with choice of meat, beans, and pico de gallo. I got the carnitas and added cheese, sour cream and guacamole to bring it as close to the “super burrito” I grew up with. It was definitely a good burrito with really meaty, porky carnitas that was still a little bit on the dry side of crispy. Overall I wouldn’t call it worthy of the best burrito in America but it’s a solid specimen. Also, while the tortilla was decent enough I read you can get it “dorado” where they griddle it a little but to crisp it up. Probably worth trying in the future.
Lastly, we just made it in time to get a takeout order at El Burrito House in Kingsburg.
Again, we were on the road so there wasn’t really a good opportunity for a picture. I think this might have been the biggest burrito of all, which is impressive considering they make their own flour tortillas. Ingredients were choice of meat (adobada in this case), rice, beans, onion and cilantro. I didn’t see an option to add sour cream, cheese and guacamole so I got it as is but would probably ask for that in the future. The insides were pretty decent and I definitely can recommend the tortilla. It was tender and pliable without being too gummy or heavy with lard. I would compare it to La Azteca Tortilleria but a bit more tender. I will say, the owner was enormously kind (especially considering I came in literally two minutes before closing). When she found out it was my first time there she rushed into the kitchen and gave me two extra tortillas HOT off the grill to take home.
Overall, I would give La Villa another try for their Cali burritos and salsas, probably pass on La Taqueria except to maybe try their burritos “dorado” and I’ll definitely swing by El Burrito House again. Even though Burrito House’s hours are a bit difficult (closing at 3PM daily) I’ll make a special effort to try them again because of the tortillas, the owner and this awesome sounding Azteca burrito that I only saw too late to order.