Skip to main content

California Burritos Are the Perfect Culinary Hybrid

The burrito. A handheld thing of beauty, containing protein, veggies, cheese, hot sauce, and a hearty helping of guacamole, all tightly wrapped in a flour tortilla. It’s rightfully beloved and justly revered by foodies of all stripes.

Further Reading

While the burrito claims Mexican origins, several of the more iconic versions come to us courtesy of Mexican immigrants living in the United States. For many years, the “gold standard” of Americanized burritos came in the form of the Mission burrito, a San Francisco creation made from an especially-large tortilla, rice and beans, chopped or shredded meat, cheese, salsa, crema, lettuce, and guac, all tightly wrapped in an aluminum foil cocoon for structural support.

Recommended Videos

However, another West Coast creation might just be worthy of dethroning the Mission burrito: a SoCal specialty aptly known as the California burrito. A flawless fusion of Mexican flavors and elements of classic Americana, this hearty treat brings enough carbs, spice, and fat to stand up against even the most painful hangovers (and the most ravenous stoner munchies if that’s what they are confronting). In the words of executive chef Richard Ortiz of Beerfish in San Diego, “Simply put, California burritos are a staple in [Southern California]. It’s what you order after a night of drinking or a day of surfing. The combination of carne asada, fries, pico, and cheese in a warm tortilla is known to cure the worst hunger pang or hangover.”

What Is a California burrito?

While California burritos can be found throughout Southern California, they’re truly a San Diego creation. Like the Mission burrito, the California burrito comes wrapped in a flour tortilla, and its fillings include meat, cheese, and condiments. However, the California burrito also contains a secret weapon: French fries in lieu of rice and beans.

california burrito
Jon Gorr/Getty Images

Chef Alvin Cailan of Eggslut in Los Angeles still fondly recalls his first encounter with a California burrito, telling us that “the California burrito should really be called the San Diego burrito. It’s the go-to burrito when you’re south of Encinitas. I grew up in East LA, [and] we ate bean and cheese burritos and carne asada burritos. So when I got old enough to drive, I took a road trip with my boys down to Vista, California, and that was when I experienced the great California burrito. Carne asada, shredded cheese, sour cream, and French fries! It rocked my world, [and] I devoured the burrito like I’d never had one before.”

The benefits of the California burrito are incalculable, but a few attributes make it a particularly unique addition to the Mexican-American culinary pantheon:

French Fries Add Substance Without Overwhelming Flavors and Texture

Executive chef Colten Lemmer of Union Kitchen & Tap in San Diego touts the textural benefits of the French fries inside California burritos as their crowning glory.

A flawless fusion of Mexican flavors and elements of classic Americana, this hearty treat brings enough carbs, spice, and fat to stand up against even the most painful hangovers.

“I love the unique ‘mouthfeel’ you get while eating a California burrito – there’s some leftover crisp from the French fries (any decent place knows to make them extra crispy to combat the steam trapped inside from rolling), with a creamy guacamole and sour cream layer. The best part is using shredded cheese so you get the ooey gooey cheesy stretch with each bite. My favorite burritos also have a good amount of pico de gallo, and some added spice from the marinade for the meat, as well as fresh jalapeño or Serrano in the pico,” Lemmer tells The Manual.

California Burritos are Highly Customizable

While California burritos seem fairly straightforward, the inclusion of fries opens up abundant potato-based possibilities for fillings, allowing chefs to embrace their creativity. One of these chefs is Rouha Sadighi of The Rooster in Los Angeles, who likes to give her California burritos a brunch-appropriate twist: “At The Rooster, our most popular order is the Rico Suave, which is a large burrito with crispy tater tots, eggs, bacon, avocado, cheddar & cojita cheese blend, molcajete salsa, and cilantro crema. So in this case, the French fries are tater tots, to give it a breakfast twist. Tots in a burrito add a whole element of texture that burritos don’t typically have. That crunch and having the potatoes be like little nuggets of fried bursts in each bite takes a regular burrito to the next level! It’s what makes it Californian.”

Where to Get a California Burrito

Nowadays, California burritos aren’t restricted to SoCal; in fact, they can be found throughout the state and the country. However, if you’re planning a visit to the mothership (aka the San Diego area), Cailan has a couple of specific California burrito recommendations for you: “Today, whenever I find myself in San Diego, I do California burrito crawls from The Taco Stand to Juanita’s, but my absolute favorite is Don Carlos in La Jolla, CA.”

Taylor Tobin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Taylor Tobin is a freelance food, drink, and lifestyle writer based in Brooklyn. She's contributed content to publications…
Topics
A Michelin-starred chef guides us on pairing wine and pasta
pasta courses at Massara NYC

Enjoying a nice bowl of fresh pasta? While steak and wine are often touted as the perfect pairing, pasta is also a complex pairing for wine. But with so many pasta types, cooking styles, and sauces, pairing pasta with wine is a complex task. We decided to try out the new pasta-tasting menu at Massara, a Southern Italian restaurant in New York helmed by Chef Stefano Secchi of Rezdôra (a one Michelin-starred restaurant).

"Michael Duffy and the somm team has done well in the pairing," said Chef Stefano Secchi. "Luckily, the wines on our list pair well with the food eaten in the region…a strong ethos and throughline of our restaurants."  

Read more
I tried the Kamado Joe Konnected Joe—here’s how it handled real recipes
Even if you make mistakes you can create crowd-pleasing meals with Kamado Joe Konnected Joe
Pre-heating the Kamado Joe Konnected Joe guarded by with Happy.

I jumped at the chance to test the Kamado Joe's Konnected Joe Digital Grill and Smoker. Like most members of our extended family of avid cooks and eager eaters, I enjoy grilling year-round. Still, my experience has been limited to conventional charcoal grills and three-burner propane grills. I was curious about what it would be like to cook with a ceramic grill, and grew even more excited by the prospect of precise temperature control promised by the Konnected Joe.
Why cook with a kamado-style grill

Kamado-style ovens, stoves, and grills use heated stone or ceramic to provide radiant heat that cooks the food. The Kamado Joe brand of kamado grills cooks with radiant heat, with thick ceramic sections in the cooker. It can take some time to reach the desired temperature, but the grill's heavy insulation retains the heat for a long time.

Read more
How I upgraded my De’Longhi Rivelia to make incredible cold espresso drinks
How to unlock six new cold foam recipes
De'Longhi Rivelia

I first started using the De'Longhi Rivelia espresso machine, the brand's newest fully automatic, innovative, and touchscreen espresso maker for home use. I was instantly impressed with how easy this espresso maker was to use and how quickly it made it possible to prepare all my favorite espresso-based beverages.

Ironically, I was so caught up in learning how to use the machine to make hot coffee drinks that I forgot it could also make cold coffee drinks. Once I upgraded with the De'Longhi LatteCrema Cool kit, I unlocked a whole new world of possibilities for cold coffee drinks, from an iced white flat to an iced cappuccino. This tiny upgrade changed the game, solidifying just how much I love this espresso machine.
De'Longhi Rivelia LatteCrema Cool

Read more