Quarantine Kitchen

Details:

• Rating: 4.33
• Order: Homemade Burrito - $0.00
• Meat: Gringo Ground Beef - 2.5
• Beans: Canned Refried - 8
• Rice: 6
• Guacamole: 6
• Crema: None
• Salsa: None
• Tortilla: 3
• Cheese: 2
• Size: 4
• Taste: 3.5

Description:

Alright, I think this burrito deserves a shout out. I won't put it on the ranking list, but I have to at least compare my first legit homemade burrito with the best of the best. So was it the best? I'll give that a resounding no. But it was a great attempt with the ingredients that I had lying around home.

In the COVID craze, the only tortillas left at the store were burrito size. I've tried to make burritos at home before, but its a game changer to have correctly sized tortillas. Unfortunately I didn't plan ahead very well and didn't have the right kind of meat, rice, salsa or crema. So, I went with the typical gringo style with taco seasoned ground beef, diced tomatoes, etc.

The beef was...well it was ground beef in a burrito. Never a good idea. The mexican rice actually came out great and only could have been better if I didn't use brown rice. The canned beans were super good. Like better than most places on the list so far. That's sad. Guacamole was good but I didn't have fresh limes or cilantro. Tomatoes were a good substitute for salsa. Cheese wasn't plentiful enough and the tortilla is tough to steam without a steamer.

I also had to try out my hand at distribution and construction for the first time. It wasn't terrible but I had a leak and didn't spread the ingredients very well. Props to the pros for their far superior folding skills.

Total rating would put this burrito down toward the bottom of the list. But that means it's still higher than a few places! It really wasn't very good, but some better meat would've made this so much better and it was all homemade! Something to be said for that too. I guess the beans were canned, but they were still bomb.

Other Notes:

Chips never came out of the cupboard but I could have had them if I wanted. Same with salsa.

Off The Hook

Details:

• Rating: 5.29
• Order: Super Burrito - $10.00
• Meat: Carne Asada - 5
• Beans: Refried - 3
• Rice: 4
• Guacamole: None
• Crema: 4
• Salsa: 2
• Tortilla: 6
• Cheese: 7
• Size: 10
• Taste: 5

Description:

So was it off the hook? Nahhh. Was it decent? Not exactly. But this thing was huge, that's what it has going for it.

This is not the most inviting restaurant...to put it nicely. The food looked like it had been sitting out for a long time and the quality was definitely not there. I will say that I was still satisfied in the end.

The meat was ok at least. The beans were pretty bad. The rice actually had nice flavor but was super hard. Guac was extra so I didn't get it. Crema was ok and the salsa was really bad (and there was no salsa bar or salsa to go). The tortilla was alright and it was nice and melty cheesy. That's all I really have to say. It was subpar. Oh yeah it had a ton of jalapenos in it, that was weird too.

But man this thing was huge. If you're looking for a couple meals in one, this can definitely be your place. And it's debatably better than Ole Ole across the street if you're at Oakland First Friday and craving a burrito.

Other Notes:

No chips or salsa.

Taqueria Guadalajara (San Leandro)

Details:

• Rating: 7.55
• Order: Super Burrito - $10.54
• Meat: Carne Asada - 7
• Beans: Refried - 5
• Rice: 9
• Guacamole: 8
• Crema: 7
• Salsa: 6
• Tortilla: 8
• Cheese: 8
• Size: 8
• Taste: 8

Description:

Guadalajara seems to be the go-to spot in San Leandro. This place was poppin' with a long line, full tables, but quick service. And their burritos did not dissapoint after the anticipation. Holding 3 in my bag was some serious weight, no small burritos here.

Overall the burrito was packed with quality ingredients that each added a nice touch. They were all very good but for some reason the burrito lacked the elusive wow factor. Nonetheless, it was a great burrito. The carne asada was smoky and flavorful but was on the skimpy side which probably contributed to lack of wow factor. The beans were mediocre. Good enough to do the job at least. The rice was the star of the show and was pretty spot on without overpowering the rest of the ingredients. Guac, crema, onions and cilantro all did their job as well. The salsa was tasty but there was so much that it took over the flavor in an unwanted way. Cheese was plentiful and covered almost the whole tortilla. And the tortilla was steamed and also great.

TL;DR it was great but lacked the wow.

Other Notes:

Only chips if you eat in. Only one type of salsa for the chips.

La Catrina Taqueria

Details:

• Rating: 6.78
• Order: Deluxe Burrito - $11.00
• Meat: Al Pastor - 7.5
• Beans: Pinto - 4
• Rice: 8
• Guacamole: 7
• Crema: 3
• Salsa: 8.5
• Tortilla: 6
• Cheese: 7
• Size: 7
• Taste: 7.5

Description:

La Catrina AKA "The Purple Taco Truck" sits right outside the Grocery Outlet parking lot. The location may be a bit weird, the completely faded illegible prices are also quite weird, but The Purple Taco Truck has a surprisingly good burrito.

I know, I broke my own rule and got al pastor, but I also had a few bites of carne asada and I've had it before. Trust me, the al pastor is the way to go. It was super flavorful and extremely greasy...just as it should be. The flavor filled the rice and the rest of the burrito. It was equally very sweet and very savory. The rice was pretty good on its own, but was elevated with the meat drippings. The carne asada is ok, but doesn't help the purple truck out compared to the pastor. Unfortunately the beans were pretty bad, but the pico de gallo in the burrito made up for it. I prefer guacamole instead of avocado, but I can't really fault them for that. Crema was almost non-existent. So sad. The green salsa it comes with is great and the red one is pretty spicy and smoky, but not my favorite. Cheese is shredded cheddar which is a bit different and nice if melted but some parts were still cold. The tortilla was decent and the size was normal to large.

Overall I was very happy with the burrito, but the price is a pretty big downside. Not sure how you get away charging $11 from a truck, but I guess I still bought it.

Other Notes:

No chips, red and green salsa, pickled jalapeños.

Taqueria La Cumbre

Details:

• Rating: 6.62
• Order: Deluxe Burrito - $11.72
• Meat: Skirt Steak Asada - 6.5
• Beans: Refried - 8
• Rice: 3
• Guacamole: 8
• Crema: Basically None
• Salsa: 9
• Tortilla: 6
• Cheese: 5
• Size: 7
• Taste: 7.5

Description:

La Cumbre claims to be "The Birthplace of The Mission-Style Burrito." That's a pretty cool claim to hold, but they only back it up with decent burritos.

As most of the burritos on this list from The Mission, La Cumbre is that burrito that satisfies your need for a big burrito, but nothing more. It also comes with the high price tag that a lot of taquerias are now adopting (so sad). Basically this burrito had very tender but rather flavorless asada, flavorful but way under-cooked rice, very good beans and guac, basically no crema so I didn't even rate it, normal cheese and tortilla, and a plentiful salsa bar.

That's about all there is to say. I guess it didn't come with chips which sucks, but it didn't have a line at all (like the crazy mobs at Pancho Villa around the corner). The salsa bar was pretty great, but overall this was your standard Mission burrito. I would recommend it over most of the taquerias near 16th Bart, but it's nothing to write home about.

Other Notes:

No chips, no line.

Garaje

Details:

• Rating: 6.75
• Order: Zapato - $13.00
• Meat: Skirt Steak Asada - 7
• Beans: Refried - 9
• Rice: None
• Guacamole: 9
• Crema: None
• Salsa: None?
• Tortilla: 9
• Cheese: 8.5
• Size: 4
• Taste: 7.5

Description:

It might not be the most authentic burrito spot, but Garaje has a pretty cool atmosphere. In fact, they don’t even have burritos, they call them zapatos. But I’ll count it because they're just pressed burritos.

Their zapatos don’t quite fit into the Mission Style Super Burrito framework since they don’t have rice, crema and are pretty small. The menu says it has salsa, but I sure don't remember any salsa in it. They’re also way overpriced, but maybe that’s just SF for ya. On the flip side, their quality is actually really good. Tortillas are nice and crispy with a perfect grill grid. Guac is clearly fresh and very well made. Beans were creamy and flavorful. Lots of melty cheese. The meat was a bit interesting. They called it Skirt Steak Asada, but it sure tasted like a slow cooked, stewed beef. It had no char and fell apart easily. It also seemed to have a lot of juice, like a stew. It was not your typical asada, but don’t get me wrong, it was still quite good.

So basically this burrito-like thing had really good fillings, but the very high price and pretty small size really knocked it down the rankings. Cool place, good beer, I recommend going, but not the best burrito in The Bay.

Other Notes:

Good beer, no chips or salsa bar.

Tijuana Restaurant

Details:

• Rating: 6.57
• Order: Burrito - $11.74
• Meat: Carne Asada - 7.5
• Beans: Refried - 6
• Rice: 4.5
• Guacamole: 9
• Crema: 6
• Salsa: 6
• Tortilla: 5
• Cheese: 10
• Size: 9
• Taste: 6.5

Description:

Tijuana Restaurant is as authentic as it gets. It almost feels like a quick trip to Mexico. Maybe that's the reason their burritos aren't amazing, or maybe it's because they're mainly a seafood restaurant. Either way, the burritos fall just about in the middle of the rankings.

They're very large, but also on the expensive side. The meat was surprisingly good and much more like steak than most carne asada. It was very tender and had great flavor, but didn't quite carry throughout the whole burrito. There was a bit too much flavorless rice, but the beans were decent. There was a ton of guacamole and cheese, but not much crema. This was a fork and knife on a plate burrito, unfortunately. And even with the fork and knife, the tortilla still couldn't hold together. The chips and salsa were good but not great. I would definitely suggest going to Tijuana, but get caldo or seafood instead of a burrito.

Other Notes:

Comes with chips and a very mild salsa and a spicy salsa.