The Top 6 Super Carne Asada Burritos in SF (With A Ringer Thrown In)

Photography by Dwight Eschliman (left to right): Matthew Accarrino, Margo True, Charles Hodgkins, Ryan Farr, Prisca Chen

No jukebox blaring banda. No salsa, chips, or beer. Just pure burrito. In a blind taste test—analyzing everything from girth to beef-sear to ingredient distribution and harmony—five experts dig into six of the city’s most popular super carne asada burritos, with a ringer thrown in for fun (ahem, Chipotle). After some serious thought—and proof that even the best burritos can be flawed—conclusions were made.

1. El Farolito
1 ⅔ lbs ($6.30)

Continually ranked as one of the city’s top burritos, the Mission District’s classic 3 a.m. stop for booze-sopping came in first without much struggle. “What a whopper,” said Sunset magazine’s Margo True. “An amalgamated burrito with a careful arrangement of beans, rice, meat, and sauce. A thoughtful cook arranged it.” The carne asada is “wonderfully rustic,” said Charles Hodgkins of Burritoeater. However, burrito lover Prisca Chen did not concur. “The beef is like ground beef,” she lamented, scribbling a frowny face on her scorecard. “Where’s the pico de gallo?” Chen concluded that the burrito filling isn’t made up of true friends “though they tolerate each other.” But SPQR chef Matthew Accarrino gave it his top mark, citing the beans as “soft but with texture,” the beef as having the “best flavor of all.”

2779 Mission St., 415-824-7877

2. Papalote
1 ⅓ lbs ($8.49)

Last Feburary, this Mission District taqueria famously won the Bobby Flay burrito-off on the Food Network. The size of the carne in this burrito was noted by all: “Now that’s a steak,” said Chen. “An attention grabber,” said Hodgkins. “Nice but under-seasoned,” said True. “But I can finally taste the grill!” Hodgkins loved the “wonderfully griddled tortilla” and said, “I hardly ever think this, but this one has too much cheese.” Is such a thing possible?

3409 24th St., 415-970-8815

3. Taqueria Cancún
1 ⅓ lbs ($6.56)

A longtime SF favorite, this was selected by Chen as her top pick. She praised it as “juicy” and best for the uninitiated “tourist who’s never had an SF burrito.” Hodgkins deemed the tortilla steamed (though Cancún’s tortillas are in fact warmed on the griddle) and “sticky on the palate” and lamented the amount of sour cream. Farr was happy about the “good amount of heat, fresh cilantro, and avocado.”

2288 Mission St., 415-252-9560

4. El Tonayense
1 ¼ lbs ($6.50)

There are three El Tonayense trucks in SF, but this burrito, which has the addition of jalapeños (not green bell peppers as some judges guessed), was from the one parked at Harrison and 14th streets. “Good, crunchy sear on the meat,” said Farr. “And the addition of bean juice helps keep it moist.” True found the beef “forgettable—too pulverized.” But Chen appreciated its street-food scrappiness. “What this burrito lacks in girth it makes up for in grease and flavor.”

At Harrison and 14th streets, 415-559-0404

5. Chipotle
1 ¼ lbs ($8.71)

The heat was on, said True, for this chain’s take on a burrito. Their version was “packed with lots of rice, guac, and fire. Zesty!” But it had too much starch for most. “Where are the beans?” said Hodgkins. “Oh, here hidden behind the damn rice.” Farr called the meat “tender” but wished there was more char. Hodgkins said the guac was “top shelf” but that the cheese seemed absent. Accarrino deemed the burrito “right in the middle of the pack.”

232 O’Farrell St., 415-765-9043

6. Gordo Taqueria
1 ⅓ lbs ($6.73)

Representing the burritos of the Richmond District, this one got wildly differing comments. True liked the guac and the balance of ingredients, as did Farr. But Chen asked “WTF?” in regard to what she deemed the “white rice,” which made her “wanna cry.” (Gordo says their rice is actually made with tomatoes.) Hodgkins compared the sour cream or crema to “cream cheese—an abomination.” Accarrino described it as “not so bad but not so interesting either.”

5450 Geary Blvd., 415-668-8226

7. El Castillito
1 ⅔ lbs ($8.20)

“Raw onion, mushy rice, dried-out meat,” said Accarrino of this Castro favorite. “An unattractive mishmash,” said True. “The meat is pale and definitely not asada.” Hodgkins said the beans might be “appropriate for minestrone but not a burrito.” Only one person truly loved this burrito, and it was Farr. “Good meat, good char flavor, nice chunky salsa,” giving it his top ranking, which just goes to show that burrito-tasting is nothing if not personal.

136 Church St., 415 621-3428

The Judges

	Ryan Farr No. 1 pick: El Castillito A classically trained chef, Farr is the owner of 4505 Meats and an expert on all things carnivorous. Farr sells his own line of sausages and hot dogs and teaches popular classes on butchery. You can find 4505 Meats at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Thursdays and Saturdays.
	Prisca Chen No. 1 pick: Papalote The winner of our burrito judge contest on 7x7.com, Chen might be the most burrito-obsessed person we’ve ever met. She even made a documentary and wrote her UC Santa Cruz senior thesis on the burrito.
	Matthew Accarrino No. 1 pick: El Farolito The chef of SPQR, Accarrino might have the skills to cook haute cuisine but he equally appreciates downhome cooking. Accarrrino has worked as the sous chef at Per Se in New York and as the chef de cuisine at Craft Los Angeles.
	Margo True No. 1 pick: Papalote The food editor at Sunset magazine and the editor of The Sunset Cookbook previously worked as the executive editor of Saveur and a senior editor at Gourmet.
	Charles Hodgkins No. 1 pick: El Farolito Since 2003, Hodgkins, founder of burritoeater.com—the most comprehesive study on SF burritos out there—has been scouring the city for the best burritos and then ranking them with mustaches.

Having Chipotle in there was great twist. People need to relax. If this was a list of the TWENTY best burritos in SF...there would still be buncha cranky trolls complaining that THEIR neighborhood burrito wasn't mentioned.

By Dale (not verified) on January 25, 2011

YALL ARE TRIPPIN, ITS ALL ABOUT EL YUCATAN AT 16TH AND MISSION, BUT THAT BLOCK PROBABLY SCARES ALL THE YUPPIES AWAY LOL

By Anonymous (not verified) on January 25, 2011

The main problem with this list is it just makes Sf burritos sound wack overall. I think the top three spots are right on. But this list is basically just a testament to SF/bay smugness. Only in the Bay area would people diss there own favorite foods. Probably the same lames from SF who correct you when you say "Frisco" even though 50% of the time they are all transplants not even from the Bay. Bunch of haters. I rep east bay. Farrilito in SF is my fav. SF mission does have burritos on lock top three spots are the goto. Poor job 7x7

By Ronald (not verified) on January 25, 2011

EL BURRITO EXPRESS!

you guys are missing out
http://www.ebxsf.com/

gain some knowledge on the cheap.

check it.

PS I do mostly agree with this list
I just think maybe you should have made
it a top twenty, your cover got me all excited
...i dont handle disappointment well

By Heather (not verified) on January 25, 2011

BURRITO EXPERT = CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS OF THE MEXICAN FOOD GAME

By Anonymous (not verified) on January 25, 2011

Did any of these commenters read the article, or in lieu of that, any of the other commenters pointing out that the article was focusing on a) some popular tacquerias, which can't include every popular one, and b) Chipotle was thrown in as a ringer, which is actually a good idea?

Seriousstache guy: Regarding rice and beans in a burrito... The article is about SF burritos, which directly implies Mission style burritos. Without rice and beans, it's a different animal. As time goes on, I tend to prefer simpler burritos, but that's not what this roundup is about. If the article were to sum up the best deep dish Chicago pizzas, you wouldn't ask why a traditional Neapolitan didn't make the list. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_burrito

To the poster asking if 7x7 is from New York... that's a joke, yes?

La Cumbre and Buen Sabor are both good, and could have been on the list, but it wouldn't make any difference, and would just add more steamy gum-tortillas, anyway. And La Taqueria is way overrated and pricey as all get-out, IMO. Though it, too, is popular. Besides, all these suggestions are still along the Valencia corridor. While that would make sense for 7x7 readers, why not any suggestions for burritos in other parts of the Mission? (Well

Papalote gets a lot of hate for not being traditional, or being too gringo, or whatever, as if every Mexican restaurant owner should not look to do something just a touch different. Ridiculous. I hear the same thing about Little Chihuahua. Neither of these is run by gringos, and they step up the quality level of ingredients at tacquerias. What's wrong with that? Some folks, in the quest for "authenticity", end up pigeonholing too much, and say that anyone who steps out of a certain range is trying to appeal to gringoes. Now, I've had burritos in other parts of the country that do this, and produce inedible bland nothingness, but Papalote and Little Chihuahua and their ilk make damned tasty food. It might be a matter of taste, but you really can't knock it for being low quality or not a good example of a burrito in the area.

I'm not a regular 7x7 reader, but this article is lighthearted and fair. And it gets the point when concluding that taste is nothing if not personal. There can't really be any definitive list, so don't take it too seriously.

Right, enough of a rant.

By Burrito Guapo (not verified) on January 25, 2011

Attn burrito eaters: If you really want to put 7x7's numero uno to the text, promptly get the Scoutmob iPhone or Android app and march yo self down to El Farolito for 50% off burrito goodness. It's free, it's all on your phone, it's nom-tastic.

By ScoutmobSF (not verified) on January 25, 2011

Chipotle?

You have GOT to be fucking kidding me.

No, seriously, this can't be something that anyone actually believes.

By Herr Doktor Professor Deth Vegetable (not verified) on January 25, 2011

Dear 7x7,
ARE YOU FROM NEW YORK? I usually enjoy reading your articles, but you have disappointed me. This list is an embarrassment to the Mexican food across this city and state. Included are 3 legitimation burritos, 4 are disgraces to Mexican food. I consider myself a Mexican food snob, yes I said it, I would I give my left arm for burro or street taco's.

P.S. Please go back to New York and leave the Mexican food to California's

By Anonymous (not verified) on January 25, 2011

Uhh, the Chipotle burrito was put in there to throw the reviewers off. I thought that was a smart idea.

I think the headline is what is throwing readers off, thinking that these are the top 7 burritos in SF. When basically 7x7 selected 6 random joints plus Chipotle just for fun.

By Anonymous (not verified) on January 25, 2011

um, did you guys not read the intro paragraph? seven of the most POPULAR sf places, and yes, that includes all of the above. chipotle was thrown in to try to throw us off. it was a blind tasting, which means none of us had anything to do with which burritos made the cut. and none of us ever claimed to be burrito experts. we just love food and love burritos, and you guys are radiating a lot of hate for something so loving.

By prisca (not verified) on January 24, 2011

Yeah, this list is kind of a serious disappointment. Did the panel of "burrito experts" choose which taquerias made the cut? I'm guessing not. I appreciate that Gordo's is on there cuz it was totally my taqueria when I lived in the Richmond, but it cannot stand up against the best of the Mission. Papalote, Gordo's and of course Chipotle should be switched with El Buen Sabor, La Cumbre, and of course La Taq.