While burritos are ubiquitous in U.S. Mexican restaurants, some argue that they aren’t an authentic Mexican dish. Indeed, the history of the burrito is a muddled one. Researchers have traced their origin to central Mexico in 1895 — likely the clever, practical result of wrapping just-cooked food in a tortilla to keep it warm — but they only exist today in the northern part of the country, the province of flour tortillas (as opposed to corn).
Throughout Chihuahua, for example, you’ll find small burritos of thin (and not super-glutinous) tortillas wrapped around just two ingredients: meat or fish and beans or potatoes. In other words, a real burrito doesn’t resemble anything we find today in the Bay Area.
That said, we sure do eat a lot of them. Burritos in the U.S. have experienced much the same fate as has pizza in North American hands: anything goes. More traditional Mexican restaurants have developed their own burrito styles within the general parameters of rice, beans, and animal protein, while less traditional are all over the map in terms of fillings. Both tend to be enormous, enough for two or more people to share, and both styles are discussed here, primarily because the latter offer more variety for vegetarians. And I haven’t considered tortillas at all, as I have yet to find a flour tortilla in a burrito joint that I would recommend on its own merit.
For the sake of consistent comparison, I primarily tried carne asada and carnitas burritos, but also went for promising vegetarian options and pursued a few one-off standouts recommended by friends.
This is an Oakland-heavy list because of its destination neighborhood for Mexican food, Fruitvale. Berkeley gets a few hits in the traditional department as well, and the more experimental vegetarian styles tend to appear in the hipster lands of downtown Oakland and West Berkeley. Richmond also has a solid collection of Mexican restaurants that made the cut for burritos.
Did I miss your go-to burrito spots in the East Bay? Please feel free to share your favorites in the comments.
