Recently Jake and I saw this Thrillist article talking about the best California burritos in San Diego. In case you don’t know, a California burrito is basically a carne asada burrito with potatoes added – usually in the form of french fries. Jake and I haven’t been to many of the “best” burritos on this list and he wanted to check out Sarita’s Taco Shop in particular. It’s not too far from his house and we recently made a little trip over there to check out their California burrito.
This is a place across the street from Sarita’s. DRUGS! This sign amused me for some reason. Are there drugs in the furniture store or in the sporting goods outlet? I have no idea, but apparently there are drugs nearby.
[california burrito / $5.85]
Here is the California Burrito! The burrito is about the length of MY forearm – but not Jake’s (we read reports that this burrito was huge, and while it is large, it was not as large as we thought it would be). Compared to Jake’s forearm, the burrito falls short. Let it be noted that I am jealous of his long arms. That’s how he can reach all of those things on high shelves at the store!
Back to the burrito: right off the bat you can see the tortilla has been warmed up and crisped on the outside. There are little bubbles of brownness plus you can see the edge of the burrito got a little color, too. Good sign.
Here’s a peek at the inside. You can see the glistening goodness that is the carne asada with the potatoes. It’s well mixed with the other “stuff” – that is, sour cream, cheese and guacamole. A lot of places will rip you off and not add guacamole or sour cream. Shady!
We really liked that this was well mixed. That way you get a little bit of everything mixed in with each bite. The potatoes were also soft and creamy and added a nice contrast of texture. The carne asada was seasoned well and had a ton of flavor – it was tender and not overcooked. Very yummy burrito! I liked actual potatoes so much more than french fries in the burrito – the texture was way better and the potatoes were cooked all the way through. I have had California burritos with french fries before where it just tasted like soggy half cooked fries were in your burrito and that is gross! I was super happy that that was not the case for this fine burrito.
[adobada chips / $6.99]
We also got an order of Adobada Chips to share between Jake, T and myself. Jake doesn’t like guacamole so he got that on the side for me (YAY). I actually prefer the guacamole on the side because usually you get a lot more guacamole and it helps to keep the chips fresher and crisper. They gave us like an 8oz cup of guacamole which was way more than I was expecting – plenty leftover for snacking on later.
The adobada here is pretty good – it’s tender and moist and only slighty spicy (some places it is way too spicy for my weak tastebuds). I believe we asked to have sour cream added to this for extra money – I don’t think it’s included – but I thought it’d taste good with the nachos. I like that they used both cheddar and cojita cheeses as well and that the cheese on the bottom is melted. Really good version of nachos!
[bunuelos]
Jake actually bought these first and I ate a few before our meal but then like a good person I stopped and waited until after we consumed a bunch of other food first before stuffing my face with fried sugary goodness. Usually I see bunuelos as big tortillas so I liked that this one was in smaller chunks. It made it a lot easier to eat. You can’t really go wrong with fried cinnamon and sugar goodness – these were crispy and tasted fairly fresh (they were room temperature, not freshly fried or anything). A good end to a tasty meal!
What is your favorite California burrito place? I haven’t tried too many honestly, it’s usually way too much food for me but luckily I have Jake to share my food with!
Sarita’s Taco Shop
9906 Campo Rd.
Spring Valley, CA 91977
619-589-0146
This place sounds like a winner! Good tip to know about having guac on the side too!
I’ve only had California burritos from Lolita’s which is de rigeur for us South Bay folks, and believe it or not, the Mexican ladies in the school cafeteria used to make and sell them for the staff years ago. I believe Lolita’s uses fries. They are also known for their carne asada fries, but man, those adobada fries at Sarita’s looks way better!
HI CC – Before we went here I only had the California burritos from Lolita’s, too! It’s been awhile since I had one though since that’s not the thing I usually like to order. I don’t usually get the carne asada fries, I’d much rather get the chips since the chips tend to stay crispy for longer (as long as it’s not covered in cheese or guacamole). I really liked this place, I want to come back and try some other menu items.
I don’t know about burritos (I mean, I love them, but haven’t found The One, yet) but the barn taco shop on Poway Road fries their churros and bunuelos fresh to order. So you always get them piping hot! It is delicious and I have to restrain myself from buying one every single time I drive past it (which is often).
Hi Leanne – Ohh, I didn’t know they made them fresh to order there! I have seen the place you’re talking about but have never been there. We don’t go to Poway very often, but Jake started playing in a softball league up there. Maybe we’ll hit up the taco barn after one of his games to “investigate”.