Business
10 Burritos That Only America Would Eat
Who doesn’t love Mexican food? From tacos to quesadillas to enchiladas, you really can’t go wrong. Throw in a margarita and you’ve got yourself a party. Burritos in particular are a major crowd pleaser and a staple of Mexican cuisine. They’ve earned international popularity, which has resulted in many restaurants, Mexican or otherwise, taking liberties with the recipe. As a result, some pretty interesting versions of the classic dish have popped up in restaurants all over America. Prepare for a gastronomical adventure as we delve into ten of the craziest burritos out there.
10. Manuels Special Burrito (aka the 5 pound burrito)
Found in Los Angeles, the El Tepeyac Cafe is known for it’s Hollenbeck Burrito but it is famous for its Manuels Special Burrito. This burrito is anything but a finger food. Its pork stuffing and chili sauce topping definitely make it a messier meal, but what really makes this burrito stand out is its size. The 5 pound burrito’s dimensions may be comparable to those of a newborn baby. If you’re ever faced with the opportunity to chow down on this monstrosity, be sure to bring some friends along for back up, because you may find that your eyes are quite a bit bigger than your stomach. Technically this massive burrito is intended to feed 2 – 4 people but if you’re brave enough to finish it yourself, you will have completed the legendary 5 pound challenge. Size aside, Manuels Special Burrito is definitely one of the more classic variations of the burrito to earn a place on this list, as it contains rice, beans, fresh guacamole and its chili verde topping, which are pretty traditional in terms of burrito ingredients. They’re just present in much greater amounts than usual, so only order the Manuels Special Burrito if you’re feeling particularly famished.
9. California Burrito
Due to the name, the California Burrito may bring to mind the beloved, but admittedly basic, California sushi roll. However, the list of things they have in common is pretty short. They both have avocado, in one form or another, and that’s about it. Surprisingly, the California Burrito doesn’t even have rice, which is one of the most frequently occurring components to both burritos and sushi. So, if not for its ingredients, why is this burrito called the California Burrito? Namely because that’s where it originated. Since this burrito contains neither rice nor black beans, you may be wondering what sort of carbohydrate rich base can be found inside. The answer, as shocking as it may be, is French fries. Take a minute to process that. Apparently, this burrito is highly praised for being well-mixed, meaning that you get the perfect combination of all the ingredients with each mouthful. In other words, you’ll get a French fry with every bite. You’d think the fries would get pretty soggy after being mixed in with all the other fillings, so it’s probably a good idea to eat this burrito quickly, before the fries have the chance to soak up even more juices. While the California Burrito seems a little out there, but, quite honestly, it might just work. If anything, it would probably make for really great drunk food.
8. Camaronera Style Burrito
La Camaronera is a Miami based restaurant known for being home to what is not only the best burrito in the city, but one of the best burritos in the country. What is this famed burrito, you ask? It’s called the Camaronera Style Burrito, and its recipe is unusual, but delicious all the same. With a warm tortilla wrapped around fried shrimp and topped with melted cheese, the Camaronera Style Burrito is perfect for cheese lovers and seafood lovers alike. You might not think the two ingredients would pair well, but considering the burrito’s ranking as one of the best in America, it’s pretty clear that they do. You’ll see a lot of weird combinations on this list, and instead of turning up our noses at them, we should embrace them for the out-of-the-box thinking they represent. With its bright yellow and orange accents, this burrito is one of the more aesthetically pleasing entries on this list and would do wonders to spice up any foodie’s Instagram. No trip to Miami is complete without a visit to La Camaronera, so be sure to drop by is you ever have the chance. Seriously, how can you pass up the opportunity to try what just might be a culinary masterpiece?
7. Deep-Fried Chocolate Chip Burrito
Having a burrito for lunch or dinner is pretty normal, and even breakfast burritos have become a thing, but prepare to have your world turned upside down by this dessert burrito. This burrito is unique in that it’s not savoury or spicy, but sweet. Actually, it’s so sweet that it probably has the power to instantly create cavities with a single bite. The Deep-Fried Chocolate Chip Burrito has a pretty self-explanatory title – it’s quite literally a flour tortilla wrapped around deep-fried chocolate chip cookie dough, topped with a drizzle of chocolate sauce and a sprinkle of icing sugar. Alternatively, it can be described as diabetes wrapped in a heart attack with a drizzle of high cholesterol on top, but that’s beside the point. This burrito was one of the many high-calorie treats on the menu at the 2013 Texas State Fair, and can’t be found elsewhere, meaning that your odds of ever getting to try this delicacy are pretty low. Which, on one hand, is kind of sad, but, on the other, is probably much better for everyone’s health in the long run. The concept of a dessert burrito is an interesting one, and we’re definitely here for it. There are so many different desserts out there, and it would be very cool to see what kind of creative dishes can be produced in combing them with burritos.
6. Octopus Burrito
Octopus is an insanely polarizing food. Many adventurous foodies live for the stuff, while a lot of more conservative eaters wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole. If you fall into the former category, odds are you would love the Octopus Burrito. My Ceviche in Miami isn’t the only restaurant to sell burritos with an octopus filling, but they’re definitely one of the more popular ones. It’s really shaping up to look like Miami is the place to go if you’re on the lookout for crazy burritos. Some restaurants, like My Ceviche, go pretty light on the other toppings, with octopus really being the star of the show. Others, like Coyo Taco (which, surprise, surprise, is also located in Miami), fill their burritos with less octopus, but include larger portions of other fillings, such as rice, beans and queso. Another major difference between these two restaurants is that, while My Ceviche serves grilled octopus, Coyo Taco serves it fried. Both sound amazing, so you really can’t go wrong here. All in all, the Octopus Burrito is an incredibly versatile dish, so, as long as you like octopus, you should have no trouble finding a version of this burrito that you’ll absolutely fall in love with.
5. Borscht Burrito
In terms of fusion foods, Russian-Mexican cuisine probably isn’t the first combination that comes to mind. It seems unlikely that anyone would even think to combine the two kinds of food, let alone that any fusion between them would actually be edible. And yet, Sasha Shor, owner of Tres Carne in New York City, made it happen. Borscht is a traditional Eastern European soup made of beetroot, that can be served either hot or cold. Like the burrito, it has a pretty strong fanbase of its own, but the idea of fusing the two dishes seems a bit ridiculous. Yet somehow the Borscht Burrito was born. Even more surprising is the fact that it’s apparently a roaring success. Tres Carne is known for having some of the best burritos in New York City, so if anyone could pull it off, it’s definitely Sasha Shor and her team. What exactly is going on in this burrito? It contains Russian pilaf-style rice, 16-hour smoked brisket, beet pico de gallo, cabbage slaw, sweet and sour roasted tomato salsa, sour cream and fresh dill, all wrapped in a tortilla and fried in butter. That sounds absolutely delicious, so we tip our hats to Tres Carne for achieving the impossible with this one, and doing it in style, because isn’t that just the prettiest burrito you’ve ever seen?
4. Phorrito
You know those days when you just can’t decide between two of your favourite foods? Well if one of those foods happens to be pho and the other is burritos, the Phorrito makes for the perfect compromise. It’s a very specific hypothetical situation, but it could happen. This creation came to be in a California restaurant called Komodo, when, according to the restaurant’s website, Chef Erwin Tjahyadi got sick of requests for an Asian fusion soup. In his frustration, he developed the idea for a kind of broth-less pho. This story may be nothing more than a publicity stunt, but, either way, we like it. As crazy as it sounds, this burrito actually seems like it would taste pretty amazing. It contains rice noodles, sliced ribeye, Thai basil, jalapenos, onions, siracha and hoisin sauce. Basically, if you like pho, you’ll probably like this. BY combining soup and burritos, they’ve graced us with the ultimate comfort food. Let’s take a minute to thank everyone who pestered Chef Tjahyadi for soup, because, while they got the exact opposite of what they asked for, it turned out to be pretty awesome.
3. Cap’n Crunch-Crusted Tilapia Burrito
Brace yourselves for this one. Cucina Zapata, a famous food truck in Philadelphia, caters to college undergrads. Their menu is incredibly diverse, including elements of Mexican and Thai cuisine, and, apparently, American breakfast cereals. Yeah, you heard that right. This burrito, which they’ve been selling since their opening in 2011, is dubbed the Cap’n Crunch-Crusted Tilapia Burrito, in part due to the fact that it contains deep fried filets that have been breaded with the iconic cereal. The remaining ingredients are more conventional, such as red cabbage, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and siracha mayo. The key to this burrito’s success (other than the fact that it’s primarily sold to college students who will eat just about anything) is the fact that they don’t overdo it on the cereal breading. It adds just enough sweetness and crunch to make things interesting. Considering the amount of effort that went into developing this burrito, it’s not surprising that it works so well. A lot of time and energy went into discovering the perfect funky breading. It took a while for them to land on Cap’n Crunch, and they ran several trials using the crumbs of other potential candidates, including Doritos, Corn Flakes and Cheez-Its. In the end, Cap’n Crunch was the one to complement the other ingredients best, and therefore it came out on top.
2. Ramenrito
Like the Phorrito, the Ramenrito is a noodle soup that has been converted into burrito form. And much like with the Phorrito, we’ve questioned this decision a lot. What sets these burritos apart is that, while the Phorrito has a lot of interesting components to it, with the noodles being almost a complementary touch, the Ramenrito is far less elegant, relying heavily on the ramen noodles, which make up the majority of the burrito’s filling. Bob Ramen, a Connecticut based restaurant specializing in ramen, released this innovative burrito as a way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, and throughout the day it was given away for free. The initial release of the Ramenrito was so successful that it was eventually added to the menu permanently. Let’s take a closer look at what’s going on inside this burrito, shall we? As previously stated, ramen noodles make up the bulk of the filling, but inside the Ramenrito you’ll also find scallions, bamboo shoots, nori and garlic paste. You’re also given your choice of protein. Since no ramen is complete without the broth, you’re given some on the side to dip your burrito into. The noodles may kind of look like worms and it may be a pretty terrible yellow colour, you shouldn’t judge this burrito based on appearance alone. The Ramenrito should definitely be on every ramen lover’s bucket list.
1. Doughnut Burrito
It might sound like another dessert burrito, along the same vein as the Deep-Fried Chocolate Chip Burrito — which, for the record, would have been amazing — but the Doughnut Burrito is actually classified as a breakfast food. As the name implies, glazed doughnut is one of the key ingredients, but what is less obvious is the fact that it contains eggs, salsa and a protein of your choosing. What they were going for here was a full-scale brunch wrapped up in a flour tortilla, with the doughnut pieces mimicking the texture of home fries. Maybe that makes sense? However, it seems like a doughnut would do a better job of replacing pancakes or French toast than replacing potatoes, especially since it’s glazed, meaning that it would add a sweetness similar to that of maple syrup. Regardless, an egg and salsa covered doughnut still sounds a bit like culinary blasphemy. But, hey, when it comes to food, you’ve got to keep an open mind, and this burrito actually has some pretty great reviews. Despite its less than appetizing appearance, the Doughnut Burrito might just be the superior breakfast food. It’s unlikely, but not impossible, so don’t knock it ‘till you’ve tried it.