If you happen to have off-campus lunch or you just got out of school and don’t know what taqueria has the best burrito, don’t worry, me (Diego Rodriguez) and Warren Hill can inform you.
We rated taquerias that are no more than a ten-minute walk from Mission High School: El Castillito, El Buen Sabor, and El Toro.
At the three locations, we ordered a super burrito with steak/carne asada and rated these places on the price, taste of the burrito, size, ambiance, service, salsa taste, and chips. We rated them out of 10, with 10 being the best and 1 being the worst.
This gives us the overall rating of the place which then would give us the info on what taqueria has the best burritos.
El Castillito
This place is located at 136 Church St, about a nine-minute walk from Mission High School. It is open from 10 am to 8:45 pm.
The super burrito was all right. We ordered a super steak burrito with carne asada. There was an unbalanced amount of things, like not a lot of rice and not a lot of meat.
This place is pricey. We paid 15.17 dollars for the burrito itself. The chips were not included, and when we asked for salsa, they pointed to a self-serve salsa place but had no containers.
When ordering, it didn’t take long to receive the food, the setting of the place was a little dark and there wasn’t a lot of lighting there wasn’t anything special about the place that set it apart from other taquerias.
Rating:
Price: 7
It was fairly expensive, but we can’t rate these too low because all burritos are about this price now.
Flavor/taste: 7.5.
The food had a decent flavor and taste, but nothing stood out.
Size: 8
It was a fairly large-sized burrito.
Ambiance: 7
The restaurant didn’t have much art, but it did have a decent vibe. The sign was pretty.
Service: 6
No chips or salsa were provided.
Salsa rating: Not rated.
Considering it wasn’t given in a container, we didn’t taste it.
Chips rating: Not rated.
The chips weren’t provided.
Overall: 5 with chips and salsa counted as 0s, 7.1 with chips and salsa deducted.
Taqueria El Buen Sabor
Located on 699 Valencia St, this was our second stop in our journey to test the local burritos. It was about a seven-minute walk from Mission.
The location sits on an intersection which makes it very visible and easy to spot. Upon walking up to the taqueria, we were greeted with a colorful mural of trees, animals, and a statue on the outside walls.
Ordering the burrito was quite easy. They had plenty of workers and moved swiftly when crafting our meal. The burrito had a price of $15.48 with tax which was expected as the cost.
Rating:
Price: 7
It was still expensive but at an expected price for such a touristy area
Flavor/taste: 8
The burrito all around had a really nice flavor. The meat, rice, and beans are connected in such a delightful way. No cons to the taste.
Size: 6
The burrito was pretty small size-wise and meat-proportion-wise. We thought it could have been a lot bigger, since we ordered a super.
Ambiance: 7.5
Decent seating arrangements with a few valencia just outside the window. It was a little cramped but still had a nice vibe. The murals on the outside were also beautiful.
Service: 9
They got to us pretty quickly in the line and the burrito was made pretty quickly with good clarification to make sure the order wasn’t done wrong. They were also very nice and gave us an option of free salsa and chips.
Salsa rating: 9.5
It had really tasty salsa. They give you small to-go containers and there are even bottles of homemade salsa available to use.
Chips rating: 9
The chips were really good. While they were a little too oily, they had a nice amount of salt and crunch.
Overall: 8
El Toro Taqueria
The last stop on our list was located on 598 Valencia Street, the taqueria is located on a bustling street with lots of tourists and establishments. It was about a 7-8 minute walk from Mission High.
The restaurant greeted us with beautiful architecture with its arched doorways and pillars. There were large windows that let in plenty of natural light. There were even nice murals inside on the walls that really enhanced the experience.
The short line moved pretty quickly and the employees got our order done efficiently. There was plenty of seating with lots of space to relax and not feel cramped. Upon cutting the burrito open, we were amazed by the attractive mid-section. There were good proportions between all the burrito’s aspects, and the flavors clashed perfectly.
Their chips were given in large portions and were very light with a nice crunch. While the salsa was pretty good, nothing stood out about it that made us astonished.
The only con I have about the experience was the insane price of almost $18. This was the most I have ever paid for a singular burrito and this was because they charged extra for the steak option.
Rating:
Price: 5
With a price of 17.25 minus tax, this was the most expensive burrito out of the three. This was way too expensive in my opinion.
Flavor/taste: 9
The taste of their burrito was great. The steak was nice and juicy, but didn’t overpower the rest of the burrito with a meat taste. All around it was pretty much perfect.
Size: 8.5
The size of the burrito was pretty darn large. We were able to split it and be pretty much full by the time we finished it. The portions of meat were large inside the burrito, which is rare to find these days.
Ambiance: 9
This place had a great environment. With lots of natural lighting, space, seating, and murals, the experience was fun and delightful.
Service: 9
The service was pretty great, no complaints whatsoever.
Salsa rating: 7.5
While the salsa was pretty decent, nothing stood out about it and it had a weird tang at some points.
Chips rating: 9
The chips were quite nice. Good crunch, not too much oil or salt. A nice light chip to go along with a burrito.
Overall: 8.3
Final Ranking:
3. Overall, El Castillito sadly didn’t have any factors that made it stand out.
The burrito was average. It would’ve been good for pricing because the burrito was a decent size, but chips weren’t included so it’s not the best for a good amount of food.
The scenery wasn’t that special either, we had to go downstairs to enter the place and the dim lighting gave the place a sad vibe. Overall, we believe El Castlito takes the number 3 spot.
2. The number 2 spot goes to El Buen Sabor. El Buen Sabor had good sizing, but the flavor could’ve been better.
Chips were included this time, so we believe it would fill you up for a good price.
The scenery could have been better since it was a little bit dark inside and there wasn’t much lighting.
These reasons made us believe that El Buen Sabor deserves the number 2 spot.
1. Warren and I (Diego Rodriguez) believe that Taqueria El Toro is the best burrito place. The reason for this choice is because the burrito was the best flavor-wise, the steak on the burrito was very flavorful and stood out which made the burrito have a good taste.
The portions were good, too. The burrito was a good size and the portions of the items on the burrito were a good amount. One downside about this spot though is that it’s pretty pricey, paying almost 18 dollars for just a burrito which is 3 dollars more than the other places.
Overall, the scenery of the place was good, there was good natural lighting and the art inside of the taqueria was nice. The art made us feel like we were in a community. All these reasons made us believe that El Toro is the best spot.