London's best burritos
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By Charmaine Mok and Peter Watts
Posted: Wed Aug 19 2009 -
We're noticing more and more stalls, takeaways and restaurants serving top-class examples of Mexico's greatest contribution to the culinary world. Get to grips with our guide to the best burritos in London
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Adobo
87 High Holborn, WC1V 6NU (www.adobomexican.com).
'Healthy. Fresh. Mexican.' This is the tagline for Adobo Mexican, but they're not fooling us – it's another burrito bar. Portions are huge, the permutations of fillings are endless, and the staff we spoke to didn't speak Spanish. Not that you have to, of course.
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Benito’s Hat
56 Goodge St, W1T 4NB (7637 3732/www.benitos-hat.com)
A vibrant little spot on Goodge Street where fast-moving, cheery staff assemble super-fresh burritos, filled with the likes of chicken braised in achiote spice, tomatoes and guajillo chillies or a good veggie option of grilled courgettes, chayote squash and peppers with seasoned with garlic, parsley and olive oil. A free basket of tortilla chips comes with your order, too. Works equally for takeaway lunch stop or sit-down evening dining. Bonus points for selling horchata, a rice-based milky drink. Read more
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Daddy Donkey
Pitches 100-101, Leather Lane Market, EC1N 7TE (07950 448448/www.daddydonkey.co.uk)
To call DD a simple burrito ‘stall’ or ‘van’ would be an understatement – it’s far too big, bold and confident. A sprawling operation in Leather Lane market, it handles the crowds with a well-oiled assembly line that knocks out excellent burritos – six different fillings available, which is always good. Check out the tomatillo beef with lime salsa or the picodollo (ground beef cooked in plenty of spices, including paprika, cumin, oregano and chipotle). Read more
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El Burrito
5 Charlotte Place, W1T 1SF (7580 5048/www.mestizomx.com)
Across the road from Benito’s Hat and slightly cheaper, but has lost some of its character since the disappearance of the bloke dressed in a donkey suit who used to lure people inside. After folding burritos the size of a small designer dog, the staff pack takeaway orders in styrofoam lunchboxes and throw in some knives and forks for attacking it with. Good, hearty fillings such as chicken mole and beef arrachera (skirt steak) hit the spot. Read more
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Chilango
27 Upper Street, N1 0PN (7704 2123/www.chilango.co.uk)
As the story goes, the founders fell in love with ‘real’ Mexican cuisine and went travelling around Mexico as well as the parts of the US with the biggest Mexican communities. Armed with newfound knowledge, they opened Chilango to serve ‘fresh, fabulously tasty Mexican cuisine’ – they’re also less Cali influenced, and serve pinto beans slow-cooked rather than refried for a healthier option. Read more
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Buen Provecho
Lower Marsh (outside Silver Witch), SE1 (8858 3649)
Hailing from just outside Mexico City, chef Arturo Ortega Rodriguez came to London six years ago and did a brief stint working for a hotel before breaking off to open his own Mexican food stall. He offers three ownmade salsas, too.
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Freebird
Stalls on Goodge Street, Rupert Street, and Exmouth Market (www.freebirdburritos.co.uk)
Excellent stalls selling monstrous, filling burritos. But don't dawdle getting back to your desk – burritos don't stay hot for long.
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Luardo’s
Whitecross St Market, EC1Y
A striking turquoise van in the middle of Whitecross Street Market often surrounded by burrito fans. Extras include, along with the obligatory guacamole, chorizo for an extra 50p.
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Burrito Bros
17 Clerkenwell Road, Farringdon, EC1M 5RD
Burrito Bros has nothing in the way of local competition. Even so, they’re taking things slowly at first: you can get pork, chicken, beef or veggie burritos, three types of salsa (even the mild has considerable bite) and a small selection of drinks. You can eat in the main room downstairs or outdoors in a small garden. Read more
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25 comments
For all of you that say burritos are not Mexican Food, sorry to tell you, but you are wrong. Sadly, some Mexicans say it as well, probably because the are from southern Mexico and are not fully aware of the great variety of our cusine.
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The burrito is one of the most important dishes in northern Mexico, there are burrito stalls everywhere and we have them as breakfast, lunch or even dinner, depending on the filling. My great grand mother use to make them, who I assume learnt from her mother, so I am talking about people from early 1900's. Who knows how old is that dish.
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Regarding the burrito scene in London, all of the places mentioned, serve Tex-Mex style burritos, although some of them are good, they are not the proper ones. There are some restaurants making acceptable proper Mexican food but they do not serve burritos as this places are inspired by southern Mexican food.
shocked to see Wrap it Up has remained under the radar... and for all you burrito lovers, this place is a must!!! i regularly visit the bishopsgate srore.. they have a good mixture of mexican wraps,, though the carribean lamb roti is my favourite..not limited to just burritos, but have a great selection...and this is what sets them apart from everyother burrito place...highly reccomended...
Duh! Just noticed that this article was published in 2009--which is why Mas Burritos isn't on the list! Time to update your list TimeOut!
I second the vote for Mas Burritos as the best burrito spot in London. Clearly Time Out has not done their research! I eat lunch at Mas Burritos chancery lane 2 times a week and always leave satisfied and very happy. Seriously hearty and tasty!
Hi Londonlucia. Great writeup and I am very addicted to burritos and have tried all the places you mention. I live the burrito to be hot. Trust me the best I have tried is daddy donkey. Ask for the hot salsa and make sure you ask for plenty of chillies that they keep at the end near the guacamole and sour cream near the till. It is to die for and a hot that is hot :-). I have yet to find a burrito to top that. I am a veggie so rely on the salsa mainly for the flavour. I tried poncho no.8 recently near spitafields Market and that's not bad at all compared to the other options out there.
Burrito review.
Unfortunately for my waistline, as from 2010 I have developed a burrito fetish and have therefore sampled many of the places on this list. I have been prompted to write this posting after a thoroughly disappointing first visit to the FREEBIRD burrito stall in Exmouth Market. Admittedly, having read reviews on various sites I had high expectations. But this was without a shadow of a doubt, disgusting, and therefore the worst burrito I've ever had.
FREEBIRD steak burrito
The best thing was the 2 women serving - they were smiley and friendly - and - possibly Mexican. The steak had so much gristle I had to spit a fair amount of it out. It looked like part of an inner tube was in there. It was inedible and insulting. Furthermore it had hardly any flavour, and the flavour it did have was reminiscent of some stodgy english stew. Yuck. I love my food spicy. I asked for the hottest sauce but it had hardly any kick. They had no sliced chillies or jalapenos. The rice was too stodgy and tasteless. The whole thing was stodgy and tasteless. It was like a school dinner, i was disappointed and angry. Given previous reviews I can only think that they've gone downhill or the fans like the english stew style burrito.
Onto the positive! -
BENOTO'S HAT steak burrito
Delicious. In my opinion the best steak burrito in London. The steak is tender. I have had about 10 over the last few months and they have never been gristley. Better still it has wonderful flavours of various spices and smokey chillies. Couldn't be further from a stew. Their hot salsa is hot with a kick and a zing. They also offer sliced jalapenos - perfect. The rice is firm and tasty. Each mouthful has lots of different and complementary tastes. You get free tortilla chips. Yum. Addictive.
CHILANGO Islington Steak burrito
The steak has flavour and as yet has not been gristley. The hot sauce is quite hot but there are bottles you can help yourself to. No sliced chillies or jalapenos. It's good but it's not special. Eating one doesn't feel like a treat.
CHIPOTLE Steak burrito
Not very flavourful. Expensive. Gristle! Had to spit some of it out. Will not return. Disappointing.
TORTILLA behind Oxford Street
The steak is very tender (I don't know what they do to it) but has the English stew flavour - boiled meat. No spices. Their hot sauce is not hot enough, although they do offer sliced chillies. Not very exciting but at least no gristle!
I have also been to El BURRITO but I had a veg one and it was quite a while ago so can't go into detail. I remember enjoying it though.
I hope to try Daddy Donkey soon.
I hope this may be of use / interest!
Gracias, Lucia
Burritos originated in Northern California when it was part of Spain and Mexico. Due to the temperate climate with winter rain, the region grew wheat instead of corn (which needs summer rain) even exporting it back to Europe, so the local ranchos all made wheat tortillas exclusively. In the rest of Mexico, including Texas, the weather is warm and humid and tortillas were made from corn, as they had been for thousands of years. It may be that the original burritos were actually made from burrito, as young donkeys, also introduced by the Spanish, were said to be a special favorite of the Californio natives, which they naturally would have eaten rasted or stewed and wrapped in a large flour tortilla.
There is a new Burrito bar in Putney called Burrito Gourmet. They are the real deal ! Super tasty, healthy an affordable. Ask for a loyalty card, with 5 stamps you get a free meal !!
I've been to a few on this list but Poncho No 8 in spitalfields is one of the best and not on the list... Might be as they haven't been open for that long? Anyway, Poncho is a regular for our office and definately better than Chilango and Daddy Donkey... If you go you have to try the steak burrito with guacamole...
The best in london has to be Freebird, on exmouth market. Staying true to the original flavors of mexico. Cant live through a friday without one!
Chilango is the best American style burrito (or should I say Chipotle style burrito?) in town. The rest are garbage, full-stop.
I personally love the buritios in Whole Foods High Street Kensington as well as the Westfield food court. I'm looking forwrd to trying many more from your list.
Daddy Donkey all the way!! i have been a fond follower of burrito's for many years and for me personally the perfect mix of flavours is daddy donkey (especially if you like it spicy then their cut chillis is a must, but beware, tasty yet deadly :-)
some of the rest for me dont have the spicy , tangy taste that makes them addictable...but hey each to their own, i am just so glad there are so many burrito and mexican places around.
ps if you are ever around Balham then Tacuba on bedford hill is well worth checking out, true mexican street food and friendly bar
El Burrito is the only one worth bothering with. The rest are pale imitations. The Man-Donkey may have gone but the burritos are huge and delicious. The best thing is you get a FREE burrito with every 10 burrito's. For hardcore burrito lovers like me that's a lot of free burritos.
Burritos are not technically Mexican cuisine and travel away from the tourist hot spots and you will not find the. They were a food developed by immigrant miners during the California gold rush, who took whatever left overs they had down the mines wrapped in a giant tortilla. Ala cornish pastie.
Real Mexican street food comes in the form of a taco and the best one in London comes from Buen Provecho on Marsh St SE1.