So I have been really lagging on my burrito consumption. Living in Berkeley is fully not conducive to successful burrito reviewage as you may have read in the past. When finals ended I went and drank beer in the forest during the daytime and decided to embark on a mission to Casa Latina on San Pablo which came highly recommended.
Quality of meat (1-10): 5.5
So I didn't like the meat here but almost everyone who recommended Casa Latina to me is a vegetarian, so take that into account. The meat was very chewy and "fresh" tasting, but in a bad way, like sort of stringy and more like beef than asada. Another place with "fresh" tasting meat like this was that place Andalé in SFO. The problem I have with this faux-fresh tasting meat is that it's sort of tasteless. It is meat, but it might as well not be, since it doesn't add the necessary flavor to the burrito. Maybe I just like super greasy burritos, or something?
Quality of house salsa (1-10): 7.3
Okay, to be honest, I don't really remember how good the salsa was since it was a few weeks ago, but the score comes from exactly that. I'm pretty sure it was nothing special. 7.3 is an overapproximation, if anything.
Quality of guacamole (1-10): 8.2
Great job!
Quality of chips: (1-5): ?
We were so incredibly hungry when we arrived at Casa Latina that the chips we got right after ordering tasted like God's toenails. I have no idea how good they actually were. If I ever go back to Casa Latina I'll put a real number score. I guess it's not like chips will sway your decision to go there one way or the other, mm?
Size/diversity of menu: 4.4
Well, I am pretty sure the menu was really general and standard, but this is where it's worth mentioning that Casa Latina has supposedly great flan and all sorts of Mexican pastries. It's actually more of a bakery than it is a taqueria. If you find yourself down on San Pablo near Hearst you might just want to go in for some pastries because they are super good.
Size of burrito: 3.6
Coming back to blogging, this is maybe the hardest part, because I can't remember how big my previous burritos ACTUALLY were, and my stomach is smaller since I don't eat as many burritos. This is my best guess.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : ~$9
Locally owned?: Yes
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 7.7
This is based on the circumstance, really. We were HUNGRY.
Overall taste (1-10) : 6.0
I wouldn't go back here. If you're veg it's worth checking out, I guess, but you might just want to trek up University and go to Monte Cristo. If anyone knows where in Berkeley or even Oakland where I can get a burrito better than a Taqueria Monte Cristo burrito, please let me know!!
Casa Latina
1805 San Pablo Ave
Berkeley, CA 94702
Showing posts with label Berkeley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Berkeley. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Taqueria Monte Cristo
Okay, so I'm convinced that this is the best burrito in Berkeley and I happily challenge you all to prove me wrong.
Quality of meat (1-10) : 7.9
I haven't tried the carne asada here because I was fully feeling al pastor, but that was pretty good. One could easily tell that it was pork, which I find slightly unusual. Make of that what you will. Still, next time I'm getting carne asada. I'll let you know how that goes.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 8.4
I don't really know what to say about the salsa except that the avocado salsa tasted right. It's a shame that apparently salsa verde is easy to mess up. Taqueria Monte Cristo doesn't think so.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 8.2
I'm not sure if the guacamole is anything more than avocado. It didn't seem like it, but they called it guacamole. Obviously worth it!
Quality of chips (1-5) : 2.8
The chips are okay, nothing special. They are, however, exceptionally oily. They do not fit the burrito terribly well, but they are certainly not bad.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5) : 3.3
Barely above average. Check it: http://www.sporq.com/berkeley/montecristotaqueria/1446universityave
Size of burrito (1-5) : 3.8
They did a real bad job wrapping the burritos, which was strange. That's never really happened to me at a taqueria outside Chipotle. Anyway, I had trouble finishing mine, but I don't feel that they deserve to break 4.0, since the vast majority of the burrito was rice.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : ~$6
Locally owned? : Probably? I don't think they have any other locations.
Satisfaction Factor (1-10) : 8.2
Overall Taste (1-10) : 7.8
Taqueria Monte Cristo
1446 University (University at Sacramento)
Berkeley, CA 94703
Quality of meat (1-10) : 7.9
I haven't tried the carne asada here because I was fully feeling al pastor, but that was pretty good. One could easily tell that it was pork, which I find slightly unusual. Make of that what you will. Still, next time I'm getting carne asada. I'll let you know how that goes.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 8.4
I don't really know what to say about the salsa except that the avocado salsa tasted right. It's a shame that apparently salsa verde is easy to mess up. Taqueria Monte Cristo doesn't think so.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 8.2
I'm not sure if the guacamole is anything more than avocado. It didn't seem like it, but they called it guacamole. Obviously worth it!
Quality of chips (1-5) : 2.8
The chips are okay, nothing special. They are, however, exceptionally oily. They do not fit the burrito terribly well, but they are certainly not bad.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5) : 3.3
Barely above average. Check it: http://www.sporq.com/berkeley/montecristotaqueria/1446universityave
Size of burrito (1-5) : 3.8
They did a real bad job wrapping the burritos, which was strange. That's never really happened to me at a taqueria outside Chipotle. Anyway, I had trouble finishing mine, but I don't feel that they deserve to break 4.0, since the vast majority of the burrito was rice.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : ~$6
Locally owned? : Probably? I don't think they have any other locations.
Satisfaction Factor (1-10) : 8.2
Overall Taste (1-10) : 7.8
Taqueria Monte Cristo
1446 University (University at Sacramento)
Berkeley, CA 94703
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Celia's Mexican Restaurant
Sorry I've been so lazy. I have been very, very lazy. So lazy that the only burrito I have to report about is two blocks away from my own dwelling place. Obviously, it's in Berkeley, so, accordingly, it sucks. A hopeful friend and a hopeful me went here after a walk, only to find that it was a sit-down Mexican food place. You know what that means. Knife and fork burritos. I was excited, but I knew in the back of my mind that Celia's was bound to Berkeley law and was only allowed to serve shitty burritos.
Quality of meat (1-10) : 7.7
Yes, the meat is good. The carne asada at least is high-quality and somewhat flavorful, but not completely outstanding. It's not worth the cost of the burrito, though (wait for it...)
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 7.2
My friend put it very well: the salsa is bland. There is nothing wrong with the flavor, in fact, it's decent salsa, but it too fails to be exceptional in any way.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 6.6
Celia's is at least generous with the guacamole. They spread a thin layer over my burrito. But it too wasn't really flavorful. I could taste the guacamole when I tried to, and it tasted enough like avocados to be somewhat legitimate, but it was runny and contained no onions, tomatoes, or anything of the sort unless they were powdered and mixed in with that thin green paste I ate.
Quality of chips (1-5) : 2.5
Finally, something that made an impression! The chips were just bland enough to be noticeably sub-par. Great job.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5) : 4.2
Really great job. So this is something Celia's did well. I walked in knowing I wanted a carne asada burrito and I had to look at the menu for ten minutes before I finally figured out what I was going to order. They didn't really have a lot of fully original stuff like Cancun Taqueria, whose size/diversity of menu score I will increase to 4.1, since they do offer a lot of pretty original stuff. http://www.themenupage.com/celiasmenu.html
Size of burrito (1-5) : 4.0
My stomach must be getting smaller.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : $10 (?!!)
Locally owned? : Probably
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 6.7
Overall taste (1-10) : 6.0
Celia's burrito was definitely underwhelming. The ingredients were fine, but they didn't form a great burrito. My burrito came smothered in Mexican red sauce, which sucked, please note. The burrito overall was certainly way better than La Burrita and its ilk, but really, ten dollars? Shut up. This place will be out of business within one year.
Celia's Mexican Restaurant
1841 Euclid Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94709
Quality of meat (1-10) : 7.7
Yes, the meat is good. The carne asada at least is high-quality and somewhat flavorful, but not completely outstanding. It's not worth the cost of the burrito, though (wait for it...)
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 7.2
My friend put it very well: the salsa is bland. There is nothing wrong with the flavor, in fact, it's decent salsa, but it too fails to be exceptional in any way.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 6.6
Celia's is at least generous with the guacamole. They spread a thin layer over my burrito. But it too wasn't really flavorful. I could taste the guacamole when I tried to, and it tasted enough like avocados to be somewhat legitimate, but it was runny and contained no onions, tomatoes, or anything of the sort unless they were powdered and mixed in with that thin green paste I ate.
Quality of chips (1-5) : 2.5
Finally, something that made an impression! The chips were just bland enough to be noticeably sub-par. Great job.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5) : 4.2
Really great job. So this is something Celia's did well. I walked in knowing I wanted a carne asada burrito and I had to look at the menu for ten minutes before I finally figured out what I was going to order. They didn't really have a lot of fully original stuff like Cancun Taqueria, whose size/diversity of menu score I will increase to 4.1, since they do offer a lot of pretty original stuff. http://www.themenupage.com/celiasmenu.html
Size of burrito (1-5) : 4.0
My stomach must be getting smaller.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : $10 (?!!)
Locally owned? : Probably
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 6.7
Overall taste (1-10) : 6.0
Celia's burrito was definitely underwhelming. The ingredients were fine, but they didn't form a great burrito. My burrito came smothered in Mexican red sauce, which sucked, please note. The burrito overall was certainly way better than La Burrita and its ilk, but really, ten dollars? Shut up. This place will be out of business within one year.
Celia's Mexican Restaurant
1841 Euclid Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94709
Thursday, September 18, 2008
La Cascada Taqueria
Sucks. They have a sign out front that says proudly, "Voted Best Burrito in Berkeley." At the bottom it reads, "The Daily Californian, 1997."
Quality of meat (1-10) : 3.2
So bad. It's dry and almost completely flavorless. The flavor it does have is passed on from the cigarettes these particular meatpackers smoke while working. This is on par with Vallarta, maybe even a bit worse. This brings up an interesting problem, though. Because the meat at La Burrita wasn't reeeally that much better, so I have decided to, in bold letters, decrease La Burrita's quality of meat score to 4.1. It's not that big a deal, since I think the 4.9 communicated the bottom line: the meat at La Burrita is pretty bad.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 7.3
The salsa at places with awful burritos often receives high scores, as you may have noticed. Today I realized that the reason for this might be that the saving grace of a shitty burrito is the salsa you put on it. My first thought after biting into this particular burrito was, "Wow, I need to get some salsa on here, NOW." It is difficult to compare salsas 100% cerebrally, but I think this phenomenon maybe slightly inflates salsa scores of shitty burrito joints. In my mind, the chances the salsa is actually legit are at least as strong as the chance of an inflation factor. Anyway, the salsa was decent. It looked nice, too. But please. Don't come here just for the salsa. Save your money, for God's sake.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 4.4
Did not taste too pleasant. The flavor was okay but was also very obviously not fresh. Not sure if it's worth the 85 cents extra, but you should steer clear of this burrito anyway.
Quality of chips (1-5) : 3.3
The chips were nothing too exciting. They were standard tortilla chips, like the standard tortilla chips they sell at Trader Joe's in the yellow & blue bag.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5) : 2.8
This is not a great score for diversity of menu. The only credit comes from having a variety of wraps and vegetarian burritos, which are kind of the same thing here. Some sound interesting, however, I would bet they suck as well.
Size of burrito (1-5) : 3.4
The burrito was pretty big, I guess, teetering on the precipice of unmanageable for the non-conditioned burrito consumer.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : ~$7
Locally owned? : Probably
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 2.9
Overall taste (1-10) : 3.1
I would rather eat any burrito I have ever tried (except El Sombrero on University and Shattuck) than this one. You should be tipped off by the deceving sign out front that the proprietors of La Cascada, as well as the burrito, are not to be trusted. I swear I would choose Vallarta over this place any day of the week, and that's saying something. Now that I think about it, the same might be true for La Burrita...no, probably just some of the days of the week. I hereby, again in bold letters, reduce La Burrita's overall taste score to 4.1. Because it really does suck.
La Cascada Taqueria
2164 Center St.
Berkeley, CA 94704
Quality of meat (1-10) : 3.2
So bad. It's dry and almost completely flavorless. The flavor it does have is passed on from the cigarettes these particular meatpackers smoke while working. This is on par with Vallarta, maybe even a bit worse. This brings up an interesting problem, though. Because the meat at La Burrita wasn't reeeally that much better, so I have decided to, in bold letters, decrease La Burrita's quality of meat score to 4.1. It's not that big a deal, since I think the 4.9 communicated the bottom line: the meat at La Burrita is pretty bad.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 7.3
The salsa at places with awful burritos often receives high scores, as you may have noticed. Today I realized that the reason for this might be that the saving grace of a shitty burrito is the salsa you put on it. My first thought after biting into this particular burrito was, "Wow, I need to get some salsa on here, NOW." It is difficult to compare salsas 100% cerebrally, but I think this phenomenon maybe slightly inflates salsa scores of shitty burrito joints. In my mind, the chances the salsa is actually legit are at least as strong as the chance of an inflation factor. Anyway, the salsa was decent. It looked nice, too. But please. Don't come here just for the salsa. Save your money, for God's sake.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 4.4
Did not taste too pleasant. The flavor was okay but was also very obviously not fresh. Not sure if it's worth the 85 cents extra, but you should steer clear of this burrito anyway.
Quality of chips (1-5) : 3.3
The chips were nothing too exciting. They were standard tortilla chips, like the standard tortilla chips they sell at Trader Joe's in the yellow & blue bag.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5) : 2.8
This is not a great score for diversity of menu. The only credit comes from having a variety of wraps and vegetarian burritos, which are kind of the same thing here. Some sound interesting, however, I would bet they suck as well.
Size of burrito (1-5) : 3.4
The burrito was pretty big, I guess, teetering on the precipice of unmanageable for the non-conditioned burrito consumer.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : ~$7
Locally owned? : Probably
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 2.9
Overall taste (1-10) : 3.1
I would rather eat any burrito I have ever tried (except El Sombrero on University and Shattuck) than this one. You should be tipped off by the deceving sign out front that the proprietors of La Cascada, as well as the burrito, are not to be trusted. I swear I would choose Vallarta over this place any day of the week, and that's saying something. Now that I think about it, the same might be true for La Burrita...no, probably just some of the days of the week. I hereby, again in bold letters, reduce La Burrita's overall taste score to 4.1. Because it really does suck.
La Cascada Taqueria
2164 Center St.
Berkeley, CA 94704
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Cancún Taqueria
It is worth noting that there are many taquerias by the name of Taqueria Cancún. I know of one in Berkeley, one in San Francisco, and one in Santa Cruz. Today I went to the one in Berkeley, though I have been to the one in San Francisco and it rules. Entry forthcoming.
Anyway, Cancún is another one of those Berkeley taquerias that has the distinction of being the "best burrito in Berkeley," according to generic student who is convinced he or she knows everything about everything. Let me tell you something. So far, by my experience, and in my own humble opinion, this is the best burrito in Berkeley.
Quality of meat (1-10) : 7.6
The carne asada was flavorful, I suppose, but not enough to stand out. It was definitely above-average, and not standing out means the meat was about on par with the rest of the burrito's contents, which were excellent. I also hear great things about the carnitas here, by the way.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 7.5
Cancún Taqueria has no less than fifteen distinct kinds of organic salsa. They limit you to two salsa cups. Can't have people stealing their precious to-be-burrito-juice ingredient. Unfortunately, none of the salsas really stood out to me. I don't think I have tried all of them and some of the salsas I had were even tasty enough and unique enough to recommend (cucumber salsa, pineapple salsa), but their staple salsas (original salsa, avocado salsa, garlic salsa) were let-downs. However, they do give you some very good pico de gallo in your burrito. No more than that.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 7.3
The guacamole was good, but not great, and $1 extra. It was somewhat runny, but it did add precisely the right flavor to the burrito. It was probably somewhat fresh, too. I am tempted to inflate the guacamole score because, unlike almost every other burrito I have paid extra for guacamole on, Cancún gives you your damn money's worth. I have never had more guacamole in a burrito than this one, which is a huge plus. The 7.3 reflects the guacamole in quality, not quantity.
Quality of chips (1-5) : 4.3
Chips almost always do not stand out. If you have read my other blog posts, you'll notice that the number associated with chips hovers chastely between 2.5 and 3.5. However, Cancún has excellent chips and they give them to you with your order. And they don't skimp, either. I'm pretty sure the idea is that they're more proud of their salsas than anything, and want you to try as many as you want in the hopes you'll find one you really like...that you can't find anywhere else. Accordingly, bomb chips. In light of recent burrito excursions, I'm tempted to say, "good on you for not charging for chips, Cancún," but they don't deserve recognition for that. The ones that do charge for chips deserve the attention.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5) : 4.1
Taqueria Cancún has a somewhat extensive menu. It's big enough for them to print their menu on pamphlets rather than post it behind the register. The reason Cancún Taqueria scores high in this category is that they have burritos and Mexican dishes I haven't seen anywhere else. They're pricey, (as is everything else, but I'll get to that later), but you aren't going to find nopales or mole anywhere else in the immediate vicinity. I don't know why I haven't thought of doing this sort of thing before: http://www.themenupage.com/cancuntaqueriamenu.html
Size of burrito (1-5) : 3.1
The burrito's pretty average-size. I ate it and felt somewhat full afterwards. I wasn't bursting at the seams or anything. Don't expect a big burrito, but don't expect to be disappointed, either.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : $7-9
Yeah, the prices on that webpage up there are wrong. I paid upwards of $8 for mine today.
Locally Owned? (Y/N) : Yes
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 7.4
Overall taste (1-10) : 7.6
Cancún Taqueria
2134 Allston Way
Berkeley, CA 94704
Anyway, Cancún is another one of those Berkeley taquerias that has the distinction of being the "best burrito in Berkeley," according to generic student who is convinced he or she knows everything about everything. Let me tell you something. So far, by my experience, and in my own humble opinion, this is the best burrito in Berkeley.
Quality of meat (1-10) : 7.6
The carne asada was flavorful, I suppose, but not enough to stand out. It was definitely above-average, and not standing out means the meat was about on par with the rest of the burrito's contents, which were excellent. I also hear great things about the carnitas here, by the way.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 7.5
Cancún Taqueria has no less than fifteen distinct kinds of organic salsa. They limit you to two salsa cups. Can't have people stealing their precious to-be-burrito-juice ingredient. Unfortunately, none of the salsas really stood out to me. I don't think I have tried all of them and some of the salsas I had were even tasty enough and unique enough to recommend (cucumber salsa, pineapple salsa), but their staple salsas (original salsa, avocado salsa, garlic salsa) were let-downs. However, they do give you some very good pico de gallo in your burrito. No more than that.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 7.3
The guacamole was good, but not great, and $1 extra. It was somewhat runny, but it did add precisely the right flavor to the burrito. It was probably somewhat fresh, too. I am tempted to inflate the guacamole score because, unlike almost every other burrito I have paid extra for guacamole on, Cancún gives you your damn money's worth. I have never had more guacamole in a burrito than this one, which is a huge plus. The 7.3 reflects the guacamole in quality, not quantity.
Quality of chips (1-5) : 4.3
Chips almost always do not stand out. If you have read my other blog posts, you'll notice that the number associated with chips hovers chastely between 2.5 and 3.5. However, Cancún has excellent chips and they give them to you with your order. And they don't skimp, either. I'm pretty sure the idea is that they're more proud of their salsas than anything, and want you to try as many as you want in the hopes you'll find one you really like...that you can't find anywhere else. Accordingly, bomb chips. In light of recent burrito excursions, I'm tempted to say, "good on you for not charging for chips, Cancún," but they don't deserve recognition for that. The ones that do charge for chips deserve the attention.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5) : 4.1
Taqueria Cancún has a somewhat extensive menu. It's big enough for them to print their menu on pamphlets rather than post it behind the register. The reason Cancún Taqueria scores high in this category is that they have burritos and Mexican dishes I haven't seen anywhere else. They're pricey, (as is everything else, but I'll get to that later), but you aren't going to find nopales or mole anywhere else in the immediate vicinity. I don't know why I haven't thought of doing this sort of thing before: http://www.themenupage.com/cancuntaqueriamenu.html
Size of burrito (1-5) : 3.1
The burrito's pretty average-size. I ate it and felt somewhat full afterwards. I wasn't bursting at the seams or anything. Don't expect a big burrito, but don't expect to be disappointed, either.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : $7-9
Yeah, the prices on that webpage up there are wrong. I paid upwards of $8 for mine today.
Locally Owned? (Y/N) : Yes
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 7.4
Overall taste (1-10) : 7.6
Cancún Taqueria
2134 Allston Way
Berkeley, CA 94704
Friday, September 12, 2008
La Burrita
Everyone swears by the superiority of one of the two proximal La Burritas. The burrito this entry will describe came from the northside La Burrita, but I am convinced that is inconsequential. My belief is that they both have their good days and bad days, since the ingredients are never exactly the same. I will not do another entry for the southside La Burrita unless it's actually different from the northside one, which I will probably never find out, because La Burrita is worth avoiding.
Quality of meat (1-10) : 4.9
The meat was very greasy and very gristly. It did not contribute to any desire to finish the burrito.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 8.0
The salsa was done well, in my own opinion. They didn't have any pico de gallo, but the standard tomato salsa didn't fuck around. Think La Salsa's above-average salsa, but fresher. (This alleviates most of the problems with La Salsa's...salsa.)
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 4.9
The guacamole was runny and most likely came out of a plastic bag. It's only 50 cents extra, so it might be worth getting, but don't expect it to significantly enhance your burrito experience.
Quality of chips (1-5) : 3.1
Thank God La Burrita understands the importance of chips being served with all Mexican food. They offer unlimited free chips, which a lot more burrito joints should do. Sadly, the chips aren't fantastic, but one can't say no to free chips & salsa, unless the salsa is really, really bad. The chips at La Burrita are not particularly good, but they certainly meet all the standards chips should.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5) : 3.4
La Burrita's menu is not particularly expansive, but they do have more than enough choices to make you stand and think for a long time about what you're going to order. Even if you love burritos as much as I do. Really, it's not so easy.
Size of burrito (1-5) : 1.8/3.5
Take your pick between small burrito and large burrito. Large burrito if it's going to be a meal. Small burrito otherwise. I might actually recommend the small burrito because the large burrito almost isn't good enough to finish.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : $4-5 (small) / $5-6(large)
Locally owned? (Y/N) : Probably
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 3.5
Overall taste (1-10) : 4.1
The rice and beans, which obviously make up most of the burrito, are dismally sub-par. I haven't eaten here inebriated yet, which I'm sure makes the burrito a lot more enjoyable, but I'm going to try not to for as long as I can because I don't want to help them buy terrible ingredients with my burrito money.
La Burrita
1832 Euclid
Berkeley, CA 94709
Quality of meat (1-10) : 4.9
The meat was very greasy and very gristly. It did not contribute to any desire to finish the burrito.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 8.0
The salsa was done well, in my own opinion. They didn't have any pico de gallo, but the standard tomato salsa didn't fuck around. Think La Salsa's above-average salsa, but fresher. (This alleviates most of the problems with La Salsa's...salsa.)
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 4.9
The guacamole was runny and most likely came out of a plastic bag. It's only 50 cents extra, so it might be worth getting, but don't expect it to significantly enhance your burrito experience.
Quality of chips (1-5) : 3.1
Thank God La Burrita understands the importance of chips being served with all Mexican food. They offer unlimited free chips, which a lot more burrito joints should do. Sadly, the chips aren't fantastic, but one can't say no to free chips & salsa, unless the salsa is really, really bad. The chips at La Burrita are not particularly good, but they certainly meet all the standards chips should.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5) : 3.4
La Burrita's menu is not particularly expansive, but they do have more than enough choices to make you stand and think for a long time about what you're going to order. Even if you love burritos as much as I do. Really, it's not so easy.
Size of burrito (1-5) : 1.8/3.5
Take your pick between small burrito and large burrito. Large burrito if it's going to be a meal. Small burrito otherwise. I might actually recommend the small burrito because the large burrito almost isn't good enough to finish.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : $4-5 (small) / $5-6(large)
Locally owned? (Y/N) : Probably
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 3.5
Overall taste (1-10) : 4.1
The rice and beans, which obviously make up most of the burrito, are dismally sub-par. I haven't eaten here inebriated yet, which I'm sure makes the burrito a lot more enjoyable, but I'm going to try not to for as long as I can because I don't want to help them buy terrible ingredients with my burrito money.
La Burrita
1832 Euclid
Berkeley, CA 94709
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Gordo's
Gordo's is allegedly the best burrito in Berkeley. I have heard the same thing about both Taqueria Cancun (Shattuck/Allston) and Chipotle (Telegraph/Durant), and reviews of both are forthcoming, though I will put off the latter for as long as possible for political reasons. Anyway. Gordo's is really not that far away from Cal, especially if you have a bike. It will take you no more than ten minutes to bike there and the same amount of time to bike back, even on a shitty mountain bike.
Quality of meat (1-10) : 6.6
The meat was the poorest quality thing in the Gordo's burrito. The carne asada was somewhat chewy and tasted a bit like chunks of nearly-shredded beef.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 8.4
Unfortunately, Gordo's doesn't make the salsa available outside the burrito they hand you, which is a shame because it reminded me a wee bit of EXACTLY WHAT PICO DE GALLO SHOULD BE, which is diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and maybe some jalapeños and NOTHING ELSE. It wasn't Los Pericos quality, but it wasn't too far off the mark then, either.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 7.1
The guacamole was just barely good, so I guess I'll call 7.0 the baseline for "good" from here on out. I could tell that it wasn't the freshest of guacamoles, but that's because I saw them put it in the burrito. It tasted enough like avocadoes to pass just above "decent." I'm not sure if they charge extra for guacamole, but if I had to guess, I would say they don't. So ask for it.
Quality of chips (1-5) : $0.90
I hate paying for chips. Seriously. Make them fucking free because they're chips. At least make them free with purchase of a burrito. How much money are you really going to be missing out on from not selling chips? How many people actually pay for chips and how much of a profit are you really turning on selling chips? Having chips with one's burrito will (or should) positively influence the burrito experience the vast majority of the time, which means returning customers. And if your chips don't have that effect, you certainly shouldn't sell them, because people will be angry at you that they spent ninety cents for your shitty chips.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5) : 1.4
The menu is very, very, very small. Basically, you get to choose between a taco, a burrito, or a bigger burrito with cheese in it.
Size of burrito (1-5) : 2.3
Yeah, it looked really small, but it filled me up, which makes me think either it had more girth than I originally gave it credit for or my stomach is shrinking. Guess which one. (Hint: 2.3) However, they do have a "super burrito," which is supposedly bigger, though I don't know how much bigger. So I'll give an update next time I venture out.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito): $5-6
Locally owned? (Y/N) : Yes
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 6.7
Overall taste (1-10) : 7.2
Disclaimer: Given the burrito competition in the vicinity surrounding Gordo's, I was originally going to give a 7.7. I might as well have written it since if you're in the Berkeley area and don't feel like heading out to the city for a real burrito, Gordo's is where you should go. However, I had to adjust for relativistic effects to meet my goal of judging burritos of California on a statewide scale rather than citywide scale.
Gordo's Taqueria
2989 College Ave. (College and Ashby)
Berkeley, CA 94705
Quality of meat (1-10) : 6.6
The meat was the poorest quality thing in the Gordo's burrito. The carne asada was somewhat chewy and tasted a bit like chunks of nearly-shredded beef.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 8.4
Unfortunately, Gordo's doesn't make the salsa available outside the burrito they hand you, which is a shame because it reminded me a wee bit of EXACTLY WHAT PICO DE GALLO SHOULD BE, which is diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and maybe some jalapeños and NOTHING ELSE. It wasn't Los Pericos quality, but it wasn't too far off the mark then, either.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 7.1
The guacamole was just barely good, so I guess I'll call 7.0 the baseline for "good" from here on out. I could tell that it wasn't the freshest of guacamoles, but that's because I saw them put it in the burrito. It tasted enough like avocadoes to pass just above "decent." I'm not sure if they charge extra for guacamole, but if I had to guess, I would say they don't. So ask for it.
Quality of chips (1-5) : $0.90
I hate paying for chips. Seriously. Make them fucking free because they're chips. At least make them free with purchase of a burrito. How much money are you really going to be missing out on from not selling chips? How many people actually pay for chips and how much of a profit are you really turning on selling chips? Having chips with one's burrito will (or should) positively influence the burrito experience the vast majority of the time, which means returning customers. And if your chips don't have that effect, you certainly shouldn't sell them, because people will be angry at you that they spent ninety cents for your shitty chips.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5) : 1.4
The menu is very, very, very small. Basically, you get to choose between a taco, a burrito, or a bigger burrito with cheese in it.
Size of burrito (1-5) : 2.3
Yeah, it looked really small, but it filled me up, which makes me think either it had more girth than I originally gave it credit for or my stomach is shrinking. Guess which one. (Hint: 2.3) However, they do have a "super burrito," which is supposedly bigger, though I don't know how much bigger. So I'll give an update next time I venture out.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito): $5-6
Locally owned? (Y/N) : Yes
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 6.7
Overall taste (1-10) : 7.2
Disclaimer: Given the burrito competition in the vicinity surrounding Gordo's, I was originally going to give a 7.7. I might as well have written it since if you're in the Berkeley area and don't feel like heading out to the city for a real burrito, Gordo's is where you should go. However, I had to adjust for relativistic effects to meet my goal of judging burritos of California on a statewide scale rather than citywide scale.
Gordo's Taqueria
2989 College Ave. (College and Ashby)
Berkeley, CA 94705
Thursday, August 28, 2008
That Burrito Cart on Telegraph and Bancroft
If the place has a name, it doesn't matter, because nobody knows it. After spending all 90 minutes of my first day of upper-div linear algebra deciding whether to go here or Chipotle after class, I decided that I'll definitely end up going to Chipotle some other time. Which I will when faced with this decision again.
Quality of meat (1-10) : 6.0
The meat was somewhat chewy and moderately flavorful. It was a bit disappointing, truth be told. I was expecting hole-in-the-wall burrito joint-quality asada and got cheap-tasting beef.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 5.1
This particular burrito cart had two types of salsa: one carrot-based and one standard salsa verde. The salsa verde was dismally sub-par, whereas the carrot salsa was palatable, at best. I would call it just good enough to eat. Barely. So we'll call 5.0 the baseline for "worth eating" from here on out, k?
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 6.1
The guacamole was nothing special, and they skimped rather drastically. I don't know if you have to pay extra for it, but if you do, you should probably go without unless you've really got an aguacate jones.
Quality of chips (1-5) : 3.6
The chips, I liked. They would have been better had the salsa been better, but they went very well with the burrito anyway. They're oily. As chips might be if you, I don't know, made them by frying a tortilla?
Size/Diversity of menu (1-5) : 2.9
Even for a tiny burrito cart the menu was pretty small. I give them a better-than average mark because they had al pastor and lengua.
Size of burrito (1-5) : 2.2
Yeah, the burritos are pretty damn small. Even the Tacos Moreno burritos are bigger, which is saying something.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : $5-6
Locally owned? (Y/N) : Probably
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 5.8
Overall taste (1-10) : 5.3
The flavor of the lettuce was somewhat overstated in this burrito, which is a small transgression, but worth noting. I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but peas have absolutely no place whatsoever in a burrito. There is no person nor burrito that can sway me from this position. I dare you to try. In fact, don't. Don't waste my time and belly space. Don't waste your own with this burrito. Go to Chipotle.
Some burrito cart
Telegraph & Bancroft
Berkeley, CA 94709
Quality of meat (1-10) : 6.0
The meat was somewhat chewy and moderately flavorful. It was a bit disappointing, truth be told. I was expecting hole-in-the-wall burrito joint-quality asada and got cheap-tasting beef.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 5.1
This particular burrito cart had two types of salsa: one carrot-based and one standard salsa verde. The salsa verde was dismally sub-par, whereas the carrot salsa was palatable, at best. I would call it just good enough to eat. Barely. So we'll call 5.0 the baseline for "worth eating" from here on out, k?
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 6.1
The guacamole was nothing special, and they skimped rather drastically. I don't know if you have to pay extra for it, but if you do, you should probably go without unless you've really got an aguacate jones.
Quality of chips (1-5) : 3.6
The chips, I liked. They would have been better had the salsa been better, but they went very well with the burrito anyway. They're oily. As chips might be if you, I don't know, made them by frying a tortilla?
Size/Diversity of menu (1-5) : 2.9
Even for a tiny burrito cart the menu was pretty small. I give them a better-than average mark because they had al pastor and lengua.
Size of burrito (1-5) : 2.2
Yeah, the burritos are pretty damn small. Even the Tacos Moreno burritos are bigger, which is saying something.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : $5-6
Locally owned? (Y/N) : Probably
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 5.8
Overall taste (1-10) : 5.3
The flavor of the lettuce was somewhat overstated in this burrito, which is a small transgression, but worth noting. I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but peas have absolutely no place whatsoever in a burrito. There is no person nor burrito that can sway me from this position. I dare you to try. In fact, don't. Don't waste my time and belly space. Don't waste your own with this burrito. Go to Chipotle.
Some burrito cart
Telegraph & Bancroft
Berkeley, CA 94709
Friday, August 22, 2008
El Sombrero Taqueria
My first Berkeley burrito since moving up here! Is a monstrous failure!
Quality of meat (1-10) : 2.8
By far the poorest quality meat of any burrito in my own recent memory. It's chewy, even a little bit slimy, and one in three pieces is straight up gristle. Worse than Vallarta.
Quality of salsa (1-10) : N/A
THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY FUCKING SALSA. How the hell you gon' have a taqueria with NO SALSA? El Sombrero "Taqueria" is heretofore dubbed NOT a real taqueria. Shameful.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : ?
Sooo...I paid extra for guacamole. $1.30. And they didn't give me any. Enough said.
Quality of chips (1-5) : 3.6
The chips are okay, albeit very salty. I like salty chips, though. This is, however, nullified by the fact that there WASN'T ANY GODDAMN SALSA TO DIP THEM IN. On second thought, the chips just taste like Tostitos.
Size/Diversity of menu (1-5) : 2.2
They offered a few kinds of burritos, including a veggie burrito, a chile relleno burrito, and a "supreme" "burrito", which, strangely enough, DID NOT INCLUDE SALSA. Thus it is neither supreme nor a burrito. They do offer a fair amount of Indian food, though.
Size of burrito (1-5) : 4.0
Not that it matters, because you won't want to finish it.
Approximate price (For a standard burrito) : $6-7
Locally owned? (Y/N) : Probably. But seriously, it doesn't matter. They aren't making money.
Satisfaction Factor (1-10) : 2.5
I didn't have the motivation to eat more than half this burrito.
Overall taste (1-10) : 2.6
El Sombrero Taqueria
2101 University Ave (University & Shattuck)
Berkeley, CA 94704
Quality of meat (1-10) : 2.8
By far the poorest quality meat of any burrito in my own recent memory. It's chewy, even a little bit slimy, and one in three pieces is straight up gristle. Worse than Vallarta.
Quality of salsa (1-10) : N/A
THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY FUCKING SALSA. How the hell you gon' have a taqueria with NO SALSA? El Sombrero "Taqueria" is heretofore dubbed NOT a real taqueria. Shameful.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : ?
Sooo...I paid extra for guacamole. $1.30. And they didn't give me any. Enough said.
Quality of chips (1-5) : 3.6
The chips are okay, albeit very salty. I like salty chips, though. This is, however, nullified by the fact that there WASN'T ANY GODDAMN SALSA TO DIP THEM IN. On second thought, the chips just taste like Tostitos.
Size/Diversity of menu (1-5) : 2.2
They offered a few kinds of burritos, including a veggie burrito, a chile relleno burrito, and a "supreme" "burrito", which, strangely enough, DID NOT INCLUDE SALSA. Thus it is neither supreme nor a burrito. They do offer a fair amount of Indian food, though.
Size of burrito (1-5) : 4.0
Not that it matters, because you won't want to finish it.
Approximate price (For a standard burrito) : $6-7
Locally owned? (Y/N) : Probably. But seriously, it doesn't matter. They aren't making money.
Satisfaction Factor (1-10) : 2.5
I didn't have the motivation to eat more than half this burrito.
Overall taste (1-10) : 2.6
El Sombrero Taqueria
2101 University Ave (University & Shattuck)
Berkeley, CA 94704
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