Mission Burrito
109 McCaul Street
Phone: Not available
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Mission Burrito is the latest entrant in the ongoing burrito battle taking over this city, but they're the first burrito place to be as bold as to claim to offer the elusive Mission burrito.
For the uninitiated, the Mission burrito derives its name from the Mission District in San Francisco. Almost half the population in the neighbourhood is from Mexico and other parts of Latin America, and out of this densely Latino area has come a number of popular taquerias, almost all making the best burritos this side of, well, the Earth.
What's the secret to the burritos? The authentic environs certainly help everything go down that much better. There are sometimes live bands playing, self serve (ie. free) corn tortilla chips and salsa and actual Mexican people cooking up fresh beef, chicken and other toppings in the kitchen.
But the real piece de resistance with the Mission burrito is what goes inside and how its wrapped, folded and steamed to perfection. An authentic Mission burrito must be made with a large flour tortilla and it must be steamed using a tortilla steamer. When I was last in San Francisco, I actually tried to buy a steamer, but shockingly they don't come cheap. The best deal I could find was something like $2,000.
Inside, a Mission burrito should include rice, a choice of beans (black, pinto and refried), some sort of meat or main filling, good salsa, guacamole and cheese.
So, with all this as the context, and having been constantly subjected to the grilled burritos made famous in Toronto by Burrito Boyz (and emulated by everyone else), I eagerly made my way to the newly opened Mission Burrito in the Grange Food Court across the street from OCAD.
The fact that they're in the food court obviously means they're in no way trying to replicate an authentic taqueria, but scanning the menu does reveal some promising signs. First up, unlike, say, Z-Teca, there are both black and pinto beans on offer. There's also free guacamole - meaning that guac is included in the price of the burrito. This is crucial. It seriously pisses me off when places charge you an extra buck for what is an essential burrito ingredient.
The other good move is that Mission Burrito offers a good variety of burrito options. For vegetarians, there's both a bean and cheese burrito ($4.85 Small/$5.85 Large) and the slightly more adventurous sweet potato, bean and cheese burrito for the same price. For an extra buck, you can add some veggies or meat. There's a grilled veggie burrito, chicken and steak, all $5.85 for a 10 inch and $6.85 for a foot long.
But today is Friday (which for many is pay day) but for Mission Burrito is the only day of the week they sell a harder-to-find-in-Toronto-than-it-should-be fish burrito. So that's what I decide to have. At $7.98 before tax for a 12 inch it isn't the cheapest lunch in the food court, but for an end of week splurge...ah, what the hell.
The fish burrito is made fresh to order, meaning some guy in the back whips out a pan and starts frying up some fresh, seasoned tilapia. To round out the burrito, I opt for the pinto beans, some onion and green pepper, mild salsa and a generous spreading of guacamole. While I wait someone hands me a free bag of corn tortilla chips. Yum.
About four minutes later my burrito is ready. It's wrapped nicely in aluminum foil and the structural integrity is in tact. There's minimal leaking and no sign of any tears in the tortilla.
Unfortunately, the tortilla itself is hot and cold. The crew behind the counter must be still getting the hang of the steamer and didn't give it enough, um, steam. Eating a cold tortilla isn't exactly gross but inconsistencies like this just means that Mission still needs to iron out some of the kinks in the operation.
Inside, all the ingredients are working well together. The guacamole is perfect and the pinto beans have just the right amount of spice. Nestled in a food court table, steps from a cheap Thai take-out, I'm not exactly taken back to my days in the Mission District in San Francisco, but the city has got to start somewhere and what's offered here may not be Mission, but it's not too far off.
Comments (31)
i will HAVE to try this. i lived in san francisco for 8 years and the mission-style burrito was a favourite staple. nothing yet in toronto comes close to duplicating it-- i swear there's some kind of secret ingredient they use in sf.
i will try this soon. thanks for letting us know about it!
anything is better than that shitty chipotle mexican grill on yonge st. they charge an extra $2 for guacamole in a burrito. worst burrito i've ever had, too.
yeah, chipotle is god-awful. terrible service, bland food, and really expensive. not worth it- at all.
If you're asking for authenticity, you might want to scrape that guac out of there. Down here in So-Cal taquerias serves theirs sans frills. Just rice, beans(if you must) and your choice of meat. They don't spend the hours slow cooking their carnitas or al pastor to beautiful caramalized pork perfection to be smothered in guacamole. Guac is a side dish...hence why it belongs on the side of the dish.
I like how everyone assumes burritos are an American invention. At least it sounds that way to me since when talking about authenticity people mention Californian burritos and not Mexican ones!
The truth is burritos really are Mexican food (not just Mexican-sounding), though they're not eaten throughout the country --I'm Mexican and have lived in various cities in Mexico before coming to Toronto for grad school. They seem to be eaten all over northern Mexico (so in So-Cal they are more likely to get them right than in other parts of the US or Canada, I'll admit) and my favorites still are the ones from Cd. Juarez (which is right across the border from El Paso, Texas).
The ones I've tried in the US and also here in Toronto, even while occasionally prepared by Mexicans (but, at least when I've had them, never by someone from *northern* Mexico who would actually know how to make a real one) all taste kind of American to me... Some of them are really good, but they're not authentic.
Which brings me to my point, why care about authenticity? We should just care about whether food is tasty.
Oh, and just to make it clear, HB is describing taquerias, which serve tacos, not burritos (there are exceptions of course). Carnitas and Pastor are from central and southern Mexico. And he's mostly right about guacamole. You usually don't put it in tacos, but it's OK (and optional) with burritos. This in the parts of my country I actually know: it not huge like Canada but big enough to admit plenty of variation.
I lived in California (15 min from Mexican border) before moving here and I can tell you this: California has better Mexican food than Mexico. Yes, I've had numerous Mexican friends confirm this. Omar, what point are you trying to make by lecturing us on the progeny of the burrito? None of us blood-thirsty imperialist Americans actually disagrees...
As far as this place is concerned, I went there a few weeks ago just as they were open for the first time. The burrito was quite bad: beans were tough and undercooked, the chicken was too salty, and the salsa too watery. However, I think once this place gets going a little hopefully they'll refine the components.
Also - Chipotle is friggin awesome! I don't know what you turkeys are complaining about!
Ahh...you caught me on that one Omar. Those are southern Mexico inventions. I should have said carne asada for a more northern perspective. But you are wrong about taquerias. They may have developed from the taco only shop to that serving a more general food place; serving the taco (sans guac and lettuce please) but also the specialties of the cook from the region they left behind.
I think the whole guac debate from comes from how you should view guac. To me it is a side dish, a salad, an appetizer. Delicious on its own and deserves its own spot on the table. In other words it is not a sauce. On the other hand salsa, which literally means sauce, can be applied at will.
Which brings me to the question about authenticity. I will have to defend those who believe that certain food should be eaten certain ways. It is not that I am being picky or snob about my food. It is just I believe that after centuries of refinement a cuisine has developed to bring out the best in their dishes with what was available. A change will result in the loss of experience that a food conveys. Food should convey, in addition to taste, a sense of geography and occasion. Geography, being where the food is from, and occasion being when would such a food be eaten. I wouldn't dare celebrate a piece of Kobe beef by cooking it on my George Foreman on a Wednesday night, nor would I serve p.b.jelly sandwiches at Christmas dinner.
The best part of the burrito, in my opinion should be its filling, mainly the meat (sorry vegetarians), and little should detract from that. If you must drown it in sauce then you need to find yourself a proper purveyor of food.
I do admit to having some questionable food practices(like drowning my muffin in milk and eating it), and in a relativist society like Canada "to each their own" prevails, but some defense in authenticity is necessary in order to preserve the whole story behind a cuisine. But for whatever your food practice choices I cannot stop you, I will just have to continue to take my burrito guac on the side please.
Just checked it out and loved it! My tortilla was warm all the way thru, so maybe the kinks are now worked out (they told me they are less than a week old). Yummy guac. Friendly service. Thanks for the tip about Fish Fridays--I'll go back and check that out. Great artwork panels on the McCaul Street side too--gave me fond memories of my last trip to SF.
Has anyone tried Johnny Bananas on BAthurst (at Queen). I don't know how authentic it is, but it is amazing. I love the chicken mole burrito, and the pork n' rolls (three small pork and pineapple tacos).
I went by today and there was a line up, they must be doing something right....I had the loaded fries, Man they where good and filling, cant wait to go back.
handfed, upon rereading I agree with what you say about the pointlessness of my previous comment. Online I ramble even more than in person, which is to say, way too much.
About your claim that Mexican food in California is better than in Mexico: I hesitate to believe it without further evidence, but I wouldn't be too surprised if it's true; I tend to expect the best Mexico has to offer in any field -not just the culinary- to eventually wind up in the more lucrative US market.
(Oh, and I'm not sure I understood the relevance of that claim you made: I thought I was ranting about authenticity, not quality. Not being one of those people who really values tradition, I find a lot of non-authentic food quite good.)
I just had to find out what the whole talk was about in Toronto about this new Mission Burrito place. I lived I worked in San Francisco for 2 years and I got really hooked on these burritos. Anyways I must say it is the best burrito I had in Toronto so far. The taste spices they use are soo fresh and I think that's what makes them so tasty. I work in an office downtown toronto and told everyone about it and we will have to order Friday every week because the taste and the cost is just right. Job well done guys keep up the good work.
I lived in the bay area for over 12 years and consider San Francisco to be home. Like anyone from the bay I have consumed more mission burritos that should be legal ...so when I saw this place I had to go. My take on this place is that they make a good burrito that is moderately passable as a mission style burrito. After so many grilled Toronto burritos it was a pleasure to dig into nice steamed tortilla and the ingredients were fresh and well prepared. Biking home after easting a meat / beef I had a vaguely familiar taste in my mouth that was pleasing. Also after paying for guacamole... free guac in your burrito is the best. Everybody knows that guacamole is the capital of awesome.
However, Mission Burrito does miss the mark in a couple of key areas.
1.The meat is stewed or possibly braised. The "Carne Asada and Pollo" prepared in most mission style burritos is grilled on an open flame (visible in most taquerias) and then chopped up into small bits. Its awesome and the grilled flavor cannot be beat ? so stewed is a poor substitute.
2.The proportions are also a bit off. A mission style burrito is pretty much mostly meat with the beans and rice following and then whatever little condiments are put on it. The Mission Burrito was too evenly proportioned and lacked that meat overload.
3.Green peppers...no!
4. There is no small and large in the mission there is regular and super. Regular is meat beans and rice. Super is meat, beans, rice, a little cheese, a little Mexican style sour cream and a salsa (sometimes they will ask if you want guacamole ? but only if you order a super).
5. Portion. A mission burrito destroys you... you can barely get through one and if you do you are at once deeply satisfied and oh so disgusted in yourself. Mission Burrito is way to reasonable when it comes to size to really be a mission burrito.
Like I said a good burrito for sure...perhaps I will have to return mildly intoxicated to really judge since the majority of burritos in San Francisco's mission district are consumed around 1:00 am after a night of festivities.
After hearing all the hype - I caved in and went to Mission Burrito yesterday. Wow, totally satisfied! It's wrap was warm and soft (not mushy or soggy), the rice and meat and condiments all meshed great together. It was not runny nor was it dry. I got the steak and the beef was tender. The lady told me it is made of strip sirloin - YUMMY! Service was very good. I also had a Brasilena which kind of taste like coffee and coke - sounds gross - but it was really good! I have to go back and try the other drinks they have, I saw some Watermelon and Guava pop. As well as the mission fries, I can't wait to try that - it's with Yukon or Sweet Potato. Too bad my stomache has a limit.
I gave Mission a try last week, and it's no hell. I spent a few days sampling the entire menu at Poncho Villa last month in SanFran, and Mission doesn't even come close to hitting the mark. The biggest problem any of these wannabe burrito joints encounter is a tasty salsa. It's not as easy as you think. Like a previous poster, I'm going to sadly agree that Chipotle has the best thing going these days in 416, hold the guacamole!
I was really excited to see this review, because I work in the neighbourhood and the trek to My Big Fat Burrito basically takes up my entire lunch hour. On Wednesday I went in and ordered the large bean and cheese burrito. I was pretty disappointed.... The cheese didn't even melt because it was so cold on the inside. I don't think this one stands a chance in Toronto's burrito saturated market unless they pick it up several notches.
Thanks for the review Tim
I went in on Friday and tried the tilapia...it was the best burrito I ever had in Toronto so far...totally fresh and loved the guacamole; hope they start selling them in tubs.
Sadly, I found out the hard way (after walking over on this past Saturday from Dovercourt) that they are NOT open on the weekends.
does lack the girth and meat/rice/bean overload of a mission burrito, but they are doing a great job. they're also open on saturdays
something tells me that all the meat/rice/beans wouldn't fly in this city, people like their veggies, whats with people having their burrito toasted? its a Burrito not a Panino! grrrr
Love, love, love the fare at Mission Burrito! Had the (loaded) Mission Sweet Potato Fries and what a feast it was - yes, a heart attack waiting to happen - but aaahhh, I was thoroughly satified. The girl behind the counter talked me into it and I'm so glad she did! It was soooo inexpensive too, under 5 bucks I think. Also had the pork burrito (another day, thank goodness). It was super tender and stewed to perfection in my books. Toppings were awesome; lots of spices and flavour. I agree that meat, beans and rice will simply not suffice in Toronto. We definitely need our fresh veggies since we don't have the Mexican sunshine :o)
"It seriously pisses me off when places charge you an extra buck for what is an essential burrito ingredient."
This directly echoes my falafel-world pain... people try to tell me that hummus is extra and I'm like, okay, not only are you handing me a dry tasteless wrap without, but the falafels are made of the same thing as the hummus!
I need to get my head out of the chickpeas though - I turned around after buying a falafel and realized I was in front of this place. So close to trying it, yet so far...
Is Mission still open? I visited it three times during the holidays (Dec 24 to Jan 5) and it was never open. This was on a Friday at lunch, on a Saturday at lunch and finally, on a Tuesday.
Hell, anyone?
It's still open :) I just went the other day. xD I'm guessing it just closed during the holidays b/c without the lunch and student crowd, it prolly wasn't worth it to stay open during that time.
Went on Saturday as soon as it opened. My burrito had the lukewarm-itis. Hot in some places, cold in others. The steak seemed to have been marinated in Montreal steak spice. For the price, sure it's a filling burrito, but for the best tasting burrito yet, I'd still make the trek out to Johny's. (Too bad they got rid of the hot chocolate!)
I've had 3 Burritos at Mission since hearing about it here. I fell in love with the steamed burrito in NY, and I've been trying to find it ever since in Toronto and so reading about Mission was a dream come true :) Unfortunately so far, my experiences have been mixed. :\ I tend to take them home after buying them so whether or not it's evenly hot or not is kind of lost on me, however, I can speak on everything else :) The first burrito I had was the fish burrito on Friday which was absolutely amazing. I liked that it was not deep fried or battered like other fish burritos, and it just tasted amazing. The second burrito I had was the grilled veggie and it tasted rly awful. The grilled zucchini just does not mesh with the other tastes in the burrito and it tasted pretty bad. Then I had the cheese and bean burrito.. I dun know if this is normal but they put cilantro instead of lettuce on mine, and it was just WAY TOO STRONG and I couldn't finish it :\ Take from my experiences what you will (it is a small sample space after all) but I've been kind of wary in going to them (except on Fridays maybe) since :|
I remember when I lived in San Francisco and had my first taste of a Mission Burrito. My friend talked me into skipping class to get one. Coming from Toronto (this was back in 1997), the only version of a burrito I could think of was a Taco Bell burrito, much to my surprise, this it def. was not that. Not even close to it. So after reading these reviews, I decided to try Mission Burrito at The Grange (just came back 5 minutes ago!).
Here's my review - Mediocre at best. Lousy portions of meat and everything else in the burrito. Even though I ordered a small, I did not expect it to be that small, my cousin ordered a large and the price wasn't worth it either. Burrito Boyz is still the best (for value and taste) so far in Toronto. Don't waste your money, you can get something bigger and better in that food court for the same price they charge you.
Next competitor please!
ps. I do have to comment on their guacamole though. It was pretty darn tasty. The only thing tasty about that burrito.
Chipotle is awesome. Bland? The only thing I've noticed is the consistency of the Cilantro in the rice... But ya I suffered a late night Burrito Boy's burrito last night; I took one bite and had to trash that diarrhea in a wrap.
I have been to a few Burrito joints in Toronto and Chipotle is by far the best, authentic? maybe not, taste? F YA. OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS!!!
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