Best of Toronto
The Best Burritos in Toronto
The best burritos in Toronto are not just some collection of tortilla stuffing joints whose only aim is to get them out the door as quickly and profitably as possible. In fact, while speed is always of the essence, the following burrito places are insanely, passionately, and almost crazily devoted to this incredible mash-up of flavour and colour and go to extreme lengths to test, tweak, obsess, and perfect their concoctions.
From the enormous (the "fatties" on the list) to the wondrously inventive (chow mein noodles anyone?), and from the grilled (Toronto style) to the steamed (Mission style), there is no end in sight to where this will eventually take the Toronto burrito and, man, that makes me soooooo happy!
Here are the best burritos in Toronto.
Note: This list was previously published on March 17, 2008. Comments below made up until October 24, 2010 are in reference to the old list. We've purposely kept the archived comments here because we believe they (mostly) add value to this topic. If you don't want to have to wade through all of them, simply hit the "sort by newest first" link at the top of the thread.
Photos by tebpp, ed zeppelin and Coding Ninja on Flickr
Chino Locos
With two locations up and running, owners Minh La and Victor Su have entered the burrito market with a bang. Literally “sniffed out” by many regulars, their super fresh ingredients and time consuming process (3 days for their hot sauce/2 days for their beans!) ensures perfection every time. Their pan seared or poached fish burrito is awesome – especially if you opt for the much lighter chow mein noodles instead of rice – a revelation! More »
Burrito Bandidos
Around for 7 and a half years (2 with this name) and one of the originals on the Toronto burrito scene, Burrito Bandidos never disappoints. With guacamole made three times daily, a newly mixable menu (shrimp/chicken, etc.) and a third outpost about to open at Yonge and Grosvenor, owner Ian Angus and his crew are kept busy. Even his daughter, Jaimie, can’t stop and figures she’s nearing her millionth burrito made. Impressive. More »
Burrito Boyz
Also around for 7 and a half years and sharing its inception with Burrito Bandidos, Burrito Boyz isn’t messing with what ain’t broke. With everything made from scratch and by hand, they continue to pump out fresh and tasty treats to customers at their 9 locations throughout the GTA and through their catering business. It’s a giant plus that they’re also one of the cheapest burritos around! More »
Big Fat Burrito
There isn’t a more apt name for a burrito place than this one. Simply enormous and incredibly good burritos (try the yam) are what they do and they do it oh so well. Open in Kensington Market for 5 years, 1 year on Bloor and 8 months on Dundas West, Lisa and Mike Sheppard are working on their own burrito empire manned by 30 employees who flit between the 3 locations. Bonus - large whole wheat shells are finally on offer! More »
Fat Bastard Burrito
Known for their enormous burritos that don’t just come in “Big” but “HUGE”, Fat Bastard Burrito Co. have firmly established themselves amongst the top burrito places in TO. With unique toppings like roasted onions and peppers available free of charge they definitely stand out not only for their size but their flavour as well. A trip down the Queensway well deserved. More »
Utopia Cafe
Around for 16 years, this is the grand daddy on the list and amazingly, the burritos were almost an afterthought with only one on the original menu. Decidedly not the tex mex version more commonly found around town, their burrito’s popularity soon skyrocketed and there are now no fewer than 17 on the menu - all of them served with costa Rican rice and salad. Oh yeah, they taste great too. More »
Freshwest Grill
Now with two locations, Freshwest Grill is hidden in the food courts of TD Centre and Simcoe Place. They have a reputation for their super fresh and healthy take on burritos with ingredients like tofu and the ability to get them without the shell (no gluten, fewer carbs). Line-ups are not uncommon throughout the week at both locations, but this is a strictly lunch time (or early dinner) affair as they both close at 5pm. More »
Mission Burrito
Located in the Grange food court, this is another line-up worthy entry. Owner Attilio is adamant that everything be super fresh and top quality meaning grade A avocados, beefsteak tomatoes, white meat chicken, lean pork shoulder or butt and rib-eye beef. Of course, what sets Mission apart is that they steam their burritos with distilled water instead of grilling them giving the burritos a warm and soft texture (but not soggy or mushy). So good. More »
Burro Burrito
Open for three years on College in the heart of Little Italy (with a new location at Richmond and Portland opening soon), Burro Burrito has been serving them up fast and loaded much to the delight of the late night bar crowd. Baked at the end to give just the right amount of crispiness, they’re perfect when accompanied by their house made horchata. Don't forget to try the fish! More »
Discussion
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New York Subs is number one!!!
Sometimes i eat them even if i'm not hungry just because i'm passing by :P
Hmm, where'd you learn to right?
Seme skool yoo did?
I have to disagree with New York Subway making the list ... they suck and are very blah.
quesada is #1 in my books...and closest toronto gets to burrito, freshness is key
anyone tried them yet? they have a bunch...Miss. Woodbridge..milton...barrie..
I was scared to death at Burrito Boyz in Port Credit watching a kid use the same tongs to cook chicken, steak and fish. Pay first then make your food - hold on to the number while some finger licking snot nosed kid rolls and toasts your burrito.
Z Teca is a rebrand of Qdoba. A US chain owned by Wendy's. Has a similar look and menu to Chipotle - imitation is the highest form of flattery, I suppose. Shame the food doesn't match up.
I love local and shop, buy, support, encourage local whenever possible but when it comes to food I look for sustainable, humanely raised and organic food. REAL food! It may cost more but it's worth it.
best burritos in town followed by el asador on bloor, then NYS. Burrito boyz is played out...i hate that hole, I always feel nautious after. who made this list...its all twisted.
Burrito Boyz, who I've only been to twice (once last week) is horrible. It may be the most tasteless, ill produced, burrito I've had outside of a 7-11. At least Chipotle is a decent, if albeit sterile burrito place.
I can't believe people line up for twenty minutes to half an hour, for what they serve at Burrito Boyz. Service doesn't seem too pleasant either. :/
Great place, with the original flair of adding the choice of chow mein to your burrito instead of rice and a very friendly staff who make this little take-out place a staple for me.
I understand that they opened another location at Church and Wellsley but I have not tried it yet.
Also, Big Fat Burrito is way better than Burrito Boyz.. I barely enjoy Burrito Boyz anymore.
Burrito Boyz sucks; ingredients were not fresh and Big Fat Burrito did not add up to Chipotle either.
PLEASE ADD CHIPOTLE TO THE LIST. IT IS AN INSULT FOR THEM TO NOT BE GIVEN RECOGNITION.
Cheers.
Stay chuned!
Burro Barrito. Burro Barrito. Burro Barrito. Burro Barrito. Burro Barrito. Burro Barrito. Burro Barrito. Burro Barrito. Burro Barrito. Burro Barrito. Burro Barrito. Burro Barrito.
TALL TIBETAN LADY -CHECK
A SPICY CHICKEN SATAY BURRRRRRITO WILL BE IN MY COFFIN WITH ME
NEW YORK SUB IS THE BEST BEST BEST
And KCITY - agreed! Love that place. Just a little over-priced though.
Mexican Salsas at 249 Augusta and New York Subway are both WAY better. (The latter is a dive, but who cares? It's just a burrito.)
Knowing what people thought was great 3 years ago is nice but losing relevance.
blogto has become so predictable.. before even opening the link i knew some dumbfuck would rate burrito boys within the top 3. burrito boys is disgusting, their burritos are overrated drunk munchies. the thought of eating one sober repulses me.
z teca has fresh ingredients, that actually taste that way. their vegetarian burrito tastes light, grilled, and flavorful. your taste buds must be fucked if you think burrito boys is better.
Chipotle is hands down the best burrito place in Toronto.
They stand out on freshness and high quality of tortillas. Have you tried the whole wheat tortilla lately?
Tried to like Z-teca 'cause it's close to my gym (King St.), but the inconsistent portions (a trickle of beans, a little spoon of chicken, and an indifferent clerk who actually confessed she didn't like burritos) will keep me away.
I still think the most authentic is Taco el asador. But I haven't been there in over a year. Usually too busy for my liking.
Chipotle has to be on this list even though it's probably not #1
MUCHO BURRITO IS SO BLAND COMPARED TO BURITO BOYS
CHIPOTLE IS THE WORST OF ALL THE BURRITOS, I RATHER EAT TACO BELL
BURRITO BANDITOS AND BOYZ IS GOOD AND THE PRICE IS WAY BETTER
Chipotle is great, but a bit pricey.
Salsas, for $5, is FAR AND AWAY the best burrito value for your dollar in the whole city. If you haven't tried their Cochanitas, you really owe it to yourself to give it a go.
NYS is located at Bathurst and Queen (a little east on Queen, north side).
I never got a Submarine from them but their burritos (Spinach, Lamb etc.. are amazing)… its that special home sauce (I think caesar dressing based).
The place looks like its still living the 70's but the people are great too.
PS for great submarines check out Bon's Submarine not far at Queen and Spadina (west of spadina).
http://backlinkseotool.com/ip-location/
The aim of life is to live a divine life. We are living in this world. We know that man does not live by bread alone. He needs the soul in order to live in the world of God's Reality. The soul alone has the capacity to see and feel the known and the Unknown, the existent and the non-existent, the dream of the past, the achievement of the present and the hope of the future.
Chino Locos is near my house, but I had a bad experience there. They have bad attitudes, and their burritos are average. I won't go back.
There isn't one good burrito place in Toronto that I've tried. I don't really care about authenticity - I'm willing to like Chino Loco if it tastes good (haven't been there yet). But most of the frat-house style burritos Toronto prides itself on do not improve on the Mission burrito concept in any way. They are expensive, take a long time, and they suck (industrial cheese, industrial salsa, unseasoned meats or meats overseasoned with cumin and salt, tasteless beans or refried beans overseasoned with cumin, etc.)
Here's the foundation of a good burrito:
-steam your tortillas or briefly heat on an ungreased griddle
-add MEXICAN rice (or plain rice by request). Not "cilantro lime" rice or peas pulao or something else, but Mexican rice (called Spanish rice in the US) - rice that is fried before tomato/onion/garlic puree is fried with it, then cooked in chicken stock
-add beans - black or pinto beans "de la olla", or refritos that haven't been destroyed by adding too much cumin.
-Mexican meat selection -carnitas, al pastor, chile verde, carne asada, lengua, etc.
-a selection of excellent freshly made salsas using a variety of dried or fresh chiles (verde, rojo, pico de gallo)
-NO "burrito sauce"
-NO abuse of cumin
-make sure the ingredients are well integrated
-cheese, freshly made guacamole, and sour cream optional
-grilling or toasting finished burrito a nice bonus
That's it. It's really not hard, but somehow, no one in Toronto can be bothered to get the fundamentals (rice, beans, meat, salsa) right.
You should just give up on burritos in Toronto and move to the west coast where you can have the best burritos all the time. That's what I did.
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