The California burrito, a delectable concoction of carne asada, cheddar cheese, and french fries wrapped in a flour tortilla, has a rich and somewhat nebulous history rooted in San Diego’s vibrant taco culture.
Several anecdotes exist regarding its origins, with the city proudly claiming to be the birthspace for this beloved dish.
José Robledo, the current owner of the taco empire Roberto’s, attributes the creation of the California burrito to his nephew who worked at Lolita’s in Bonita during the 1980s.
Robledo recounts how his nephew observed a regular customer who would order a carne asada burrito, open it up, and stuff it with his own fries before rolling it back up.
Inspired by this unique twist, Robledo’s nephew decided to try the combination himself and realized he had stumbled upon something extraordinary.
The California burrito eventually made its way onto the official menu at Lolita’s, while savvy customers had already been requesting it, knowing that the cooks were familiar with the standard of including fries.
In addition to Lolita’s, another contender for the birthplace of the California burrito is Santana’s Mexican Grill, which proudly claims to be the “home of the California burrito.”
Kuno Becker, a well-known Mexican actor, even declared on Instagram that Santana’s at 411 Broadway was the first to introduce fries to the carne asada burrito way back in 1987.
Gustavo Arrellano, author of Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America, notes the difficulty in tracking the origins of many iconic Mexican dishes in the U.S., including the California burrito.
He states, “Did Santana’s or Lolita’s invent the California burrito? We don’t really know. Did Roberto’s popularize it? Absolutely!”
While the precise origins may remain a mystery, one thing is clear: the California burrito is an undeniable aspect of San Diego’s culinary pride.
Robledo reflects on the phenomenon, noting how many people from the Bay Area find it peculiar to combine fries within a burrito.
He humorously adds that he holds a similar view regarding the addition of rice to burritos.
Mission burritos, which hail from San Francisco’s Mission District and gained nationwide popularity through chains like Chipotle, often include rice as a staple ingredient.
In other parts of the country, this rice-laden version is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the “California burrito,” a misnomer to which San Diegans take exception.
Interestingly, Robledo reveals that the California burrito is becoming more popular, even making its way into Roberto’s Texas locations as the second-best selling item.
However, Arellano mentions that the fry-filled California burrito has not gained much traction north of Orange County, where Roberto’s established several outlets before other taco shops began to emerge.
In Arellano’s 2011 investigation into the burrito’s origins, he discovered a reference to it in a 1995 issue of The Albuquerque Tribune, describing it as “the New California burrito, a strange melange of beef-steak, cheese, and french fries.”
The unique burrito certainly raises an interesting question: perhaps it’s time to reconsider its name and recognize it as the ‘San Diego burrito’?
image source from：https://sandiegomagazine.com/food-drink/california-burrito-history-san-diego/
