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dnautics

what I really want to know is the best place to get a san diego burrito in SF.

Key differentiators:

- no fillers (no rice, no beans; beans acceptable in breakfast burritos)

- generous portions of meats

- chicken that is finished by grilling on the grill, not ropa-style pulled straight out of a dewey plastic bin

- wrap that is toasted

- wax paper wrap instead of foil (lets the burrito breathe instead of becoming damp and gooey). Also avoids the danger of accidentally biting into the foil and getting that delicious aluminium flavor.

- salsa roja cremosa

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Yes please. I grew up in and came back to Northern California but San Diego has better Mexican food and we don’t talk about it enough. I uncharitably claim that San Francisco seems to have a reputation for awesome Mexican food more from visitors from New York and other places outside the state who don’t know better. I miss midnight burritos from Cotixan’s something fierce. I haven’t found anything comparable up here since moving back, after years of trying. I have resigned myself to an admittedly still solid mission style burrito or just sneaking over to the taco side of the menu to bypass the burrito feelings.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s some good places up here for other aspects of Mexican and Mexican adjacent food, but I dearly miss San Diego style burritos and haven’t found a replacement.

Don't know how long it's been since you were there but IMO vallarta's across the street from coti has basically surpassed coti's. I would say it's like 25% better.

I think just about all of these are achievable except for the wax paper on which it's probably simplest to just recognize they are doing it wrong in San Diego.

Why is wax paper wrong? The only possible advantage to foil is that if you don't eat it all it's marginally easier to take home.

As for the other criteria. You say it's achievable but I challenge you to find a place in SF. I seriously was on a four year quest to find such a place. There are a few places that come close on like two or three criteria - EBX on divis and chandos in... Sacramento, come close, (except for the foil, which is universal), but otherwise it's just not as good.

Why is wax paper wrong?

If you have to ask, etc...

Somewhat more seriously, I think an aspect of California food is that it's highly regional and it ends up being a bit of a fool's errand expecting it to be replicated precisely out-of-region.

It's bizarre you can't get a structurally integral burrito south of San Jose, never mind Weehawken, and I'm equally bewildered, as an adoptive Northern Californian, that foil could possibly be such a point of contention.

The only possible advantage to foil is that if you don't eat it all it's marginally easier to take home.

I can only assume that San Diegans take their burritos home far too sober. Surely that can't be true. We have to get to the bottom of this.

Uh. Hard disagree. It is rare for a san diego burrito to fall apart on me. It's par for the course in San Francisco.

If nothing else, I think this settles the 'will there ever be an SF<->SD burrito tunnel' question.

Hello, kindred spirit. I grew up in San Diego but have lived in the Bay for almost 30 years. I still can't enjoy a Mission-style burrito. You've articulated the key reasons why.

The answer to your question is, you can't get what you're looking for in SF, but if you're willing to drive for nearly an hour, you will find the burrito of your dreams at Adalberto's in Fairfield.

Thank you for recommending Adalberto's! It was a bit of a drive but indeed, it is the closest I’ve found!

Can I bribe some enterprising Peruvians with a chicken shop into making one of these for me?

“No fillers”

Go for the real thing - tacos. Forget burritos. They’re universally subpar.

I felt that way until I experienced a super fresh flour tortilla the first time.

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