A Short History of the California Burrito

There's no doubt about it. In San Diego, the California burrito is king. But not a lot is known about where the SD staple originated. The California Burrito as we know it today consists of a massive serving of carne, french fries, cheese, sour creme, and guaq. Different spots around town will put their own flair on it, but for the most part this is what you can expect.

While it's not known for sure, many of the taco shop owners in SD agree that the California Burrito, in it's current form, came about sometime in the 80's, and was first featured at one of the many "-berto's" clones of the time. Fresh MXN Food (formerly Santana's) has also claimed to be the originator of the California Burrito, however most agree that is not in fact true.

A variant on the traditional San Diego Style burrito, it quickly gained prominence among the local surfer community, and as a result made its way all over the country. By the early 2000's nearly every taco shop in town offered their own California burrito, and soon it would make it's way in to some of the countries most glamorous publications.

The first mention of the California Burrito as it's known today was in a 1995 Albuquerque Tribune article, and the first mention in The San Diego Union-Tribune wasn't until 2005. By 2013, GQ Magazine had published an article on the SD classic, dubbing it "One of the most elegantly decadent foods you've never heard of ".