34745 Thu Mar 03 12:12:16 -0800 2005 8 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 157533 Following the Good Lunches in Mountain View thread, I noticed that a few ppl mentioned La Costena and La Bamba. I know that La Costena always gets these "Best Burrito in Mountain View" awards, but I've never been that impressed with the burritos there. That said, I've never had their carne asada burrito which is supposed to be the most superb one. But I LOVE La Bamba burritos (grilled chicken is fantastic). Has anyone had extensive experience tasting all the varieties and comparing the two fine establishments? I hope to get some tasting done this weekend. Thu Mar 03 12:12:16 -0800 2005 0 thejulia 1 157537 HAve not had the burritos at La Bamba but infinitely prefer their soft tacos (chile colorado....) to La Costena burritos. Thu Mar 03 12:32:33 -0800 2005 157533 0 LPC 1 157548 i've tried the carne asada burrito at la costena and didn't really see what the fuss is about it was just ok imo, meaning that i could find a similar quality burrito in SF Thu Mar 03 13:23:47 -0800 2005 157533 0 razordog 2 157564 Where in SF can I find a carne asada burrito equal to La Costena's? I had a rare chance to return to La Costena a few weeks ago. Carne asada fresh off the grill with super-fresh guacamole and la salsa mas picante. Parked at Shoreline Park and ate it in my Miata with the top down and the radio on. It was as good as ever. Still my favorite. -nick Thu Mar 03 14:11:22 -0800 2005 157548 0 nja 3 157575 Well, you can get a BETTER burrito in SF at Farolito. If you want one AS GOOD as Costena, try Zapata's or El Toro. Thu Mar 03 14:55:34 -0800 2005 157564 0 schwantz 4 158696 I was going to reply right away but I thought it would be wise to refresh my memory first. I tried Farolito again today, with the same results I have had before. Meat that tastes parboiled, undercooked and oversalted beans, and fresh chopped salsa with (why? why? why even make such a salsa this time of year?) underripe tomatoes. As much as I want to enjoy it, Farolito's burrito just doesn't do anything for me. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/25914#104485 Thu Mar 10 17:29:25 -0800 2005 157575 0 nja 1 157557 La Bamba! I worked in Mt. View for a bunch of years, and went to La Costena for the first few. Once I tried the burritos at La Bamba, I never went back to La Costena. I think it was the heat of the burritos at La Bamba that I liked the most. I hate it when I get a "burrito-bar"-style burrito, where they fill up the burrito, and then just wrap it up and hand it to you, without throwing it on the griddle to heat it up. I makes for unmelted cheese and freezing-cold salsa, which makes the whole thing a bit lukewarm and yucky. Thu Mar 03 13:56:33 -0800 2005 157533 0 schwantz 1 157561 plus they are skimpy as hell with the extras these days. Thu Mar 03 14:06:43 -0800 2005 157533 0 Newman 1 157604 I've had a couple of burritos at La Costena, but never figured out what the fuss was all about. I love the carnitas burritos as La Bamba -- just the right combination of ingredients, plus the salty and crispy pork nuggets. La Bamba used to be a bit better about chopping the cilantro and onion more finely, but as the chefs have changed over the years, they seem to have gotten lax in that regard. It's hard for me to work up the gumption to try out the La Costena burrito line, not having found anything to like about the few that I've had. On the other hand, I pretty much like any of the fillings at La Bamba, especially as you can get a nice selection as soft tacos rather than as burritos. Thu Mar 03 16:57:43 -0800 2005 157533 0 Peter Yee