Whole Bean Burritos?

[a_and_w]

I love creamy refritos as much as the next guy, but I'm also a big fan of whole beans (black or pinto) in my burritos. What are the best burrito places that serve whole beans? I'm a fan of both Tacos Por Favor and Eduardo's on the west side. Does anyone know if Tacomiendo offers whole beans?

[jimmyodonnell]

SO, where'd you end up? Any reports?

[a_and_w]

Haven't been able to try Tortilla Grill yet, but here's a link to my recent burritos:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/376012

[jimmyodonnell]

TORTILLA GRILL on Abbot Kinney in Venice (between Venice & Main) uses whole beans, black and pinto . . . if you like Tacos Por Favor, you should also try Tortilla Grill.

[a_and_w]

Jimmy, this sounds most promising!

[slbear]

Taco Village uses whole pinto beans for their burritos.
I especially like their carne asada and fresh salsa bar.

Taco Village
3501 W Beverly Blvdl,
Montebello, CA 90640
[phone]

[Ernie]

Yes, Taco Village is a great recommendation for whole beans. I've been going there for years and they are consistently good. One of the very few places that I enjoy carne asada as it is often inferior quality, too gristly, or without any char flavor.

[PaulF]

Tacomiendo uses whole beans in their burritos.They also put rice in their burritos, fwiw.

I happen to love Tacomiendo btw. Live walking distance to Inglewood and Culver. Eat there a lot.

But I have to warn you ... their burritos fall apart. I don't know if it is because they overheat the tortillas on a grill and make them to breakable or if it is because they over stuff them -- but I've never made it through a TM burrito without it falling apart, leaving me to eat it with a knife and fork. And I've tried it maybe a dozen times. With rice and without (prefer without, if it matters.)

Tacomiendo uses homemade corn tortillas on the tacos and include them when you order a plate. I've been sticking lately with their tacos and the plates, particularly the asada plate and the chile colorado plate.

But there are whole beans on the burritos.

[a_and_w]

Thanks for the info. I'm dying to try Tacomiendo but am disappointed to learn that the burritos fall apart. I really hoped to leave knife-and-fork burritos behind in NYC, and will never understand why more places in LA don't wrap them in foil. Still, things fall apart...

[PaulF]

They wrap them in foil, but they still fall apart. They're too heavy for the tortilla in my opinion and in my experience.

Others -- Dommy!, I think is one -- swear by their burritos. And they are delicious. They're just messy to me. So, I get tacos and plates there. I like the burritos across the street at Sanchez better. They're smaller.

Also, at TM, the fresh tortillas are great, so I try to order something that comes with them and the burritos are made on big, flour tortillas.

[a_and_w]

Interesting...Dommy! and I tend to disagree about burrito places but TM sounds so promising, all the moreso since they wrap them in foil. Perhaps this will be the place on which we can agree -- one taqueria to unite them all!

[Dommy]

Yeah, I actually perfer to eat my burritos with a knife and fork because then I can add as much salsa as I want! :) Anyway, the CLOSEST thing to eating a burrito with whole beans, wrapped in foil that won't fall appart is to get it at a Taco Truck. Since most Trucks assume you are going to eat the burrito ont he go, they tend to WRAP them extra tight.

Recently I've really like Los Primos located at night on Jefferson near the intersection of La Brea. I recently took one of their burritos on a flight with me. That was one of the HAPPIEST airplane rides I've ever had and it really held together...

Even when I re-wrapped the burrito in wax paper, it did not fall apart at all...

http://members.aol.com/pmgon/Chowhoun...

Anyway, Bandini's taco hunt blog can probably help direct you to a taco truck near you...

--Dommy!

[a_and_w]

Thanks, Dommy!! I'm already a big fan of Bandini's blog, but did not know that the trucks tend to wrap the burritos extra tight, which I like!

[Dommy]

Ack!! I just realized last night driving past, I got Taco Trucks confused. The one on Jefferson near La Brea (where I got the burrito in the picture) is actually Betos Tacos.

--Dommy!

[will47]

I haven't been there in a while, but I've eaten burritos at the one in culver city with my hands. I'm pretty sure they can wrap them in foil (they will if you say you're eating it to go).

[wearybashful]

I moved from LA to northern California a long time ago, but I remember being surprised to get rice as well as beans in northern burritos. I seem to remember that LA burritos had no rice, and I liked them better. Is my memory just playing tricks?

[ElsieDee]

Nope - seems that the rice in a burrito idea is called a "Mission Burrito" - here's an interesting thread on the topic: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/357410

(For the record, sometimes I like rice in my burrito, sometimes I don't. But I do like whole beans as opposed to refried, most of the time.)

[a_and_w]

Have you checked out La Taqueria in SF? They do burritos with no rice...

[lapchern]

el pollo loco

[will47]

If we're including fast food type places, Qdoba (and probably Baja Fresh / Chipotle as well).

[a_and_w]

I'm actually looking for local places, but thanks.

[Bon Vivant]

Yuca's on Hillhurst uses whole pinto beans in their burritos.

http://myculinaryadventures.blogspot.com

[a_and_w]

Excellent! Do they have black beans, too?

[will47]

Not on the west side, but Alegria on Sunset usually has both whole black and pinto beans as well as refried. Opinions on the place itself vary (search the board).

I haven't been to Tacomiendo in a while. I /think/ they do actually have whole pinto beans, and they pretty definitely have whole black beans. Their menu is at: http://losangeles.menupages.com/resta...

I'm also a whole bean fan, though I'm veg, so maybe I'd like the refried stuff better if I ate at places that cook it with lard. The taste and texture of refried beans have never really appealed to me, though sometimes it hits the spot.

[a_and_w]

Thanks. Is Alegria a burrito you can eat with your hands?

[will47]

Well I guess it depends how good you are at eating burritos. :> I'm usually able to eat most of a burrito with my hands there. They wrap it in paper, not foil, at least when you get it for there. However I imagine they would wrap it in foil if you asked.

[a_and_w]

If they wrap it in anything, that's a good sign!

[JAB]

El Cihualteco Taqueria # 1
2325 1/2 S. San Pedro St.
Los Angeles
213 748-2519

[a_and_w]

Thanks -- do they have both pintos and black beans?

[monku]

J&S has the creamy beans you're looking for.
Open 24 hours.

J&S
887 N Garfield Ave/Just south of the Pomona Freeway- 60
Montebello, CA 90640. [phone]

[a_and_w]

No, no, I want WHOLE beans. But thanks...