Burritos in Scarborough

[jayzen25]

I love the burritos downtown, but why is there nothing in scarborough, or east end?.... there's places in the west and downtown core, heck even barrie has one. I think a burrito place in Scarborough would make a killing.... there is no competitors.

[TorontoTips]

Personally, I LOVE the halibut burrito at burrito boyz and have been known to trek all the way out to Mississauga for a 2:30 am burrito after my band's late-night gigs at bars here in the GTA.
Anyone compare the Mucho fish burrito to Burrito Boyz?
And I don't care about authenticity, I actually prefer BB's grilled style to the 'traditional' ones I had when I lived in Cali. :-)

[scarberian]

The Mucho ones use tilapia (cheap fish) and they are seasoned, but no batter or breading. However I think they are cooked on a griddle. They didn't look like they were grilled although I could very well be wrong.

[Phoenix]

OP mentioned Scarborough OR the East End. Beach now has a Burrito Bandido (haven't tried it yet) and Chino Locos (at Greenwood & Queen) which has been consistently good (particularly the fish burrito) every time we've gone.

[dory]

El Pulgarcito on Kennedy north of Lawrence is primarily Salvadorean food but I believe they do have burritos, ie Steak Burritos, on their menu. I know it is not excactly what you're looking for but its it the same neighbourhood. Their food is good, tastes homestyle, service is a bit offhand but generally a decent meal. They have a fair-sized patio if you don't mind sitting in a strip mall.

[Googs]

I think El Pulgarcito may be my favourite tip of the week. The whole idea that there might be good Salvadoran food nearby is killing me with curiousity. Any recommendations, suggestions, whatever are welcome. Oh, and do they have fun cocktails to go with?

[TorontoTips]

... and Salvadorean tamales, too?

[dory]

Not big on atmosphere, bare bones tables and chairs, murals on the walls. I have tried the papusas and enjoyed those. They are served with the traditional coleslaw, and a thin tomato sauce which I cannot eat because of any allergy. Yucca is prepared in different dishes and the pork with yucca was a bit on the dry side (largely because I'm limited in application of sauces) but not tough. Plantain is another one of my favourites, fried green as an accompaniment or the sweet with crema. And I like anything with the fresh cheese. The tamales were also good, wrapped in banana leaves, the masa not too dry or crumbly. We were there with children for an early lunch so the Jarritos sodas were the beverage of choice. I found the horchata to be a bit too thin and sweet,. The kids really enjoyed the papusas (various fillings) and the enchiladas were a hit with them. And they still found a bit of room to take out the frozen dessert treats in the cooler. I can't comment on the adult beverages but the folks on the patio seemed to be enjoying themselves. Hope this helps. Personally I prefer La Bella Managua but if when in Scarborough this is a decent alternative,

[TexSquared]

About the closest you have is Z-Teca at Fairview Mall... it sucks that none of the burrito chains (Boyz, Moe's, or Chipotle) will expand east.

Goes back to what I said in another thread - if you want to see expansion into Scarborough you must NOT let Five Guys fail. They're taking a huge gamble trying to come east. If they fail, Scarborough = Timmies on every corner and not much else.

If 5G does well then I hope that starts a wave of expansion into the previous ignored eastern suburbs.

[jayzen25]

I had Z-teca, if it was next to my house I would maybe eat it once in a while, but it is no where near the others in taste. I guess i forgot about Scarborough failures like Krispy kreme at scarborough town centre.

thanks for the heads up on 5 guys and California Sandwiches.

at least I have all the shawarma i can eat. :)

[TexSquared]

California Sandwiches is doing fine. Support Five Guys first.

[jmarcroyal]

Dont forget T-Bones for a 24/7 option, good food, reasonable prices and plenty of options.

Oh, and Burger Priest is East End, and Real McCoy makes a fantastic steak sandwich and they have great fries/gravy.

But, no Burrito's, but hopefully we will see something soon!

[TorontoTips]

Just a note - JMarc and I agree on Real McCoy, and 5-Guys is 'OK', but neither fills the burrito void when ya want one ...

There now is a new joint called Mucho Burrito just opened on Markham Road, west side, just above Sheppard Ave.

I have not been, yet, but for those checking out this thread looking for Burritos in Scarberia there is a new candidate. sadly it looks like it closes kinda early.

I will post once I've checked it out - anyone else made it there yet?

[Googs]

Mucho Burrito appears to be a food court mega chain. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
http://www.muchoburrito.com/

[scarberian]

I tried them. There is a new location close to me at Kingston Rd and Rylander (near Port Union) in a new mini plaza. For what it is, they make a decent burrito. I've had their carnitas, shredded beef and carne asada with and without rice and for about $10 it makes for a filling lunch. Now it doesn't compare to the burritos I've had in San Diego (oh I'm think about you Victoria's take out joint and your massive carne asada burritos), but they were some very tasty burritos. Although not horrid and somewhat tasty, I didn't really like the carne asada burrito at Mucho's. I have been spoiled after having indulged in this decadent burrito during my visits to San Diego so for me Mucho's carne asada is a totally different animal in terms of flavour. However I have enjoyed the carnitas and shredded beef burritos. If you haven't been the process of ordering is simple, you first state the size of burrito you want i.e. small (10"), medium (12") or mucho (14" and 1.5 lbs of filling) and what type i.e. whole wheat or white. They then heat the tortilla for a few seconds and someone else fills it for you. It's up to you what you want in it i.e. cilantro rice, beans, sauteed peppers and onions, shredded beef, grilled tilapia, carne asada, carnitas, or grilled chicken. They also have 3 kinds of salsa in terms of intensity, jalepeno peppers, guacamole and sour cream. The guac and cream are extra ~ $0.99 a serving. They wrap it together and then put it under a griddle. They also serve tacos and bowls of filling.

[Dr Butcher]

I'd tend to agree with your assessment. A Mucho outlet recently opened in north Whitby and I've tried it a couple of times. I enjoyed a bite of my wife's chicken, found the steak a tad salty and the shredded beef a little under seasoned. Mine have always been loaded with rice, I should tell them to go easy next time. I don't order the beans. Overall I have enjoyed them, they aren't mind blowing and they are a little expensive. If you happen to find a coupon for them, it greatly improves the value.

[scarberian]

I always wonder about the consistency when it comes to chains like these. Even McDonald's has difficulty keeping their fries salted just right between restos throughout North America (I find the fries in the US saltier than here). The shredded beef I had at my location had good flavour and the carne asada steak under seasoned and lacking any depth of flavour.

As for the rice debate (with or without) I don't always have rice with mine (the ones I've had in San Diego don't have rice and they are packed with just beef). People complain that it's a filler, BUT it is a filler with a second function... it soaks up the juices and sauces and adds another layer of flavour to the whole burrito.

[Dr Butcher]

I don't mind the rice, it's been surprisingly well cooked the times I've been. I just think it sort of overwhelms, I like it, just not that much.... I do enjoy their guacamole and the burrito sauce. Not sure of it's authenticity as this is my only time experiencing burrito sauce.

[scarberian]

The good thing about this place is it's always made to order so you can ask for as little to no rice. As for the "burrito sauce", well from experience from the several mom and pop burrito and run of the mill Mexican fast food joints in San Diego I've been to, I don't recall any offerings of "burrito sauce". Sometimes sour cream, but usually home made guacamole and salsa (tomato and verde).

[jmarcroyal]

Yea man, unfortunately no Burritos anywhere to be found in Scarborough, I agree if a Burrito Boys opened up here they would do great. I know its a chain but I still like em alot, and since Im rarely downtown, I like to grab out whenever im out in Sauga visiting a friend.

There is a Chipotle on Yonge north of Eglinton, but it closes at like 10pm and you gotta pay to park there, so its inconvenient for drivers. I hope they open a franchise in Scarborough too, preferably in the same plaza as Five Guys and California Sandwiches at Warden and Eglinton.

Hey, I could dream cant I...