La Costena Custom Burritos
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street, Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
40 reviews
Sunnyvale, CA
"Holy Batman, this place is the BOMB! Lizzy and I were in search of Pho in Sunnyvale, but lucky for us, the place we were originally aiming…" read more »
116 Reviews for La Costena Custom Burritos
Outstanding food, but the place is located in a back of a grocery store and there is essentially nowhere to eat (unless sitting inside the above-mentioned grocery store). Parking is tough as well, since the place is located in a small strip mall on a corner. The burritos, however, were rightfully voted as the best in Mountain View (which has 5 other Mexican food places within a mile radius). If you're looking to grab something on the go, this is a great place. For a sit-down meal head to Tapatios or La Bamba next door.
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Wow. I don't know what happened. I've heard SOOOO many good things about this place. I ordered a regular chicken burrito and it wasn't that great.
I don't know why, but the chicken tasted really bland and more like oil than any other seasoning. The veggies did not taste fresh and was also bland.
The place has the makings of an awesome hole-in-the-wall but the food just doesn't meet the match. There were also a lot of extra charges, like for my grilled veggies. For the price, I've had bigger and more loaded burritos.
With that said. I think I'll have to give La Costena another chance. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.
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I've been to La Costena 3 years ago and it was nothing spectacular but today's visit was a far cry from La Costena of yore.
First off, they charged me for extras (cheese) and I did not ask for or get cheese on my burrito. They charged my coworker for extra guacamole and he did not ask for or get guacamole on his burrito. Our burrito makers were 2 different people and both of them looked at us to see if we were paying attention (which we were) before marking off those extra items. We complained but we were charged for the extra items anyway.
Okay, fine, whatever, I wasn't about to argue with them. What was I going to, do? Take the burritos apart and show them that there was no cheese or guacamole? We paid a couple bucks extra. No big deal. La Costena is known for good burritos and we'd be paying more for a lesser burrito at Chipotle anyway.
However, when we ate the burritos they completely fell apart. When the burrito maker was putting fresh salsa into my burrito, the scoop was half filled with tomato juice, which completely soaked through the tortilla within minutes. The shell wouldn't hold together at all and made a complete mess everywhere.
The burrito was also cold on one side. There were chunks of gristle in my carne asada but other than all of my complaints, the taste of the burrito (by that I am referring to the spice ratio) was acceptable.
I very much prefer La Bamba next door or Los Altos Taqueria across the street. If La Costena's burritos are still considered the best in Mountain View, the Mountain View Voice should try Chipotle.
Get the chorizo and egg breakfast burrito with potatoes and you will come away satisfied(and incredibly full). If you can finish the burrito you won't eat for at least 8 hours. These things sit like a load of lead in your belly and make simple movements after consumption almost impossible. would definitely recommend eating here just make sure it's on an empty stomach.
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Within the burrito triangle, I prefer Los Altos taqueria much more than La Costena. I decided to try this place just to see what the competition was like.
I ordered a regular carnitas burrito (because that's what I get at Los Altos) and was not impressed with the meat (dry) or the size (small) of the burrito. Even their chips and salsa...you have to pay for it whereas at Los Altos, it's complimentary and unlimited! The price of the food was not worth it: it cost more and you get less.
Fabulous Custom Burritos To Take Away
PIcky about what goes in your burrito, this is the place for you. The salsas are really good and you can pick and choose exactly what you want in your burrito. Take it back to your office or house to enjoy!
Their burritos are great, but be prepared to be overcharged.
I've been going here about once every two months for the last 8 years. As others have noted, the "restaurant" is set in the back of a little, understocked corner market. The meat, vegetables, guac, and salsa are generally fresh, and the portions are generous.
My major beef with this place is that the posted prices seem to be just an estimate of what you're going to be charged. Whenever you order a burrito that doesn't fall into one of the their pre-set styles (e.g. the "Mountain View special"), you can never tell how much you're going to be charged. The person who makes the burrito makes a few cryptic annotations on your checkout slip, and then the cashier rings it up in rapid-fire fashion, and you can't follow exactly how the charges add up. The more you order, the more confusing it gets. The bottom line is that I estimate that I get overcharged by any where from 50 cents to $1.50 per burrito each time I go.
I used to try to contest the final bill, but I'm always given some confusing explanation (you got both the white cheese and the orange cheese, salsa isn't included in the regular burrito, etc). On only a couple occasions has the cashier corrected the bill. For the most part, though, I just bite my lip and pay up, because I really do like their burritos. And since I would otherwise give them a couple bucks as tip, I just tell myself that this practice of overcharging will eventually go into the pockets of the burrito artists in the back.
By the way, no, my story is not limited to just me. I have asked several other friends who frequent this place about their experience, and they all commented (usually without prompting) that they can never understand their final bill.
But I really like their burritos. That's why I keep going back.
I ordered an enchilada platter today and was pretty darn pleased.
PORTION: Large, but not humongous. That's fine :)
BEANS (whole): Cooked nicely, decent scoop, a bit watery, though (lady was too impatient to let it drain).
SALSA (mild): Don't really taste it in the mix. To their credit, they have a selection of salsas.
GUAC: Really tasty! Seems decently fresh.
MEAT (chicken mole): Cooked perfectly (tender, not dry). Nicely seasoned, but nothing amazing.
ENCHILADA: Grilled with cheese on it, not microwaved! This may seem like a no-duh idea, but I've been bummed at how many Mexican places just nuke their enchiladas!
CHIPS: None offered. Hey, that sucks :-(
COST: Not too bad, but charging for everything extra is annoying.
DRINK: Maybe I missed it, but no horchata and such? WTH?
SERVICE: Okay. Woman wasn't particularly friendly.
PARKING: Yeah, it generally sucks, but there were two open spaces on this Sunday afternoon.
People rave about La Bamba compared to this?! You can see my review of that place, but in a nutshell, why?!? La Bamba offered practically no customization (not even choices of salsa?!?), and their burrito tasted more like a quesadilla to me... way too much cheese. Yuck.
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Decent, but when you have LaBamba next door, you really can't even consider this place. Except that they actually have places to sit at some jankity old picnic tables...
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Orgasmic. Freakin yummiest burrito in my life.. yes it even rivalled the old Chavez in Sunnyvale!
Tortillas- I love how they have spinach, tomato, whole wheat, and another that looks like tomato. Warning though- if you see them about to pick up the last tortilla in a package, DON'T TAKE IT. Ask for another. The last one in the stack is hard and dry..
Beans- They actually have black beans =) Nothing too specatucular about them, but they have pretty good uncanned flavor. They also have pinto and refried beans of course.
Rice- BROWN RICE! I normally get half spanish rice and half brown rice without a problem. They also have white rice which is unique for a Mexican food joint.
I'm vegetarian so I get the chico rice and beans (plus guacamole and corn) ad that fills me up just great.
So pretty much they have a ton of condiments (guacamole, tomatoes, 2 kind of cheese, corn, cilantro, OLIVES, onions...)
My friends have said the meat is good. Juicy and flavored just right.
*Watch out for this one woman working there though.. she doesn't wrap the burritoes correctly at the end so it gets sloppy and doesn't look right*
Everything together is super fresh, juicy, tasty and cheap =)
So good I came here something like 18 times in 3 weeks and now am a bit sick of it haha.. you won't regret this trip =)
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What a kick ass taqueria. So simple and so good.
Yes, you will have to walk through a small little market to a narrow "back room". When you get there you will know you have discovered a real gem of a place.
I went with the carne asada tacos (even though they seem to have won year after year awards for the best burrito in town - I'm a taco guy).
After they throw your meat on the taco/burrito you get to walk down this great line-up of goodness. From beans and cheese, to guacamole and sour cream, 4 salsa's, jalapeno's and more!
My tacos were da shit and whenever I am back in the area and craving mexican this is where I will head.
The burrito's they make looked bomb! All three other people in my group got burrito's and they loved them. They have a super burrito that looks like a subway sandwich on steroids except that instead of 80% bread and 10% goodies you get 99% goodness and 1% tortilla
A few notes:
-No seating
-A basic command Spanish wont hurt
-You can also buy a pinata before you check out!
Line up in the back of the store. Choose your meat, beans and rice. I'm picky, so I love that they make it right there in front of you. The carne asada is all I ever get, although I'm tempted by the pollo abadobo. I like the variety in fillings and especially the corn. Friendly and cheap, I am addicted forever....
Like Huey K and Esther T say, this place is HOT!
Literally and figuratively.
Need a great place to go and get a GREAT burrito, come here and if you want some Mexican desserts and other stuff, shop in the front of La Costena!
Funny that I'm the 100th review on this on too... as part of my
"why the hell haven't I written my review yet" tour.
Parking is going to be a bear, be prepared to walk!
Ode to LaCo:
It's been nearly 6 years since I was a "regular" at La Costena, though upon every arrival nearby airports LaCo** is the stop I make before I even get back home.
Your Mountain View Special (I've had about 89345987 of these) has seen me through teenage angst, water polo tournaments, and has welcomed me back with that same taste as I transitioned from college to a working professional.
BEST BURRITO ever. Ever. Ever. If you have not had a Mountain View special, you have not lived.
**I give credit to the Los Altos boys who coined the pet name LaCo**
I guess I don't like this place as much as most people did. The place has good food, but the parking situation still brings nightmares, and the seating situation doesn't help. And the lines during lunch hour can be intimidating at times.
Los mejores burritos que he probado, no tienen madre! Super-recomendables: El regular burrito con frijoles y puerco, o el de mole, como si fueran del meritito Moyahua Zacatecas!
The best burritos I've had! Really authentic mole and puerco en salsa verde!
The burritos hereare delicious. Its fantastic how fast they make the burritos so fast. I was out in 4 minutes it was great.
FAIL beans/rice to meat ratio.
I've been here many times... and I can't figure out why I don't just go to La Bamba... but lets talk about Costena for now...
You walk into Costena... crack some jokes about the fact that the market looks like a sketch-town operation of some sort... notice they seem to have accumulated 20 more pinatas since the last time you were there and maybe another shelf of overpriced random groceries.. then head to the burrito counter.
Get to the burrito counter and decide which bucket of meat looks edible enough for you to want in your burrito that day. Usually at least 1-2 things look at least acceptable for consumption, and often there is at least 1 thing that looks really good. Now you get to decide whether you'd like a burrito the size of your leg, arm or wrist.. I usually go with the arm. great, tell the person what you want and they put it in your burrito.. pretty straightforward right? well.. not really. if you're really lucky your burrito will be amazing that day. more likely it will just be good. unlucky? you'll get a beans and rice burrito seasoned with some meat. If I were a gambling man, I'd put about equal odds on getting Amazing and RiceBowl burritos.. maybe 4:1. Then you've got about 50% chance of getting a satisfactory burrito. The odds get worse if you decide to tell them to put some weird stuff in there... don't do that.
Don't get me wrong... people like this place, but maybe they don't mind eating beans/rice out of half of the burrito and everything else out of the other half. Costena probably makes a killer beans and rice burrito!!
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I've been eating at La Costena since Summer 2004, back when I was doing an internship at a small startup. I get excited every time I decide to eat here, even though I know how bad the food is for me.
Nevertheless, I often will go with the Mountain View special with carne asada, holding the sour cream. I have to knock a star off since they no longer have indoor seating. This prevents me from inviting others to come eat with me, and as a result, I eat here less often.
I miss this restaurant so much! This are the best burritos in California. I have lived in various cities in the state and although I live in San Diego now, I have not found food like La Costena's. I suggest you try anything here. By the way, they make the biggest burrito I have seen. I wish I could find this restaurant wherever I go. Never get tired of it.
I basically used to live here in high school. My health suffered as consequence but it seemed worth it at the time.
Anyway, this was a great spot to get a burrito, with my personal favorite being the carne asada with all the fixings. Pollo borracho (chicken stewed in beer, translates literally to 'drunk chicken') and carnitas are also good choices.
For those of you with huge appetites or a similar disregard for their health as I had back in the day, go for the enormous super burrito. It's probably about 1.75x the normal burrito which is NOT small to begin with. In an eating contest with some friends I downed one of these and 12 Krispy Kreme donuts (just down the street). I don't recommend doing this if you care about physical well being.
After high school this place became a good spot to meet up, grab lunch, and catch up with old friends. I have to admit that I think the quality has trailed off a bit (I guess when you win Mountain View's best burrito 8 times in a row you get complacent) but not enough for me to drop it to down 4 stars.
Final note: Not all burrito makers are created equal so give this place a second chance if you think it's truly over hyped after a mediocre experience.
This Mexicans opinion 5 stars. I grew up with burritos, pico de gallo, pico de EVERYTHING.
Since moving up from LA, land of cheap GREAT Mexican food, to the bay I have yet to find a place that could fill my south of the border craving.
Until Now. Great place, quick service, and HUGE portion just like abuelita use to make. :) If you are in Mountain View or have a craving head to La Costena.
Order the chiconcoac regular burrito with white rice, refried beans, the green salsa, crumbly white cheese and guacamole. Wash it all down with a Mexican Coca Cola.
Heaven for less than $10.
Pros: large portions (chico burrito)
I learned a lot from my "familia yucateca," including where to find good Mexican food. I was *so excited* to discover this establishment. tucked away next to (inside of) a convenient store that sells Mexican specialty items, La Costena looked quite promising. They even had black beans!
but where the convenience and quaint location took me back to Mexico, the taste of my burrito quickly kicked me right back to the US.
Americanized Mexican food, folks. The walls are covered with awards, but none of them are recent, so maybe it's gone downhill recently (?)
For a place called "La Costea" i didn't see much that a beach-dweller would like to eat.
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This place rules. The ability to go down an assembly line type burrito building process and to only get exactly what you want is pretty key. My standby is rice/beans with guac and corn. Granted, this is an incredibly easy thing to make and not indicative of a lot of variety, but being able to get this for I believe $3.99 and watching it made start to finish is pretty cool. Also, they have really yummy rice which is pretty sweet.
The fact that this place holds a guiness world record for burrito size and has a giant portrait of like 5 of their workers standing in a row holding the burrito helps with the ambiance too.
A page from my diary dated 3/15/2008.
Dear diary, I am going to log my events today because I feel like today will be special.
9:30am - Not feeling too bad this morning. Off to Peet's for the usual.
10:45am - Going to need fuel for the ride later. That cute chick that tried to show me up is going to be there. La Costena breakfast burrito should do the trick with no adverse side effects what so ever.
12:30pm - Feeling a little sluggish still, going to get myself a red bull before the ride for that little extra boost. Need to show off and look super cool for that chick.
1:30pm - Started ride. She's here, I am feeling great, here we go.
4:30pm - Having learned the effects of caffeine mixed with greasy Mexican food during a long mountain bike ride I am disappointed to say that my guests for the evening will be NetFlix and Pepto Bismol. Not the trail hottie.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely.
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I used to love La Costena, but I think that it has gone downhill recently. I once did a taste test side by side with La Bamba down the strip mall, and La Bamba won hands down.
Burritos here are a bit overprices because I like to have everything on mine. They charge here for extras and when you put all the extras on a burrito the burrito is HUGE (way to big to eat in one sitting).
I like the fact that I can also shop here at the market for jumbo bottles of hot sauce.
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I used to swear by this place for a good burrito and practically lived there every other week. However recently when I went to order I noticed some insect friends running around where they rolled the burritos up and after I saw that I said fuck it no more.
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La Costena was one of the first burrito places I visited when I moved to the bay area. I was impressed back then, but decided to give it another visit recently. Since I have visited many other bay area taquerias since then, the bar has been raised, and it does not compare as well as before.
La Costena still has a quaint "dive-iness" that I appreciate, but the food and price were just OK. Like La Bamba next door, parking can be almost impossible.
On my recent visit I ordered the regular chicken mole burrito and received a decent (not huge) sized burrito filled with meat, beans, and rice. Plus I paid extra for guacamole. Total cost was a bit higher than I'm used to but OK considering the extra guac. But it does not include complimentary chips, a big minus in my book.
One minor annoyance - When I asked for water to drink, this seemed to cause some confusion and I was initially told I would have to buy bottled water. After further negotiation I was able to get some tap water.
The burrito itself was OK. Nothing special. The tortilla was a little stiff, and the chicken mole was pretty unexciting. I should go back and visit La Costena one more time, but with so many other better places nearby, I really don't want to.
And what's with the big banner saying they were "Voted Best Burrito in Mtn View" last year? Voted by who? Did they only ask people on crack? Nobody I know thinks this place even comes close to La Bamba, or Los Altos across the street (or Tres Portrillos, or Garcias, or Las Muchachas, or Los Charros...)
True story: Recently La Bamba was closed due to remodeling, and I was standing there by the front door, trying to figure out where to go next. This group of four got out of their car, saw the CLOSED sign and one of them said "I am NOT going to that F***ing La Costena!" The others agreed, and they all got back into the car.
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I love this place because you can have everything your way. I love the veggie burrito because it contains something other than rice and beans. They actually grill/ fry/ whatever a bunch of peppers and onions and add it to whatever else you decide you want in your burrito. I also love that you can choose three different sizes although I have to admit I can only ever finish a chico. The lines can get long, but it's worth the wait.
The burritos are good, but overpriced if you make a custom burrito. Each item adds on .50 (or whatever it is) It's been awhile since I've gone. Burritos are not as good as LaBamba.
Stroll around the corner to La Bamba and compare for yourself.
Over-hyped! Bland cold burrito.
Waited for ever and the thing was cold inside.
Meat was just some steak cooked with no flavor.
Seems very dirty and unkept.
Gringo style place where you point and choose.
Very disappointed.
Being next to 2 other awsome places I wouldn't bother stopping here.
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I have no idea how this joint won best burrito.
First of all, you have to pay for any "extra" ingredients which are usually included at most other places...cheese?! Seriously, you're charging me for cheese?!
I walked out of there with an $8 burrito and got home to discover that it was VERY mediocre. Poo poo on your "Best Burrito" award, I say...go to the bright yellow place next door... "Taqueria La Bamba"
Edited to add:
They didn't grill SH*T to order...they DID scoop it out of the premade stuff in the metal steam tray thing...there are enough cheap taquerias in this area that you don't need to go here and pay almost $10 for a crappy burrito.
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The first thing I do when waiting in La Costena's burrito line is to read through the menu's various options. I really don't know why I do that... because I always order the same thing. Possibly to distract myself and/or avoid eye contact with other burrito feeny customers?
My order = Regular sized carne asada burrito with black beans, guacamole, sour cream, largely sliced jalapenos, corn, onions, cilantro, finely chopped jalapenos, and extra spicy salsa. This is actually the order in which they organize these fillings. Every cell in my body yearns for this as I write.
I fell in love with La Costena in high school, and haven't had the courage to love any other burrito joint as much as I love this one. Why? Because every single time I come here, the staff is EXTREMELY accommodating in personalizing my order. They are always cordial and friendly. They stuff my burrito and strain the unfortunate tortilla with fillings beyond capacity. They wrap my bulging brick of delicious in both paper and foil so that it won't create unflattering drippy accidents (this is not Carl's Jr. my friend). AAAND, La Costena's market (supposedly it's known for its market? whaaat?) offers a vast selection of drinks, Mexican groceries, baked goods, treats, PINATAS, benches on the weekdays for you to eat your meal on, and my favorite.. MEXICAN CANDY. I grew up in somewhat non-ethnic (except for me!) boonie hills, but something about chili encrusted mango lollipops remind me of my childhood. Oh the nostalgia...
But I digress. La Costena was voted 'the best burrito in Mountain View (I think MV.. maybe a vaster chunk of land.. I should have paid more attention to the awards on the wall instead of the menu)' for many consecutive years. There's a reason for that.
ALSO. Cool factor. Did you know that La Costena is in the Guinness Book of World Records for creating the largest burrito in the world? http://www.costena.com...
The only cons I can think of include the weekday lunch rush (forget speed dating! if you're into Silicon Valley tech nerds they're all lined up here M-F around noon), and the fact that the burrito, depending on what you stuff in it, can be kind of cold or at room temperature. A cold La Costena burrito is still better than other burritos. Werrd.
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What else is there to say about a place where the "small" burrito is bigger than most restaurant's large size? I actually had the regular size, and it was gigantic, bigger than the "extra large" or "jumbo" burritos you get at the places I go in Santa Rosa. They make your burrito the way Subway makes your deli sandwich, starting with the beans and rice and then moving on to the meats, veggies and salsa. You get to choose the ingredients and the quantity as well. If you want lots of beans and just a little scoop of rice, no problem. This is the first place I've found that gives the customer the ability to customize their burrito.
It's a nice idea--I wish we had a place in Sonoma County that did this.
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Love it here! Used to come here when I was at my old job, because it was just down the street. Luckily, my new job is about the same distance and if I didn't get free lunches from them, I'd be here so much more! Anyway, it's a little market/taqueria. Best burritos ever. They come in 3 sizes. I usually get the smallest one (chico) because it fills me up. They have different selections of everything. Different kinds of beans, different meats, different add on's. They also grill the meat you choose on the spot. The only bad thing I have to say about the place is they charge you for extras.
If you are a serious control freak, this is this place for you. Choice of size (chico, regular, or super), beans (pintos, negros, refritos), meat (too many to list), and toppings (WAY too many to list). It's up to you to design the perfect burrito, but if you are going to get it anywhere, it just may be here. With everything grilled to order, you get a very fresh flavor.
My major issues with the place is the way they nickel and dime you on the toppings -- they can add up very quickly -- and the lack of interior seating (a recent innovation, courtesy of the city of mountain view).
Check out the famous Costena. I think you will like it.
This place makes really good burritos. I like being able to pick what I want inside instead of buying a premade burrito. I have spent a lot of time in Mexico so I enjoy browsing the little convenience shop while I wait for co-workers to finish eating. I will have to give them three to four stars because the parking sucks, the lunch lines can some times be 20+ people deep and the ordering area gets congested really quick so you have to fight your way back through the line to get out. Other than that their burritos are excellent.
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I decided to stop in here after hearing about their to die for burritos all my life. I was tempted to go next door because my bf who works in the area swears by La Bamba, but I had always been curious about this place. Walking into the burrito line I was overwhelmed by the huge selection and even though there was no one else in the place I felt like I couldn't linger over the menu because the staff was just standing on the other side waiting for me to order. I decided on the super carnitas burrito. I didn't realize it was a double burrito- something I never even imagined since reg burritos are always so huge. The burrito maker slapped two slightly overlapping tortillas on a plate and piled the fillings on. The thing was f***ing gargantuan when they finished!! I took the monstrosity to my bf's work so we could split it and when he didn't recognize the bag he asked me where I went. When I told him he got this questioning heart wrenching look on his face and said, "But why? La Bamba is soo deeelicious?!" I ignored him and chomped into my half burrito. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. The beans and rice were blando and didn't have the rich homey taste that I look for. Beans and rice can make or break a place for me. The carnitas was soggy and flavorless. Every gd local burrito list for decades has had this place on it and this is what all the hoopla was about?! Maybe I went to the other other burrito joint on this little strip; I have always heard about how hard this place was to find. I might venture back and try it again sometime but I doubt it. Even accounting for my high expectations due to the near mythical status this place had in the minds of my family members, the burrito should have been tasty even if it wasn't the best burrito ever. Dreams Crushed. Boo-urns!
