The Best Burritos Native To California

Thanks to California’s proximity to Mexico, the state has become a haven for burrito lovers — locals have even taken to making Californian versions of traditional favorites! Read on to get to know the best burritos native to California.

California Burrito

The California burrito is typically a simple affair (as opposed to the Mission burrito) and is filled with nothing but meat, cheese and salsa, and the meat is usually carne asada. Other versions make things a bit more American by throwing french fries into the mix, sometimes adding additional ingredients like cilantro, pico de gallo, sour cream, onion, or guacamole and substituting carnitas, chicken, or shrimp for the carne asada.

Mission Burrito

San Diego-Style Carne Asada Burrito

While Californians may not be able to claim complete credit for inventing the carne asada burrito, locals claim that San Diego has certainly perfected it. The carne asada burrito is a delicacy essential to the residents of this beachside SoCal town, featuring a tortilla packed with chunks of carne asada, guacamole and pico de gallo. This dish is designed in contrast to other burrito styles that include rice and beans, which San Diego natives consider merely ‘filler’ ingredients.

Sushi Burrito

While it is difficult to trace the exact origins of the sushi burrito, there are claims that this fusion phenomenon was started in Los Angeles. The sushi burrito is basically a massive, customizable version of a sushi roll, filled with typical sushi ingredients like fish, rice, cucumber, avocado and more, and sometimes wrapped in a flour tortilla in addition to a sheet of seaweed. Instead of slicing the roll into slices, like a typical sushi roll, it is eaten whole with your hands, like a typical burrito. In Los Angeles, the sushi burrito was popularized by the Jogasaki food truck, but in San Francisco, it has taken on a life of its own at Sushirrito.

Kogi Burrito

Throughout Los Angeles, street food has been turning gourmet in recent years. A great example is the extremely popular Kogi food truck, led by Chef Roy Choi, who famously fuses Mexican and Korean foods. One of the most popular items on his menu is the Kogi burrito, filled with options of short rib, spicy pork, chicken or tofu, and topped with chile-soy vinaigrette, sesame oil and lime juice. The burrito has earned wide acclaim in a number of Los Angeles publications in the past few years.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.