National Burrito Day 2023: The Best Burritos Ever, According To Mashed Staff

April 6 heralds the annual National Burrito Day: a glorious excuse to celebrate the wild, varied, and outright gut-busting meal that is the burrito. This ubiquitous dish likely originated from Sonora (a northern state in Mexico), where street vendors sold the rolled-up meal in baskets attached to donkeys ("burro" in Spanish). But, by the 1930's the dish made its way to Los Angeles where the tortilla, used to wrap the filling, grew in size — as do most things that come to America. And so, the modern burrito was born, which is now considered a true Mexican-American hybrid. 

From its humble beginnings, the burrito has certainly grown into a worldwide phenomenon. There are a plethora of iterations including a giant burrito that takes eight tortillas to make, or a wet one that essentially combines the compactness of a burrito and the messy fun that is everything enchilada. However, we here at Mashed have taken time out from our busy scribblings to jot down some of our favorite burritos worth celebrating on National Burrito Day. 

Sometimes you want a burrito that's stuffed to the brim with a colorful array of fresh ingredients, or one that's a meat-lovers paradise and chock-full of steak or ground beef. But, we're not here to talk about those burritos. We're here to talk about the Taco Bell Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito. Not only is it a meatless item (something most fast food places don't offer much of), it's a vegetarian option that tastes just as indulgent and fun as the rest of the items on Taco Bell's menu. 

The soft flour tortilla is filled with refried beans, seasoned rice, hot and gooey nacho cheese sauce, and a spicy creamy jalapeño sauce that gives it a little kick. Anyone who thinks of vegetarian dining as rabbit food would think again after a bite of this cheesy burrito, and considering that it clocks in at 420 calories for just $1 in many locations, it's a great value.

Every good southerner knows Whataburger breakfast taquitos are the best fast-food burritos of all time. Don't be fooled by its name, these large and hearty taquitos are nothing like the frozen, store-bought dupes. 

Rolled up in a charred flour tortilla, Whataburger's breakfast taquitos are filled with fluffy scrambled eggs, gooey, shredded American cheese, and a cowboy's choice of crispy bacon, meaty sausage, or crunchy hash browns. Although you may be tempted to opt for the chain's classic honey butter chicken biscuit, these taquitos are worth the risk. Next time you need a burrito before noon (hey, it happens) Whataburger is the place to be. Don't forget picante!

While I've had a variety of homemade burritos, food truck burritos, and gas station burritos, up until recently the only fast-food burritos I've ever had came from Taco Bell. All that changed the day they opened up a Taco John's in my area, since, of course, I had to go check it out. 

As a result, I now have a new favorite: the Nacho Crunch Chicken Burrito. It has just about everything I want in a burrito — it's small, rice-free, cheesy, and cheap (value menu, baby!) and I love the chipotle/lime sauce. However, even though this burrito lacks any discernible crunch, I know I'll be ordering it again.

Chipotle consistently satisfies my intense Mexican food cravings. When I desperately need a burrito, I know Chipotle has my back. But, after being burned one too many times with overstuffed burritos, I now order veggie burritos, and I'm never looking back. A veggie burrito from Chipotle filled with pinto beans, white cilantro rice, fajita veggies, spicy salsa, cheese, guac, and sour cream never disappoints. 

It's all about the guacamole to me anyway, and mixed with rice and beans is my idea of perfection. Plus, it's cheaper than any meat burrito, AND the guacamole is included in the price — a huge win. Trust me; you won't miss the meat on this one!

District Taco is a DC-area chain that is in some ways similar to Chipotle. Like Chipotle, just about anything on the menu can be customized. When you build a burrito, you start by choosing your protein, then you decide which other fillings and salsas you want added. I like that you can go full-on wholesome or a little more decadent.

I usually opt for guacamole as my protein for a vegetarian burrito. My fillings include black beans, garlic-lime rice, grilled veggies, cheese, potatoes, pico de gallo, fresh cilantro leaves, corn, and lots of hot sauce on the side! It's perfect when I need to grab a quick meal that is both tasty and filling. Yum!

While the hand-held version would be more convenient at times, I prefer to drink those calories and forego the tortilla when I order a burrito from my favorite quick-serve restaurant, Chipotle. A burrito bowl has all the yummy toppings as a traditional burrito without the carb-loaded wrapper and occasionally a few pieces of lettuce. Chipotle's chicken burrito bowls are protein-packed hefty meals, which usually feed me for two days. 

When I order one, I get brown rice, black beans, sautéed veggies, mild salsa, a splash of hot, and guacamole; yes, I'll pay the extra $2.70.The chicken is made from dark meat thighs and is tender and juicy, not dry. The mild salsa is fresh with lots of chopped cilantro and minimal onions, which I prefer. Their homemade guacamole is surprisingly good for a QSR, especially on their lime-flavored tortilla chips. The meal is a perfect complement to Chipotle's sour margaritas.

So...my top rec would be from a local Philly-area chain called El Limón. They have a great carnitas burrito that is full of flavorful pulled pork, refried pinto beans, white rice, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes —all the usual goodness— plus your choice of sauce: tomatillo, mole, or chipotle. I'm partial to the tomatillo but you can't go wrong. 

Guac is an upcharge, but it's worth it. Especially since with the size of the burrito, you can even squeeze two complete meals out of it so it's a great deal. The chorizo version is probably my second choice, but they have a range of solid options from chicken tinga to shrimp to vegetarian.