Oh, I wish I could say this was a really good burrito. It was a decent burrito.

There is this little chain in London called Tortilla and they have burritos, burritos-in-a-bowl, fajitas and tacos. It’s not bad (I did scarf it all down) but it’s not as great as it could be. The tortilla chips were, surprisingly, amazing considering most English joints like to serve seasoned tortilla chips (kind of like barbecue-flavoured corn chips). These were just plain, salty goodness.

If I had to sum it up, I’d say the overall problem with ordering Mexican food in the UK is that it lacks the spice and kick of real Mexican. Even mild misses the mark. Sometimes the components are just wrong (as in the seasoned tortilla chips mentioned above).

In this instance with my carnitas burrito from Tortilla, the actual tortilla was properly steamed which made it nice and pliable (no stale, broken edges). The carnitas was tender if not a little bland. They didn’t skimp on the sour cream and also offered lettuce (called “salad”), cheese and guac. The rice, on the other hand, was disappointing and usually is. It’s often a little bit undercooked and I don’t know what kind of rice they use but the grains are huge.

I should say: I’ve had worse burritos in California. I should also mention that I wouldn’t expect to march into, say, Moscow moaning about how there isn’t any decent Mexican food there. I know what’s up; this is England. Why would the Mexican food kick ass?

But see what’s on that bag in the picture? mexico > california > london. If you’re gonna be representin’, you gotta do it right.

(left) Soft, pliable tortilla. (right) Too-big-rice and but decent enough carnitas.

If you’re looking for burritos in London:

1. I’d first suggest you wait until you got back home.
2. If you can’t wait, I’d point you in the direction of Benito’s Hat or Tortilla, but only if you can’t wait.
3. If you can’t get to Benito’s Hat or Tortilla, I hear there is a Chipotle in Covent Garden. I haven’t tried it yet, but a lot of non-Americans rave about how “it’s like the amazing burrito they had in New York!” Ha-ha.
4. Lastly, there is Wahaca. Yes, pronouced like Oaxaca, but…yeah. Anyway, this isn’t a burrito joint but is a full-on restaurant that often has a long queue of people waiting to get in. I’ve only been a couple times (all I want is a taqueria!) but the flavours are all right on and I remember liking the margaritas (even though they were kind of small).
5. Someone has already done a load of research on burritos in London on this site, LondonBurrito.com. Wicked! I didn’t even know there were so many burrito places around.
6. Just remember that when we compare one bland burrito joint to another bland burrito joint, we’re just looking for the best bland burrito joint of them all. Which leads me back to point 1 and point 7.
7. You’d be surprised what you learn to live without while living in London.