The other San Diego burrito: a flour tortilla rolled tight around carne asada, pico de gallo and guacamole. No fries; sometimes a smear of beans. The straight-up Tijuana original that came before the California version.
The carne asada burrito predates the California burrito by decades, dating to working-class kitchens in northern Mexico and crossing the border via the same Tijuana-and-San-Diego corridor that brought the fish taco and adobada. Border-shop kitchens like Aibert's, Roberto's and Lolita's served carne asada burritos through the 1960s and 70s before the fries innovation arrived. The dish remains the simpler, purer plate; surfers and skaters in Pacific Beach kept it in rotation as the California burrito's older cousin.
5 editor picks for Carne asada burrito in San Diego, ranked by editorial score. All San Diego signature dishes · Carne asada burrito across every city.
Tacos El Gordo ★ 4.7
chula-vista · 689 H St, Chula Vista, CA 91910
Tacos El Gordo in Chula Vista is the Tijuana-style trompo taqueria on H Street and Broadway, with the city's canonical adobada al pastor sliced fresh from the vertical rotisserie.
Salud Tacos ★ 4.4
barrio-logan · 2196 Logan Ave, San Diego, CA 92113
Salud Tacos in San Diego is Ernie Becerra's Barrio Logan Chicano-style taqueria on Logan Avenue near Chicano Park, with murals on the walls and a counter built around the carne asada plancha.
Lolita's Mexican Food ★ 4.3
clairemont · 7305 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, Ste A, San Diego, CA 92111
Lolita's Mexican Food in San Diego is the Clairemont Mesa Boulevard Chicano taqueria chain founded by the Lolita Garcia family, the originator of carne asada fries in the late 1990s.
El Comal ★ 4.2
north-park · 3946 Illinois St, San Diego, CA 92104
El Comal in San Diego is the North Park family-owned Mexican kitchen on Illinois Street, a longstanding interior-Mexican counter known for carnitas, chilaquiles and Sunday mole.
Lucha Libre Gourmet Taco Shop ★ 4.2
mission-hills · 1810 W Washington St, San Diego, CA 92103
Lucha Libre Gourmet Taco Shop in San Diego is the Mission Hills Mexican-wrestling-themed taqueria on Washington Street, the Diners Drive-Ins and Dives stop with masked-luchador decor.