Lavalle 441 (between San Martin & Reconquista), Buenos Aires City Center

[Open from 8.30am to 11pm, delivery available by calling 4328 3057]

Burritos in Buenos Aires?

I had to do a double take when I first saw Saltshaker’s blog post, Wrap it Up! In a tortilla please, proclaiming the existence of a new burrito restaurant in Buenos Aires. Yes, that’s right, Buenos Aires - the city that spicy food forgot. The California Burrito Co, CBC for short, had apparently come to spice up the lives of us expats in BA - literally, not metaphorically, of course. I immediately knew I had to check this place out.

As a quick aside, for those of you who don’t know Saltshaker, he writes a food-themed blog with excellent, regular reviews of restaurants in Buenos Aires, in addition to recipes (he is also a chef by trade - with his own ‘closed doors’ restaurant called Casa Saltshaker) and his thoughts on life in BA. He really knows his stuff when it comes to food and, from my experience up to now, a Saltshaker thumbs-up for a restaurant means you are in for an excellent meal.

In addition to Saltshaker’s endorsement, a few Yanqui expat friends of mine then began to rave about CBC, and I was getting bored of the usual Argentine menu suspects, so I got myself down to the city center for some Mexican / Tex-Mex / Cal-Mex / whatever you call it fast food.

Yes, that’s right, Burritos in Buenos Aires

The restaurant is very clean, sleek and modern looking, and based on the pedestrian street of Lavalle in the ‘bajo’ (low, sloping down to the river) area of Buenos Aires City Center. The set-up is as follows: you mosey on in up to the counter and order your choice of either a California burrito, a fajita burrito (has peppers & onions instead of beans), a veggie burrito, or 2 tacos. Then you proceed to select your meat (grilled steak, grilled chicken, beef strips or braised pork) if not going veggie; decide on your extras from a list of rice, beans, cheese, salads, sour cream and guacamole; and finally your sauce, including the spicy rojo, and the even spicier fuego, in addition to some tamer offerings.

It’s all put together in front of your hungry eyes, wrapped up in foil and chucked into a basket. Pay the man (a very respectable 12 pesos, including a soda or mineral water), and you’re off to your table to wolf it down with you bare hands, making a lot of lovely juicy mess in the process (my only gripe with CBC is that they didn’t give me enough napkins first time round and I was too hungry to go back to the counter and ask for more!).

Yes indeed, I just ate a Burrito. In Buenos Aires!

I had the California Burrito, with chicken, rice, all the extras that would fit, and the spicy rojo sauce. I decided to pass on the ‘fuego’ for now, because it has been a long time without much spicy food for me in Buenos Aires, so I decided to ease myself back in gently ;). Here’s a picture I finally remembered to take when I was almost finished (I was very hungry!) - these burritos are HUGE, I was about 70% of the way through here…

It was tasty, very tasty, and filling, plus the sauce was fairly spicy, though next time I will definitely trade up to the ‘fuego’. I was in straight-cut mode and so opted for a cooling mineral water, though next time I will pay a little extra to indulge in a Negra Modelo or Corona beer (or three), especially if I go in ‘Happy Hour’ (from 4pm to 8pm) when a bottle Corona costs just 4 pesos, Negra Modelo 5 pesos, and Margaritas (9 pesos) are two-for-one.

Just like Burritos in the US, only in Buenos Aires. Honestly!

According to my American expat friends, California Burrito Co is a little bit like Chipotle in the US, which apparently is a good thing, and the two, they say, are on a par in the quality stakes.

The staff (see right) in CBC are also very friendly, a mix of the American owners and Argentine staff, and they do an excellent job of packaging up your burrito in front of you, advising you on what extras they have, and I am sure, for visitors to Buenos Aires, that there would always be an English speaker on hand to help out if you are feeling a little lost trying to order.

They are famous too! The Associated Press covered the three American CBC owners in a feature earlier this year, entitled ‘Foreign Entrepreneurs Spice Up Argentina’, which is worth a quick read, and also profiles some other expats making their way into the Argentine world of business.

Oh, and CBC also do salads. But I would never let that kind of thing get in the way of a Burrito ;).

California Burrito Co - CBC: The Verdict

• Service: (4/5) Really friendly and helpful staff, and quick to boot, but as it is counter service I can’t give it full marks, by default.
• Food: (4/5) Delicious burrito. The best ‘fast food’ I have had in a long time, and fresh ingredients to boot.
• Atmosphere: (3/5) When I was there, late on a weeknight evening, it was very quiet. But I’m told that it is buzzing at lunchtime, and I would like to check out the happy hour.
• Value: (4/5) At 12 pesos for a very generously sized burrito and a drink, it is certainly great bang for your buck…or should I say, pop for your peso?

Buenos Aires Travel Guide Special Tip

If you are visiting Buenos Aires for longer than a few days, two things are likely to happen. Number 1 - after all those slap-up steak dinners, you will feel the urge for some fast food like from back home. Don’t be ashamed, it’s only natural. Number 2 - you will walk down the busy pedestrian Florida shopping street at some point in your stay.

IF these two things happen to occur together, don’t give in to the many branches of McDonalds or Burger King that you see along Florida - instead go a fair few rungs up the food ladder by turning off Florida onto the other pedestrian street, Lavalle, and walking down the numbers a couple of blocks until you get to CBC. You will not be disappointed.