About Time You Tried: London’s Best Veggie BurritosBy Alicia Grimshaw
Burritos, burritos, burritos. A classic Tex-Mex dish – a flour tortilla filled to the brim with rice, a range of different dips and spice. There’s a burrito for everybody. In celebration of National Vegetarian Week, we’ve eaten our way round London to bring you the best burritos this city has to offer – you won’t be disappointed:
1. For the Vegan Burrito: Club Mexicana
Order: BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Burrito
Why: Vegan food street food stall Club Mexicana whip up some seriously mean Mexican grub, full of flavour, spice and all the veggie loving you might need. If you think vegetarian and vegan food is bland and boring (it’s not all about stuffed peppers, lentils and chickpeas), you’ve been going to the wrong places. Club Mexicana create innovative Mexican food with a vegetables such as jackfruit dubbed the new ‘pulled pork’ (we didn’t know what it was either) – a green, ugly fruit grown in South-West India, we don’t know how they cook it – what we do know is that it tastes delicious. They have a forever changing menu and regularly have daily specials including beer marinated seitan burritos and sweet potato and smokey black bean tacos.
Where: Street Feast at Dalston Yard and at Kerb street food markets at King’s Cross, Spitalfields and The Gherkin.
2. For the Homemade Burrito: Daddy Donkey
Order: Vegetarian Daddy D – Coriander-lime rice, black beans, guacamole, choice of salsa, cheese, sour cream and lettuce.
Why: Starting life as a street food stall back in 2005, Daddy Donkey has seen its popularity soar and the chaps finally moved to a permanent shop in 2013. The menu is easy to navigate, with no fancy and quirky food cluttering the menu – instead choose from either tacos, burritos or tostadas. The menu is concise, but it works and each dish is made how you like it, choose your filling and choice of salsa. Daddy Donkey operates like a well oiled machine, there’s no messing about, the staff are friendly and the burritos are packed full of filling. Come lunchtime, the place is heaving. Prepare for a wait, trust us when we say, it’s one of the best burritos in the area.
Where: 50b Leather Lane, London, EC1N 7TP
3. For the Big Burrito: DF/ MEXICO
Order: Roasted Vegetable Burrito – Roasted vegetables, feta, habanero and pumpkin seed mayo with red rice, slaw and black beans.
Why: DF / Mexico, is a modern Mexican diner from the team behind Wahaca. They create Mexican dishes with an American influence, such as their NYC tortas, a traditional Mexican sandwich served burger style – it’s the one. Instead of the tradition cheese option that many restaurants favour, DF / Mexico have opted for feta in their burrito, it’s bold, but pair it with the habanero and pumpkin seed mayo and you’re onto a winner. If you feel a standard size burrito doesn’t cut it, upgrade to their bad boy burrito – bigger size and tortilla chips on the side, come hungry. Wash it all down with their unlimited juicy water selection of hibiscus, horchata or lime and chia. Don’t go home without ordering one of their frozen margaritas.
Where: Old Truman Brewery,91 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL
4. For the Fancy Burrito: Lupita
Order: Vegetarian Burrito – Roasted seasonal vegetables, Mexican rice with peas and carrots, refried beans, lettuce, fresh pico de gallo, guacamole, crème fraîche and cheese.
Why: Opened in 2010, Lupita now operates out of two restaurants; one near Charing Cross and the East London eatery can be found in Shoreditch. If you prefer to eat your burrito in a restaurant, rather than at your office desk – head down to Lupita for cool decor, killer cocktails and dreamy churros. Their menu is large and includes a wide variety of Mexican dishes such as; quesadillas, ceviches and guacamolito – a fancy word for nachos. Their burritos are flavoursome, healthy and downright sensational. If burritos aren’t your bag, try their ensalada de nopalitos – diced cactus mixed with tomatoes, onions and coriander.
Where: 13 – 15 Villers Street, London WC2N 6ND and 60 – 62 Commercial Street London E1 6LT
5. For the Authentic Burrito: Comensal
Order: Veggie Burrito De Sonora – Guacamole, lettuce, black beans, Mexican cheese, chipotle mayo and fresh cream.
Why: Authentic Mexican street food in the heart of Clapham, Comensal uses fresh, seasonal ingredients to create delicious sharing plates, enchiladas and ‘that’ guacamole – it really is worthy of the hype. Although the menu might not all be veggie friendly, their burrito with chipotle mayo and black beans is insanely good and you get to choose your level of spiciness – like Nandos, but way better. Their bar boasts a wide selection of different Mexican beers and spirits, don’t get us started on their cocktails – they all taste good. Order their tequila sour with Tequila reposado, egg white, lime juice, agave nectar and bitters.
Where: 32 Abbeville Road, Clapham, London SW4 9NG
6. For the Best Value Burrito: Freebird Burritos
Order: Vegetarian Burrito – Guacamole, served with a choice of beans and peppers, salsa, cheese, sour cream and salad.
Why: With so many chain Mexican eateries in London and new Mexican street food stalls popping up across the city, it has now become harder to set yourself apart from the rest. Freebird Burritos has done exactly that, they use fresher ingredients, their portion size is generous and their burritos are great value for money. They pile high on the filling, use plenty of guacamole (no dry burrito here) and can add extra spice if you wish. Although they serve in five different locations across town, they all deliver on great tasting Mexican grub. The service is speedy making Freebird Burritos an ideal lunchtime pit stop.
Where: Locations here
7. For the Street Burrito: Luardos
Order: Vegetarian Burrito – Rice, guacamole, black beans, cheese, tomato salsa, sour cream, lettuce and fresh coriander.
Why: All hail Luardos, a food truck dishing out tasty Mexican burritos, they serve only burritos and they serve them well. They freshly prepare all ingredients daily and prepare their ‘secret’ guacamole recipe – it puts other guacamole to shame. If you spot a retro style green truck at Whitecross market, head for it – you won’t be disappointed with the food. The competition is stiff with decent burgers, pies and thai curries being plated up, for a purse-friendly price and great taste you can’t go wrong with a Luardos burrito. If you think your burrito is going to fall apart, think again – they’ve got the burrito wrapping down to a tee.
Where: Monday – Friday at Whitecross Market. Locations here