Robyn’s Breakfast Burrito Ratings

About a year ago I had my very first breakfast burrito.  I was not impressed.  I ordered it from a vendor at Albuquerque’s annual International Balloon Fiesta.  I honestly don’t even remember the name that hung over the booth.  The burrito itself was uninspiring.  It consisted of mostly potatoes with tiny little bits of bacon and even tinier bits of egg.  It had a very thick, chalk like texture and unfortunately tasted like cardboard.  I knew that breakfast burritos had to taste better than this or they wouldn’t be so popular, so I ventured out into the city to discover the best ones: a sacrifice that had to be made! (I'm so glad that I'm not allergic to eggs and potatoes any more.  Now I know what I was missing.) Here is my list in order of yumminess according to me:

1.       Garcia’s

Smothered with green chile and served
 with beans and potatoes

This breakfast burrito is huge!  I order mine with sausage, green chile and no cheese.  It includes eggs and huge wedges of fried potatoes and served with the chile smothered over the entire thing.  This may be a heart attack waiting to happen, but at least you would die happy!  Usually the meat ratio is significantly higher than the other ingredients.  This is good because the sausage adds a sweetness to the overall spiciness of the burrito.  The chile is excellent – just enough flavor, but not so hot you can’t enjoy it.  The best part: it’s wrapped in a delicious, thick, bready tortilla that is absolutely irresistible.  I try not to eat too much bread, but I can’t say no to these tortillas.

2.       The Frontier

Knife and fork burrito with
 green chile inside

This breakfast burrito is a normal size.  I have ordered both sausage and bacon and I think the bacon has a better flavor.  The sausage can sometimes be too spicy, but the bacon adds just enough saltiness that it brings out the other flavors in the burrito.  The meat is usually chunky: two entire pieces of bacon or two halves of a sausage patty are placed on top of lots of eggs and shredded hash browns.  The hash browns add a deep salty browned taste.  The green chile is served inside the burrito and can sometimes be too spicy, but it really depends on the day.  Cheese can help tame this fire though.  The best part: the tortilla is always fresh, always moist, and wraps up everything perfectly.

 


No picture of Hello Deli's burrito -
had to eat it fast to keep warm and enjoy
 the balloons.

      3.       Hello Deli!

I tried this breakfast burrito at this year’s balloon fiesta as it was recommended by KOB’s Steve Stucker and balloon fiesta/breakfast burrito aficionado and because he said it only cost $6.00.  That is a really good deaI for food at an event like this. First, I was completely shocked at the size of this burrito.  It was short and fat!  I’m not sure how they fit all that yumminess into a handheld burrito. Thank goodness for foil!  Second, I was completely shocked at the taste of this burrito.  It was completely different than the other burritos I had sampled.  It had eggs, and a lot of potatoes with just enough bacon in it to know it had bacon in it.  The tortilla was thin and not memorable though.  The best part: the overall flavor.  I don’t think it had any chile, but it had a distinct garlic and pepper taste, but it was inviting rather than overwhelming.  This burrito was definitely all about the filling.  If it was this good at balloon fiesta, I can’t wait to eat at the restaurant.

4.       Manny’s

This was another hand held burrito.  My mom and I actually split it.  I was completely full eating only my half.  It had eggs, sausage, potato, and green chile all wrapped in a thin tortilla.  The tortilla wasn’t very flavorful, but it seems like that’s the case with the handheld burritos compared to the smothered knife and fork burritos.  I may need to try this one again.  I’m happy to do more research! 

5.       Weck’s

This burrito is huge!  It took me three meals to finish it!  I ordered this one with eggs, bacon, and green chile.  It is also served with hash browns. The flavor was extremely spicy, very hot, maybe too hot for breakfast.  The hash browns helped calm the fire that burned my tongue, my throat, but it lingered on my lips for at least an hour.  It was a good burrito, but a little too hot for my taste. The best part: it’s size.  

6.       Twister’s

I ordered the #8 with eggs, potatoes, bacon,  smothered with green chile, and no cheese.  Everything in this burrito is diced.  The fried potatoes were little cubes as well as the bacon and eggs.  The texture was a little strange.  The green chile seemed to be more like an enchilada sauce and was smothered over the entire plate.  In fact, it seemed like my burrito was swimming in it.  It had a gelatinous look and texture, but tasted fine, not delicious, just fine.  The tortilla wasn’t memorable either.  The best part: completely filling!

This is a short list compared to all of the restaurants that serve breakfast burritos in Albuquerque.  I’d still like to try Blake’s Lotaburger, Flying Star, and even Sonic.  Do you have any you would like to recommend?