Mexican cuisine is a fiery topic—a constant battle of authentic versus Americanized. So, I tossed all of my previous opinions aside in search of the best burrito in Bel Air.
Within a half-mile of downtown Bel Air, there are four Mexican restaurants: Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, Fiesta Grill, La Tolteca, and Qdoba Mexican Grill. Each has distinct meal choices, but to find a real winner, I just ordered a standard chicken burrito. I was served great flavor, new perspective, and a side of disappointment.
As a first-timer to Fiesta Grill, I was shocked to see a woman carrying an entire fried fish over to a customer. Talk about authentic. Fiesta Grill features an array of homemade Mexican favorites, but this was all about the burrito. For $6.95, I got their chicken burrito which included a side of beans and rice. Of the four burritos that I ate, the Fiesta Grill burrito was the most expensive. It also didn’t help to wait for ten minutes for my meal, but boy, was it worth it! Packed with peppers, onions, chicken, and rice, the burrito had a hint of smoky chipotle flavor. There was an added bonus too—a secret cream sauce. It still remains a mystery.
There was no mystery at Qdoba. I saw the employee carefully craft my burrito in front of my eyes. Qdoba wins the award for quickest burrito on my list. I was in and out of Qdoba in less than five minutes. Plus, at only $3.07, the chicken burrito at Qdoba was the cheapest burrito that I ate all day. To my surprise, I went on half-price Tuesday and scored a great deal. But did I score a good chicken burrito? Not really. For three dollars, I got more rice than anything. I guess you could have called it a rice burrito. It was hard to eat with my hands, and I ended up trading in for silverware. I got what I paid for.
When I hit La Tolteca on my burrito rounds, I was once again surprised to see the bill. For $3.50, I got a burrito with chips, salsa, and the La Tolteca cream sauce. Smothered in cheese and salsa, the burrito at La Tolteca was the hardest burrito to eat—a silverware-only dish. Although the chicken was a little dry, the salsa on the burrito made up for it. Overall, the burrito had a clean, fresh flavor. It’s a real deal
Finally, I headed to Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, a major disappointment. I thought the meat was dry until I tasted the rice. I expected more from a $6.69 burrito. And to my surprise, there was something hard in my burrito. Was it char from the chicken? I did like the nice smoky flavor, but then again, it could have just been the char.
If you’re willing to wait, I would definitely seek out Fiesta Grill. It had the best burrito of the bunch, and I will definitely be returning. La Tolteca’s muddled meal came in a close second. It was followed by Qdoba, and to no one’s surprise, the char that I got from Baja Fresh came in last. Since when is char considered fresh?
Joey Hoff can be reached for comment at [email protected].