El Burrito

I never usually find it important to leave bad reviews. I found this experience warranted one though. I am from Phoenix and we are pretty serious about our Mexican food there. That being said I am in general not horribly picky. This "Mexican" food was a war crime. You can generally tell how good the food will be by the quality of the salsa. This rang too true at El Burrito. With the consistency of ketchup and a similar taste I found myself drinking glass after glass of coke to wash down the flavor (or lack thereof) Next I ordered a cheese crisp. I was curious about the description. "Two flower tortillas with cheese. Served with lettuce and tomatoes". Maybe it is an Arizona quirk but the "crisp" in cheese crisp is literal. We also the dish by it's characteristics. Usually an open faced pizza like item with cheese on top of a large and thin tortilla. What I received was a soggy mission tortilla filled with some sort of cheddar cheese. It was as if a child came home from school and knowing they couldn't use the oven decided to make a quick snack in the microwave. Next was my "Chile Relleno"... Im at a loss as to where I will start. A Chile Relleno is a roasted poblano peppers stuffed with cheese, dipped in a fluffy egg batter and fried until golden brown. The nice manager or waiter or whomever he was asked if if like it with "green chili" I said "why not" and was told it was a "good choice" What I found in front of my human eyes a mere 10 minutes later was A. Not green chili B. Not anything resembling a Chile Relleno C. Not a good choice in any stretch of the imagination It was simply put, a poorly made omelette smothered in some sort of tomato soup with chunks of beef. Beans we're chalky, barely warm, flavorless and didn't even have cheese. Which might have been a blessing seeing as they didn't have anything but Kraft cheddar in the kitchen from what I could tell. Rice was a homogeneous blob, equal parts dry and chewy. The chili con queso was just Velveeta cheese on some more of their chips. The wait staff was nice, I felt bad for them and the whole situation was just depressing. I have never had a worse meal in my life and I regularly eat from 3rd rate food trucks. I have had better meals from hospital cafeterias. I can only imagine the howling of the madmen who produce these concoctions daily as I'm sure it must be the sick joke to them. Anyone calling this good or authentic suffers delusions. They should be shown mercy and be put down like a rabid dog. How anyplace could stay open serving this swill for 62 years is the only indictment of this charming town. I wish I had eaten at any of the many other wonderful restaurants in the immediate area. This was my Vietnam and I will never fully recover. Where is the memorial to honor those who've experienced El Burrito?

I feel so torn about El Burrito. Coming here felt like stepping into the Fort Collins of the past. Hundreds of old pictures of patrons from the 80s lined the walls and a variety of large empty dining rooms had a romantic feel. There was a hominess to it and I was ready to like it. That being said the food was not good. The salsa came to the table warm and smelling of marinara sauce. Super odd. The refried beans were dry and pasty. The chicken was bland. The enchiladas had the strangest taste, like powdered cheese or something? My meal was supposed to come with chili but I let it go because I didn't have much hope. It was a good atmosphere and seems to be quite the local staple, they just haven't changed their recipes since they opened in 1960.

The tortilla chips are the most flavorful thing here. The chips were good, the salsa...tasted like tomato sauce with some peppers. Not a good start. The food was bland. Frankly, you could get more seasoning and flavor from a Taco Bell. The atmosphere was nice, the staff were friendly and the food came very quickly. Maybe for some people that's enough for them to come back, but for me I will not be returning. Overall, uninspired, bland and barely can be labeled as Mexican food.