r/Atlanta • u/Pangolin_cowboy_hats • Sep 02 '26
Food & Drink Recommendations for a California burrito location
I grew up in Southern California and have been bouncing around the US since I was 19 and have now found myself here. Love Atlanta, the food and music scene are really good but I’m craving a California burrito - a carne asada (steak) burrito with thin french fries inside and normally cheese and pico
Does anyone have any suggestions where I can grab one?
I am ITP, but don’t mind driving for food
I’ll also take recommendations for good breakfast burrito places that have red and green sauce and taco shops with pickled carrots
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Sep 02 '26
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u/Petrol_Head72 Sep 02 '26
You, sir, are a god. I tried this evening after reading your recommendation and that place is dangerously good. Hat tip 🎩
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u/Lonely_Strategos Sep 02 '26
Poco loco
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u/New_Accountant_7574 Sep 02 '26
Poco loco is actually the closest I've found to what you're talking about. Their carne asada burrito isn't exactly the same as the San Diego style ones but you can ask them to throw fries in it and they will. The red sauce is decent too, not mind blowing but scratches the itch when you're homesick.
For breakfast burritos go to El Progreso, it's a little grocery store with a counter in the back. Cash only just a heads up. Their green sauce is the real deal and they have the pickled carrots sitting out in jars you can grab yourself.
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u/Bancas Sep 02 '26
Not sure which el progresso you’re talking about but #14 (“prison tacos”) is not cash only.
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u/PhantomJackalope Sep 02 '26
El Taco Veloz: It’s not on the menu but if you order the papas fritas and a carne asada burrito, you can ask them (nicely) to put the fries in the burrito. Be sure to ask for cheese too as it’s not automatically included. It’s best to do this in store rather than the drive-thru.
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u/eurekadabra EAV Sep 02 '26
Don Burrito
I dunno that they’ll have fries like you want, but they’re excellent. 2 buildings at State Farmers Market by airport. One is a bigger, nicer restaurant. I always go to smaller one (#2 I think) where they assemble most of the food in front of you. Breakfast is cook to order and is excellent, smoothies too.
Only open for breakfast/lunch. Closed Sunday. Great day trip if you wanna explore all the plant nurseries and farmers market there.
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u/doohie212 Sep 03 '26
The farmers market is a mess, the smaller one is gone. But this is a solid play. (West coast transplant to the southside ITP)
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u/eurekadabra EAV Sep 03 '26
Oh no! I used to live in College Park, but moved further into city last year and haven’t been down that way in a while.
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u/thisisthelife Sep 02 '26
Chicheria at The Works
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u/showerbeerbuttchug Sep 02 '26
MAN I wish I lived closer to this place. The burrito and carna asada fries have stolen my celiac SoCal heart.
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u/thisisthelife Sep 02 '26
As a fellow SoCal celiac: yes. Yes to everything there.
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u/misaeng- Sep 03 '26
They have gluten free burritos?? Is that what you’re saying? I’m not seeing that on their menu.
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u/thisisthelife Sep 03 '26 edited Sep 03 '26
Yep! In the “large plates” section. Rosa in VaHi and Amasa opening in Alpharetta (I think they are run by the same team?) also have gf burritos.
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u/misaeng- Sep 03 '26
Oh wow it’s an entirely gluten free restaurant! That’s why it’s not mentioned about the burrito 😅. That’s amazing! Thanks for the recommendation!!
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u/thisisthelife Sep 03 '26
Yes all three are dedicated gf! Botanico Cocino is too but it’s ~fancy~ so no burritos
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u/TomNookAndTheBoys Sep 02 '26
Okay take it from someone who knows what a real california burrito is. Go to Rey Taco in Tucker (not to be confused with El Rey del Taco). It is a true cali burrito and scratches the itch when i'm missing SD.
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u/PaintingMinute7248 Sep 02 '26
Not sure it qualifies as a California burrito but Minero at Ponce City Market has my favorite burrito. I get the veggie one but I’m sure they have carne asada.
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u/5olitary Sep 02 '26
I took my cousin from California here 4 years ago and he has not stopped talking about the burrito since
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u/neverknowsbest141 Sep 02 '26
Maybe not explicitly a “California burrito”but I highly recommend the steak breakfast burrito at Whisky Bird
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u/kyle_jose Adams Park Sep 02 '26
I don’t know what California style asada is, but one of the best burritos I’ve ever had in Atlanta is from Don Sige in college park. The meat is delicious (I usually get asada or adobada) and they grill it nicely on the flat top. I will say depending on who rolls the burrito, sometimes the ratio is off - like all of the sour cream will be at the bottom or something like that. But when they get it right it is so freaking good. I guess that’s just a Mexican burrito though since it has rice and beans instead of fries…
But also, since you mentioned putting fries in the burrito I thought of a slightly different delicious wrapped food item - the “shouk” shawarma sandwich from Yalla in Krog st market. You can get it in a pita or laffa.
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u/doohie212 Sep 03 '26
Totally a west coast thing but it’s a big burrito, carne asada (steak) pico de gallo, guacamole, French fries, sometimes with beans. There’s places all over the west coast with a variation of the name Alberto that is a staple.
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u/VagueGooseberry Sep 02 '26
Its called getting on a flight to San Diego.
There’s nothing here that holds a candle.
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u/Express-Teaching-479 Sep 02 '26
Muchacho on the belt line has a good “surfer burrito” that will scratch the itch.
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u/bateleark Sep 02 '26
Bell street burritos.
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u/RiveredSet Sep 02 '26
not rly california style, do they even do fries in there?
i get a shrimp burrito from bell st regularly and while it is good, it does not scratch the california burrito itch. muchacho’s does that better
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u/ul49 Inman Park Sep 03 '26
Fries in the burrito is really SD style. Not sure there’s really such a thing as “California style.” I lived in San Francisco for a long time and ate a lot of burritos, and the only ones that ever had fries were Filipino.
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u/RiveredSet Sep 03 '26
yeah I’m not a west coaster. i go to vegas frequently tho and that’s where i was introduced to the “california burrito”, which was a relatively normal carne asada burrito but with fries in it.
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u/thecuntingedge Sep 03 '26
I didn’t downvote you because opinions and all that, but I gotta say that in my opinion, Bell Street Burritos is a hard pass for me. I’ve never had a meal there that I would categorize as anything other than offensively unremarkable.
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u/mspgs2 Sep 03 '26
You might want to try raging burrito in decatur. If the quality is still great, not been in years, they are amazing.
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u/Global-Cloud-3519 Sep 02 '26
Muchacho
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u/kyle_jose Adams Park Sep 02 '26
Are you getting downvoted because of Muchacho’s NIMBYism or because the food is legitimately not good?
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u/BE46ST Midtown Sep 02 '26
Cant confirm for certain but I think because they market their burritos as california style but theyre small and have like 3 soggy fries in them, where as california style burritos are huge and have a lot of fries.
They aren’t bad but shouldn’t be marketed as California style imo.
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Sep 02 '26
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u/kyle_jose Adams Park Sep 02 '26
That sucks… why do restaurants think they can get away with being so mediocre these days?!
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u/Affectionate-Ant8 Sep 02 '26
Not exactly California but Pure Taqueria has a great burrito coated with sauce & you can get the CA style chicken/shrimp/steak filling
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u/5thStESt Sep 02 '26
El Serranito in east Cobb does them, on Shallowford Rd