Recap of the Quest for Waco's Best Burrito

The quest has concluded.

While my taste buds are deeply saddened, my waistline and former health teachers are certainly rejoicing.

We began this journey 10 weeks ago with one goal: Finding Waco's best burrito.

The weeks have quickly passed on by; however, the memories will never fade.

Before we get into the burrito rankings, I would like to give a special thanks to all of my dining guests and friends who made this quest a blast!

Brooke

Just Kidding! Actual Brooke :)

Griffin

Sydney

Hunter

Jeremy

Brandon

Without further ado, here is a look back at the burritos of the quest (ordered from worst to best).

9. Ninfa's Mexican Restaurant 

Honestly, this is the only place I regret eating at. Save your money and go buy two better burritos from one of the places higher on the list.

8. El Charro

The restaurant and dining experience were nice. The burrito was good; however, it was very simple and it felt like I could have made something tastier at home.

7. Taqueria El Mexicano Grill #9

This was a fun time! While the burrito was good, the initial seductiveness of the burrito quickly wore off. The burrito just lacked anything unique or extraordinary.

6. Las Trancas #2 (food truck)

The burrito here was very tasty and the ingredients complemented each other nicely. That being said, the cleanliness of the truck and available eating area was certainly questionable.

5. Taqueria Zacatecas ("Taco Z")

Taco Z is locally renown for a reason. Their burrito's have excellent quality and quantity. The burrito was a strong competitor, but the burritos remaining on the list are exemplary. 

4. Taqueria El Crucero

This burrito had it all: great flavor, quality, side salsas and location. What this burrito had in flavor it equally had in grease. So be ready to use a few napkins and to be moving a good bit slower on your way out of the restaurant.

3. Torchy's Tacos

This is a local favorite that actually lived up to the hype surrounding it. The atmosphere of the restaurant and unique flavor of this burrito make it a "can't miss" burrito experience.

2. Lolita's Restaurante 

Lolita's burrito was simply amazing. The quality ingredients were finely prepared and allowed for an extraordinary burrito eating experience. Torchy's and Lolita's were fierce competitors for the crown of Waco's best burrito coming into the final week.

1. Sergio's Food Truck

To put it simply, Sergio's burritos are heaven in a tortilla. One bite and you will understand. The only downside is that it is only available on Saturdays when the Waco farmers market is open.

Week Nine of the Quest: Winner Winner

Sergio's Food Truck

As the quest for Waco's burrito nears an end, we find ourselves at Waco's Downtown Farmers Market on a cool Saturday morning. The farmers market is home to Sergio's Food Truck which is highly spoken of in many burrito-loving circles. If you wish to indulge in a Sergio's burrito or the other offerings of the farmers market, take the short journey down University Parks Drive between Webster and Clay Avenue.

Joining me this week in my quest is a Sergio's Food Truck regular, Brooke. Brooke had her wisdom teeth removed one day before our trip to the farmers market; therefore, out of respect I will place a semi-accurate image in her place.

Representation of wisdom-toothless Brooke 

The weather could not have been nicer as it was in the low 70s and a constant breeze flowed through the air. Hundreds of people, many with their dogs, wandered around the market in search of local treasures. On the far end of the market is where the real star of the morning, Sergio's, resides.

You wait in a short line and then go up to the fold out table to place your order. You can choose five ingredients to fill your burrito with from a long list posted on the side of the food truck. After choosing your five ingredients, you pay $5 and then wait until your name is called. After a few minutes, I am summoned and then handed the glorious burrito. Unable to wait, we quickly find a picnic table and I take a bite out of the burrito.

Burrito Heaven has been found.

My burrito contained chicken fajita, rice, refried beans, potatoes and jalapenos. The ingredients are wrapped in a perfectly prepared flour tortilla that only adds to the excellence of the burrito. This burrito is more than a burrito, it is "The Burrito."

Move over Lolita's! While your burrito is delicious and will be enjoyed thoroughly on Sunday through Friday, there is a new crown holder in town! Sergio's, with only one week remaining in the quest, is the best burrito in Waco. The only downfall is that I cannot enjoy this gift everyday of the week.

Week Eight of the Quest: Taqueria El Crucero

Taqueria El Crucero

In week eight of the quest to find Waco's best burrito, we make our way to Taqueria El Crucero. The restaurant is a tiny building located on N Robinson Drive (Don't blink, you might miss it). El Crucero is a few minutes from campus and just a couple of blocks off of the the circle.

Joining me this week in the search for burrito excellence is my reliable friend, Sydney!

Sydney

Upon entering the small establishment the front counter is immediately to our right. We quickly scanned the menu and placed our orders. After ordering, we took a seat in the small dining area and snacked on our order of chips and queso as we waited. Within a few minutes the waitress made her way toward our table with our burritos in hand.

Being my first meal of the day, I rapidly unwrapped the aluminum foil surrounding my burrito. I take one bite and the delicious flavors of the ground beef, refried beans, potatoes and cheese fill my mouth. The burrito is delicious with the only downfall being that it is excessively greasy. Making for an even better taste, Taqueria El Crucero offers two salsa types, green and red. Both salsas are very unique with the green being spicy and the red being mild.

Taqueria El Crucero is a strong competitor and offers a quality burrito. I strongly recommend the restaurant to fellow burrito lovers looking for a quick bite to eat near campus. However, despite my recommendation, Taqueria El Crucero is not the new crown holder. While the burrito is wonderful it is still surpassed by both Lolita's and Torchy's.

Week Seven of the Quest: Lolita's

Lolita's Restaurante

In week seven of the quest to find Waco's best burrito, we went to the heavily suggested Lolita's Restaurante. Lolita's is a local favorite that specializes in breakfast burritos, which is strongly suggested by their operating hours of 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lolita's is located about 5 minutes from campus on Franklin Ave between 19th and 20th Street.

The only thing better than a tasty burrito is a tasty burrito with the company of friends. Tagging along in the quest this week is Hunter, Sydney and Griffin.

Hunter

Sydney

Griffin

Upon entering Lolita's, we walked to the front counter through the dining area to place our orders. After ordering, we settled into a booth and soaked up the atmosphere as we waited for our food. The restaurant was casually decorated with Mexican and Baylor artwork.

After a few minutes, the waitress made her way to our table with our orders being carefully balanced on her hand. On the brink of starvation, I excitedly bit into the burrito. The burrito's ingredients were familiar as it contained chicken fajita meat, rice, beans, potatoes, onions, and cheese. While the ingredients were familiar, the flavor was extraordinary. It was delicious! Despite the presence of onions, which I am not a fan of, the burrito's quality ingredients combined to make a memorable taste.

In week seven of the quest, there is a new burrito on the throne of Waco's best burrito. While the competition is fierce, Lolita's burrito offering proved itself to be a worthy crown holder. Without hesitation, I highly recommend Lolita's Restaurante to anyone burrito lover seeking a quality meal.

Week Six of the Quest: El Charro

El Charro

During week six of the quest to find Waco's best burrito, we again find ourselves a couple blocks off of the circle on La Salle Avenue. After veering far from campus in last week's journey, we decided to find a location more convenient. This week the restaurant of choice is El Charro, which happens to be located directly beside another fierce competitor, Taco Z.

Tagging along this week in the search for burrito excellence is my hungry roommate, Griffin.

Griffin

Upon entering, a calm atmosphere surrounds you. There is one waiter and only a handful of other customers. The walls are decorated with Mexican-themed artwork and the lonely television set is set to a Spanish news network. We take an open seat and are then greeted by the waiter who takes our drink and meal orders.

While waiting for our food, the waiter brings us our refreshments and complementary chips and salsa. The salsa is excellent. It is not too spicy, so you are able to enjoy your meal with a little extra flavor.

After five minutes, the waiter begins to walk toward our table and give us our food. The "grande burrito" is appropriately named as it engulfed much of the plate's surface area. The burrito is simple and contains only beef fajita meat, rice and refried beans. Even in its simplicity, the burrito is filled with good flavors and quality ingredients.

El Charro is a laid back restaurant with an authentic atmosphere. I would recommend the restaurant to others on the basis of the service, location, food quality, price and atmosphere. However, the burrito offered by El Charro was in itself fairly ordinary. While the dining experience was pleasant, the burrito posed no threat to the crown of Waco's best burrito.

Week Five of the Quest: Get it to go

Las Trancas #2 (food truck/taco stand)

In week five of our quest to find Waco's best burrito, a wild card came into play. We wanted to step outside of what is ordinary and comfortable. So we decided to give a local taco stand, Las Trancas #2, a chance to prove itself a competitor for Waco's burrito crown. Las Trancas is located on Bosque Blvd between 38th and 39th St near Coco's Shaved Ice. 

Like always the title of "Waco's Best Burrito" is too important for me to simply judge alone. Therefore, joining me in the quest this week is my friend and fellow burrito lover, Sydney. 

Sydney

The motivation for this week's location was the desire to try something that veers from the ordinary and is a little bit different. As we arrive to the food truck we have no idea what to expect out of this experience. However, it is a pleasant surprise to see that a burrito costs only $4.50. We place our orders and then wait for the burritos to be prepared. After 10 minutes, our numbers were called and we were well on our way to experiencing Las Trancas #2's finest offering.

It was a hot day making the the wait less than desirable and on top of that there was a herd of flies surrounding the waiting area. Given these factors, we quickly decided to take our food to go and find another location to eat our burritos. 

We find a shaded place near campus and begin eating the burritos. The fresh and warm tortilla contains beans, lettuce, tomatoes, chicken, jalapenos and cheese. It is served with two different salsas, a green and red variety. I throw the green salsa on mine which adds a good bit of spice to the already flavorful burrito.

The burrito was excellent; however, it was not quite as outstanding as the burritos offered by Torchy's and Taco Z. Another reason it does not surpass these is because the lack of a sanitary eating area.

At the price of $4.50, it is hard to go wrong by eating at Las Trancas #2. While it is not snatching the throne for Waco's best burrito, it did offer an authentic and flavorful burrito eating experience.

Week Four of the Quest: Torchy's Tacos

Torchy's Tacos

In week four of the quest to find Waco's best burrito, we find ourselves deep in the heart of Waco's notorious "Grease Pit" (area directly across the highway from Baylor University filled with fast food restaurants). This week the lucky subject of review is Torchy's Tacos, which is located just off I-35 on 5 St near Wendy's, McAllisters, In-N-Out and several other chain restaurants. During week four, we sought to return to a beloved Baylor student favorite after a not so satisfying week three Ninfa's experience.

This week I am again solely accompanied by Griffin. However, this "Bro Date" was far more casual in comparison to last week's edition of the quest.

Griffin mid-chew

As I previously said, Torchy's Tacos is a local favorite and generally filled with hungry college students in the mood for a unique taste and dining experience. That being said, 2:30 p.m. on a Thursday proved to be a very different experience as we were part of just a handful of people in the restaurant. In general, a customer would likely have to wait in a line that is through the front door; however, on this occasion we merely walked to the counter and placed our orders. After paying, we received our cups and order numbers then proceeded to fill our drinks and find a cosy seat to await our foods arrival.

After a few minutes pass, I notice an employee making their way towards our table. My "burrito senses" began tingling as they neared and ultimately handed me my burrito, which would prove to have a very short lifespan. Within my "Grande Burrito" was black beans, rice, pico de gallo, cheese, chicken fajita and guacamole. I somehow remained courteous and waited for Griffin's food to arrive moments later before biting into the lovely burrito. But alas, the time came and upon biting into the burrito a variety of delicious flavors filled my mouth. The burrito was of premier taste and quality, which was very evident as I quickly finished it in a matter of a couple of minutes.

Prior to this week, "Taco Z" (Taqueria Zacatecas) was sitting comfortably atop Waco's "Burrito Throne." But after the fine offerings of Torchy's Tacos, there is a new crown holder in town. Competition for Waco's best burrito is now heating up as two very worthy opponents have now entered the playing field. As of this moment, if you are in Waco and desiring a burrito I would fully recommend that you make your way on over to Torchy's Tacos.