When people speak about what makes living in Los Angeles ideal, discussion often gravitates toward the weather or the proximity to beaches, deserts or mountains.
My colleague and Times restaurant critic Bill Addison may have inadvertently made another claim about Los Angeles’ richness that I hadn’t really considered.
In Addison’s recent list of 16 of L.A.’s best breakfast burritos, the award-winning critic argued that there’s no breakfast that’s more L.A. than the humble breakfast burrito.
I thought about every city I frequent regularly and the variety of burritos available.
Do I stop at Pepe’s or Pharo’s Burger in Alhambra for a monster-sized breakfast burrito? Or what about Corner Cottage or Willie’s Grill and Deli in Burbank?
Town to town, the abundance of options is absurd, making Addison’s selections all the more intriguing.
Let’s take a look at a few of his picks and be thankful we live in an area with such variety.
(Bill Addison/Los Angeles Times)
La Azteca Tortilleria (East Los Angeles)
An East L.A. institution since 1945, La Azteca remains a vital community haven.
This is the one place in my recent citywide sweep where I took an initial bite of a burrito’s tortilla and paused in admiration. So light, given the heft of the bundle, and flaky, and fragrant with the specific richness of lard.
Note that in all but one of six options, Monterey Jack cheese is extra. I loved its addition in a frontrunner filled with nubbly chunks of chorizo, egg and creamy refried beans.
The “sausage and egg” variation contains halved, peppery, Polish-style links. Their texture bounces among diced potatoes and more beans.
And yes, if you prefer to order outside traditional morning norms, the tortilleria’s famed gushing chile relleno burrito is available at the break of dawn: Doors open at 5 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 7 a.m. on Sunday.
(Joel Barhamand/For the Times)
The Chori-Man (San Pedro)
For over a decade, Humberto Raygoza has been selling his meticulously spiced variations on chorizo to L.A.-area restaurants. His own San Pedro shop, meanwhile, has become a regional destination for breakfast burritos.
Even with its dusky, unnatural-looking shade of seafoam green, one burrito that I’m always drawn to is the herbal, earthy chorizo verde; his Zacatecano variation hums with the more familiar red-chile smokiness.
Lately Raygoza has been branching out, filling burritos with near-molten chipotle-braised beef bound among fluffy-crisp potatoes, cheese and two over-easy eggs, their yolks still bursting if you demolish your burrito right away (which you should).
(Bill Addison/Los Angeles Times)
Daisy Margarita Bar (Sherman Oaks)
Brunch here happens to be fantastic.
Among chilaquiles rojos, yellowfin pescabirria and a brioche sticky bun covered in dulce de leche and chopped pecans, there is one breakfast burrito option.
A tightly rolled tortilla encloses soft-scrambled eggs, diced machaca and shrimp and a melting halo of chihuahua cheese. Garlic butter and an aioli softly smoky with chintextle chile gild the situation. Ruddy tomato salsa pounded in a molcajete, its texture almost emulsified, awaits on the side. A burrito of this caliber deserves some atmosphere — in this case the room’s time-tripping saloon vibes, all saturated colors and caramel lighting — and perhaps a 1990s-era sipping tequila on the side.
(Taylor Arthur/Los Angeles Times)
Evil Cooks (El Sereno)
A breakfast burrito named “Chilakillers” is peak Evil Cooks, the wonderful and previously roving taqueria by Alex Garcia and Elvia Huerta now settled into a black-walled goth lair in El Sereno.
Their take on chilaquiles — fried egg gushing yolk, shards of fried tortilla soaked in salsa rojo, a smear of guac, a smattering of queso fresco — can be made in the form of a torta, but the flavors hit harder wrapped in a thin tortilla.
A similar setup frames “The Prince of Darkness,” bulging with inky strips of marinated asado. Garcia and Huerta open for daytime hours only on the weekends. The good news? When the comfort of breakfast beckons for dinner, their eggy, saucy burritos are also available at dinner.
The week’s biggest stories
(Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
U.S.-Canada trade wars
What’s troubling L.A.
Entertainment industry deaths
Crime, courts and policing
More news
Editor’s picks
More picks
Things to do
(Illustrations by Lindsey Made This; photograph by Jesse Grant / Getty Images for Disney)
Today’s Recipe
(Taylor Arthur/Los Angeles Times)
Among the pantheon of brunch classics, eggs Benedict reigns. The gooey burst of yolk welcomes all guests to a wonderfully delicious and decadent meal. Fear not. Here is a simple recipe that anyone can make.
Photo of the day
Greg Field, director of police transportation, Motor Transport Division, shows off LAPD’s adoption of the Federal Signal Rumbler and Federal Signal Sync Module system at the LAPD Motor Transport Division in Los Angeles on July 28.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Games
Here’s today’s mini crossword, plus our other free, daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jack Dolan, investigative reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
Shi Bradley, audience intern
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected]. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.
