The poblano burrito, featuring carne asada, beans, rice, and a melted-cheese stuffed poblano pepper

You can find roughly a million “taco” shops in San Diego. And, I don’t mean restaurants that serve tacos (that number’s closer to ten million) — I’m talking about eateries that put some form of the word taco in their names. Places like Mike’s Taco Club, The Taco Stand, Tacos El Gordo, City Tacos, and Taqueria you name it.

PLACE

Burrito City

1255 Avocado Ave #103, El Cajon

I haven’t stumbled upon any place calling itself a burriteria just yet, but when I spotted a new place open in El Cajon, called Burrito City, I definitely took notice. Then, because I’m a professional, I took notice again. And a couple more times again. Let’s just say I’ve been taking a lot of notice.

A New Mexican counter restaurant for El Cajon

Not because the place only serves burritos: actually Burrito City offers a reasonably large Mexican food menu featuring tacos, street tacos, enchiladas, tortas, nachos, tostadas, fajitas, and seafood soups, rice bowls, plus several variations of loaded carne asada fries. Nor do I keep going back because the salsa bar is well stocked with a wide range of spices and flavors, including the likes of chipotle, serrano, habanero, mango, and avocado.

Okay, the salsa helps. Good salsa always helps.

A birria rice bowl

What I really like about the place is that Burrito City delivers on the promise of its name. Including the robust assortment of breakfast burritos, I count 39 named burritos on the menu, plus a willingness to modify. Want Flaming Hot Cheetos on your Baja Fish Burrito for some reason? Well, there’s burrito number 40.

The shop already gives a workout to the concept of a California burrito, but if adding guacamole (Cali Supreme, $11.65), bacon (Bacon Cali, $11.65), shrimp (Surfing California, $13.65), and/or chipotle chicken (Cali Chipotle, $10.85) aren’t enough, I may have heard you can add to the basic carne and fries California burrito in ways that will horrify your spouse.

Purists will still find your basic carne, pollo asado, carnitas, and adobada burritos, filled with little more than meat, pico, and maybe guacamole. However, even these taco shop standards top $10 apiece. If you still love your neighborhood shop dishing burritos at old school prices, well then hold on tight and don’t ever let it go.

Two of several breakfast burritos offered at Burrito City

But I’m the type of guy who likes to see an entire dinner plate wrapped inside a flour tortilla, and I’m ready to pay ten bucks and up for that. If I’ve zeroed in on a Burrito City favorite, it would be the Poblano Burrito ($11.85). THis starts with a choice of shrimp or carne asada, then adds rice, beans, cilantro salsa, and a grilled poblano chili pepper stuffed with melted cheese.

It won’t be everybody’s favorites — some may prefer birria, chili pork verde, or something Flamin’ Hot in their slimmed down burrito. But something like “The Poblano” tells me these folks are serious about this being a Burrito City. As serious as (apparently) I am. And for that, I consider this addition to El Cajon a match made in gut-busting heaven.