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California Burrito
Categories: Restaurants Mexican Restaurants Barbeque Restaurants Sandwiches Mexican, Barbeque, Sandwiches
181 College StreetToronto, ON M5S 3E4
Neighbourhoods: University of Toronto, Downtown Core
(416) 858-0708
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 11 am - 9 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
Howard H. said: "In Toronto, this is the place for smoked meat. Full stop. I am a true connesueur of all things deli - Katz's in SoHo to (the late lamented) Wolfies/Rascal House in Miami, From Schwartz's to Corky &Lenny's in the land of Cleve all…" read more »
6 reviews for California Burrito
6 reviews in English
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Review from Payam Z.
12/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
2.5 stars
So for all y'all who hear Cali burrito and immediately expect greatness, you should realize that this joint is not necessarily trying to deceive you!
At least 5/10 times, your Cali Burrito experience (at least in the Bay Area) will not be much more inspired than what you will get on College St.; Re-fried beans look as they do here (in fact at times they will look like this in even some of the famous places such as el farolito http://www.yelp.ca/biz... ). Guacamole can also be found in squeeze bottles, but this will be a less frequent violation in a place of decent repute, and regardless of the vehicle of delivery, the guacamole will likely not be as runny as the one served here.
In terms of the taste, my burrito somehow tasted more like a wrap at pita pit than a burrito but I've had much worse food around College/University! The portion was decent, and the major issue I had was holding the damn thing together (the watery sauces didn't make things very easy).
Overall I would say Cali Burrito measures almost 3* for serving food that is relatively fresh and healthy with little wait time right across from University of Toronto. The options in the immediate vicinity of the university have seldom been known for those qualities, and in fact Cali Burrito is a very tiny step up from the shawarma shop it has recently replaced. -
Review from Chris P.
1/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
I don't know where these burritos come from, but it certainly isn't California. Time for the Burrito Whisperer™ to weigh in.
When I walked in here there were 5 people ahead of me. There was instant confusion when I walked in. I joined the line right inside the door. After standing for a minute or two a customer let me know that you have to go to the other end of the counter to order and pay first. This could easily be avoided with some "order here" and "pick-up here" signs or written on their chalkboard that spans the entire length of the counter. Really the issue here was that the line wasn't moving so you couldn't readily determine which was the start and which was the end. This should have been my first clue to not go any further with this place.
I ordered a regular steak burrito (well, at least what these guys call a burrito) and joined the line of 5 people ahead of me. After a few minutes two more people were in line behind me. The line was growing and still not moving.It quickly became evident what the issues were. First, they had skipped someone in line so there was confusion as to whose burrito was whose, which language barrier along with the big glass partition only seemed to help fuel. Second, they had run out of chicken. It was 12:20 and they had run out of chicken and had to cook more in the middle of their lunch rush. I use the term "lunch rush" lightly as the university is still on winter break so they're probably not as busy as they normally would be.
While waiting in line I witnessed when three customers had their burritos made wrong. Again, not sure if this is a language issue or the fact that the glass partition is 6' high and the workers can't actually hear what you're saying. Nevertheless, the customers didn't bother correcting the workers as the whole experience seemed to be an exercise in futility.
Lets walk through the burrito itself:
Re-fried beans - paste of some sort that probably came straight out of a can, maybe some spices mixed in, but you can't tell.
Rice - you get a very small portion. Not sure what the flavour was, but it wasn't good.
Cheese - shredded miscellaneous blend which includes cheddar
Tomatoes
Onions - uncooked, raw
Lettuce - They grill their burritos so probably best to skip the lettuce
Salsa - choices of mild, medium, or hot. Hot is not hot at all.
Sour Cream
Guac - There is a green sauce in a squeeze bottle that they call guac. Clearly it is some sort of processed goop that probably comes in a bag. It's almost neon green, not a natural avocado green. It's also flavourless.
Meat - I went with the steak. The steak was cut up into such tiny pieces that after it's cooked it's dry and flavourless. There's no real presence of spice.
Just when I thought Burrito Boyz/Banditos were brutal for grilling the crap out of a burrito, California Burrito comes in and steals the show. They don't grill the burrito on two sides, but THREE. And boy do they make sure they're grilled. Sorry people, but 20 minutes is too long to wait for a burrito.
This isn't the worst burrito I've had (See BarBurrito) but there's almost nothing good about this place. The only good thing I can comment on is the decor. I like the look and feel.
California Burrito should die a quick death, but I fear that their proximity to students looking for cheap food will keep them alive longer than they deserve.
Also, the state of California should sue these guys for slander for tarnishing their good name. -
Review from Ryan H.
Toronto, ON
9/30/2011
Tamales, tacos, and quesedillas... I drool just thinking of all the great snacks and street foods you can get for cheap in California. But man, I love burritos. Rice, beans, meat, cheese, salsa, veggies, maybe a special house sauce if the place is upscale... a great burrito is simple, portable, self-contained, and just hits the spot.
Okay, this place is new, so they are clearly experiencing some growing pains. Eight of us went out for Friday lunch and waited 30+ minutes for burritos. The kitchen was quite disorganized so I hope they streamline the operation with time. For a bit under $12 with tax, I got 5 shrimp, some veggies, 2 tablespoons of rice, 2 tablespoons of black beans, and a tablespoon of shredded yellow cheese. I've never seen a burrito with practically no rice or beans before! Unfortunately, they also used pre-cooked cocktail shrimp and I didn't notice that they had left the shells on until 2 bites in and we were walking back to work.
There are better bets in Toronto to satisfy a burrito craving. Save your money. -
Review from Cordero W.
Toronto, ON
11/14/2011
WHERES THE TASTE?!
I JUST finished my "burrito" from there and can now honestly say I've had Torontos worst burrito. I ask for the large steak ad got a small so it seemed, barely any tasteless meat in it, while he was cooking it it was falling apart and as he was wraping it i even said its falling apart dude and I got the response "this is yours" whatever that meant. Take a little trip to Burrito Boyz and see how a burrito really should taste.
It sad because I live down the street and I love burritos.
Never going back there again and would never recommend it to anyone. -
Review from Tara E.
10/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
Had a pretty poor experience here on Wednesday.
I asked if the did a burrito bowl. It wasn't clearly on the menu, but I figure it's just the same stuff in a bowl, so why not ask? The guy at the cash was really nice and said ok. One point for that! He said he would have to charge for for a large, but I was willing to give it a go. $10.12 later, someone started on my dish. Now, I started having misgivings right away, but having already paid on visa, I felt awkward retracting my order. The female staff put literally a tablespoon of sloppy bean liquid in a styrofoam take out container (Big Fat Burrito in Kensington uses a reusable/recyclable plastic container. Styrofoam is crappy.) She then sprinkled a tablespoon of rice on top. I'm looking at this huge container which will be my dinner, and which cost me over $10 and I'm seeing hunger. So I asked if I could have a little more (please sir/mam!) she denied me, but the guy who rang me in told her to put more in. She kept asking him, are you sure? Finished off the bowl with shredded iceberg lettuce, a smidge of tomatoes and red peppers (a tongs worthm maybe a tablespoon or two?). The portion of chicken was decent, but it was quite salty. Very salty. But the guac. Oh, dear, the guac. It was thin, and in a squeeze bottle. This was not guacamole. This was a thin, pale imitation. Literally. No flavour, it was a real let down.
So, in other words. Not going back.Listed in: Eating Near U of T
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Review from Ian C.
Toronto, ON
11/3/2011
The worst burrito I've ever had. Not much meat, not much flavour, watery guac from a squeeze bottle.... Do yourself a favor and go to big fat burrito or burrito banditos! Actually I hope the owners go have one too, and fix their burritos...
