The late, great comedian Mitch Hedberg called them “sleeping bags for ground beef,” but burritos are, of course, so much more. They can function as breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even a snack. They can be hand-held on the go or smothered on a plate with a fork and knife at the ready. They can be simple and traditionalist or tricked out and bougie in the best way. The following map, organized from north to south, covers all of the above options and then some — but if we missed your favorite, feel free to share with us in the comments below or send a tip to [email protected].
Read MoreThe Best Burritos in Denver
From early in the morning to late at night, the time for a loaded, rolled tortilla is always now
Blackbelly Market
Chef Hosea Rosenberg hails from New Mexico, so green chile runs through his veins — but that’s not all that makes the breakfast burritos at his Berkeley deli special: In addition to eggs, tater tots, and cheese, they’re also optionally stuffed with rotating cuts of meat, be it brisket or carnitas, courtesy of Michelin award–winning head butcher Kelly Kawachi and her team. (Of course, they’re also available at Blackbelly’s flagship restaurant and market in Boulder.)
Las Chuladas Mexican Restaurant
When it comes to take-out burritos, this friendly Federal fixture does bang-up business for many reasons — not least of which the sheer variety it offers. Breakfast versions are stuffed with scrambled eggs, potatoes, green chile, cheese, and a choice of more than 20 meats or veggies, from steak fajitas and chicharrón to nopalitos and green beans; their lunchtime counterparts come with beans, rice, green chile, cheese, and nearly as many options, including soft or crispy chile rellenos; alambre (a mix of beef, bacon, peppers, and onions); shrimp; and even fish. What doesn’t vary are the results, which are consistently delicious.
Kiké’s Red Tacos
At one of Denver’s premier purveyors of birria — both beef and goat — the crew doesn’t only pile the precious meat on tacos, tortas, and fries: They also stuff it into next-level burritos with white beans, Spanish rice, cheese, cilantro, crema, and salsa. One is just about large enough for two meals — but good luck abstaining from eating the whole shebang at once.
Also featured in:
Carm & Gia Metropolitan
It’s an open secret among locals that this beloved burger shack doubles as a bomb burrito joint — and speaking of bombs, trust that one order can easily feed two. Case in point: the Fax, which has barbacoa, fries, cheddar sauce, guac, and sour cream packed into it — share with someone else, or hoard the leftovers for the next morning.
Also featured in:
Onefold
At both this charmingly eclectic daytime cafe in Uptown and its Union Station satellite, lines out the door are a constant — and so are the most artful of breakfast burritos, wrapped in handmade tortillas and filled with scrambled eggs, asadero cheese, duck fat–fried potatoes, and pork green chile as well as a variety of proteins. The original location also serves a lunchtime version that’s grilled and stuffed with beans, rice, peppers, onions, jalapeño cream cheese, and intriguing choices of meat like habanero bacon and roast duck.
La Abeja
A gem in the rough of East Colfax, this little Mexican joint is no frills but all fire as it serves up hunky, chunky burritos stuffed with eggs and potatoes for breakfast or refried beans and rice for lunch along with a choice of meat, from ham to al pastor. Thick and tangy (but not incendiary) green chile is the cherry on top, so to speak.
Bonfire Burritos
Nobody zhuzhes up a tortilla quite like this rollicking Golden go-to, which has built a cult following on the elaborate likes of the Chupacabra — which features three types of meat (bacon, sausage, and chorizo) as well as eggs, hash browns, both cheddar and cotija cheeses, and chipotle crema in addition to green chile — and the Javelina, an inspired mix of smoked pork, cotija, pinto beans, rice, grilled pineapple, diced jalapeño, and pineapple-jalapeño crema. Given the crowds here, the pace of service can vary, but there are worse ways to pass the time than people-watching over a round of craft beers or mango margaritas.
El Taco De Mexico
This is it: the holy grail of burritos in the Mile High City comes stuffed with a chile relleno, rice, and beans at this legendary taqueria in the Santa Fe Art District, where it’s ideally smothered in a spicy green chile so good that ordering a separate to-go container of it is par for the course. For the gluten-sensitive set, the burritos here can be made into bowls.
Also featured in:
Hoja
This daytime haven for vegetarians on Old South Pearl fills its tortillas with things like jackfruit chorizo, scrambled tofu, black beans, potatoes, cashew crema, and even cucumbers while topping them, in true Southwestern style, with green or red chile (or both) — except for the Farmer’s Burrito, which comes topped with tahini and kochu sauces, cabbage, jalapeños, and sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Wash it all down with an ultra-creamy cafe de olla or, if some hair of the dog is in order, a pink guava mimosa.
Tacos Rapidos
The line of cars in the drive-thru lane of this 24/7 long-timer says it all about the reliability of its burritos: Hefty and tightly packed with plenty of meat, variations like the adobada and carne asada come dolloped with guacamole and finely chopped tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. They’re late-night munchies, hangover cures, and mid-afternoon pick-me-ups all rolled into one behemoth.
Carrera's Tacos
True to its promise of West Coast–style Mexican food, this easy-breezy taqueria fills a number of its burritos with fries, including the breakfast burrito with chorizo, bacon, and egg; the California, which includes a choice of six meats or cauliflower; and the Surf & Turf, bursting with carne asada and shrimp as well as guacamole — all of which also come with a mix of cheeses, salsa, and crema. In other words, they’re massive; count on leftovers.