The burrito is like the culinary world’s equivalent to unwrapping a gift – you have to open it up to see what’s inside. But when you do, it’s usually met with a smile like you just got a puppy on Christmas morning. And if that’s the comparison, then there are quite a few gifts waiting to be opened in and around the Tahoe Basin. And while they might not be on the same level of excitement as getting a puppy, this list comes awfully darn close. 

Elements Eatery (elementstahoe.com)

Burrito: Habanero 

Yeah, I know. Just seeing the word habanero has your eyeballs sweating and hair catching fire. But don’t let the word here fool you. In this case, the restaurant extracts all the fruity and citrusy notes from the habanero without going overboard in the heat department. 

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But before we get to where the habanero hits, let’s give you the lay of the land, starting with the pastor (pork). It gets marinated overnight before being roasted on a spit for about four hours until the ying and yang of crispy exterior and juicy interior meet in the middle. 

It’s combined with their scratch made rice and beans, cheddar cheese, guacamole, and habanero salsa before getting rolled up in a large flour tortilla. You have the option to add either their house made red or green enchilada sauces or go Christmas-style and do both. It’s finished off with a sauce that is a mixture of avocado, cilantro and lime. 

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There is no wasted space when it comes to the filling. Everything shines, with the pastor glowing the brightest. The beauty of the two sauces is the counterbalance of the slightly smoky red sauce against the bright and acidic green sauce. The creamy avocado sauce is like a cherry on the sundae, adding the perfect note to end each bite. 

Tremigo Mexican Kitchen (tremigotahoe.com)

Burrito: Chile Relleno 

Yes, this burrito is likely exactly what you think it is – and probably every bit as delicious, too. With family recipes throughout the entire menu, this option is one that shines as bright as it tastes. 

The process starts with firing the green chile enough to scorch the outside and rest before those charred pockets can be peeled off and you’re left with a slightly smoky flavor that plays well off the sweetness of the chile. It’s then filled with queso fresco cheese and buttoned together to get ready for the fry. 

The dredge mixture is one of the keys to the dish. Egg whites are beaten to form stiff peaks before the yolks are delicately mixed in. Once dipped, the chile is deep fried and set aside to drain. When ready, it gets enveloped in a flour tortilla along with their rice and beans and finished off with a to-die-for salsa and more queso fresco before the final touch under a salamander to add a slight crispiness. 

With all those carefully layered steps, you can feel the love behind each bite. The flavors are deep and robust and the texture outside the chile holds its crunch while staying airy and light. There is a slight heat, but it acts as a perfect supporting character to prop up the best beats of the mixture of flavors.   

Fox & Hound (foxandhoundtahoe.com)

Burrito: Smoked Pulled Chicken 

I love it when you get smoked meats in a burrito and this option is right up there when it comes to layers of flavor. Yes, the chicken is the star of the show, but it gets such a push from all the other ingredients that it really acts as an ensemble. 

A fan favorite at the restaurant, the process starts with a dry-rubbed chicken smoking low and slow over cherry wood for about two and a half hours to achieve its juicy, smoky flavor. Tender pieces are pulled away and added to a combination of refried beans, seasoned rice and fresh pico de gallo. You also have the option to make it a super burrito by adding in guacamole and sour cream and at this point, why wouldn’t you. 

Don’t overlook the refried beans. They are scratch-made in-house and infused with a subtle hint of chorizo giving them an evenness of rich and savory and when it layers in with the smokiness of the chicken it’s like the Avengers uniting – everything is in balance.  

This burrito has everything you’re looking for when it comes to flavors and textures. Each component feels like it’s in its wheelhouse and when you add in their side of signature salsa, it takes it up yet another notch. 

Bridgetender Tavern (tahoebridgetender.com)

Burrito: California 

If you’ve never heard of a California Burrito, it’s been a staple in the San Diego area for 40 years. The version that’s being pushed out of Bridgetender’s kitchen respectfully pays homage in both ingredients and flavor. 

It all starts with a good quality cut of beef (flank steak) for their carne asada. It gets a go-round with a bunch of garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper before charred and thrown into a huge flour tortilla along with hand crafted guacamole, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and yes, the kicker of all kickers: French fries. 

When you take a bite of something melty and cheesy, and you get that long pull of ooey gooey-ness, you know you’re in for a good time. The salty pops of asada get cut perfectly from the creaminess of the guacamole and sour cream, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the fries. Still crispy on the outside, and pillowy soft on the inside, they not only ramp up the flavor of everything they touch, but really give you all the texture you need. 

If you want to add a little something-something to the flavor, add a few dips into their house salsa and let those roast-y spices kick into the mix. The salsa is great with chips, but you can also grab this with their rice and beans, which I would not sleep on – they complement every corner of this dish. 

Verde Mexican Rotisserie (verdemexicanrotisserie.com)

Burrito: Verde 

One of the things that you immediately notice about this burrito is its size – it’s huge. And if you’re looking for an option that not only packs the flavor, but doesn’t include meat, then this is a great place to start. 

Rolled up in the massive flour tortilla are roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, jack cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, and avocado. It’s served with your choice of salsa, but the recommendation is their green salsa, which happens to also be their most popular. Just make sure you get enough because when you douse each bite in a treat like this, it goes fast. 

The thing that stands out most about this burrito are the comforting flavors. It’s like they’re sitting there with their arms wide open waiting for you to bring it in for a huge squeeze. 

The sweet potatoes bring a sense of warmth, and while the whole burrito eats hearty, it still feels incredibly light. The black beans offer up a nice change of pace and add a little texture to balance out the creaminess from the sour cream and guac. 

You definitely won’t leave hungry after finishing this – unless you have two stomachs or a couple of hollow legs. 

Full Belly Deli (eatfullbellydeli.com)

Burrito: Gnar Gnar 

We can’t have a list of burritos to try and not have a breakfast option. Sure, you can order this burrito as just a gnar burrito, but why not double up on the gnar and fully make your belly happy. 

The loaded list of ingredients starts with tri-tip, which is sliced perfectly so that each bite is tender and rips away without disturbing the rest of the items that are left tucked away. It’s buddied up with pepperjack cheese, green chiles, hash browns, a fried egg, and their southwest sauce. Once rolled, it gets pressed, adding in an additional texture to the exterior.

It really eats like a steak and eggs breakfast gone wild. The slight heat combined with the saltiness from the hash browns and the richness from the egg lends itself to a great juxtaposition of flavors. There’s a delicate sweetness from the green chiles, which acts as an enhancer to the tri-tip. 

If you’re one to start your day of summer recreation in the Sierra off by fueling up the tank to ensure you won’t run out of gas, then this is your station to stop at and the octane level to get you there. 

Notty’s Italian Burrito (nottysburrito.com)

Burrito: The Firehouse  

When Notty’s founder Chris Ewing was exploring the idea of how to tap into a relatively non-existent market of Italian fast food, he came up with the concept of an Italian burrito. After about two years of perfecting the method, he opened the first location in Zephyr Cove and this burrito is one of their best-selling options.  

With Notty’s, you must start with the dough. Made fresh in house every day, it’s a balancing act to be durable enough to hold in all the ingredients yet thin enough to retain its crispiness through the six-minute air fryer cook. 

With the dough rolled out, the Firehouse Notty is topped with their scratch made red sauce, pepperoni, sausage, jalapenos, habo sauce (their own concoction you can also purchase separately), mozzarella cheese, and a little hint of crushed red pepper. Once rolled up, it also gets a small dollop of shredded cheese added to the top, which caramelizes during the cook to add an extra layer of flavor. 

The dough is light and airy (unlike what you might compare it to in a calzone which typically yields a thicker shell) and you never get a bite that feels heavy. The spiciness level is just enough to start creeping, but never to the point where it gets uncomfortable.  

The habo sauce is legitimately delicious and when combined with the deep, rich layers of the red sauce, they are the perfect complement to each other. And pepperoni and sausage have been BFFs for years, so it’s no wonder why this dish shines. 

Front Street Pizza Station (frontstreetpizzaca.com)

Burrito: Spicy Thai 

If you’re doing a double take and wondering why you’re seeing a burrito being featured at a pizza restaurant, then welcome to the world of Front Street. This burrito is a riff off their spicy Thai chicken pizza, and while both are amazing, where here to talk about burritos. 

If you know anything about Thai food, you know that it comes packing flavor, which is absolutely the case here as well. Loaded with rice, onion, cheese, grilled chicken, a hint of cilantro, and a sweet chili sauce, it also gets a bump of melted cheese over top along with extra zip from a drizzled peanut sauce that adds the exclamation mark. 

As soon as the smell hits your nostrils it’s going to be hard not to just shove you face in and start going to town. So, practice restraint and let the flavors of the first bite wash over you. Sweet, spicy, and savory, everything comes to play in this burrito. 

The chicken is delicately moist, but firm enough to give you texture that bounces off the other ingredients. You also have the option to throw in a side of salsa which may throw your taste buds into cardiac arrest because they won’t know what hit them … consider yourself warned. 

Frescana Mexican Bistro (frescanalaketahoe.com)

Burrito: Surf N Turf 

As an option that is both fun and delicious, and a complete U-turn from most of the burritos on this list, the surf portion of this burrito comes in the form of PMD (plump, moist and delicious) shrimp while the turf is represented by perfectly seasoned beef brisket. 

In the words of Benjamin Franklin this burrito has “a place for everything and everything in its place.” While they may seem as a strange combination on their own, when everything comes together, it’s as enjoyable a fit as the last piece of a puzzle. 

Included in the rolled-up tortilla are mixed greens, a purple sweet potato mash, seasonal veggies, green crema, and a house-made chile-churri slaw. As you can imagine the veggies and the greens do most of the heavy lifting in the texture department, but they also bring the flavor. Actually, everything brings the flavor so it’s more of a pick your poison when it comes to trying to single any one out.  

For me, the brisket is the star. There’s such a deep and rich beefy flavor that is the main counterpoint to the rest of the ingredients. I could literally just eat a gallon of that meat and be on my way. 

Just make sure you’re sitting down when you’re eating this – trust me. 

Red Truck (redtrucktahoe.com)

Burrito: Tikka Masala 

If you’re a fan of chicken tikka masala, then this is the burrito for you. With a few tweaks from Red Truck’s signature menu, the popular Indian dish gets a whole new life reimagined as a burrito. 

Starting with all the familiar flavors of tikka masala, the slightly sweet and slightly spicy notes are balanced out with the earthiness of quinoa and ghar ki dal (lentil curry). Added to the fray is also a yogurt tahini sauce and a fresh Fattoush (tangy and slightly herby salad) before getting rolled up in a flour tortilla. 

This flavor bomb explodes out of the gates with textures pulling your taste buds left and right. While there’s a light freshness to everything, there is also a depth of flavor that rolls right through each bite. 

The café also gives you three sauces you can add to the party: Harissa sauce (mild roasted chili sauce), avocado cilantro salsa, and if you’re feeling frisky, a habanero salsa. I like the contrasting duo of harissa and avocado cilantro, giving you a little more heat with the calming creaminess, but feel free to find the one that fits your favorite flavors most.  

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the Summer 2025 edition of Tahoe Magazine.