There are few single meals that can satiate your appetite and palate the way a burrito can.
Every corner of the country has at least one burrito chain that has dominated their region.
Here is a sampling of the burrito companies coming near you as they take over the country.
El Pollo Loco was established south of the border in 1975,
when Juan Francisco Ochoa began cooking up citrus-marinated chicken
using a family recipe and selling it out of an old shoe store in Sinaloa, Mexico.
Five years later, the first American El Pollo Loco location opened in Los Angeles.
Now, the nation's leading fire-grilled chicken restaurant chain boasts 478 restaurants across
six states, including Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Louisiana. While the brand has
been successful in the Southwest for decades, it now has its eyes on other regions of the country.
According to QSR, El Pollo Loco has a three-year "acceleration agenda," that includes expanding its
footprint in the West and Southwest before looking to open stores in the Eastern United States, too.
The outlet reported that the company has already begun recruiting new franchisees.
If you're a health-conscious eater, but still crave the hearty deliciousness of a burrito,
El Pollo Loco is the place to go. The chain's menu includes both a Chickenless Pollo Burrito and
Vegan Chickenless Pollo Burrito, as well as what it claims is The World's First Keto Burrito. Other
unique burrito offerings include the Queso Blanco, Chicken Tinga, and Chipotle Chicken Avocado.
Despite its name, Freebirds has not taken over the world quite yet,
but it has certainly taken over its home state of Texas. The chain currently has
more than 50 locations throughout the Lone Star State, including in its home base of Austin,
with plans to double that number within the next five years, according to Fast Casual.
Although it's entirely Texas-based now, according to QSR, Freebirds first opened in Santa Barbara,
California way back in 1987. The concept proved so popular out West that a second location was opened
in College Station, Texas. Since then, the chain has gained cult-like popularity. At Freebirds,
it's all about choices and customization. The company's vice president, Chris Cheek, told QSR,
"In today's world of plop-and-serve, we pride ourselves with a one-on-one guest experience."
Burritos there come in four different sizes,
and guests can add any of the restaurant's 40-plus freshly made ingredients.
These include signature items like roasted garlic, pure Hass avocado, and potatoes.
Customers have been hearing, "Welcome to Moe's" as they walk through the restaurant's doors ever
since the chain opened its first location in Atlanta, Georgia more than 20 years ago.
Nowadays, that phrase is being said more than ever as Moe's Southwest Grill has grown to more
than 700 locations, making it one of the top five largest Mexican chains in the country.
But the chain isn't resting on its laurels; it's continuing to expand in
innovative ways. In June of last year Moe's opened its first kiosk-only restaurant.
QSR reported that it was the first such store among all fast-casual Mexican restaurants.
When it comes to its famous burritos, Moe's offers two styles: the "Homewrecker," a Mexican burrito
with your choice of protein plus rice, beans, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo,
sour cream, and guac; or a "Build Your Own" burrito with the protein and add-ons of
your choice. The proteins available include sirloin steak, natural white meat chicken,
adobo chicken, ground beef, pork, and organic tofu.
Don't be fooled by the name — California Tortilla is primarily an East Coast chain that
got its start in Bethesda, Maryland. Although The Washington Post reports that the first restaurant
opened its doors in 1995, the brand didn't become a major player in the quick-serve burrito
world until it began franchising in the early 2000s. In just four years, from 2003 to 2007,
California Tortilla went from two restaurants to 31. It now has nearly 40 locations up and
down the East Coast, as well as one outpost in both Tennessee and Kansas.
California Tortilla's burrito offerings range from the "Korean BBQ Burrito" to the vegetarian
"No-Meato Burrito", as well as the "California Screamin' Burrito," which consists of blackened
chicken, rice, queso, fajita veggies, salsa, and the signature California Screamin' sauce.
Speaking of which, one of the restaurant's claims to fame is the ridiculous number of hot sauces it
has available. Known as the "Wall of Flame," California Tortilla offers its customers 75
different sauces, ranging in heat from mild to the intimidating "tongue-melting" level.
It may take some time to taste test them all but, once you do, you can bring the
whole bottle home with you, as all the hot sauces there are available for purchase.
Two friends — and not brothers, despite the name of their restaurant — started
Dos Bros with the simple idea of offering fresh, high-quality Mexican food at a reasonable price.
After opening the first store in Cleveland, Tennessee in 2015,
the company took a year and a half to open its second location.
The patience has apparently paid off, as Dos Bros has just about taken over its home state
with a dozen Tennessee locations, and even crossed the border into Georgia. It also
has future stores planned for Atlanta, Chicago, North Carolina, and Alabama.
Enough about the history; let's get to the food. Sticking with its founding principle
of not reinventing the wheel, Dos Bros' menu is straightforward, but includes the best ingredients
and classic cooking techniques. Customers build their own burrito, a la Chipotle. They can choose
between proteins such as carne asada, carnitas, barbacoa, spicy tofu, chicken, or steak, then
throw on some classic toppings like salsa, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and queso, and dig in!
"We've traveled a long distance to see you, oh great one."
If you live in California — or know someone who does — you've certainly heard of Del Taco. But
this West Coast chain is taking over the United States one eastward step at a time. In 1964,
Del Taco founders Ed Hackbarth and David Jameson opened their first restaurant in Yermo,
California. Little did they know the brand they created would grow to become one of
the largest Mexican quick-service restaurant chains in the country.
Today, there are nearly 600 Del Taco restaurants in 15 states, with a whopping 370 in California
alone. More recently, according to QSR, the company has been expanding in the Southeast,
opening stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina.
Don't be fooled by its name, though, as Del Taco knows burritos just as well as tacos.
The chain's list of offerings is as impressive as it is extensive. Are you a traditionalist?
Try the Del Beef Burrito with seasoned beef and toppings. Vegetarian? Skip the beans and
tofu and go for the Beyond 8 Layer Burrito, filled with Beyond Meat plant-based crumbles.
Feeling adventurous? Dig into Del Taco's Epic Honey Mango Crispy Chicken & Bacon Burrito. This
rightfully designated "epic" creation features three crispy chicken strips, crispy bacon,
famous crinkle-cut fries, freshly grated cheddar cheese, cool sour cream, and honey mango sauce.
According to KCET, in the 1970s, brothers Wing, Mingo, and Ed Lam — who are of Chinese descent
and were born and raised in Brazil — moved to Southern California with their parents. Naturally,
they fell in love with surfing there, as well as their custom of grabbing fish tacos after
a day in the waves. But the tacos they found were always made with subpar fish.
Having worked in their parents' Chinese restaurants, the brothers believed they could
do better, and so, in 1988, they opened the first Wahoo's (named after a popular tropical fish).
There are now more than 60 Wahoo's locations across six states — California,
Hawaii, Colorado, Nevada, Texas, and New Jersey — and even one in Tokyo, Japan.
The Wahoo's menu is influenced by the brothers' unique culinary background,
allowing the chain to stand out in a crowded market.
That twist is evident in the restaurant's one-of-a-kind burritos.
Some of the most notable menu items include the Banzai Burrito with banzai veggies,
the Hawaiian Onion Ring Burrito with Teriyaki steak and Maui Onion Rings, as well as Mr.
Lee's SCReaM'n Chicken Burrito, which has spicy chicken and famous Mr. Lee's spicy chili sauce.
The restaurant chain now known as Qdoba was founded in Denver, Colorado in 1995 as
Zuma Fresh Mexican Grill. It wasn't until 1999 that the company rebranded to Qboba.
It proved to be a wise move as the chain has taken over ever since. By 2005 it had
200 locations across the United States. Just two years later it had doubled that number.
Qboda now has more than 700 stores in 47 states, making it the third-largest Mexican
chain in the country, according to Restaurant Business, behind only Taco Bell and Chipotle.
Speaking of Chipotle, Qdoba offers a similar build-your-own burrito experience
to its competitor. Choose from proteins like adobo chicken, seasoned beef, grilled steak,
pulled pork, smoked brisket, and Impossible Foods plant-based protein, then select from a list of
toppings that includes cotija cheese and pickled jalapeños. One of Qdoba's calling cards is its
extensive offering of more than a dozen different types of salsas, sauces and queso. These range
from traditional guacamole and salsa verde to picante ranch dressing and fiery habanero salsa.
According to Nation's Restaurant News, when brothers Leo and Oliver Kremer founded Dos
Toros Taqueria in New York City in 2009, they had precisely zero restaurant experience between them.
What they did have, however, was a deep passion for burritos,
which has apparently proven to be more than enough for a successful restaurant business.
Dos Toros has become so popular it's all but taken over the Big Apple,
with nearly 20 restaurants in New York City alone and another across the river in New
Jersey. But it has expansion sights set beyond the East Coast, as well.
In 2017, Dos Toros opened its first restaurant in Chicago, as Eater reports.
The restaurant is known for its Mission-style burritos, which, according to Food Republic,
originated in the Kremer brothers' home base of Northern California.
These types of burritos are usually larger and contain larger portions of ingredients. You can
fill your Dos Toros Mission-style burrito with pollo asado, carne asada, carnitas, rice and
beans, or Impossible Foods ground beef. Some of the chain's notable fillings include farro,
crushed chips, and its signature hot sauce that comes in smokey, verde, and habanero varieties.
Taco John's started as a single taco stand in the small town of Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1968.
As off the beaten path as it may have been for many diners, the food was simply too good to miss.
The following year, two local businessmen purchased the franchise rights and named the
restaurant after John, the taco stand's owner. Fifty-plus years later, Taco John's has expanded
to nearly 400 stores in 23 states, primarily in the Midwest, and keeps on growing. In June
of 2021, according to QSR, the company announced plans to open five new restaurants in Colorado.
Taco John's may have originated as a taco stand, but over the years,
the restaurant has learned how to whip up some seriously over-the-top burritos. We're talking
a Chicken Grilled Burrito with cheese, ranch, and the chain's signature Potato Olés, for instance.
"I want a chicken burrito please.”
“Johnny, chicken burrito her."
Or you could order a Boss Burrito featuring more than a pound of cilantro-lime rice,
black beans, and either grilled chicken or steak.
And if the burrito craving hits you early in the day, fear not,
as Taco John's offers four different types of breakfast burritos,
namely the Junior Breakfast, Scrambler, Meat and Potato, and Spicy Chorizo burritos.
Fuzzy's is one of the newer kids on the burrito block, as it's only been around since 2003. But
in that short period of time, it has gained a devoted following that has allowed the restaurant
chain to explode from a single location in Fort Worth, Texas to roughly 150 spanning the country,
with more on the way. Fuzzy's chief development officer Michael Mabry told Franchise Times in
2020 that the company hopes to reach 200 stores within the next 24 months.
There's no denying it: Fuzzy's burrito game is strong. Whatever meat — and cooking style — you
prefer in your burrito, Fuzzy's has you covered. The chain offers proteins including chicken,
pork, beef, fish, and shrimp, which can be prepared shredded, grilled, tempura-fried,
and fajita-style. And this doesn't even include the Fuzzy's breakfast menu. There, just about
every combination of eggs, cheese, bacon, potatoes, chorizo, and even shrimp is available to
be stuffed into a burrito for you. And the best news? Breakfast is served all day at Fuzzy's.
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