The best of the best is right here

This is also posted to Facebook…

I am on the hunt for America’s best vegetarian/vegan (sorry omnivores) burrito! Feedback needed from anyone who reads this! Give me the name of the restaurant/place and city, or if homemade, the recipe as precisely as you can detail it…GO!!! [Leave feedback on Facebook or here...]

In my many years of burrito eating, here are my rankings (I’m sure to add to them as I eat more/remember where I’ve eaten in previous years):

(Somewhere near the bottom) Anna’s Taqueria
http://www.annastaqueria.com/
Highly overrated for vegetarians/vegans.  The beans are not vegetarian (wtf) and the ’super burrito’ size is laughable.  Only put this on here to piss off people who love this place.
(Mediocre, but passable) Qdoba
http://www.qdoba.com/
In terms of quantity/fill per burrito, Qdoba is on par with any place.  Black and pinto beans are available.  Their guacamole is pretty good and the salsas are pretty decent as well.  You could do worse.
(Same as above) Baja Fresh
http://www.bajafresh.com/
The guacamole needs lots of work.  I had to add hot sauce, lemon, and salt to it.  Otherwise, the ones I’ve been to cater to vegetarians very nicely.  Decent sizes and decent portions.  Gotta’ love the salsa/toppings bar.
(Pretty good) Chipotle
http://www.chipotle.com/
I discovered this in Cleveland while going to Case.  Everyone needs to have a Chipotle otherwise death will occur (quote from one of my students).  The cilantro-lime rice is perfect as are the fajita vegetables.  It’s a shame that the pinto beans are not vegetarian otherwise this place would be higher on my list.  Quality top-notch.
(Same as above) Mad 4 Mex
http://www.madmex.com/static/menus/madmex_mainmenu.pdf
The options are fantastic for vegetarians.  The vegan cheese and tofu sour cream are just icing on the cake…or fillings in the burrito???  The quality of the food itself is okay.  The texture of the tofu is great…hard on the outside, but chewy once you bite in.  However, there’s no seasoning on the tofu.  Makes it pretty bland.  Overall, I give it a high ranking because of the variety…not necessarily the quality of the burrito itself.
(Awesome) Santa Fe
http://www.santafeburrito.com/
The wheat gluten burrito is delicious.  Absolutely delicious.  If only guacamole was included instead of being an extra.  That’s kind of a sham for a vegetarian burrito.
(The best) Lucky’s Mexican Spot
http://philadelphia.citysearch.com/profile/44829017/philadelphia_pa/lucky_s_mexican_spot.html#profileTab-reviews
Here’s the deal.  Tortilla.  Mexican rice.  Black beans and/or refried beans (I just stick to the black normally).  Seasoned chana (as in chana batura [chick peas] you get at an Indian restaurant).  Seasoned tofu.  Hot sauce, lettuce, pico de gallo, and guacamole.  Heaven.

Tell me what I’m missing!  I’m sure I’ve eaten burritos at 100 other places that I’m forgetting.  By the way, I’m not counting Taco Bell…because nothing will ever top TB :p

Note: My friend Mark Ayoub adds Taqueria Cancun in San Francisco.  Never been but sounds awesome!

Note note: Other friends have chimed in, with Boloco [been there once, wasn't too pleased...but I need to go there more], California Tortilla, and El Faro.  Todd had the genius idea of adding Leutner, our college cafeteria at Case.  That ranks miles below Anna’s but yet I think I’ve eaten more burritos from there than from anywhere else.  Okay, scratch that.  Leutner gets a bump because I got as much guacamole as I wanted.  However, it gets demoted because the guacamole was in stock once a decade.  [Maybe I was the cause of that?]

Thanks to Arvind for the comment below (he likes Mama Mexico’s) and thanks to all who have responded!  I want more responses…keep ‘em rolling. 

One day I will eat all of these!