The Burrito Shop — Restaurant in Castro Valley

My baseline for chili verde is my 2nd mom, Juanita "Jenny from the block" Torrez. I judge all Mexican restaurants based on her authentic cooking. I realize that you can't ever beat your first chili verde experience,...or can you?

San Jose Taqueria in Oakdale, CA, (off Oakdale Rd). They charge $9.- bucks for a chili verde superburrito.

Why am I telling you this? Because -they- have become my new standard to which I compare all other Mexican food by. And I tell you this in the hopes that you take the trip out there, taste one, and up your game.

A lil bit spicier, a lil bit more vinegar oil, a lil bit more veggies and spices, cilantro, and your superburritos, in the Bay Area, will be worth $15.- bucks, and not the $12 you are currently charging.

When I first bit into that San Jose Taqueria chili verde superburrito, I was already a mile away. I knew I had made a mistake...by not tipping them in the tip jar.

I don't make that mistake anymore.

The next time I went over there, I made sure it was of the same quality, then I tipped $5 for the burrito I was eating, and $5 for the one I already ate.

It was that damn good.

I still frequent that Taqueria; two, sometimes 4 or more times a month.

Even when I don't have business in that area, I will make the 20 minute drive to satisfy my craving, -CRAVING-, for their food.

Mexican food is my favorite food. It tends to have all food groups wrapped in one "dish." That thin, bread-like dish, wraps aaall that flavorful and variety of foods...into one HUGE superpower of nutrient-dense goodness...that I like to call "Home." Cooking is an art. Don't get ripped off by knockoffs. If you're a small-time mom & pop shop, do some taste tests. Up your game...and watch foodies like me spread our love of your creations rewarding you with praise and the almighty silver dollar. This character is only gonna be Prez for a few more years, then everything will be back to normal. Oh, did I just make a political statement? Geeeze, how cool...

Bare bones taco/burrito taqueria. No salsa/condiment bar but plenty of seating. Patrons have complained about parking. While there is limited parking in front of the restaurant (shared lot with Thai restaurant/salon next door), there is plenty of parking across the street in the RiteAid parking lot (which is garantuan).

I lunched here and had a shredded chicken regular burrito ($9.25) and a soft drink (diet coke/$1.65). I asked for no rice and got same. The protein to beans ration was 35/75, so the burrito was mostly beans. Which, I guess, justifies the pricing. Since most taqs are above $10 (some are $15?) for a "regular" burrito. The beans/cheese were very tasty but I was disappointed in the burrito overall being so bean-centric. They have both hot and mild salsa (given to you in a small plastic cup - barely enough to put on your food). To make matters worse, the server spilled one of the cups when she gave me my food (which she still hadn't cleaned up off the floor by the time I left). Every patron who came in told her about the spill, too.

I gave 3-stars because my burrito was mostly beans, the floor never got picked up from the server spill and my table had some residue on it from a previous patron. 1st impressions? Meh. Food was good but lacking in protein ratio to beans. Truthfully, lots of taqs don't stuff your burrito w/proteins, especially if you hold the rice. But I thought this one was a little too generous with the beans. I did, however, like you could choose your tortilla flavor (I chose spinach). Probably won't be back, since there are much better taqs in the...

This little shop tucked away in the corner should be given more recognition and praise. Initially, when I decided to give this mom and pop restaurant, I thought they had closed down shop and Google Maps wasn't up-to-date because the door was locked and the lights were off. Out of confusion, I looked around and noticed they shifted to a bigger building just adjacent to the original location.

The building is lackluster. It's one of those buildings that you would pass up and assume the food is tainted and terrible. Quite the contrary, the food was amazing! I ordered their Super Burrito with a side of tortilla chips. Not many Mexican restaurants have this meat choice as an option for a burrito, but they had my favorite meat choice, chile verde.

The burrito consisted of your choice of wrap, your choice of meat, rice, beans, sour cream, cheese, I think lettuce as well, and pico de gallo. Im not a fan of Pico de gallo and had it removed. The food came out relatively quick and was still nice and warm upon reaching my hotel room.

That first bite, and I was ready to destroy that burrito and leave nothing behind. The pork was so tender, juicy, and packed with flavor. Every bite was so savory, I wished it was an endless burrito. This shop is now on my radar, and I hope others give it a chance. You won't be...