California Wet Burrito and Catering — Restaurant in San Jose

Everything about this place screams California Burrito in a way that makes sense if you are familiar with the area. The bad news is, if you're a local, you also know how steep competition is in the "best" burrito category.

I spent this week trying to add two more ranked entries on to my burrito list. Both happen to take an alternative route to attacking my favorite entry in this category, Iguana's Best Burrito.

Up until now, most of my reviews for this category have featured a burrito with custom sauce that is supposed to differentiate themselves among the crowd. That's kind of become a staple of the "California" burrito in these parts.

California Wet Burrito is different, it aims for the California flavors using ingredients rather than sauces. The availability of refried beans and shredded chicken are a dead giveaway that a burrito order here is more tradition (as much as Mexican food invented in America can be) than at some of the other places around town.

You get a choice of red or green salsa, but it's clearly not meant to be a competitor to something like La Vic's orange sauce. In the end, I simply ended up using Valentino's at the house.

With that said, it was that kind of experience, unexceptional. It wasn't a bad burrito by any means, it just could have been any nameless burrito around here. If restaurants are going to make burritos in a more "traditional" style, that bar is going to be really high around here, and this experience just wasn't good enough to crack...

The lady at the counter was very rude. I was there for the first time, to try it out so I did not tip, as here you pay before you eat.

To my shock the lady asked me "to come pick your order yourself as you did not pay for my service" 😳

Then conveniently, they "forgot" to make my order and it came later than the other orders at the table.

this place is selling basic Mexican food grossly overpriced?(seems like a common trend in California, $15+ for a burrito? Really? I wanted to cancel the order, but to not make it a scene, I just let it pass.

Im usually a generous tipper at restaurants where you get a proper dine experience and have a good/friendly service.

This, on the other hand is a fast food style restaurant where food served in paper plates with plastic cutlery and a very cramped place to sit and gross sticky tables!

Overall I'd rate it 2/5 for food and 0/5 for bad experience!

There are literally hundreds of taqueria in the bay area with friendly staff and a proper dine experience at the same price.

Tip for the owner :

Your staff CANNOT police the customer for tips at a To-Go style restaurant and then Shame them for not shelling it out.

• You want tip? Invest in the service, customer experience and staff training *

I already don't like this place now and definitely would not go there again...

Pictured from back to front are the San Diego burrito with the green sauce (911 sauce), baskets of chips and salsa, an 805 beer, a michelada, and the Mezcal burrito with orange sauce (chipotle).

The salsa that came with the chips was delicious, and is what I would order on top of my burrito next time. I had the Mezcal, which had fish that was already seasoned with chipotle, so getting my burrito covered in more chipotle sauce got boring. However, the fish was really good, along with everything else in the burrito.

The green, 911 sauce covering the San Diego burrito was extremely hot and it has a strong tomatillo flavor. I have an above average spice tolerance and it had me sweating. Everything about the San Diego burrito, itself was great, and the chicken was well seasoned and flavorful. My partner liked it so much that when the 911 sauce got to be too much for them, they ate the burrito from the inside out.

My burrito, chips and salsa, and 805 totaled $24. The basket of chips and salsa and the sauce on the burrito were up-charges that totaled $5, but were well worth it. The portions are huge.

Next time I’m in San Jose I will def be...