What's a California burrito, and where did it come from?
Carne asada, french fries, cheese, guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo in a flour tortilla. It's San Diego's own invention from the 1980s, though which taco shop made the first one is still argued over.
- Inside
- Carne asada + fries
- Origin
- San Diego, 1980s
- 2026 price
- $10–$16
Plus cheese, guac, sour cream, pico
Inventor disputed
At popular shops
The short version
- A California burrito is carne asada and french fries with cheese, guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo in a flour tortilla.
- The San Diego Tourism Authority dates it to the 1980s and names Lolita's (Bonita) and Santana's (El Cajon) as birthplaces.
- The Robledo family behind Roberto's also claims it — there is no definitive first menu.
- At Lolita's, the price rose from $7.75 in 2020 to $13.45 in 2026, according to Axios.
- Popular shops charged between about $10 and $16 for one in 2026.
- Our favorite is Nico's Mexican Food in Ocean Beach, which The Daily Meal ranked No. 2 in the country in 2015 and No. 5 in 2018.
Order a California burrito anywhere in San Diego and you get the same core: grilled carne asada and french fries, with cheese and some combination of guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo, rolled in a big flour tortilla. Despite the name, it is a San Diego thing — most of California has never heard of it.
1980s
Born
San Diego
Where
$10–16
Typical 2026 price
Who invented it?
The competing origin stories
| Lolita's | Santana's | Roberto's family | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | Bonita | El Cajon | San Diego, many locations |
| The claim | Cited by the San Diego Tourism Authority | Cited by the San Diego Tourism Authority | A family member credits nephews' shops |
| Proof | None definitive | None definitive | None definitive |
The San Diego Tourism Authority names Lolita's in Bonita and Santana's in El Cajon as the dish's birthplaces, citing San Diego Magazine, and dates it to the 1980s. Members of the Robledo family behind Roberto's say their relatives' shops created it. No one has a dated menu that settles it, which is why the argument never ends.
What it costs now
| Restaurant | Before | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Lolita's | $7.75 (2020) | $13.45 |
| Rubio's | $8.99 (2019) | $13.99 |
| Harry's Taco Club | $9.95 (2020–21) | $15.99 |
| Lucha Libre | about $12 (2021) | $16.00 |
Axios San Diego, January 28, 2026, from past and present menus.
Prices rose 33% to 74% at these shops between 2019 and 2026, far faster than the 2–3% a year the industry considers normal.
The shops that sell most of them are the "-berto's" taco shops. See Why are there so many "-berto's" taco shops?.
KEEP READING
SOURCES
Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.
San Diego Tourism Authority · Checked October 3, 2026
Ingredients, 1980s origin, Lolita's and Santana's claims
Axios San Diego · January 28, 2026
Before-and-after prices at four restaurants
NBC News · Checked October 3, 2026
The Robledo family's claim to the California burrito
OB Rag · August 2018
The Daily Meal's 2018 ranking: Nico's carne asada burrito No. 5; Nico's serving Ocean Beach since 1982