Go Loco for the Chinese Burrito

We previously uncovered the mythical Chinese Hamburger, and we’ve done it again with the Chinese Burrito! Well, we’re not sure how authentic this is, but with the option of chow mein inside the overstuffed tortilla, we can only applaud the inventiveness of Chino Locos.

Their original Leslieville location has been open for just over a year, and they celebrated by opening another outpost on Church Street. Over the weekend, I climbed up the narrow stairs, chatted with the friendly staff and settled on Da Finest ($6.99), their fish burrito that isn’t battered or deep fried. After reading it was possibly the best fish burrito in town on BlogTO, I knew I had to give it a try.

I opened this inviting envelope and by golly, it really was the best fish burrito I’d ever had. Of course, my only comparison is Burrito Boyz’s Halibut Burrito (which is mighty tasty, but I’m not crazy about the greasy deep-fried fillet). Chino Locos one-ups them by seasoning and sautéeing the white basa fish fillets to order, so they taste fresh, juicy and the fish is literally melt-in-your-mouth tender. It’s paired with guacamole, tomatoes, edamame beans, red onions, black beans, green peppers, cilantro, cheese, sour cream and chipotle sauce. Oh, and with the staff’s recommendation I went with chow mein instead of rice. I thought: “This is weird” on my first bite, but then after that I just thought it was delicious.

Chino Locos has other unique burrito offerings including Sweeeeet (slow roast pork), Pollo Loco (all white-meat Mexican chicken tinga),Biggie Bean (edamame and black bean) and Juicy Vegan (pressed tofu, eggplant, shitake mushrooms, edamame, glass noodles). I also tried their Off Da Hook, which was stuffed with ribeye steak, guacamole, tomatoes, edamame, red onions, black beans, green peppers, cilantro, cheese, sour cream and chipotle sauce. I didn’t like this one even remotely as much as the fish option. The meat was tough in some spots, the black-bean sauce flavour was overpowering and the rice seemed overcooked and mushy.

All burritos are $6.99 and equivalent to the large-sized burritos offered at other places. (Note: it’d be nice to have a smaller-sized option too.) I would definitely come back for the fish burrito again and again. With so many burrito joints cropping up in the city, when you find a good one, you gotta support with repeat visits.

Chino Locos
459 Church Street, 2nd floor, Toronto
416 551 7007 / Hours: Mon. to Sat. 12pm-9pm, Sun. 1pm-8pm
4 Greenwood Ave., Toronto
647 345-5626 / Hours: Mon. to Fri. 11am-9pm, Sat. 12pm-9pm, Sun. 1pm-8pm