King Burrito (update)

Well, I've been burrito blogging for so long now that I think it's appropriate to revisit some places that I haven't been to for years. Just to check in, check on the quality, ya know. My original post was from way back in 2012, and involved a lovely canoe jaunt at Smith and Bybee Lakes. Ahhh, summer time. This visit was a burrito date with some friends of mine to check out their new hood and local taqueria.

King Burrito still appears to be a neighborhood institution. I am also happy to report that prices have not changed. You can still get a burrito for $4.50! Quite a deal in today's Portland. I opted for their slightly more expensive ($5) namesake burrito this time.

The King Burrito

Price: $5.00

Ingredients: Steak picado, chile relleno, beans, guacamole

Size: Big

Sides: Red and green sauce

Again, I was impressed with the guacamole. Some places charge upwards of 2 dollars for a tiny tiny tiny addition of guac, but it came standard on this guy. Unfortunately, the ingredient dispersion was a bit sloppy, and most of the guac was gone after a couple of bites. The steak had good flavor, but I had a couple of tough bites and it started dripping grease through the bottom of the tortilla fairly quickly. The relleno had a lovely texture, with just the right amount of cheese and a subtle hint of spice. The red sauce was quite yummy! By the end, this guy was drooping and falling apart from all the grease.

The Rating

Lowering the rating slightly for this one- 3.6 out of 5 stars.  

King Burrito

King Burrito is located at 2924 N. Lombard Street in Portland's Arbor Lodge neighborhood. This no frills joint offers simple cheap greasy Mexican done up right. No self-proclaiming, neo-yuppified, flowery lingo clouding up the menu here! Just straight up food.

This place is quite far from where I tend to be, but we stopped in on our way to the lake.

Canoe + Burrito = Perfection

 

Carnitas Burrito

Ingredients: Carnitas, pinto beans, guacamole, pico

Price: $4.50

Size: No measurements this time, but it filled me up!

Sides: red and green salsa

A burrito for under 5 bucks is hard to come by these days. Upon first inspection, I observed a lumpy tortilla colored brick, with quite a bit of grease on the wrapper. Hmm... But let's not judge a book by it's cover, you never know what's hiding inside! The carnitas was reminiscent of most pork cooked up this way- braised crisp edge, strings of slow cooked, pulled apart yumminess- trapped in a void somewhere between tender and chewy. Good flavor all around, though it was a bit dry at times. The red and green salsa added a nice nip. The substantial amount of guacamole is what really jazzed up this burrito! It's tough to find a burrito in this town with guacamole, where they don't charge extra! It was like opening up a shabby used paperback, to find someone's juicy secret love letters tucked inside! An unexpected, rewarding treat. Our little secret.

 

The Rating:

3.8 out of 5 stars

Will I go here again? Wouldn't go out of my way to eat here, but if I were nearby, then yes!

**Follow Up Post**