El Charrito
122 W. Market St., Salinas (831) 424-9446, elcharrito.com
This is not the biggest burrito you’ll ever eat. It is, however, the best burrito you’ll ever eat. The lines that wend through the store and spill out onto the sidewalk don’t lie. The family-run Charrito, started by Irene Moncada, her brother Carlos and their mother, Teresa (who at 87 is still in the kitchen every day, supervising workers who make her original recipes) start building their burritos with a fresh, house-made flour tortilla (and God, those are so flaky and soft and good). Inside it’s a fielder’s choice of deliciousness, from juicy chile verde to drippy chile colorado to salsa-drenched chicken. Point to what else you want – crema? Yes, please. Queso? Yes, please – and the counter workers fill and wrap and get you out the door in no time. Buy two, because you’ll want to eat one immediately. By the way, the last bite of an El Charrito chile verde burrito may be the most perfect bite of food there is – one last morsel of succulent pork, juices nestled at the bottom of that soft tortilla. May every bite be that good.