Burrito Joe

Best burrito I’ve ever had in the UK. Consistently good and great value for money. The chicken is fantastic!

I’m extremely confused (it’s been one of those days) as to how I’ve not written a review for Burrito Joe yet given that I’ve been relying on the cool crew there for my weekly burrito fix for some time now. And especially on a freezing cold day like today, I salute them for setting up their stall and serving up some delicious grub for us hungry worker drones.
It’s hard to know where to start when singing Burrito Joe’s praises. Do you start with the tender meat which is the core of any good burrito? Or perhaps we should consider the beans, be they refried or black, that have an impossibly smooth texture and give the burrito a solid savoury base. Then again we have saffron infused rice with a brilliant yellow shine that fills each bite with floral notes before the smoky, spicy chilli in the salsa roars through. The silky sour cream, the rich creamy guac, and the sharp flavours of cheddar cheese all wrapped up in warm stretchy tortilla. Let’s be honest, there is pretty much nothing I don’t like about this burrito.
Oh and one more thing I like, the price to value ratio is the best in London. By far the largest burrito on offer, the pulled pork or minced beef come in at the top of the price list at £6.50. Good luck finding that at Chilango or Tortilla. It’s enough to put you into a food coma for a couple of hours, but once you snap out of it you’ll be craving a bit more. Good thing they are only open for weekday lunch otherwise I fear the phrase «you are what you eat» will become far too true.

Quick glance:
+ £5 all inclusive price
+ big portion, value for money
+ well-​seasoned fillings
— long queue
I accidentally came across a long queue and the fragrant smell from the stall of Burrito Joe, which has recently moved from Brick Lane to a church’s courtyard on Bow Lane (near Mansion House tube station). Burrito Joe is now operating from Bow Lane Monday-​Friday lunchtime.
When I walked by, there were about a dozen city workers queuing up for lunch. I came back 20 minutes later with cash in hand and found the queue has dwindled to only two people, only to discover that they had ran out of pork and steak.
No matter, chicken burrito it was. You can ask to have everything (cheese, guacamole, salsa) and it still only cost £5, a nice change from other burrito places that charges extras for every little addition. The burrito was massive and very filling for the price, chicken tender and well-​seasoned with little bursts of cumin flavours coming through.
It’s not the best burrito I’ve had in my life and found the cheese and salad a bit on the chilly side, but for street food at the given price it’s worth a go especially on a Friday afternoon. Just m sure you get there early and stomach the queue if you want your choice of filling!