Download - The Burrito Bracket: Eugene

THE BURRITO BRACKET:EUGENE

by: tanner Heffner

El Super Burrito2566 Willamette St, Eugene, OR 97405

(541) 485-06199:00 am - 8:30 pm

TASTE: 5SIZE: 5PRICE: 5

The burritos are large, absolutely delicious, and only five dollars. Every burrito on their menu is popu-lar, and with good reason. I got what is arguably their “most popular,” an Oregon burrito, which has choice of meat, beans, salsa, cheese, fresh guacamole, and french fries.. It was scrumptious and very filling. The perfect hangover burrito. Everything on their menu is reasonably priced and with such incredible variety you’d be hard pressed to find something you don’t like.

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MUCHO GUSTO 67 Oakway Ctr Eugene, OR 97401

(541) 302-232511:00 am - 9:00 pm


Mucho Gusto is a very reasonable Tex-Mex take on the fast food burrito assembly chain. Definitely better than Chipotle or Qdoba, but it drew a tough matchup in El Super Burrito the first round. Very straightforward menu, very fresh ingredients, but a bit higher in price. The vegetarian options seemed very good too. I ordered a carnitas burrito and it was delicious and very filling, with rice, beans, lettuce, ci-lantro, chipotle sour cream, pico de gallo, and guaca-mole, but it was still $7.50. And the lady serving even threw in the guacamole for free.

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DAniels mexican restaurant685 E Broadway, Eugene, OR 97401

(541) 686-988811:00 AM - 9:00 pm


Daniel’s Mexican Restaurant is a little inconvenient to reach on foot due to missing crosswalks, but the food and atmosphere are worth it. It would be a great place to take parents near campus or eat after a football game. It’s a little pricier, at an average of $9 a meal, but the food is delicious and very authentic. I ordered a Verde Burrito, which was a ton of food, but as an authentic-style burrito, the burrito it-self was mostly meat and sauce, with the rice and beans as sides on the plate. It was still delicious, but for the price I would have liked a little more flavor.

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Pupuseria Juanita 625 West 1st Ave, Eugene, Oregon 97402

(541) 606-47669:00 am - 7:00 pm


Juanita’s is an absolute gem of a food cart hid-den away in a lonely parking lot in the Whitaker dis-trict. It isn’t the most pleasant dining experience, and could be quite miserable on rainy days, but the food is amazing and deliciously authentic. And whatever you order, there will be a lot of it. I ordered a chicken burrito and it was chicken, beans, cheese, and salsa. Simple and to the point, just like their menu. They know what they cook and they do it very well, in humongous portions, at cheap prices. That’s a winning combination every time.

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RIVAs TACO SHOP 1484 Willamette St, Eugene, OR 97401

(541) 683-5952OPEN 24 HOURS


Riva’s, Riva’s, Riva’s. The beauty of Riva’s is certain-ly not in its dingy exterior, nor the grimy interior. The beauty is in satisfying your drunchie craving for greasy authentic Mexican food any time you’d like. And in walkable distance? I’m sold. Definitely a late-night sta-ple, Riva’s serves up copious amounts of Mexican flavors for American tastes, quickly and cheaply. ($5-6 a ‘rito) I ordered their most popular burrito, an Oregon burrito, but instead of El Super’s french fries, Riva’s uses chunks of potato which give it a different texture.ot bad by any means, but the french fries are on another level.

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CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL460 Coburg Rd #302, Eugene, OR 97401

(541) 687-5220 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM


I remember back in high school, it seemed like Chipotle had the biggest burritos on the block. Times sure do change, because the burrito I got from them for this project was smaller then some I make at home. Really dismal. The ingredients were presumably pretty fresh, and it seemed fairly busy when I was ordering, but it was easily one of the worst burritos I ordered during this project. I guess if you’re really craving a burrito and scared to eat at a place not owned by McDonald’s you should choose Chipotle, but there are better options al-most everywhere.

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Burrito Boy510 E Broadway, Eugene, OR 97401

(541) 344-8070 open 24 hours


A Eugene staple for the past twenty years, Burrito Boy has been serving campus and the community deli-cious Mexican meals at affordable prices. No matter the time of day, it’s always packed and with good reason... Its proximity to campus makes it one of the first stops on the burrito tour for hungry freshmen. I ordered a wet burrito, which is an available op-tion at most places but at Burrito Boy it’s a near re-quirement, as many customers will attest. For only a dollar more, a regular burrito is drowned in enchilada sauce and cheese, which is never a bad idea.

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LAUGHING planet2864 Willamette St, Eugene, OR 97405

(541) 505-5399 11:00 AM - 9:00 pm


Laughing Planet is easily the most health con-scious restaurant in the bracket, with a commitment to fresh, local, ingredients and sustainable practices. They are more of a cafe than a strict burrito joint, but the food is scrumptious and you won’t feel guilty eating it. However delicious it may be, Laughing Planet did not stand much of a chance in the bracket against authen-tic burrito spots. I ordered the “holy mole burrito” which was as good as advertised, filled with chicken, spinach, black beans, cheese, guacamole, and mole sauce, which is like a chocolatey enchilada sauce. The $7 pricetag is per-fectly reasonable.

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The Mission610 East Broadway, Eugene, OR 97401

(541) 686-822611:00 PM - 9:00 PM


The Mission is on a mission to become my favor-ite watering hole, if not the best burrito in Eugene. With a wonderful happy hour and student specials on food, the Mission is a study break done right. Funnily enough, they serve authentic style burri-tos even though their name is “The Mission”. I ordered a “giant burrito” and it came filled with delicious red pork stewed in a red tomatillo sauce that provided just the right amount of kick. and covered with cheese. A massive plate of rice and beans was included, and I could barely finish it all. You definitely get your mon-ey’s worth at the Mission.

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QDOBA MEXICAN GRILL840 E 13th Ave, Eugene, OR 97401

(541) 343-2720 8:00 AM - 12:00 AM


You would think that a national chain for burrito assembly lines would know how to properly construct and roll a burrito, but you’d be wrong. Every time I visit Qdoba I feel disappointed. In my food, and in my self, for continuing to be duped by convenience. As a national chain, Qdoba is a bit pricier than some local spots, and though they heap food into their tortillas, there is no care in the placement and they haphazardly mash everything together in order to pres-ent you with a misshapen lump they have the audacity to call a burrito. Take your money to a burrito shop with heart instead, please.

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TAQuERIA MI TIERRA628 Blair Blvd, Eugene, OR 97402

(541) 743-0779 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM


From their website: “Mi Tierra is a family run, lo-cally owned restaurant specializing in authentic Mexi-can food. We put our heart and soul into making deli-cious dishes that will keep you coming back.” They weren’t kidding. In addition to the taqueria, they run the carniceria next door, ensuring every in-gredient is as fresh and authentic as can be. I ordered a pork burrito, which was MASSIVE, and filled with spanish rice, savory beans, fresh pico, & cheese. It also included an unlimited salsa bar, with homemade sauces & guacamole. All of this for only $4. I feel entirely comfortable saying Taqueria Mi Tierra is the best place to get a burrito in Eugene.

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EL TACO EXPRESS647 W Centennial, Springfield, Oregon 97477

(541) 741-376010:00 am - 9:00 pm


El Taco Express is Springfield’s answer to El Super Burrito. Perfectly priced (the average item is between $5-6), with huge portions, your buck will get you far here. The building was packed and seems to be the main Mexican option for people in the Autzen/Springfield area. I ordered a chile verde burrito, which was a mas-sive helping of pork simmered in a green chile pepper sauce with rice, beans, and cheese. It was easily worth the 5 dollars I paid, but compared to the abundance of flavor provided by Mi Tierra and others, it fell flat.

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BURRITO AMIGOS2445 Hilyard St, Eugene, OR 97405

(541) 868-1528 7:00 am - 9:30 pm


Burrito Amigos is a perfectly serviceable burrito spot with an abundance of options and authentic fla-vors. I think their breakfast burritos are a bit stron-ger than their regular offerings, but this project is not about breakfast burritos. Perhaps someday. I ordered a “burrito amigo” which is their stan-dard, and it was good but it wasn’t anything special. It had chicken, cheese, pico, and pinto beans. Burrito Amigos was the only burrito place to use exclusively pinto beans, which was a little surprising. For only $5 it was decently sized and tasted fine, but nothing to write home about.

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JALISCOS FAMILY MEXICAN RESTAURANT 3095 W 11th Ave, Eugene, OR 97402

(541) 485-86367:00 am - 9:30 pm


Jalisco’s is not a taco shop or burrito joint. It is, as the name clearly states, a family restaurant. Family owned, family operated, family attended. The menu is exten-sive, although not very vegetarian friendly. The food is amazing, and there will be leftovers. The drink menu is equally impressive. It’s a bit of a drive from the campus area, but a great place to take family if you want an actual meal. I ordered a “dinner” beef burrito and for $9.50 I got one of the largest burritos I’ve ever seen. This thing filled a large plate, and was filled with every ingredi-ent you could want, then covered with even more. The leftovers tasted just as good, if not better.

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TAQUERIA EL PATO VERDE 3095 W 11th Ave, Eugene, OR 97402

(541) 485-86367:00 am - 9:30 pm


El Pato Verde is easy to miss, in an unassuming storefront on 13th between Hilyard and Patterson. You are doing yourself a disservice if you miss it. A small family run store, the food is delicious and lovingly prepared, and the portions are reasonable. Their se-cret weapon is that they grill their burritos after roll-ing them, crisping up the tortilla and covering it with cheese. It’s quite the combination, and tastes wonderful, but it does take a little bit longer, which may explain why other places have not jumped on the grilled ‘ri-to-wagon just yet. For only $6, you too can discover the joy of a grilled burrito.

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CAFE SIENA 853 E 13th Ave, Eugene, OR 97401

(541) 344-0300 7:30 AM - 3:00 PM


Cafe Siena has the distinction of being the clos-est burrito spot to campus that isn’t actually on campus. Even so, it is easily overlooked for the variety avail-able on 13th. They have one of the best Mexican break-fasts in town, but somewhat unfortunately for them, this bracket is burritos only. They make a very large burrito for a reasonable price ($7.00), and they make them fairly authentically. A huge helping of rice and beans on the side, a burrito stuffed with meat and some salsa, covered with cheese and a heaping dollop of sour cream. Even so, it’s a lit-tle bland for the amount of food on your plate. That’s about the only drawback, but they are definitely worth stopping in the next time you are undecided about what to eat between classes.

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