Editorial Review
El Castillito (Civic Center) (San Francisco, CA)
Score: 8 / 10 Reviewed by: Cate
El Castillito's burritos are among my favorites in San Francisco. I should mention that this applies to both the Church Street and Civic Center locations, both of which offer consistently delish burritos (and tacos, if you're into that) in almost identical surroundings.
During a recent outing to the Civic Center location, I ordered my typical vegetarian burrito: a little rice, black beans, sour cream, no cheese, no avocado/guac. Both Castillitos give you the option of plain avocado or guacamole, which is a nice, and rare, feature. Go for the avocado. The guac, while not as bad as most of the thinned-out swill dished out in the city, still doesn't compare to the creaminess of a ripe avocado. I was tempted by the avocado on this visit, but I noticed it looked a wee bit under-ripe. They also offer freshly chopped cilantro and onions alongside the sour cream and salsa.
El Castillito's burritos serve as the perfect example of how fresh, carefully tended ingredients elevate what could be a totally average experience. My black beans were perfectly cooked, not too mushy with a little bit of resistance to the bite, and had an earthy flavor without being too salty. If only there had been a few more. Castillito serves tasty spanish-style rice, full of tomato-y sweetness, which tempered the tang of the sour cream.
But the salsas are what really push the burritos over the top. El Castillito's pico de gallo is my favorite in the city (so far). Perhaps because they don't sit in their own juices for too long, the tomatoes retain their texture and the onions still give a nice crunch. How do they manage to make such a flavorful pico when tomatoes aren't in season? I wish I knew that secret. The spicy salsa gives off an nice, smoldering heat. I'm not sure if the tomatillo salsa is homemade, but I love it nonetheless. So piquant and limey - and a lovely color to boot.
During this visit, my burrito was wrapped too loosely, and had an inch-long tear at the top. And their chips, while having plenty of corn flavor, are never fresh. But I'm over it. The service is always friendly and the sporadic music from the jukebox brings a festive element to a somewhat dreary storefront. While enjoying my lunch, I saw no fewer than four couples with babies in strollers come through, alongside government workers and a variety of denizens of the Tenderloin. Everybody appreciates a good burrito.
–Cate
posted 6/29/2005 3:34 PM, updated on 10/31/2005 8:43 AM
