A square meal at Burrito Real A square meal at Burrito Real (July 07, 2000)

By Jim Harrington

Burrito Real, which helped make the world's largest burrito in 1997, serves up ample wraps with varied fillings.

@vcredit:Margaret Kaye

An entry in the Guinness Book of World Records is a pretty strong reason to visit a restaurant. On May 3, 1997, Mountain View's Burrito Real, working with La Costena Restaurant, created "The World's Biggest Burrito," a monster that measured 3,578 feet long and weighed 4,456 pounds.

Obviously, you won't find a burrito that large when you visit the popular restaurant on Rengstorff Avenue. But you will find large burritos that weigh three pounds or more. Burrito Real is one of the only burrito places in the Bay Area where I have a hard time finishing a medium-sized wrap.

Size matters, but it doesn't outweigh quality. Burrito Real serves some of the best-tasting burritos on the Peninsula.

Part of that great taste comes from the freshness of the ingredients (for instance, the carne asada is grilled after you order) and part from the variety. Burrito Real has more options than your average burrito joint.

The meats range from carne asada and carnitas to pollo en mole and pollo adobado. There's a world of choices in the extras as well. The meat, rice and beans are just the baseline. Add green onions and guacamole or cheddar cheese and black olives or sour cream, cilantro and corn.

Not all the combinations work. You might want to go with one of proven concoctions like the Tiger Shrimp burrito, with rice, beans, vegetables and a squeeze of lemon; or the Fajita Fiesta, with strips of grilled beef, bell peppers, onions, snow peas, tomatoes, and celery.

The carne asada is the restaurant's best-selling filling. The meat is lean and flavorful. Try it in the burrito or any of the other dishes (nachos, salad, tacos). The carne asada quesadilla ($4.49 with meat) is nice, with gooey melted cheese and well-grilled steak slices. The non-meat quesadilla ($1.99) is a nice appetizer to share.

The chicken and pork are also good. Try the pollo borracho, which is stewed in beer, or the slightly sweet pollo encebollado. The carnitas is a delicious fried pork dish.

At first glance, the prices might seem high--a large Tiger Shrimp burrito runs $9.49 before adding the extras, which cost 35 to 75 cents each. But once you see the Tiger Shrimp--which fill two large flour tortillas--you'll agree that you are actually getting a great value. A large burrito ($7.99 for any non-shrimp meat choice; $4.49 for just rice and beans) should be thought of as a meal for two. The medium-sized burrito is comparably priced to similar sized offerings at other burrito restaurants ($4.49 for any non-shrimp meat filling; $2.79 rice and beans).

Next time visitors from out of town want to see the landmarks in Silicon Valley, take them to Hoover Tower and Winchester Mystery House, and then head for the home of the World's Biggest Burrito.

Burrito Real, 580 N. Rengstorff Ave., Mountain View; Phone: (650) 988-6705. Hours: Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sat. & Sun., 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Credit cards are not accepted.