Here's Where I Go In LA When I Need A Bean And Cheese Burrito

When I lived in New York City, my go-to mid-day snack or quick meal was a plain slice. When done well, a slice of cheese pizza needs nothing else. While LA has a better pizza scene than people give it credit for, my preferred easy meal here is a bean and cheese burrito. When I'm craving one, I find myself gravitating to these eateries: Al & Bea's, Burritos La Palma, Taco Spot, and Rick's Drive In & Out. 

Some of my bean and cheese burrito haunts rank among the best in the city. I can't always make the trek to a different neighborhood to wait in line with other burrito fanatics, so convenience is sometimes a deciding factor. Since I live east of the 5, my choice spots reflect the constraints of LA's geography and traffic. Get LA a better metro system, and I'll try burritos in Torrance or Santa Monica.

A bean and cheese burrito needs to have creamy refried beans, slightly salty melted cheese, and a tortilla with some chew. Sauce is a nice addition to these three basic components. The resulting meal is more comforting and filling than a slice of pizza, with a soulful simplicity that captures LA's casual dining scene at its finest. 

The soft flour tortilla holds a generous amount of beans and cheese at Al & Bea's. The red and green sauce options are both delicious, with the red bringing a little more heat. Conventional wisdom says the green sauce is the superior option, but I prefer the spice and flavor of the red sauce over the milder, but still tasty, green. The cheese is hot and melty — if you aren't careful, you'll have a line of cheese between the burrito and your mouth. 

Opened in 1966, Al & Bea's is in its 60th year in Boyle Heights. Not much has changed. The music is still radio hits from the 1960s, the prices are low (only $5.75 for the red sauce bean and cheese), and the decor is pleasantly old-school. Driving by, Al & Bea's catches your eye because of the people on the sidewalk waiting for their number to be called. 

Rick's is where I go the most for a quick bean and cheese burrito. While I like Ricks, this is less about a specific place and more about patronizing your local, family-owned drive-thru. As a car-focused city, LA has a large variety of drive-thru restaurants. Many have a bit of everything, including burritos. At Rick's, you can get a burger, a pastrami sandwich, spaghetti, chicken teriyaki, French toast, omelettes, and, of course, a bean and cheese burrito. The drive-thru is charmingly human — there's no LED screen with an AI chatbot taking your order like at Wendy's. The prices on the old menu board out front have been changed by hand over the decades. When you pick up your food, it's handed to you by the friendly staff at a door around the corner.

The bean and cheese burrito here is large, stuffed full of refried beans and a mix of cheeses, and only costs $6.99. It's not easy to eat and drive at the same time (the LA equivalent of how New Yorkers eat a slice and walk), so this is a burrito I usually pick up on the way home after a long day. Everyone in LA should try whatever local drive-thru is nearby, and for me, that's Rick's.

Large platters of enchiladas with rice and beans, carne asada fries, burritos, and tacos feed the locals in Eagle Rock at the Taco Spot. The Taco Spot isn't on any "Best of LA" lists, but it has been a Colorado Boulevard institution since 2006. The humble kitchen makes simple and flavorful Southern California-style Mexican food. Here, the bean and cheese burrito is straightforward: refried beans and cheese enveloped in a flour tortilla. When I'm feeling particularly hungry, I'll also get the fries with a scoop of fresh guacamole on top.

The massive amount of beans is creamy and filling. This is a big burrito with an impressive weight. I often add sliced avocado to my burrito to give it a little extra freshness and flavor. It's the perfect, quick meal that's especially comforting on a cold day. The Taco Spot's version is a dependable and quintessential take on the classic Los Angeles burrito, one of the best burrito styles around.

The burritos at Burritos La Palma are smaller and less packed with refried beans than those at other LA spots, but this makes them easier to eat on the road. The chewy tortilla is the star here, and the lighter amount of beans lets the tortilla step forward. Fortunately, the beans and cheese, at a ratio of 60% beans to 40% cheese, are still flavorful and hearty. Two burritos cost $10.50, or three for $15.75.

Burritos La Palma is a chain with five locations in the Los Angeles area and Orange County. The family behind the restaurant opened their first taqueria in Zacatecas (located in North-central Mexico) in 1980. The tortillas are made with just flour, butter, and salt, making them soft, pliable, and delicious. Much has been written about this burrito spot. The New York Times calls the bean and cheese burrito here an essential LA dish, and the late LA food critic Jonathan Gold included it on his list of the best burritos in LA for the Los Angeles Times.