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.
Al & Bea’s Mexican Food in Boyle Heights
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…