MexiCali

Well, I walked by today and MexiCali is closed for good. The windows are covered with paper and the «Open» sign hangs unlit and cold.
I upped my rating to 5 stars in honor of the best that MexiCali had to offer — the pollo y papas burrito, freshly-​made salsas, guacamole that tasted of avocado, and that amazing shredded beef.

Solid Burrito’s & Enchiladas. They usually have some rotating specials & occasionally grilled jalapeños. it is usually busy. There is a $ 10 Credit Card Minimum.
A range of burritos that include plantains, various meats or vegetables make this place stand out.

Yes, there are vegan options in University City, you just have to know where to look for them. MexiCali has a number of great options.
Many options here can be made vegan by holding the cheese. I absolutely adore the marinated tofu burrito. The tofu has a wonderfully chewy texture, and along with the black beans, the meal packs a protein-​filled punch that will leave you full well past dinner-​time, should you choose to finish it. The sweet potato and plantain burrito is purportedly dairy-​free, and it’s another delicious, filling vegan option. The veggie tacos come with a spicier version of the sweet potato, the marinated tofu and some cabbage on doubled corn tortillas. The tacos are not as filling as the burritos, but they’re a delicious lighter option. Finally, a fourth option for vegans: the guacamole burrito. They homemade guac is to-​die-​for delicious.
I end up at MexiCali about once a week. I’ve been going since they were just a lunch truck 8 years back. There’s often a line at the restaurant, but this place has been around for years and they have a great system to get you your burrito in a very timely manner.

BEST BURRITOS IN UNIVERSITY CITY, HANDS DOWN! AND THEY’RE NOT FROM A CHAIN!
As if that doesn’t sum up how I feel about MexiCali, might I add that the owner, Jane, is extremely friendly, personable, and accommodating when it comes to modifying menu selections to one’s preference – beans and I are not friends, and I’m not a big fan of salsa, but my standard is a chicken or tofu burrito with rice and cheese, usually in a whole wheat tortilla. Also planning to try the sweet potato and plantain burrito sometime soon. Every single time it hits the spot, and for the size of the burrito, the price is definitely worth it! How ironic that I recently reviewed both of the major Mexican restaurant chains in the neighborhood and thought I’d be returning to them often… then I tried MexiCali and that all changed… I’ve found my new go-​to for burritos!

My husband and I are trying to find solid, wholesome and authenticate places to eat in Philly. Which is why I hopped on Unilocal and decided on this place.
I don’t know if it was because it was 7at night or what, but all the food was cold. I went in w/​a $ 20 and bought everything I could.
It did not taste authenticate to me at all. The refried beans tasted like canned beans, the rice had abosolutely no flavor and the burritos were slopped together like dog food. I was soooo disappointed, I really wanted to love it!
The SoCal burrito was ok, but that’s because it was cold. If it were hot, I know it would have been good.

I hope I can update this review soon with better news, burrito lovers.
What fellow Unilocaler Claude very accurately refers to as the «mercurial» nature of the owner of MexiCali has always been a bit of a challenge for MexiCali supporters like me, a die-​hard since 2006. I thought the haters who complained about the odd hours, unexplained closings, weird menu strategies and so forth were just less interested in a great burrito than I was. I love a great burrito, and will put up with a lot to get it!
However, my most recent experience last week was just depressing. I was hoping for my old standby, a black bean burrito with plantains and guacamole. No more plain old black bean burrito on the menu, so I had to get a combination. No problem! Guacamole burrito it is. I even remember to say «to stay» before ordering to forestall that inevitable question. I get the bathroom key (locked to prevent non-​paying customers from using it – sort of understandable!) and read the proliferating signs about the salsa limits (take only a few! that means 2!). So far, only slightly annoying.
Now, I knew we probably wouldn’t be in for homemade tortillas. I’ve lived through several flip-​flops in this policy — once it was explained to me near the beginning of the school year that there are «too many customers» so they had to stop using homemade tortillas. Ok. No matter. But the burrito I got was nothing short of a travesty. Put together lumpily so that I started out with three or four bites of straight up rice, this was my first UN-​toasted MexiCali burrito. Why oh why? The toasting was the best part! The cheese was cold, I tell you. Cold. Worst, the salsas were strange and watery — the hot salsa’s one attribute was wetness. I guess even with the strict two-​salsa-​per-​customer limit the price of tomatoes and peppers is too high to make them taste like anything?
I can’t say I won’t be back, because MexiCali is like that dreadful friend who nonetheless is incredibly fun two or three times a year. But I do wonder how in the world this place survives with such an attitude: The Customer Is A Major Inconvenience.

Okay so first off the food here is amazing, just saying. BUT the owner is a jacka**. Completely. All I wanted was a quesadilla with beans on it, and the owner said «no we can’t do that here,» and when I asked him why I could not get beans on my quesadilla he replied «I could explain that to you but I don’t want to… we don’t have waitresses taking your customized order here.» He said this in an extremely condescending tone and was extremely rude as well. I ended up canceling my order and will never go there again while he is there. I hope a better and nicer individual buys MexiCali from him.
Sincerely,
Disappointed Customer.

This is a great place to grab a quick lunch. The burritos are the size of small infants, and will definitely fill you up. Last time I went I got the special which was chicken with eggplant and beans and rice and it was delicious. My only complaint is the mirror on the wall. I prefer to not watch myself eat, especially when I am eating 3 times a normal human portion.

I’ve been coming here for years now. I’ve always preferred their burritos to the fare at Chipotle et al, but now that they have started making their own tortillas they really separate themselves from the pack.
The burritos are delicious. There’s a nice California kind of vibe to the place. They play a diversity of music but it’s always interesting. Four stars.

Holy crap. I walk past this place a few times a week and we finally stopped in. Incredible.
The prices are pretty standard, definitely comparable to chain build-​your-​own. 3.95−6.95, I’m guessing. I got one right in the middle at 5.25, which was pretty average. BUT THE QUALITY IS NO CHEAPO STUFF.
First, the tortilla is made on site, and you can tell. The only time I’ve had a quality shell like that was LITERALLY IN MEXICO. I got the whole grain and it was incredible, with a little bit of singe taste on it. Also I got the guacamole with sour cream in it, which they charge extra for, but if you wanted salsa or guac or something on the side, DON’T PAY FOR IT. It says it costs extra, and they’ll charge you if you say you want it on the side, but there’s a complimentary salsa bar that has these things available. Just thought you should know.
The service wasn’t impressive, but we didn’t wait long for our food, and it was amazing food. AMAZING food. We were so glad to try out this gem at long last. Will be going back again and again.

This place is a solidly good, surprisingly authentic Mexican restaurant in an area that doesn’t have that many Mexican options. It’s cheap, the food is simple but fresh and flavorful, and there are some decent options for salsa. Service was very fast but the food was made to order and tasted great.
The salsas are as hot as they say… not weakened for American tastes. The corn tortilla chips taste like they’ve been made from scratch, deep fried in corn oil and cooked till slightly toasty… if you’re like me, you’ll love the flavor of the chips. They are robust!
The atmosphere in here is not much to be spoken for. The serving size of the salsa is a little small for my taste (I’m a real salsa person) and they’re a tad stingy on the salsa and charge for extra. But besides that, not many complaints. Convenient location though.

Food truck at 38^th/​walnut:
— The lady is SO nice. She chats you up and sanitizes her hands, and puts on gloves when she makes your food (then takes them off when she handles money)
— I love that the truck offers classic, vegetarian, and combo (for all those big appetites) for you. Very vegan or vegetarian friendly.
— Affordable. I got greedy my first time here and got the Pollo y Papas, which has chicken, sweet potatoes, plaintains, cheese, beans, rice. OMG. Food coma. It was $ 5.25.
— The other burritos are $ 4something. Mmmmmm.
This is definitely better than Tacos Don Memos. Nicer people. Better food. Better prices.

Back in my day on-​campus, I came to MexiCali every now and then for a burrito or quesadilla. It’s a small shop, and they take a little longer than I’d expect to prepare something for the go. That being said, the food itself is pretty decent — the food is hearty, and I’m a fan of the quesadillas — they certainly don’t skimp on the cheese. However, compared to Taco Don Memo (or even Qdoba), the flavor is a bit on the plain side… they aren’t terribly adventurous in the included spices unless you count the pico de gallo… which is standard. The prices are a bit cheaper than Qdoba though, which makes it more attractive when the DP isn’t running the buy one, get one free coupons that were pretty much my favorite thing about the school newspaper on campus.
All in all, a solid place to pick up a bite, but it wasn’t the place I was fondest about. With a Chipotle around as well now, there’s even more competition afoot. I’d still stop by, though, if I went back for a visit.

Been meaning to try this place since I moved to the hood. All I can say is, it was great! The service was quick. My friend got the chicken enchilada, which I sampled and it was very good and I had the spinach-​red pepper quesadilla. Yum! I don’t think I’ll be going to Qdoba or Chipotle anymore. I prefer to patronize the hole-​in-​wall, Mom & Pop restaurants if this is the choice!

I had plans to meet a friend for dinner at MexiCali tonight, and all day the only thing I could think about was their enchiladas.
I love those enchiladas! I know they may not be the most authentic, but they sure are delicious. After a very taxing bike ride home in the rain, I was even more excited to reward myself with said enchiladas.
THEY DON’T HAVE ENCHILADAS ANYMORE.
Apparently, they’ve been off the menu since before Christmas, and may be coming back soon. WUT.
Instead I got some burrito with the usual fixings: guac, salsa, chicken, cheese. But, this particular burrito also came with french fries inside. Weird.

MexiCali is one of the better burrito places that I have been to in the city. I prefer it over the higher rated Jose’s Taco’s on 10^th street in Center City.
The ingredients are seasoned well and not too overpowering, but the best part of the burrito is the tortilla that they have. They use some sort of panini press to give the exterior a slight burnt texture and crunch and that really separates it from other places.

The burritos here are so good because they are crafted as if they were sushi rolls: the ingredients are very fresh, perfectly proportioned, perfectly distributed, nice to look at, individually distinguishable, and tastier together than they would be alone. Thankfully, you would never want to take your chances with sushi this cheap, but this these are exactly the prices you want to pay for a burrito lunch.
The maybe slightly misleading thing about the fantastic burritos here is that Mexicali is way more Cali than Mexi. The burrito fillings are pretty interesting (e.g., sweet potato and roasted pepper) but not much like what you find in most U.S. Mexican places that seem like they’re actually serving food that people from Mexico eat.

This was a food cart converted to a restaurant. I think they did better as a cart, personally, but the owners seemed happy when we talked to them.
They have a very decent burrito. Second on the campus, I think, to the cart in front of the Quad entry.
Their space is a bit plain and small, but that’s their specialty. I can’t pull myself away to try other foods, although I hear they’re decent. Definitely vegetarian-​friendly, they asked if we could have meat when we ordered.

Great in truck form, In store front form not so much. So I’m pretty much basing this review on the burrito truck awesomeness!
Friendly Spanish women walking me through all the incredible burrito contents is enough to make me happy when it doesn’t offer too many contents. But when you toss in things like plantains, spicy chicken, guacamole, and multiple beans it gets me giddy with joy. These burrito trucks definitely know how to pound out an inexpensive burrito that’s big on contents! and it dishes out some solid veggie options too!
Maria’s right too. Be prepared to order fast during lunch rush. Or else be prepared to have me bowl you over for plantains. fair warning.

Yuck.