2025 March Madness Burrito Bracket: Vote on the best burrito in metro Phoenix
It's once again the time of year to fill out your brackets for the highest stakes bracket-style competition in the Valley — and no, I'm not talking about basketball. The Arizona Republic's Burrito Bracket is back for 2025, and it's up to you to choose the champ.
In February, we revealed our top 14 contenders and asked you to vote for two wildcard spots to complete the burrito Sweet 16. We received dozens of submissions, but there was only space for two of the top vote-getters to make it into the bracket, so by reader's choice, Elmer's Tacos and The Beach House joined the other 14.
Now, it's time for the first round of voting below or at azcentral.com/things-to-do/food-dining.
You have until Sunday, March 16 at midnight to weigh-in. But first, let's meet the contenders.
Asadero Norte De Sonora is an institution for affordable Mexican mixed grills in Phoenix. In addition to the parrillada and grilled chicken, they offer burros de carne asada, barbacoa, pastor, pollo, cabeza and lengua.
Details: 122 N. 16th St., Phoenix, 602-253-4010 asaderonortesonora.weebly.com/menu.html.
The Beach House is one of the reader-voted wild card selections for the 2025 Burrito Bracket. The family-owned uptown Phoenix restaurant stands out on Camelback Road with its groovy exterior, complete with a decorative Volkswagen bus and string lights. The iconic baja burrito is made with either battered fried white fish or marinated spicy shrimp plus cabbage slaw, seasoned rice, homemade pinto beans, shredded cheese and pico de gallo in a warm flour tortilla.
Details: 501 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-277-0399, thebeachhouseaz.com.
Chula Seafood is the best place to buy fresh, sustainably sourced seafood in Arizona. Their iconic California burrito is filled with grilled fish or shrimp, french fries, guacamole, spiced Oaxaca cheese and Baja sauce, served with a side of house made chips and salsa.
Details: 100 E. Camelback Road, Suite 172, Phoenix. 602-354-3599, chulaseafood.com.
Elmer's Tacos is one of the reader-voted wild card selections for the 2025 Burrito Bracket. The taqueria is a longtime Chandler staple that's been open since the 1970s. Fans love their green chili chicken and hot and spicy grilled chicken burritos.
Details: 355 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler. 480-963-6763, elmerstacos.com.
El Norteño is a family-owned Mexican restaurant that's been serving Phoenix since 1981, and it still retains its old school charm. Machaca burros are their specialty and are available with a breakfast-y twist with eggs and potatoes.
Details: 1002 N. Seventh Ave., Phoenix. 602-254-4629, elnortenoaz.com.
El Super Taco is a hidden gem in north Phoenix. They may be known for tacos, but they also offer over a dozen burro options, including chicharron, asada, pollo, pastor, carnitas, lengua, tripa, cabeza and birria.
Details: 14620 N. Cave Creek Road, Phoenix. 602-585-2150. Search El Super Taco on Facebook.
Burritos are typically made with flour tortillas, meaning that if you're gluten-free, you've likely not had one in a long time. But at Jewel's Bakery & Cafe, everything is 100% gluten-free, including the Borracho breakfast burrito made with smoked ham, eggs, crispy hash browns, avocado, pepper jack and chipotle aioli; the brunch burrito made with scrambled eggs, potatoes, chipotle aioli and your choice of protein; and the smothered GCP burrito made with cheesy potatoes, scrambled eggs and topped with green chili pork, queso fresco and jalapeño aioli. They're so good, they have a fan base of gluten-free diners and those without dietary restrictions.
Details: 4041 E. Thomas Road, Suite 101, Phoenix. 602-714-5243, jewelsbakeryandcafe.com.
Los Dos Molinos gets its name from two chili grinders that were passed down on two sides of a family tree. Spicy New Mexico chilis are a staple of the menu, including in the specialty hatch green or red chile shredded beef burros. There's also a carne adovada burro, made with chunks of pork marinated in hatch red chile.
Details: Los Dos Molinos, 260 S. Alma School Road, Suite 137, Mesa. 480-969-7475. Other locations at losdosmolinosmesa.com and losdosmolinosphoenix.com.
The Original Carolina's was opened in 1968 by Carolina Valenzuela and her husband, Manuel. The restaurant has become a beloved hotspot for burritos in Phoenix, known by fans for their slogan "the best tortillas in town." Carolina's was a finalist in the 2023 Burrito Bracket, which ultimately went to Rito's Mexican Food in an extremely close race.
Details: 1202 E. Mohave St., Phoenix. 602-252-1503, carolinasmex.com.
PHX Burrito House has been open in the Melrose District of Phoenix for over 10 years. Standard burritos come with the choice of grilled chicken, carnitas, carne asada, green chile pork and shredded beef. But the house specialty is the shrimp burrito, made with shrimp, avocado, lemon juice, cabbage, pico de gallo and hot sauce on a housemade flour tortilla.
Details: 4140 N. Seventh Ave., Phoenix. 602-265-1274, burritohousephx.com.
Rito's Mexican Food is the reigning Burrito Bracket 2023 champion thanks to their signature green chili burritos, made with a recipe that's been passed down for generations. The family-owned restaurant has four locations in the Valley, but the most iconic remains the original Garfield neighborhood location, which opened in 1977 inside Rosemary and Rito Salinas' house.
Details: The original Rito's Mexican Food location is at 907 N. 14th St., Phoenix. 602-262-9842. Find other locations at ritosmexicanfood.com.
Someburros has grown from a single family restaurant to a giant local Mexican chain with locations all over the Valley. As the name would suggest, Someburros offers a variety of burritos including bean and cheese, red or green chili beef, carne asada, machaca beef and bean, pollo asado and veggie.
Details: 5115 N. Seventh St., Phoenix. 602-584-8226. Other locations at someburros.com.
Ta'Carbon was recently named one of the best restaurants in the country by USA Today for its mouthwatering hazz tacos, made with carne asada, shredded cheese and green chilies. The iconic hazz is also available in an equally delicious burrito form.
Details: 5834 W. Camelback Road, Glendale. 623-463-8134, tacarbon.com.
Tacos Chiwas is owned by James Beard nominated chef-power couple Armando Hernandez and Nadia Holguin. Their specialty is tacos, but don't skip the burritos either. Made with handmade organic flour tortillas, filling options include picadillo, deshebrada roja, deshebrada verde, asada, pastor, lengua or pollo.
Details: 127 W. Main St., Mesa. 480-590-7163. Other locations at tacoschiwas.com.
Family-owned Taqueria El Fundador put down roots in Phoenix in 1985 and has been beloved for its homestyle Mexican cuisine ever since. The burritos are made with beans, salsa, onions, cilantro and your choice of protein, with options such as pastor, carnitas, bean and cheese, machaca, chile verde, chorizo and eggs or ham and eggs.
Details: 3245 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. 602-233-9818, tefphoenix.com.
Testal specializes in Chihuahua-style burritos served in the middle of the Grand Avenue arts district. Their bean and vegan cheese burrito is a best seller. Other options include a birria burro, a chicharron burrito, burrito de rajas made with poblano peppers in a creamy cheese sauce and a chile relleno burrito.
Details: 1325 NW Grand Ave., Suite 1, Phoenix. 602-384-9993, testalphx.square.site.
100 metro Phoenix essentials: The best restaurants to try in 2025
Reach the reporter at endia.fontanez@gannett.com. Follow @EndiaFontanez on X, formerly Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Burrito Bracket 2025: Vote now on 16 top Mexican restaurants
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