On The Richmond Burrito Trail: Hilltop's El Sabor De Guadalajara
The deliciousness wafted from El Sabor De Guadalajara’s bag of goodies on the ride home. The Richmond Burrito Trail was partaking in a Chile Relleno-centric visit to a little restaurant located in a cluster of businesses ringing the former Hilltop Mall.
On a quest of sorts, we ordered a Chile Relleno plate and a Chile Relleno Burrito, which turned out to be some of the best rellenos we’ve had in years. The substantial chile was filled with warm, melty cheese and coated in fluffy, non-greasy batter. As good as the chile relleno was, the tomatoey sauce was even better, mingling with the batter and cheese in just the right way.
The Chile Relleno plate comes with a small salad dressed in vinaigrette, beans, tasty, well-seasoned rice, steamy tortillas, chips, and salsa. We were sad when we got down to the stem we couldn't eat. The Chile Relleno reminded us of the ones we enjoyed at the old Gonzales Restaurant back in the day.
So what happens when you take the rice and beans, add pico de gallo, more melty cheese, sour cream, a lovely fried Chile Relleno, and roll it into a burrito? Well, we’ll tell you what you get: a mammoth burrito, the likes of which we had yet to see on the Richmond Burrito Trail.
Our wrap artist conjured up a 916-gram wonder, or more than 2 pounds of ginormous burrito in freedom units. That is nearly 14 percent larger than Tacos Las Palmas’s 805-gram Super Al Pastor behemoth. El Sabor gives us faith that we will eventually break the One-Kilogram Burrito Barrier.
Soren Hemmila
We weren’t sure what to expect; we’d never had a Chile Relleno Burrito before, and the whole idea sounded a little goofy. But it ended up being one of the best burritos we’ve had in a long time. The immense silver slab is not only visually impressive but also tantalizingly delectable.
The burrito was somewhat dominated by Spanish rice (typically, we prefer less of a rice presence), but we will give it a pass since we liked the rice so much. The restaurant prides itself on using only the freshest ingredients in its homemade recipes, ensuring each dish is seasoned to perfection with robust Mexican spices. We wholeheartedly concur; having indulged in their taste of Guadalajara and experienced the exceptional flavors firsthand, their mission is well accomplished.
You can get it right here
El Sabor De Guadalajara proudly proclaims on its website, “Who says you need to go to Mexico to truly experience the flavors of authentic Mexican cooking?” Probably not, the diners packed into the small but cheery yellow restaurant happily scarfing down Tortas and Quesabirria Tacos. Inside the restaurant is a world apart from the neighborhood dominated by charter schools and the hulking, now quiet mall. All the patrons conversing in Spanish definitely help the illusion. Out front, the restaurant has tables and chairs for outdoor dining.
The Yelp fellas leave mostly good reviews but do complain about prices. Our bill came to $39.54, which was a bit more than our burrito and Chile Relleno visit to 3 Hermanas Mexican Home Cooking, but it was worth it.
Soren Hemmila
Let us know where to eat next, and check back next week for another stop on the Richmond Burrito Trail.
The Grandview Independent has been embarking on a culinary adventure to explore every taqueria, food truck, and restaurant in Richmond. This initiative, dubbed the “Richmond Burrito Trail,” aims to showcase our city’s diverse and delectable burritos.
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