On The Richmond Burrito Trail: Rumrill Boulvard’s Pollos Asados Don Rafa

We heard a delicious taqueria serving Sinalo-style mesquite grilled chicken was located inside the Food Barn grocery store on Rumrill Boulevard, and we kind of didn’t believe it. 

But, we were encouraged as we pulled into the Food Barn parking lot and spied a huge smoking grill trailer, a nearby metal yurt barbeque structure, and bags of charcoal.

Food Barn is an older, well-worn store. Upon entering, you first see a board of customer photos. Sometimes, stores post photos highlighting loyal customers to build a sense of community and encourage repeat business. It makes customers feel valued and appreciated. We wondered what these individuals did to earn such an honor.

We scanned the store’s interior until our gaze was fixed on an image of Pollos Asados Don Rafa’s Giant Chicken Chef posted high on the wall. This little corner of the store is a bit newer, brighter, and cheerier. It has a small seating area with tables and chairs, and several people are hanging out waiting for their orders.

Most were ordering the grilled chicken, which the cook pulled out a spatchocked chicken and chopped several times with a big, old meat cleaver and placed in a to-go container. We spotted one customer wearing a famous Oakland BBQ t-shirt. Just when we built up enough gumption to ask the stranger if he worked at the BBQ spot or was just a BBQ fan, we watched him heading for the door, bag of BBQ swinging happily.

We ordered a Super Chicken Burrito, so the wrap artist worked out of sight. When we got home and unwrapped our foil, we noticed the nicely grilled tortilla. When we bit into the slab, we were surprised by big chunks of juicy, perfectly cooked, smoky chicken. This was a nice departure from some burrito providers who think they can get away with tossing some dry, finely chopped, overcooked chicken in your burrito. 

This soupy burrito was filled with melty cheese guacamole, sour cream, rice, pico de Gallo, and refried beans. All of the chicken became nicely coated with the amalgamation of saucy burrito melty cheese-guac-cream goodness. It even matched the photos we’d seen online that made our mouths water and venture to uncharted territories in the Food Barn. The burrito had a little heat on its own, but we slopped enough fantastic red salsa on to make us sweat. The burrito felt more substantial than the 682 grams registered on our kitchen scale. 

We ate the whole thing and were left very satisfied. All that grilling excellence and expert construction do come at a price. That price was $17.18 for a burrito, so we were really busting through that $15 burrito benchmark. The Pollos Asados Don Rafa’s Super Chicken Burrito rivaled some of the best burritos we’ve had on the Richmond Burrito Trail, like Tacos El Tucan and La Bamba, but it was not the best value. Luckily, it's a write-off for Professional Burrito Eaters.

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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