Al Pastor Burrito From Nancy's Is A Lost Sheep

I love authentic street tacos. Especially, al pastor tacos. For those who don't know al pastor (meaning "The Shepherd" in Spanish) is a style of cooking similar to the Greek gyro. Pork is stuck onto a spit along with chiles, onion, and sometimes pineapple, and slow roasted vertically. After the flavors fuse together, the meat is cut off of the vertical slab into small pieces and usually served with cilantro and fresh onion.

But for as much as I love al pastor tacos, I had never had it in burrito form. So when I went to Nancy's Taco Shop and saw it on the menu, I was intrigued.

Here's the breakdown of the al pastor burrito ($4.11) :

Tortilla
Most of the tortillas at various taco shops and Mexican restaurants I've visited for are typically the same. One only has to be spectacularly good or noticeably bad to get much mention. Unfortunately, on this day, the tortilla for my al pastor burrito was too dry and a little bit hard. It cracked in a couple places while eating, which is a big no-no.

Al Pastor Pork
The flavor of the meat was dynamite. It was hot, smoky and had a subltle chipotle flavor, most likely a result of the cooking method. It was not quite as rare as I prefer, but it was still very tasty. That said, I could have used a little bit more meat and substance, as the burrito itself was a tad on the small side. But the sauce/juice produced by the meat was really salty and prominent – in a good way.

Cilantro & Onions
Unlike in a taco, where the cilantro and onions are a key component, the cilantro and onions in the burrito were a little lost. Sure, they were there, but they weren't "present," if that makes sense, and didn't offer a whole lot in terms of flavor.

Cabbage
A nice departure from some burritos that use lettuce. I didn't expect there to be pieces of chopped cabbage in the burrito, but I found it a nice complement. It had a slightly crunchy texture, which paired with the chewiness of the meat. Well played.

Overall
Tortillas often make or break the satisfaction of a burrito. Since this one fell a bit short, it hurts the overall rating. Additionally, the burrito itself left a bit to be desired in terms of size and substance. It wasn't nearly as fulfilling as it could have been. For now, I think I'll leave my al pastor cravings for the burrito's smaller, hand-held cousin: the street taco.

Rating: (3.3 out of 5)