Street food focus: Tortilla

Henry Norman samples the hottest dishes on the high street, are they more than just a flash in the pan?

What?
Large vegan chilli no carne naked burrito with guacamole.

Where?
Tortilla serves up “food that is fast, filling and fresh” from 73 locations across the UK (most are in the capital).

How much?
£9.20.

The menu says:
“Everything we love about a burrito… lovingly served in a bowl instead!”

The hype says:
“Tortilla really came through with the taste, the guacamole was incredible”: Manchester Evening News; “The attention to detail sets Tortilla apart”: Mostly Food; “IT’S ONE OF THE BEST PLACES I HAVE EVER BEEN. I LOVE IT!”; TripAdvisor.

We say:
As someone who has come to a slow realisation over the years that they will eat pretty much anything that A) is in a wrap; B) has cheese melted on it; or C) has chilli thrown all over it, it’s hardly surprising that my fast-casual food of choice is a dish that incorporates all three parts of this molé trinity. And, as a self-confessed Mex-maniac, I have long thought that one London-based burrito brand knocks all the others into a cocked (Benito’s) hat.

I have clearly been a Tortilla wrap fan for some time then, but there are two reasons for it coming to prominence this month. Firstly, I am currently attempting my first ever Veganuary (well… ‘Vegetarian-uary’) and, as reported in News (page 6), it has just made 70% of its menu applicable and launched a new vegan chipotle mayo to celebrate.

Aside from asking ‘who exactly puts mayo on a burrito?’, I press on and order the chilli non carne (surely a better name?) in a bowl. This is a huge moment for me and my hope to prove that abstaining from meat isn’t just for January… and the results leave me with little excuse for continuing to veg out.

The packed bowl is as fresh as ever, not falling into some of its rivals’ trap of being too salty, the only small quibble being that any subtleties being offered by the new mayo gets somewhat lost in the mix. The same goes for the chilli, though thankfully only from a texture perspective, as it tastes (almost) as great as ever. The ace in the card, however, remains the addition of Tortilla’s chipotle sauce straight from the bottle.

Should you believe the hype?
Still a cut above the other burrito bars – though, even to this committed vegan, the veggie chilli isn’t quite as good as the chicken.

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