The cost of things these days? Far too expensive! Inflation, supply chain, giddy price gouging from proprietors large and small—the boring factors are too numerous to count. To protect our readers, Racket launched the Best Budget Bites series, where we showcase toothsome, wallet-friendly food items that’ll actually fill you up. Have a nomination? Hit us up: tips@racketmn.com.
What: Egg and hashbrown burrito
Where: Lito's Burritos, 6519 Nicollet Ave., Richfield (inside El Tejaban Mexican Grill)
Cost: $6.50
Availability: 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.
Lito's Burritos first crossed our radar back in the summer of 2022.
At around 11 p.m. on August 16, a Racket reader emailed me claiming that the National American University jingle is more iconic than the Mall of America one I had just written about. The next morning I responded with an acknowledgement that, while yes, the NAU jingle is terrific, that for-profit college is based in South Dakota, thus rendering it irrelevant for our hyper-local purposes.
"No Jay, sorry Jay, I was half in the bag Jay," the reader responded. "Racket is great."
A friendly back-and-forth ensued, and then the (possibly hungover) reader dropped an unsolicited yet fortuitous tip.
"There's some incredible stuff going on at El Tejaban Mexican Restaurant in Richfield," he wrote. "I'm nothing but a regular customer of theirs and believe sincerely their personal stories and ideas for food—one after another after another—is worthy of Racket attention."
He wasn't wrong, though Eater Twin Cities beat us to the story. This past September, Eater's Justine Jones wrote about the "quiet breakfast burrito revolution" taking place inside 6519 Nicollet Ave.
The brother-sister team of Miguel and Diana Hernandez have recently taken a larger role in operating their parents' 15-year-old restaurant, El Tejaban, including launching an L.A-style, Chicano-themed breakfast burrito operation called Lito's Burritos during morning and lunch hours.
During a recent visit, Diana told Racket how her brother rented a motorcycle while visiting family in Orange County, and scouted all the best breakfast burrito offerings in a region rich with 'em. Those findings would inform the Lito's menu, though the concept didn't find an immediate fanbase after debuting last year. The first six months were slow inside their 150-seat family restaurant, according to Diana, but that Eater article sent things into overdrive. Nowadays curious Minnesotans are discovering the magic of breakfast burritos in huge numbers, she says, including nearby office workers and firefighters who make Lito's part of their a.m. routine.
That (still low-key) hype is more than justified. We sampled three breakfast burritos ($6.50-$8) plus the pricier "supreme L.A." burrito ($15), and were blown away by everything.
The burritos arrive bisected atop a metal tray, just begging for an Instagram post of all that melty goodness on display. Their soft flour tortillas are expertly singed by the flattop, and their interiors pack a swirl of delicious fillings—eggs that miraculously retain fluff, hashbrowns that somehow remain crisp, veggies that never saw a can, and gooey cheese holding everything together. (The supreme burrito—steak, guacamole, rice, beans, queso blanco—trades hashbrowns for fries, per the Cali style.)
All of that would satisfy in isolate, but diners are presented with an array of house-made salsas for dunking that level-up the experience to something approaching breakfast transcendence; we can't recommend the morrita crema or the diablo enough. Washed down with a cinammony horchata or bottle of Mexican Coke? You're brunching at an elite level. Our four-person party added chips 'n' gauc, which sent the bill all the way up to... $50 before tip. Atmospheric bonus: It's a real hoot to stuff yourself on a weekday morning inside a proper sit-down Mexican restaurant.
After our meal, Diana informed us that you can request to have your burrito encased in crispy cheese, an homage to buzzy L.A. pop-up Lowkey Burritos. Next time, because there will be many, many next times.
BBB Hall of Fame
- $6 Ham ‘n’ Cheese Croissant from Heather’s
- $5 Bánh Mì from iPho by Saigon
- $5.50 Chicken Sandwich from Logan’s
- $1.25 Colossal Cinnamon Roll Doughnuts from Cub
- $9 Chicken Shish Taouk Sandwich from Ed's Deli
- $1.99 Corn Dog from Kowalski's
- $8.75 Egg Sandwich from Sun Street Breads
- $3.50 Tamales From La Loma
