I Say Burrito, You Say Taco

I’m in Austin, and we call them breakfast tacos. And yes, they are much loved.
—an Austin reviewer

Breakfast burritos in Lubbock—very, very popular.
—a Lubbock reviewer

We have both here in Galveston, Pat, although breakfast burritos seem to be more popular. The difference is size: breakfast taco typically has one egg, a breakfast burrito two and what often seem to be three. Also, a breakfast burrito is the ingredients listed below, and more (e.g., beans, onions, tomatoes, jalapeños) rolled up in an oversized flour tortilla, often as wide as a dinner plate. At La Estacion, the City Hall hangout, one breakfast burrito serves two with hearty appetites.
—a Galveston reviewer

Hi. I’m in Laredo where a burrito is something that comes in a box emblazoned “Patio” and is generally emergency food placed at the back of the freezer.

The flour enrobed variety you are referring to is the be-all, end-all breakfast staple here . . . the mariachi . . . and it doesn’t come with optional lusty gritos or trumpeting.

SOME delicately try to call them breakfast tacos here, but they are generally clocked as newcomers or non-believers. There’s a whole rancho full of research on where this all comes from. We just eat them in abundance.

Of late, perhaps because Whataburger says so (so it MUST be OK), some of these breakfast items are being called “taquitos.”
—a Laredo reviewer

In my not scientific study, I’ve developed a theory that burritos tend to be west where Allsup’s convenience stores reign.
—an Austin reviewer

I see both descriptions used in Lubbock, though I believe the majority correctly go with burritos.

A stuffed flour tortilla is a burrito, no matter which meal.

A fried U-shaped corn tortilla is a taco when filled.
—a Lubbock reviewer

DEFINITELY BREAKFAST TACOS.
—a Dallas reviewer

Breakfast buttitos.
—a Midland/Odessa reviewer

Out here in far West Texas (El Paso), breakfast burritos reign, and they are often filled with machacado (scrambled eggs, shredded beef, asadero cheese, and green chiles). Other favorites include the usual suspects of eggs and chorizo, bean and cheese, and shredded chicken with peppers and onions (yes, even for breakfast!). Some people also prefer brains and eggs or tongue and eggs (not my personal favorites). All of these are served rolled in the largest flour tortilla that can be found or made in-house.
—an El Paso reviewer

In the valley, it’s all about the tacos! You can get them pretty much anywhere. Most gas stations have a good selection made fresh in front of you. Even our schools will have breakfast taco sales vs. bake sales.
—a Rio Grande Valley reviewer

We call them breakfast tacos here in East Texas!
—an East Texas reviewer

Houston: Breakfast tacos are all over the place. We also have lots of burritos, but those are for lunch and dinner without scrambled eggs usually.
—a Houston reviewer

On any given weekend, the breakfast taco is king at the many Mexican restaurants in and around downtown Bryan. But from what I’ve seen, there’s not a breakfast burrito in sight.
—a Bryan/College Station reviewer

Amarillo and the Panhandle are definite rolled tortilla burrito folks.
—an Amarillo reviewer

Tacos are much more common for breakfast. Burritos are much bigger and with more varied fillings.
—a Houston reviewer

If they’re rolled, they’re burritos. If folded, tacos.
—a West Texas reviewer

I have never heard them called breakfast burritos, but neither have I seen them “rolled up.” Around here they are always just folded over, regardless of whether it is made with a corn or with a flour tortilla.
—a San Antonio reviewer

Very popular, I would say essential.

Sandra Cisneros has a term, “emergency tacos,” and that’s what breakfast tacos are. They are usually my last meal headed out of town and my first meal back in town.
—a San Antonio reviewer

We say breakfast taco down this way.
—a Beaumont reviewer

Thank you all for those great replies about breakfast tacos versus burritos. Our decidedly unscientific survey indicates that the term “tacos” prevails in the Central and East, while “burritos” is more a Western phenomenon, although taco is also in use.

Pat