"Burritos La Palma is a tough restaurant for me to review, because they are such a unique operation, and they do a few key things unexpectedly well. Rather than a deep dive into why this Zacatecan restaurant serves slender burritos that can fit into one 's palm that many people (myself included) also would consider to be tacos, I 'll simply leave it at that. Also, I 'll save the burrito history lesson for another review. And as much as other reviewers and food critics alike want to write about how Burritos La Palma somehow brought beef birria to Southern California, this notion is mistaken and, in fact, not even close to being accurate but since I don 't have a better or more definitive answer, I 'm avoiding that one as well. The first burrito I tried at Burritos La Palma was their Tinga de Pollo Burrito. The chicken tinga recipe they use here results in a juicy, mildly spiced tinga that is dominated by pork nectar and smokiness from its chipotle chiles. It is a messy, drippy guisado that demands a strong tortilla. The hand pressed flour tortillas used at Burritos La Palma are based on a family recipe and are indeed both stout and fantastic: substantial, moist, a little chewy, with a flavor that makes me think biscuits not burritos. The Birria, Frijoles y Queso Burrito makes even better use of the tortilla: they lay it on a griddle for a bit to help melt the cheese inside the burrito. The toasted surface creates a different flavor and texture on one side of the burrito, making it distinctively quirky. The feisty beef birria inside is well spiced and decadently soft. The combination of their beef birria, refried beans, and salty, creamy queso in their half toasted flour tortilla creates a whole that is superior to the the sum of its parts. I would avoid ordering the Flautas de Maiz, basically bone dry taquitos with a small bit of shredded beef and a mild runny green sauce on it. As with many taquitos, the predominant flavor of these flautas was the deep fried corn tortilla shell. This dish desperately needs more meat and less tortilla. I wanted to throw something when I realized the same restaurant that makes wonderful little burritos was also capable of producing something like this. Can 't win 'em all I suppose. Burritos La Palma now operates several stores across L.A. county and Orange County, but this location in El Monte is their original restaurant that opened in 2012. The ladies working here were engaging and willing to chat a bit about the food, and the shop was immaculately clean. I was impressed by their complimentary chips and salsa, which were outlandishly good. Upon completion of my visit here, I found that the hype and praise this operation receives is legitimate, and next time I 'll solely stick to the burritos, which is what I advise you to do as well."
