As a freshman, I spent months having cravings for Mexican food. It wasn’t until three months in that I found a place on campus that could satisfy me. Torticas was where I would go every month with my best friend to get a decently priced meal with unlimited horchata refills. And it was right on campus! However, I slowly stopped going when Torticas became Burrito King and I found other Mexican restaurants.
I was recently feeling a little nostalgic and decided to go back to Burrito King last 
week. I ordered takeout for one night: the Acapulco ($9.99) and a horchata for $1.99. The concept of the Acapulco is great for indecisive people. It has grilled chicken, beef strips,and shrimp, all covered in a cheese sauce. The Acapulco comes with guacamole, rice, beans, pico de gallo, and a chicken enchilada.
The the atmosphere in the restaurant has also changed. Beforehand, the interior boasted comfortable booths that have now been replaced by wooden chairs. In the past, the service was fantastic. I would hear from my friends that the quality of the service and food had gone down. I am disappointed to say, that seems to be true. The night that I ordered the Acapulco, it took over an hour for my takeout order to be completed. My food was incredibly salty and the horchata was overly sweet. I figured that maybe the this was all due to a busy night.
A few days later, my best friend convinced me to go with her to Burrito King. I 
arrived and asked the waitress for a horchata, but they were out. We were not given separate glasses of water; the waitress only brought one to the table. This time I opted for shrimp tacos ($9.99) and a strawberry jarritos. My best friend ordered chile rellenos ($7.99). Once our food was brought to us, I noticed that my rice and beans were ice cold on the outside, but lukewarm in the middle. My best friend’s rice and beans were perfectly fine.
My tacos were decent, but there wasn’t anything special about them. The shrimp was lightly salted, and were garnished with a good amount of vegetables. The chile rellenos were a little better. The sauce wasn’t too salty, and had a good piquant 
flavor. The poblano peppers were doused in breading, but the flavor of the peppers still came through well.
Burrito King is good for if you’re on Green Street and need to grab something relatively affordable quickly, and ordering online offers some special prices. I recommend sticking to the tacos and staying away from anything doused in cheese sauce. Conversely, you could always check out the restaurant’s food truck.
Burrito King is located at 408 East Green Street, Champaign, and open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 a.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
All photos by Fatima Watto.