San Diego's beloved burrito is getting pricier
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The California burrito gets more expensive every year. Photo: Courtesy of Rubio's Coastal Grill
Add San Diego's iconic California burrito to the items that are making it more expensive to live here.
The big picture: It's tough to find this flavor-packed San Diego staple for under $10, which wasn't the case just a few years ago.
- The hefty, homegrown burrito's rising cost is a common complaint among friends and Reddit users desperately searching for cheap options.
By the numbers: California burrito prices at several popular restaurants have increased year by year since the pandemic, images of menus past and present posted to Yelp show:
- Harry's Taco Club: $9.95 in 2020-21 to $15.99 in 2026.
- Rubio's Coastal Grill: $8.99 in 2019 to $13.99 in 2026.
- Lolita's: $7.75 in 2020 to $13.45 in 2026.
- Roberto's: $7.80 in 2019 to about $11 in 2023 to $13 in 2026.
- Lucha Libre: about $12 in 2021 to $16 in 2026.
Meanwhile, burritos at Harry's, Taco Stand and Lolita's got heavier over the past two years, according to our scales. (Yes, we weighed burritos for this story.)
One cheaper exception: The Taco Stand's California burrito, packed with carne asada, fries, cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole, costs $10.19. That's up from $8.59 in 2020.
- This cheaper options doesn't sacrifice flavor or size, weighing in at nearly a pound and a half.
What they're saying: "Consumer sentiment and discretionary income … are definitely things that you look at when you're deciding if and when to take a price increase, because naturally, it is inevitable at some point, as people have obviously noticed," Dave Betland, Rubio's vice president of marketing, told Axios.
Zoom in: Rubio's has not increased prices in about 18 months, "which is pretty unusual," Betland said, adding that such increases are usually 2-3% annually in the industry.
- The cost of proteins like beef have jumped significantly, but they try to absorb those hits and don't make price adjustments based on short-term increases in commodity prices, he said.
- Rubio's works to cut costs by consolidating suppliers for ingredients, negotiating with longtime vendors to manage the burden of price hikes, and using technology to reallocate labor rather than just reduce it, Betland said.
The intrigue: Rubio's says it recently added 25% more beef, chicken and shrimp to its burritos.
State of play: These price increases come as San Diego restaurants grapple with inflation and increased costs for employees, ingredients, rent, insurance and valet parking, which is often being passed on to customers.
- Local restaurant and takeout prices rose 6.3% in 2025, and San Diego sustained a larger increase in cost of food away from home than other large U.S. metro areas, ABC10 reported.
Flashback: The California burrito has been San Diego's pride and joy since the 1980s, though its exact origins are unknown.
- Lolita's and Santana's are the top contenders for inventing it, and Roberto's gets credit for popularizing stuffing a carne asada burrito with fries, per San Diego Magazine.
Tell us: What's the most you've paid for a California burrito, and was it worth it?
- What's your go-to spot for an affordable bite?
- Email us at [email protected]