Dining Review: Breakfast burritos that beat the odds

People feel strongly about their breakfast burritos. Do you think the ones at Corner Cottage are best or are you a Lucky Boy lover? Everest or El Sauz? There are some great ones out there but I feel certain you’ve never had a breakfast burrito quite like the ones at World Empanadas.

Three things take this breakfast burrito from good to outstanding. First, the ingredients — scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon or sausage and cheese — are all chopped together à la Cold Stone Creamery so every bite delivers every flavor. Second, and perhaps most important, the burrito is baked, rendering a crispy tortilla exterior and a uniformly hot interior. Third, the available salsas are a tangy tomatillo, a spicy red chile and — wait for it — chimichurri. This makes for a wholly different B-burrito experience.

It’s no wonder they bake the burrito. They bake most things here at World Empanadas. Their claim to fame is their selection of meat-filled, vegetarian and sweet empanadas. Until a few months ago, World Empanadas worked out of a corner liquor store in Burbank. Recently, the Hirtz family opened their own cute, breezy space on Magnolia Boulevard. Still primarily a takeout facility, there are some cafe tables on the sidewalk and a big wooden table inside. Argentine curiosities share wall shelves with handwritten sayings meant to brighten your day. There’s a basket of colored chalk and an entire chalkboard wall to draw on. It feels like, and is, a family-owned spot with Papa Carlos and Mama Lia doling out smiles and advice.

After wolfing down our delicious burritos, we ordered a dozen empanadas to go and proceeded to drive all over town, visiting family and sharing the wealth. Everyone enjoyed them, commenting on the chewy crusts and expounding on their favorite fillings. The Spinach & Cheese was a winner, as was the Creamy Corn and the Santa Fe Chicken. The Biscuits & Gravy was nicely spiced while the Chile con Carne was very spiced. The Chicken, Potatoes and Peas was similar to a chicken pot pie and the Simple Ham & Cheese was full of tangy cheese sauce. Even my mother-in-law whose stomach is finicky due to illness ate more than one of these sizable hand pies.

Vegans will love the Quinoa and Lentil empanada. The grains and legumes are sauteed with onions, garlic, cilantro and spices punching up the flavor. They use all natural ingredients and no hydrogenated oils at World. The Nutella & Banana sweet empanada was, as you’d expect, delicious. My daughter said she’d bring a friend here to split a breakfast burrito and share this sweet empanada for dessert. Maybe with a cup of hot yerba matte or the refreshing iced yerba matter/orange juice blend.

They offer pre-order catering here including gluten-free empanadas, cocktail (mini) empanadas and vegan empanada rounds (tapas). And you can get any of your favorite empanada fillings made into a burrito. Could be interesting.

The only one not too enamored with World Empanadas was my husband who’s not into white carbs these days. There is a lot of starch in the empanadas but there’s also a lot of filling and for a mere $2.75, it’s a great way to fill the belly.

My only complaint was with the chimichurri sauce. It seemed watery and lacking real herb, garlic or vinegar flavor. But the tomatillo salsa was thick and delicious. The service is friendly if a little laid back. Most empanadas are ready to go in the display case and some are just coming out of the oven. If you’re craving a burrito but in a hurry to get somewhere, call ahead because they do take 10 or more minutes. But they’re worth it.

What: World Empanadas

Where: 1206 Magnolia Blvd., Burbank

When: daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., except Sunday (closed)

Prices: burritos, $7.75; empanadas, $2.75 each or $29.99 per dozen

Contact: (818) 934-1820; worldempanadas.com
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LISA DUPUY welcomes comments at LDupuy@aol.com.