Burrito King, an Echo Park landmark, closed last week.
It had been listed for sale for years, including on Facebook Marketplace, but had been unsuccessful in finding a buyer for the space or someone down to pay $6,000 a month for the location. The fate of the business and the small corner building it occupies is unclear as of now.
For those who aren't familiar with the elusive charms of Burrito King—where does one begin? It's a little hard to convey the immense value—both culturally and in its menu—that Burrito King represented to the neighborhood in light of the present circumstances.
Is the food especially good? Is the service at least decent? Can it compete with more "authentic," regional Mexican? Has it adapted particularly well to recent changes in neighborhood demographics?
Fans of the place would be challenged to honestly answer in the affirmative.