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Current Obsession: The Best Breakfast Burrito in Los Angeles Is At Cofax
Photo courtesy of Cofax on Instagram
Call us nitpickers or details people, but it's the little things in life—and in the food world—that get us excited. Whether it be an off-the-wall menu item, a particularly stylish bathroom or a restaurant's signature scent, we get stoked on the minutiae that makes our dining scene unique. Consider this the sacred space where we feel safe to express our current obsessions and openly explore our favorite things.
What it is: When it comes to ingredients, what makes a true breakfast burrito is debatable. It's usually eggs, meat, potatoes, and cheese or a combination thereof wrapped up in a flour tortilla, sometimes with salsas or fixins. The dish's origins are debated, too; it's said to have been invented in New Mexico in the 1970s at either Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and at Tia Sophia's restaurant in Santa Fe. One thing is for sure, though. Cofax makes the best in L.A.
The smell of the breakfast burrito being made at their small coffee shop is enough to drive you wild: smoked home fries, sizzling ancho chile-laden chorizo, fresh fried tortilla chips, and fluffy scrambled eggs are all cradled in a warm flour tortilla. Add some slices of creamy California avocado, and it's pure burrito bliss.
Why it's rad: We might have a glut of really wonderful regional Mexican restaurants and taquerias here, but L.A. might seem like a barren wasteland to those from breakfast burrito-obessed areas like San Diego, New Mexico, Arizona, or Texas. There are, of course, fantastic breakfast tacos from Home State in East Hollywood and Tacos Villa Corona in Atwater Village, but none can even hold a candle to the ridiculously delicious version from Cofax.
Cofax opened up a few months ago in the Fairfax District, serving up third wave coffee to the neighborhood. In case you were wondering, the name is a mashup, in part inspired by legendary Dodger pitcher Sandy Koufax and also a portmanteau of the words "coffee" and "Fairfax." It's owned by Jason Bernstein and James Starr, who also operate two other fantastic establishments in town—Bludso's and Golden State.
Like their other restaurants, Cofax has a tightly edited menu of coffees from Stumptown and fresh donuts from the Donut Snob, which are wonderful but things that you can procure elsewhere in the city. (We do love that they have an Aussie-style flat white on the menu, though.) The one thing you can't find anywhere else are the breakfast burritos that come in two flavors: veggie and chorizo. Get the veggie if you must, but the real show stopper is the chorizo version, which is served with a red and a green salsa. Both are delicious but totally unnecessary on the already-flavorful burrito. You can—and should—however, splurge and order your burrito with slices of avocado for an extra dollar.
How much it'll cost you: The chorizo burrito is $6.50, and the veg version is $6. You can add avocado for $1. Coffees and espresso drinks range from $3-3.50 and draft cold brew is $4 for a small, $5 for a large.
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Where to find it: Cofax Coffee is located at 440 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 424-7485.
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