La Bamba – Burritos as Big as Your Head
8320 North Michigan Road
Indianapolis, IN 46268
Website

La Bamba started in 1987 on the University of Illinois campus to cater to the late night crowd looking for a burrito fix.  They are mostly in college towns, but they have a few locations in big cities for when you need your fix from your college days.  There are twenty locations in the Midwest.  Funny part is that on their website, they say they are not a franchise, but then again there is a tab for “Franchise Info.”  Hmmm…either way, let’s talk about the food.

What I Got:  Steak Burrito, about $6.

Burrito size is comparable to Chipotle/Qdoba.  It probably is as big as my head, well, at least my face.  This burrito option has lettuce, cheese, refried beans and hot sauce.  The tortilla was slightly grilled to give it warmth and to make it pliable.  It was very different than the steamed gummy tortillas that you would get at Chipotle or Qdoba.

As far as that taste, I was pretty unimpressed.  The hot sauce was not all that hot or even flavorful.  I would give the steak a 5/10 as far as quality and taste.  It could’ve used a little salt or something.  The burrito was packed with iceberg lettuce which made the burrito crunchier and dryer than I would’ve cared for.

Would I Buy It Again? No. I highly doubt that they have updated anything about their menu in the last 23 years and it shows. I can’t say I know anyone that goes to La Bamba without a few cocktails in their system and I think I figured out why.  It wasn’t repulsive.  I mean, I ate the entire burrito, but based on the local competition in the area (El Taco Torro and El Pastorcito), La Bamba struggles to find their niche.

-WIBIA