How to Eat a Burrito

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: May 14, 2021

Burritos are served at fast-food joints, taco stands, and fancy Mexican restaurants. You can even make them yourself. But one thing about eating a burrito is that it can be a cumbersome endeavor. The tortilla can come apart or unfold, causing the filling to leak out and leave you with quite the mess. Learning to eat a burrito in the proper way will let you focus on enjoying the flavor and not so much on keeping the burrito from falling apart.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Eating the Burrito

1
Don’t unwrap the whole burrito. The foil is going to be your key to keeping the burrito from falling apart while you eat it. The tortilla alone may not be wrapped tightly enough to hold all the ingredients in.^{[1]
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2
Stand the burrito upright.^{[2]
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Research source} While it is still wrapped in the foil, stand the burrito up on one end so that it is perpendicular to the table. A well-wrapped burrito should be able to stand up on its own, but this is not necessary for your enjoyment.

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3
Peel the foil down about an inch or two. Open the foil at the top end. Peel around the burrito like you are unwrapping a roll of lifesavers candy, but do not completely unwrap it. Tear off the loose piece of foil and set it aside. The remaining foil will secure the bottom of the burrito maintain its structural integrity as you eat it.
- If you do end up completely unwrapping the burrito you can try to use the foil as a holder by rewrapping some of it around the bottom.
4
Use two hands. Grab your burrito with both hands to keep it stable. If you're not in a fancy restaurant, you can keep the burrito on the table and lean in to bite it in the early stages. Eventually you’ll have to lift it to your mouth.
- When lifting it from the table to bite, keep it in both hands.
- Don’t squeeze the burrito too tightly. You run the risk of puncturing the tortilla.
5
Take a bite from one of the corners. Most burritos are too big for you to be able to fit its entire girth in your mouth without choking. Your best bet is to start off at one of the corners.^{[3]
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- Biting the burrito in the middle will just cause the contents to spill out.
6
Work your way across. Take even bites working to keep the top of the burrito level.
7
Rest the end of the burrito back on the table. Every second you hold the burrito suspended above the table you run the risk of it falling apart. The foil will do its job, but while you’re chewing, it’s best to set the burrito back down. Keep your hands on it to prevent it from falling over.
8
Peel back more of the foil. As you make your way further down the burrito, being sure to keep the bites even, tear off about an inch more of the foil and set it aside.^{[4]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Keeping Clean

1
Have some napkins handy. Eating the burrito properly should limit mess and spillage, but it can still be dirty business. Make sure you have some napkins or Wet Naps ready nearby.^{[5]
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2
Ball up your foil. ^{[6]
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Research source} As you tear away strips of foil from the burrito, ball them up together rather than just letting them sit. This way you won’t have a lot of debris on your table that could blow away or create clutter.
3
Don’t try to eat a burrito while walking.^{[7]
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Research source} If the burrito isn’t wrapped tight enough, it will leak all over. You’ll have a hard time keeping cleaning and managing to eat without the entire thing falling apart. Take a seat and enjoy.
4
Consider a knife and fork. If you are careful, you shouldn’t have any spillage while eating your burrito. However, sometimes you can’t help it and some of the filling might escape onto you plate. Have some utensils handy so you don’t have to use your hands to scoop up lost filling as it can be very messy.
- Some burritos come with cheese and sour cream on top of them. In this case the burrito will most likely not be wrapped but come in some kind of container. Here you’ll have to knife and fork it if the burrito is too large or too messy to pick up with your hands.
5
Turn the burrito on its side if you puncture it. A hole in the side of your burrito can get messy fast. If this happens, turn the burrito on its side. You might want to use a knife and fork until you eat down to the hole and can again even out the top and go back to eating with your hands.
6
Cut it in half while it is still wrapped. If you are sharing your burrito, or if you are just worried about wielding the whole thing on your own, you can cut it in half. Your best bet is to keep it wrapped up when you do this so that the tortilla won't unfold.
- You can eat the burrito half the same way, pulling the foil down as you eat.
- A halved burrito is more prone to spillage. Definitely have a fork handy to scoop up lost filling.

Community Q&A

Question

Is it a good first date idea?

Community Answer

No, definitely not. Burritos are really messy, and some of the ingredients may cause gas. Both of these things could potentially result in embarrassment.
Question

Should you eat your burrito with sauce?

Community Answer

It's up to you whether you'd like to have sauce with your burrito. If you do opt for sauce, you can either pour it on your burrito little by little as you eat each bite or you may be able to dip the burrito in the sauce as you go. You will likely get to choose between green and red sauce. If you're not sure, ask for both!
Question

I don't use inches; how many centimeters should I peel back?

Community Answer

An inch is about the length of the top knuckle of a thumb, while a centimeter is about the size of the fingernail of your pinkie finger (little finger at the end of the hand). You should peel back the width of one or two fingers.