Fill ‘er up

Being a vegetarian limits my dining options. Luckily, I love Mexican food. Much to my fiancee’s chagrin, I could probably eat the stuff every night.

When I moved to Reno four years ago, I immediately went forth to find a good, hole-in-the-wall Mexican food dive. Full-scale Mexican restaurants are a good substitute, and I believe Reno has some fine Mexican food restaurants—but what I needed was a good-size burrito stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, hearty-tasting beans and flavorful rice. Throw in a little cheese and a bit of somewhat spicy hot sauce, and I’m set.

Places like this were a dime a dozen in my hometown of Santa Rosa, Calif. It seemed as if every little strip mall had at least one (and sometimes two or three) burrito places. There’s a place in Santa Rosa called El Patio where the guy at the counter still knows my order when I go back to visit. That’s how much I love Mexican food. But the ideal burrito is a bit harder to find in Reno. To fill this void in my life, I’ve become a frequent customer at Eatos Burritos. Eatos, on South Wells Avenue, is similar to the types of burrito shops I love—counter service, decently-cheap prices, vegetarian selections and an outside patio.

One of the great things about Eatos is both their refried and whole beans are vegetarian. Many places put lard or pork fat into their refried beans—but not Eatos, or so they tell me. And they don’t scrimp with the beans, either. At some restaurants, a meatless item doesn’t automatically come with a compensating fill of beans. Thus, vegetarians are left eating huge mouthfuls of lettuce—something that’s not high on my list of things to eat for dinner.

Even though I’m vegetarian, I know most of the population isn’t. Eatos knows this too. While I’ve never tried the meat there, it looks fresh. The meats, beans and rice are right up front where you can see the cooks preparing your food. Nothing is hidden behind kitchen doors, leaving the guest to wonder what goes on in the back.

Maybe this is why customers get such large portions of food. The cooks can’t hide the amount of toppings they stuff into their burritos or pile on their taco salads (which I highly recommend).

And Eatos’ hot sauce goes great with the food. It’s not the extremely spicy, watery sauce strictly meant for burning unnecessary taste buds off. This actually has some substance to it and enough kick to satisfy all but extreme hot sauce lovers. Not to mention that it tastes great. Just like everything at Eatos.