The family-owned restaurants have won Michelin’s Bib Gourmand and KCRW’s Golden Tortilla in Gustavo’s Great Tortilla Tournament.
Every morning Alberto Bañuelos steps over his forest green Rivendell steel bike and glides down his driveway, breathing in the crisp morning air. Falling into a quiet, familiar rhythm, he takes a 20-mile bike ride through drowsy streets to visit a local coffee shop – a morning routine that he’s worked to achieve.
“Cycling has been a source of relaxation and endurance,” said Bañuelos, 58, who applies the mental strength gained with cycling to his business, Burritos La Palma. “Whenever I was tired or wanted to give up, I would tap into that threshold and push through and get it done.”
For 13 years, Alberto and his wife, Lauren, have run their small chain, with locations in Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, El Monte, Highland Park and Boyle Heights. Their offerings are modest – slender burritos filled with guisos (stews), nachos and a dessert quesadilla stuffed with membrillo (quince paste) — yet it’s one of the most acclaimed Mexican restaurants in Southern California. It earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand from 2019 to 2023, won the Golden Tortilla in KCRW and Gustavo's Great Tortilla Tournament in 2021 and appeared on the popular Netflix series “The Taco Chronicles,” that brought them even more recognition.
Their twin stars are soft, buttery homemade flour tortillas and birria de res, a Zacatecas-style beef take on the classic goat stew – a recipe concocted by Alberto’s dad, José, 45 years ago in their hometown of Jerez, Zacatecas, where the original Burritos La Palma stands. Both are now staples of Mexican restaurants in Southern California and beyond — but Bañuelos helped establish the trends.
Success wasn’t overnight – it came with time and persistence.
Born in Los Angeles, Alberto lived in Mexico for eight years before moving back to the United States at age 21. He worked in the restaurant industry for 24 years holding every position from dishwasher, expeditor, front of house to general manager before opening his own Burritos La Palma in 2012.
“I wanted to build something for my wife, Lauren – for my family,” Alberto says.
When the Bañueloses opened the first U.S. Burritos La Palma, Alberto’s morning start time was at 5 a.m. He’d commute from his house in Lake Forest to El Monte, and return home at 11 p.m. Lauren, a kindergarten teacher in Santa Ana, would ready their two youngest sons and take them to work with her – the first leg of her 40-hour commute – where her parents would pick the boys up and drive them back to Lake Forest for school.
“As a teacher, I had a school schedule too and that had us needing to be in two places at the same time,” says Lauren, whose sons are now old enough to drive. “It was a road trip indeed and a little crazy, but we all made it our normal.”
Weekends at the restaurant were a family affair. Alberto would be in the kitchen rolling burritos while Lauren welcomed customers at the cash register with her warm smile. Wiping down the tables fell to Ian (who ended up graduating to cashier), Matteo and Emilio. “Quite a few birthday cakes were had in the back room of El Monte,” joked Lauren.
Together, the family juggled the needs and challenges that came with running a new business. Navigating critiques. Feeding the cravings of the Zacatecas diaspora, whose presence in Southern California go back over a century and who number over half a million people. Honoring heritage.
“Trying to replicate what we did in Mexico was challenging. We were making tortillas from scratch, creating the spice mixtures and sourcing ingredients – we didn’t have vendors, we had to go to the produce market in L.A. to get the best prices,” says Alberto, describing the grind. “I knew that this is what it took to get it going and there's no way I could have done it without Lauren – she believed in everything.”
Where Flavor Meets Memory
If you try a burrito from Burritos La Palma, it tells the story.
It starts with the tortilla: translucent, pliable, buttery and amazing. Alberto recalls trying a flour tortilla for the first time, it was his dad’s – no tortillerías in Jerez made them because they’ve traditionally been a borderlands staple.
“I didn’t know what to expect because I didn’t have anything to compare it to. In fact, I didn’t even know how good it was until I tasted other flour tortillas, especially when I got back to the States,” Alberto says with a smile. “I’ll never forget the smell when we started making tortillas in El Monte – it’s childhood for me.”
After the success of the first Burritos La Palma, Alberto started selling tortillas at the Lake Forest and Monrovia farmers market in 2014. He expanded to a food truck in 2016, followed by the brick-and-mortars you see today.
For OG Burritos La Palma customers, the salsa burrito (house salsa wrapped in a warm tortilla) holds the same nostalgia: The off-menu burrito started in the Jerez Burritos La Palma in 1981 – offered because not everyone could afford a meat burrito. “It became the student meal,” Alberto says. “We would have customers come into El Monte and (they’d) remember eating them as kids and would tell us, ‘I could only afford tortillas con salsa’ – and would order them and reminisce.”
The interior of Burritos La Palma in Costa Mesa. PHOTO 1: The front counter. PHOTO 2: Mountain range mural inspired by el Cerro de los Cardos in Jerez, Zacatecas, Mexico. Photos by Cynthia Rebolledo, Culture OC
Expanding to Costa Mesa
Costa Mesa is Burritos La Palma’s newest location, opened in November, and represents a new chapter for them. It’s the first location in a city that’s not majority Latino. The new restaurant distinguishes itself from the other locations with a gorgeous mural that spans the dining room inspired by Sierra de los Cardos, the mountain range that looms over Jerez.
“I wanted to show the colors of Zactecas tierra (land) and bring in a coastal Southern California vibe,” Alberto says. He chose a cobalt blue to highlight “how the sky hits the mountain ridge in Jerez” and burnt sienna “to mimic the soil colorada.”
Despite the growth and success, Alberto keeps looking to the future. “La Palma is a true labor of love, built with the intention of creating something meaningful,” Alberto says, with a sweep of his arm. “And we built this together.”
Burritos La Palma’s Newest Location
Where: 1170 Baker St., Costa Mesa
When: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily
Contact: 949-652-2424, burritoslapalma.com
