A review of Bay City Burrito in Melbourne's St Kilda

When we were in Bali we saw a programme on food challenges around the world. I think it was a Man V Food type thing. One of the places was Bay City Burrito in St Kilda, Melbourne. They have a killer hot burrito called the ‘ultra bomber’ which is definitely not for the faint hearted!

Although neither of us were planning on trying the ultra bomber, we both loved the look of the place and decided to give them a visit when we got back. Bay City Burrito are pretty much the daddy of the Melbourne tex-mex craze and they specialise in San Francisco ‘mission’ style burritos. Mission burritos come from the mission district of San Francisco and are probably the type we’re all most familiar with, featuring rice as well as beans, meat and other ingredients.

La Fajita Steak Burrito at Bay City Burrito in St Kilda

This week we found ourselves in St Kilda and made a beeline for the Bay City Burrito there. We loved the relaxed Californian beach vibe inside (as well as the air con on such a hot day). It’s a casual place, with an open kitchen area. You order and pay at the bar as you would in many other burrito places.

Love this Melbourne hot sauce in St Kilda's Bay City Burrito

What did we eat?

Although the menu features plenty of Mexican food; tacos, quesadillas, salads and other bits and pieces, we were there for burritos. I kept it classic with the steak fajita; grilled steak sautéed with capsicum (bell peppers) & Spanish onions, melted cheese, Spanish rice, mild salsa & lime sour cream in a grilled flour tortilla.

Dave went for one of the midweek deals – a thai chicken burrito (chicken sautéed in Thai peanut sauce with an Asian slaw, cilantro (coriander), brown rice & sweet chili sauce in a grilled roma tortilla) and a beer for $18 (£11) – a saving of around $3-5.

Inside the Thai chicken burrito at Bay City Burrito

Let’s be honest, when it comes to a burrito you can’t beat a classic. And whilst Dave’s was interesting, it left him feeling disappointed. The peanut sauce was tasty but there was a little too much of it making his choice feel more like a burrito soup. There are a couple of these ‘fusion’ style burritos on the menu, including one with curry sauce in it. My thinking on these things is usually ‘don’t mess with the classic’ and I think on this occasion I am definitely right.

Mine was totally delicious. The steak was tender and juicy and the cheese went really well with the sour cream. I literally gobbled it up and could have eaten it again. I’d definitely place it up there with some of my favourite burritos of all time. We love Bar Burrito back in the UK and the flavours in mine definitely gave those guys a run for their money.

The surprise of the night was our little pudding. A pot of avocado ice-cream, freshly made by St Kilda’s own 7apples gelato and on the specials. Although we had no idea what to expect, we were pleasantly surprised; it was creamy, sweet and just so tasty.