The Chori-Man - San Pedro, California

Willie F.

I carry seasoning salt in my car for places like this. I got the breakfast burrito as soon as it was ready, yet not a hint of smoke when I bit into it. I got extra chorizo (green and red) and it still was overpowered by the other ingredients in both taste and texture. You never get any solid, seared chorizo chunks here..the texture looked like wet bread crumbs. And if the chorizo ever touched a skillet I'd be shocked. I saw a review saying be careful of the Habanero salsa because its "so spicy"...man that thing was like red water. What I'm gathering is from the reviews, neighborhood, and the hip crowd waiting is: these are burritos for gringos. Everytime I go to one of these cool, hip, "modern" ethnic places I end up learning a hard lesson. I should've just gone to one of those old mom and pop joints with one of those numbered menus on the wall.

Children O. T. L.

Basic burritos, not a lot of flavor or egg. If you're white, you'd like it, latino- you're better off making it at home. Plus it's like $15 a burrito. It's a waste.

Ron F.

This is tucked in a residential area. So parking might be a challenge. I've searched for the green chorizo for quite a while now, so when I finally discovered chori-man, I was really excited to try. Got there about 7:45am, and found parking in the front, ( which is only 15 minutes) I had the the green chorizo breakfast burrito ( I should of added beans) the potatoes, chorizo, and the eggs were all cooked separately. The egg, was a fried egg, cooked with a little yolk.. it was great. The soyrizo breakfast burrito was flavorful as well. Neither were greasy. When I've had soyrizo prior to this, it usually seemed like the flavoring was masking the soy. But the chori- soyrizo breakfast burrito had great flavor. The price was a bit high, but quality was good. The size was, I felt a little small, but I'll definitely be back when in the San Pedro area. We traveled 30/45 minutes to get there. Since it's only take out, we opted to eat with a scenic view of the harbor and ocean..great ambience ..they sell chorizo links and in bulk. I decided on getting bulk green, and maple habanero, look forward to making it for breakfast.

Update:
So I made the habanero maple chorizo this morning, and it was awesome!! It had a hint of maple and then the flavor and then finally the heat. It was not over powering and was very flavorful. I finally know what real chorizo is or at least what it's supposed to be. It's definitely not that store bought chorizo that liquefies into orange grease- chori-man chorizo is some darn good chorizo, I will definitely be back for more

Just J. S.

I have to agree with Willie F's review here. If you're looking for authentic Mexican food, this ain't it. I know how hard it can be to make authentic chorizo and chilaquiles, so I can understand cutting some corners but...

Regardless of the flavor, paying $17 for a bag full of liquid that I had to babysit in my car until I got home was bothersome enough, but the soggy chilaquiles were just the icing on top.

Jay K.

Chori-Man is a chorizo specialist tucked into a residential neighborhood in the middle of San Pedro. While a bit off the beaten path for me, I've now been twice, and if I lived in San Pedro, this take-out spot would be a problem for any aspirations of mine for a healthy lifestyle.

Chori-Man's breakfast burritos are becoming legendary because they're awesome, especially with the house's maple habanero chorizo. I consider myself lucky to have stumbled upon Chori-Man's tortilla-wrapped communion of spicy and sweet maple habanero sausage, sautéed crispy breakfast potatoes, and fried eggs in a rich and spicy sauce made of the mixture of runny yolk from the eggs, melted cheese, and sweet maple-infused grease from the chorizo. Calling this the best breakfast burrito I've had in Southern California does it a disservice, as it may also be the best all-around burrito I've had in L.A.

What else makes it so good? For their burritos, Chori-Man uses a steamed flour tortilla, similar to a true Mission-style burrito -- I'm not talking about the Chipotle version of "steamed tortilla," but rather properly steamed tortillas that become sticky enough that their edges seal and bind together, holding all of the ingredients in place, so that the burrito can be easily be lifted and eaten with one's hands without spilling or breaking. The steaming process in Mission-style burritos affects the flavor of the tortilla in addition to the texture, making the tortilla more a part of the burrito and harmoniously fusing it with the burrito's innards.

Let's put it this way: Chori-Man's "Maple Habanero Chorizo Breakfast Burrito" was so good that, earlier this week, I woke up on my birthday and drove 2 hours to San Pedro so I could have it again, as I could think of nothing that I more wanted for breakfast. That's right, I allowed myself an unlimited budget and drive time and, out of anything I could have eaten for breakfast anywhere in Southern California on my birthday, I chose the breakfast burrito at Chori-Man (and then drove to Rocio's Mexican Kitchen for "Chilaquiles con Mole Manchamanteles," but that's a future review).

Of course, Chori-Man also serves their chorizo in lightly-griddled corn tortillas in taco form. My experience with their tacos has been mixed, with the "Maple Habanero Chorizo Taco" being the best of the bunch, by far, for similar reasons to why the breakfast burrito made with the same sausage is excellent. I recommend punching it up with the "Habanero Salsa" available in the shop, which is more "medium" than "fire," but adds some fresher flavors to the taco.

The "Tolucan Green Chorizo Taco" is my second favorite chorizo taco here, mild, and reminding me more of a garlicky Polish sausage than Mexican chorizo. The "Argentinian Chorizo Taco" was also decent, ironically the closest to what I think of when I think of traditional Mexican chorizo -- salty and savory, but here much leaner. I recommend the house's sweet and spicy "Jalapeño Relish" on this taco. The "Zacatecano Red Chorizo Taco" is dominated by a heavy amount of clove flavor that I didn't care for, and the "Chipotle Braised Beef Taco" tasted way too musky, almost non-beef like. I don't know what happened, but I don't recommend it.

My advice? Stick with the breakfast burrito, it takes something I normally don't care much for (chorizo) and elevates it to an essential component in a well-executed edible package of perfection.

Oscar C.

Excellent breakfast burrito. I ordered the breakfast burrito with the Tolucan green chorizo. Such an excellent choice! I wasn't sure what to expect. When you see the pictures of the chorizo, it definitely looks interesting, but the taste is delicious. Although the burrito was excellent, I was impressed with their green salsa. I don't know what was in it exactly (tasted like cactus with a little bit of sweetener and spice), but it knocked my socks off. I'm fortunate to have friends in Pedro that tell me about places like this. I think it was a hidden gem years ago, but now it's gained quite a following on Instagram. It's a grab-and-go place. Parking is on the street. We parked less than a block away. They make their food with love, so be prepared to wait a little bit.

Larry Y.

Get the Chori-Man breakfast burrito! The green chorizo is pretty good, but my favorite is the braised beef. I tried a taco of all the meats except the red. Maple was a little off putting for me, too much Maple flavor. Argentinian was interesting, think it would be better in the burrito. The jalapeno relish is really good! Street parking in neighborhood, outdoor seating.

javier R.

Best breakfast burrito I've ever had. The fried egg with runny yolk is genius so delicious and had the right amount of potatoes (not like other places with 75% potatoes) but be prepared to wait ,they're really busy i went on a Sunday. Phone orders is the way to go Still worth the wait