The Mexico Diaries: Burrito Revolution

The new location for Burrito Revolution in Sayulita. Photo by David Lansing.

I thought it best if I got out of town over the weekend. I had no electricity, no air-conditioning, and a problem with leaks under my sink which necessitated turning off the water. Plus I was becoming very fond of my bottle of Don Julio silver. So I went to Sayulita.

Going to Sayulita once a year, as I have done for the last five years or so, is like going to your high school reunion: Nothing is recognizable on your return. The produce stand on the corner of the highway was gone, replaced by a new Pemex, and there was a new bridge (the old one was washed away last year). Plus the cock-fighting arena seems to have disappeared. Before I ever had a chance to see a cock-fight.

I parked at my usual spot near the plaza only to discover that my favorite lunch spot, Burrito Revolution, was gone. And the next door paleta stand seemed to have new owners. The beach itself, however, looked much better than it did last year when the storms had carried off most of its sandy beach and a river ran parallel to the water making it difficult to figure out where to set up your beach chair and umbrella. Now the sand is back and the river along the beach is gone.

Also missing this year was the tamale lady. She used to roam the beach carrying a bucket of tamales that she sold for a dollar each and they were the best damn tamales I’ve ever had anywhere. I will miss her.

I sat on the beach for several hours and then around one decided to walk in to town and find a place for lunch. I was still thinking about the fabulous shrimp burritos from Burrito Revolution. The thing is, that place was so popular that even at ten in the morning there was a line of people waiting to order. So it didn’t make sense to me that they would have just pulled up stakes and disappeared. Thinking about it, I convinced myself that they must still be in Sayulita somewhere. I just had to find them. So I started walking up one street and then another until finally, on the backside of the plaza not far from the church, I found them. I ordered my regular, a shrimp burrito and a Pacifico. But even though it was around one on a Saturday afternoon, I was the only one in there. Which seemed really odd.

“Where is everybody?” I asked the young woman working the front counter who I recognized from previous visits. She shrugged. It is still early, she said. My food came (it was just as good as I remembered) and I sat at my table enjoying myself and taking time drinking my beer. Still, after about an hour, only one other person had come in to order. Perhaps, like me, people are still confused as to their new location. Or maybe we are just such creatures of habit that when they moved, they also lost their customer base. It’s hard to say. But I’m glad they haven’t gone the way of the tamale lady.