Guy Fieri's Favorite Carne Asada Burrito Is From His College Days

Among the many places Guy Fieri has profiled on his Food Network show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" were some he particularly fell for, like Charlotte, North Carolina's barbecue joint Bar-B-Q King, and the historic Silver Skillet diner in Atlanta. But it was during his pre-fame days as a University of Nevada, Las Vegas student that he discovered a restaurant's carne asada burrito he still craves to this day. The celebrity chef revealed on "All-Star Best Thing I Ever Ate" that one of the first things he does when he's in Las Vegas is get one from Roberto's Taco Shop (via YouTube).

Roberto's has more than 80 locations in Nevada, California, and Texas, with about a quarter in Las Vegas. Its carne asada burrito is made with just guacamole, pico de gallo (its "salsa Mexicana"), and a generous amount of "carne asada," or grilled meat, a restrained formula praised by Fieri. Roberto's uses top inside round, a lean cut of beef that the restaurant slices into ¼-inch thick pieces and seasons only with salt, garlic powder, and black pepper, keeping the focus on the beef. The meat is cooked on a flat top grill, where the flour tortilla is also warmed and lightly browned before assembly.

Fieri's favorite burrito is one of the chain's top-selling items, along with beef tacos, rolled tacos, and the California Burrito, filled with carne asada, french fries, salsa Mexicana, and cheddar cheese. There are carne asada versions of most of the other main menu items too, including tacos, quesadillas, nachos, and breakfast burritos, as well as loaded Carne Asada Fries topped also with beans, guacamole, sour cream, salsa Mexicana, and enchilado cheese.

Roberto's Taco Shop was founded six decades ago by husband-and-wife Mexican immigrants Roberto and Dolores Robledo, who initially sold tortillas to stores and restaurants before setting up a San Ysidro tortilla factory in 1964. They opened the original Roberto's not long after in San Diego, which the chain claims as the first "traditional style" taco shop in the California city. The first Las Vegas location didn't come along until Roberto moved there in 1990, and many were placed near UNLV –like the one Guy Fieri went to across the street from his school. Roberto and Dolores, who had 13 children, have both passed away, and their family now runs the business. They have franchised locations in Nevada, but exclusively to employees who've been with them for at least 10 years.

Although you'll find carne asada across Central and South America, it's most known in the U.S. because of Mexican food. Roberto's no-fuss, three-ingredient seasoning for the beef is similar to how it's made in parts of Mexico and some places in Latin America, where salt can often be the only seasoning. However, in other Mexican regions, the meat is marinated with ingredients like lime or bitter orange juice, soy sauce, and beer. While Roberto's additionally keeps the fillings basic, carne asada and other burritos also come in other varieties, such as Mission-style, packed with other ingredients like rice, beans, cheese, and sour cream, and "smothered," covered with salsa or sauce and melted cheese.