Las 3 Marias
26881 Sierra Hwy, Santa Clarita, CA 91321

I didn’t know Las 3 Marias was there.

Which surprised me.

It isn’t far from where I live in Santa Clarita.

Another local Mexican restaurant had been hiding practically under my nose.

Naturally, there was only one thing to do.

Send it into the Burrito Belt.

The first thing I noticed was the branding.

The logo features three ladies, who I’m assuming represent the 3 Marias.

A clever touch.

I visited on a Saturday night.

There were a few customers inside, with tables available for anyone wanting to eat in.

I ordered the burrito along with a couple of tacos.

Then it was time to find out whether this hidden local spot could shake up the competition.

The burrito arrived.

And there was no ignoring it.

This thing was gigantic.

One of the biggest burritos we’ve seen enter the Burrito Belt.

It was absolutely loaded.

Carne asada.

Rice.

Beans.

Cheese.

Pico de gallo.

Cilantro.

From a portion-size and value point of view, Las 3 Marias certainly wasn’t holding back.

There was plenty of food inside.

Maybe too much.

Because once the tasting started, the burrito’s biggest strength quickly became part of the problem.

Holding this much filling together was never going to be an easy job.

The burrito opened the scoring with a respectable 7/10 for The Wrap.

A solid start.

But the tortilla wasn’t the main story here.

The real question was whether everything packed inside it could work together.

When I reached the carne asada, it tasted really good.

That was the frustrating part.

The meat had plenty of flavor and showed exactly why it should have been leading the burrito.

But it never came through consistently.

There was so much packed around it that the carne asada struggled to become the main event.

Good meat.

Not enough opportunities to appreciate it.

The Carne Question: 7/10

We have another investigation.

There was a lot of rice inside this burrito.

Too much.

Instead of supporting the carne asada and the other ingredients, the rice began taking over.

That affected the balance from bite to bite and made it harder for the meat to shine.

The burrito was loaded.

But loaded doesn’t always mean balanced.

Las 3 Marias receives 6/10 for The Rice Crime.

The evidence was everywhere.

Las 3 Marias offered four different salsas.

A spicy red salsa.

A mild green salsa.

A hot mango salsa.

And another green salsa that I can’t remember exactly.

The selection was a nice touch because each salsa gave you a different way to change the burrito.

The hot mango salsa stood out most.

I also liked the mild salsa.

Having several choices helped bring some variety to a burrito with a lot going on inside.

The Secret Sauce: 7/10

By the final bite, the verdict was fairly clear.

This was a solid burrito.

The carne asada tasted good.

The salsa selection added something interesting.

And nobody could accuse Las 3 Marias of being shy with the portion.

But the burrito was probably too big for its own good.

The ingredients didn’t feel as balanced as they could have been, and the amount of rice stopped the carne asada from taking control.

The Last Burrito: 7/10

Las 3 Marias made a serious first impression.

This was one of the biggest burritos we’ve tried in the competition.

It was generously filled, packed with flavor and supported by an interesting selection of salsas.

The carne asada was good too.

It just needed more room to prove it.

Too much rice meant the meat got lost among everything else instead of becoming the star of the burrito.

At 34/50, Las 3 Marias lands as a strong middle-to-upper contender.

It doesn’t threaten the top of the leaderboard.

But I’m glad the Burrito Belt led me to another local restaurant I didn’t even know was there.

Las 3 Marias finishes on 34/50.

A respectable score.

But not enough to disturb the top five.

The Burrito Belt leaderboard remains unchanged.

Las 3 Marias proved it can build a massive burrito.

The next step is making sure the carne asada is just as difficult to miss.

Because in the Burrito Belt, bigger only works when every bite measures up.