The Famous 5 Pound Burrito Challenge at El Tepeyac in East Los Angeles

When you’re hot, tired, and hungry, stopping at a roadside restaurant for a burrito is a great solution when you are in Los Angeles. But what if you found a burrito the size of a stick of furniture, so big that a normal person couldn’t even finish it - not even in an hour?

Manuel's Special Burrito East Los Angeles@eltepeyaccafe1 / Instagram

In the echelon of large-scale, gut-busting burritos, El Tepeyac holds its own, perhaps even above its more famous competitors. In fact, El Tepeyac’s Manuel’s Special monster burrito is world-famous in more ways than one.

El Tepeyac is a local favorite in east Los Angeles

The foot-long Manuel’s Special consists of two burrito-sized flour tortillas, crammed with a mountain of rice and beans, El Tepeyac’s chili verde pork, all topped off with a heap of cheese, and additional chili verde. This foot-long burrito is not shy of a whopping five pounds.

“The first thing you wonder is whether it’s safe to eat so much burrito in one go,” said Mark C, a retired police officer from South San Francisco who tried his first Manuel’s Special last year.

At the sight of such an enormous burrito, bystanders will stare at you in amazement. Are you a glutton? Or just someone who loves good food? We shall never know. A yelp review explains the legendary burrito restaurant:

This place is a legendary place. This establishment has so much history and has been around for generations. I've been coming to this place since high school (Late 90's). They are known for their very large burritos. Many individuals have tried and few have been successful. However, their portions are generous, therefore a small order will go a long way. - Gregorgy G

El Tepeyac’s foot-long 5-pound burrito challenge

Manuel's Special Burrito East Los Angeles@eltepeyaccafe1 / Instagram

Since its founding in Boyle Heights in 1956, Manuel’s Original El Tepeyac Café has been serving mouth-watering burritos at an affordable price to locals.

El Tepeyac was featured nationally on the "Man v. Food" Travel Channel 2009, where the show emphasized the long-standing tradition of "Manuel's Special Burrito Challenge."

The challenge is to eat the whole Special Burrito Manuel in one sitting – 5 lbs in one hour by one person. Many have tried over the years, but few have succeeded.

The "Manuel Special" burritos are now in honor of Manuel Rojas, who passed away in 2013. The Rojas family tradition continues today, now in its third generation (and shortly to 4th generation with Manuel Carlos "Chuck" Thome).

Manuel's Special Burrito East Los Angeles@eltepeyaccafe1 / Instagram

To get a foot-long burrito, you have to be ready to give up more than an hour of your life and have stomach space for this massive meal. You'll get a T-shirt and your picture on their Wall of Fame if you can finish it.

It doesn't take long for your big burrito to arrive at your table, probably no more than a few minutes after ordering. The Manuel Special is a good deal for its size, especially when split with a few friends or family. This is a friendly Mon n' Pop family operation with fantastic service.

If you’re not up for the Manuel's Special Burrito Challenge, have a breakfast burrito or one of the many other tasty breakfast and lunch options at El Tepeyac Cafe.

Put east LA's El Tepeyac’s burrito on your bucket list

Want to experience "Burrito Overload? Look no further than the original El Tepeyac Café in East LA.

The Offical El Tepeyac Cafe in Boyle Heights

812 N. Evergreen Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90033

Have you already tried the burrito challenge at the official El Tepeyac Café? Or have you held out till now? Have you another burrito place you like? We'd love to hear your feedback in the comments section below.

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