The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Perfect Beach Burrito

You know the feeling after a long session at Sharks Cove or a hike up the trail.

Your energy is drained, and you need more than just a snack to refuel.

That is exactly when you reach for the most satisfying item on our menu: the Beach Burrito.

Smothered in your choice of red or green sauce and baked enchilada-style, our Beach Burrito is a meal that can fuel you through the rest of your day on the North Shore.

This guide breaks down every layer of a proper Beach Burrito, from the protein to the final drizzle, using the methods we developed right here at North Shore Tacos.

What Makes the Beach Burrito Special

Our Beach Burrito isn’t your average wrapped-and-go cylinder.

We take a different approach entirely.

Your choice of meat gets rolled up with rice, beans, and jack cheese inside a large flour tortilla. Then we smother the whole thing in red or green sauce and bake it enchilada-style until the sauce caramelizes and the cheese melts.

It arrives at your table with a generous side of pico de gallo, guacamole, and sour cream.

This is a knife-and-fork burrito. It is messy, rich, and absolutely worth it.

Step 1: Choose Your Protein

This is where the decision-making gets serious.

Your protein choice shapes the entire burrito and dictates which smothering sauce pairs best.

We offer seven filling options across our locations:

Protein	Flavor Profile	Best Sauce Pairing
Fresh Fish	Mild, sweet, flaky	Green sauce for brightness
Shrimp	Sweet, slightly charred	Green sauce for contrast
Steak	Bold, smoky, rich	Red sauce for depth
Chicken	Versatile, juicy	Either sauce works perfectly
Beef	Savory, slow-cooked tender	Red sauce for richness
Sweet Pork	Tangy, slightly sweet	Green sauce to balance
Vegetarian	Fresh, garden-forward	Red or green — your call

Fresh Fish brings the same locally caught mahi-mahi or ono from our Surfin’ Tacos into burrito form. The mild, flaky fish pairs beautifully with the tangy green sauce.

Steak is carne asada — slow-marinated and grilled hot. The smoky char adds depth that stands up perfectly to the bold red sauce.

Sweet Pork is our signature filling. The tangy sweetness of the pork plays off the savory sauce in a way that keeps you reaching for the next bite.

Chicken is our pollo asado — marinated and grilled to juicy perfection. It is the most versatile protein on the menu and works with every topping combination we offer.

Step 2: Pick Your Sauce — Red or Green

This is the defining choice of your Beach Burrito.

The sauce gets poured over the top and baked until it fuses with the tortilla and cheese. It is not a garnish. It is the entire identity of the dish.

Red Sauce Our red sauce brings a rich, savory warmth. It coats the tortilla with a deep, slightly smoky flavor that pairs best with bold proteins like steak and slow-cooked beef.

Choose red when you want a hearty, comfort-food experience.

Green Sauce Our green sauce is brighter and tangier. The acidity cuts through richer proteins like sweet pork and adds a fresh lift to fish and shrimp.

Choose green when you want something that feels lighter despite the generous portions.

Can’t decide? Ask for half-and-half. Our kitchen can split the sauce down the middle so you get the best of both worlds.

Step 3: The Sides That Come With It

Every Beach Burrito arrives with three essential accompaniments:

• Pico de Gallo: Fresh-chopped tomato, onion, cilantro, and lime. This adds a raw, bright element that contrasts the baked, saucy burrito.
• Guacamole: Hand-smashed to order. The healthy fats coat your palate and help distribute flavor evenly across every bite.
• Sour Cream: Cool and tangy. Drop a dollop on each forkful to temper the heat of the sauce.

These three sides are not optional extras. They are essential counterpoints to the richness of the enchilada-style preparation.

Step 4: Level Up With Extras

If you want to take your Beach Burrito from great to legendary, we offer several add-ons:

• Extra Surf Sauce: Our signature creamy, slightly spicy sauce. Drizzle it over the top for an added layer of flavor.
• Hot Sauce: For those who want serious heat on top of their smothered burrito.
• Extra Guacamole: You can never have too much guac.
• Side of Chips & Salsa: Perfect for scooping up any sauce left on the plate. Choose tomato salsa, pineapple salsa, or both.

Our Favorite Combinations

Here are four Beach Burrito builds our kitchen team swears by after years of testing.

The Classic

• Protein: Chicken
• Sauce: Red
• Extras: Extra Surf Sauce drizzle
• Why: The pollo asado is versatile enough to let the red sauce shine. The Surf Sauce adds a creamy bridge between the two.

The Island Style

• Protein: Fresh Fish
• Sauce: Green
• Extras: Extra guacamole
• Why: The mild, flaky fish needs the brightness of the green sauce, and the avocado adds a smooth, rich texture.

The Heavyweight

• Protein: Steak
• Sauce: Red
• Extras: Hot sauce on the side
• Why: Bold meets bold. The carne asada and red sauce create a deeply savory experience. The hot sauce on the side lets you control the fire.

The North Shore Special

• Protein: Sweet Pork
• Sauce: Green
• Extras: Side of chips and pineapple salsa
• Why: The tangy sweet pork paired with the bright green sauce is a flavor combination unique to our menu. The pineapple salsa echoes the tropical sweetness on the side.

When to Order the Beach Burrito

The Beach Burrito is the right call when:

• You are done for the day. This is a full meal, not a snack. After a long surf session or a full day of snorkeling, this is the burrito that sends you home satisfied.
• You want comfort food. The enchilada-style baking creates a warm, saucy, cheesy experience that hits differently than a handheld burrito.
• You are sharing with a friend. The portions are generous. Two people can comfortably split one Beach Burrito with a side of Gnarly Nachos and call it dinner.
• It is raining. Sometimes the North Shore gets hit with a tropical shower. A smothered burrito and a cold Pineapple Tiki under the roof at our Hau’ula restaurant is the perfect rainy-day plan.

Beach Burrito vs. Surfin’ Tacos

Can’t decide between our two most popular items? Here is a quick breakdown:

Feature	Surfin’ Tacos	Beach Burrito
Eating Style	Handheld	Knife & Fork
Best For	Quick post-surf fuel	Full sit-down meal
Temperature	Crispy hot fish + cool lettuce	Baked, saucy, melted cheese
Portability	Highly portable	Stay at the table
Vibe	Light, bright, Baja	Rich, hearty, comfort food

Build Yours Today

You can’t really go wrong when the ingredients are fresh and the sauce is made from scratch.

Head to our Hau’ula restaurant or Sharks Cove food truck and build your perfect Beach Burrito.

Our team is happy to help first-timers navigate the options, or just point at the menu and say “surprise me.”

We’ve never disappointed anyone yet.

See our full menu for pricing and all available options.