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LATE NIGHT MUNCHIES/TACO SHOPWINNER: Trujillo’sOther Favorites: Los Panchos, Sombreros, Cotijas

What really constitutes a great burrito these days? It seems that any corner you’re standing on around campus has at least three or four different taco shops or Mexican joints just waiting for college students to stumble in and grab a bite to eat. But what makes one of these many places stand out above the rest? Which one really deserves to be called the “Best of State?” In more cases than one, Trujillo’s has won the vote for best taco shop and the place for best late-night munchies.The family-run taco shop on the corner of College Avenue and Montezuma seems to be the epicenter of any wild and crazy San Diego State night. With it’s brightly lit sign acting as a beacon for all college students looking for the best carne asada fries and California Burrito around, Trujillo’s is truly worthy of its title as Best Taco Shop and Best Late Night Munchies. The second you walk into the tiny, crammed door, you’re almost immediately consumed by the loud noises and late night stories that fill the air. The line is always wrapped around the back of the restaurant adorned by sometimes hundreds of people dressed as anything from angels to firefighters because of the recent themed party craze that has taken over SDSU. Yeah, you can get a taco or California Burrito anywhere, but what Trujillo’s manages to do is involve the whole student body in its food and menu. You can choose from nachos and burritos to bowls that are named after different fraternities on campus. The reigning Best of State taco shop champion also manages to keep things exciting by coming up with endless creations in the kitchen. Carne asada burritos wrapped in a quesadilla or a California Burrito with a taquito in the middle – the possibilities are endless.Whether you believe it or not, the second the party gets under way you already have it in your head that at some point during the night you will somehow find your way to Trujillo’s. Almost as if a pilgrimage, the trek to Trujillo’s can be fun and rewarding. Walk in and grab a seat or stool and discuss who hooked up with whom, who started drama over playing Snoop Dogg instead of Too $hort, or who broke the keg tap. Whichever way the discussion turns, the late night munchies conversation is a valuable element of the Trujillo’s atmosphere. If you don’t manage to make it to Trujillo’s after a party or long night, you can still catch most of the action during the day Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. during their happy hour. More than just a taco shop, Trujillo’s could arguably be an SDSU landmark and a “must see” for visitors. If the walls of that small corner taco shop could talk, we’d all probably be in a lot of trouble.