What's the Difference Between Fajitas, Burritos, and Enchiladas?

Fajitas: the build-it-yourself platter

Fajitas come out of the ranch country of South and West Texas in the 1930s and '40s. Mexican vaqueros were often paid partly in the cheap cuts, and one of those was skirt steak, called "faja" (belt or girdle) because of its long shape. Grilled hot over mesquite and sliced against the grain, the tough cut turned tender. "Fajita" literally means "little strip."

The sizzling cast-iron skillet you picture came later. Restaurants in Houston and Austin made it famous in the late 1960s and '70s, and chains spread it everywhere by the '80s. Today a fajita order is usually grilled skirt steak, chicken, or shrimp over charred onions and bell peppers, with warm tortillas, guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, and cheese on the side.

The key thing: you assemble it. Nothing is wrapped when it arrives. That makes fajitas great for sharing and for picky eaters, and a poor pick for takeout, since the sizzle is half the fun and the peppers go limp in a box.

Burritos: everything, wrapped and ready

Burritos come from northern Mexico, especially Chihuahua and Sonora, where wheat grows better than corn and flour tortillas are the everyday bread. The classic northern burrito is slim: a thin flour tortilla around one or two things, like shredded beef in chile colorado or refried beans and cheese. The name, "little donkey," probably refers to how it carries its load.

The giant burrito most Americans know is a California creation. San Francisco's Mission District made the steamed, foil-wrapped version in the 1960s, stuffed with rice, beans, meat, salsa, and sometimes sour cream and guacamole. San Diego took a different path with the carne asada burrito: meat, guacamole, salsa, and often no rice at all.

• Tortilla: large flour, usually 12 to 14 inches, warmed or steamed so it folds without cracking.
• Fillings: meat plus some mix of rice, beans, salsa, cheese, and crema.
• Serving: handheld, wrapped in foil or paper. Built to travel.
• Wet or "smothered" burritos: covered in sauce and cheese, eaten with a fork. They overlap with enchiladas, which is where much of the confusion starts.

Enchiladas: it's all about the sauce

Enchiladas are the oldest of the three. The idea of rolling corn tortillas around food goes back centuries in central Mexico, and the name comes from "enchilar", "to season with chile." That's the whole point: an enchilada is a tortilla that has been dipped in or covered with chile sauce.

Traditional enchiladas use corn tortillas, quickly fried so they hold together, then dipped in sauce, rolled around a filling like chicken, cheese, or beef, and topped with more sauce, cheese, onion, and crema. In Tex-Mex restaurants they're often baked in a dish with melted cheese. In much of Mexico they're assembled to order and eaten right away, sometimes with no baking at all.

What to order if you love one of them

If fajitas are your thing, you love grilled meat and char. Try carne asada tacos or an alambre, a skillet of chopped grilled beef, peppers, onions, bacon, and melted cheese served with tortillas. It's basically fajitas' cousin from Mexico City.

If burritos are your go-to, you like big, portable, all-in-one meals. Look for a Sonoran-style burrito made with a paper-thin flour tortilla, or a torta, the Mexican sandwich on a crusty roll, which delivers the same handheld satisfaction.

If you order enchiladas every time, you're really a sauce person. Branch out to chilaquiles (fried tortilla chips simmered in red or green salsa, a breakfast favorite), enmoladas (enchiladas covered in mole), or entomatadas (a milder tomato sauce version). Curious which sauce to pick? We compare them in red vs green enchiladas.

The mistakes people make ordering them

The most common one is ordering fajitas for delivery. The dish is designed around heat: meat and vegetables still crackling when they hit the table, tortillas warm enough to steam. After 25 minutes in a bag, you're eating lukewarm stir-fry. If you want that flavor to go, order a carne asada or chicken burrito instead, since the same grilled meat holds up far better wrapped.

The second mistake is judging enchiladas by the cheese. A plate buried under a thick layer of melted cheddar can hide a flat, canned sauce. Look at the edges of the plate: if the sauce is deep brick red or bright green and pools a little, it's probably made in-house. The third mistake is assuming every burrito is a California-style monster. In Ciudad Juárez or El Paso, a burrito is often thin, cheap, and sold by the half-dozen, and ordering three different fillings is the move.

Price-wise, expect fajitas to be the most expensive of the three, usually $18 to $28 for one person at a sit-down restaurant because of the portion of grilled meat. Burritos run $9 to $16, and a plate of two or three enchiladas with rice and beans usually lands between $13 and $19.