Disappointed by tasteless commercial flour tortillas, which have tons of fillers too, I’ve started to buy the lard & butter based ones from La Palma Mexicatessen, freezing them, and reheating with little loss in quality. They are flaky and elastic, and make better flour quesadillas than I can remember having in a restaurant.
Do any restaurants use lard or butter based tortillas? Given their short shelf life, cost, and various dietary restrictions I suspect not, but thought I’d ask!
El Charrito in Salinas is well known for their flour tortillas. Tortillas are made fresh daily and available by the 10 pack. Their burritos consist of a scoop of savory fillings to complement the soft supple tortilla rather than the tortilla serving to hold a mass of fillings together. Those unfamiliar with this style and expecting a Mission-style burrito may be surprised or disappointed. Not all burritos are or should be the size of your forearm.
Their website, online ordering system, and quality photos make them appear like a much bigger operation than they are. They are still a small family owned shop that has grown and streamlined based on their popularity.
photo credit: elcharrito
EDIT: website https://www.elcharrito.com/
For a while we patronized an Oakland taqueria because I could tell they used lard tortillas. Made a fantastic quesadilla, LOL. However, it was recently sold and the new owners have switched to the cheaper oil-based tortillas 
, sigh.
I’m glad someone else can tell the difference, too. I don’t use them at home as DH is diabetic so I try to keep him away from starches. At least with restaurants there’s portion control!
I’ll keep the La Palma brand in mind, though, so thanks so much for posting this. I think I can find them in one of the nearby markets in the International District, for those occasions when I do a bit of homemade Mexican cooking.
