Looking for Bubbakoo’s Burritos vegetarian options? Skip the meat, load up on the Boca Patty or the new Plant-Based Chorizo, and you’ve got a full meal. This guide breaks down what to order and what to skip. Check the homepage for the same breakdown on other chains.
Bubbakoo’s calls itself “Mexican fusion,” and that shows up in the sauce lineup as much as the food. Alongside standard salsa and guacamole, you’ll find Sriracha, General Tso’s, and BBQ sauces on the counter, borrowed from other cuisines entirely. That’s good news if you like variety, but it also means a few sauces need a closer look before you assume they’re meat-free.
A Quick Look at Bubbakoo’s Burritos
Paul Altero and Bill Hart opened the first Bubbakoo’s Burritos in 2008. Their 1,200-square-foot shop in Point Pleasant, New Jersey shared a dining room with a Jersey Mike’s. The concept caught on along the Jersey Shore, and the company began franchising in 2015. Headquarters later moved to Wall Township, New Jersey, and the chain now runs more than 140 locations across 17-plus states, mostly on the East Coast and in the Midwest.
Growth was slow at first. By the end of 2014, Bubbakoo’s had seven locations, and only two of them, including the original Point Pleasant shop, had crossed $1 million in annual sales. Franchising changed that math. Unit count climbed from about 30 locations in 2019 to more than 140 today, including 18 new restaurants opened in 2025 alone.
That growth shows up in the sales numbers too. Technomic’s Top 500 Chain Restaurant report put Bubbakoo’s system-wide sales at more than $110 million for 2025, up 16 percent year over year on 11-plus percent unit growth. That outpaced Chipotle’s growth rate the same year, and only Velvet Taco grew faster in the fast-casual Mexican category. Thompson Street Capital Partners, a St. Louis private equity firm, bought the chain on June 19, 2025. The plan now is to reach 300 locations over the next four to five years.
Bubbakoo’s Burritos Vegetarian Options: What to Order
Everything at Bubbakoo’s is build-your-own, so the vegetarian question comes down to which proteins, sauces, and toppings you pick. The full protein lineup includes grilled, shredded, or crispy chicken, steak, ground beef, shredded pork, shrimp, and bacon, all off-limits, alongside the Boca Patty and Plant-Based Chorizo. Here’s the rundown on the core menu components.
| Menu Item | Vegetarian | Vegan |
|---|---|---|
| Plant-Based Chorizo (added April 2026) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Boca Patty | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (contains egg) |
| Black beans / pinto beans | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (cooking fat not published) |
| White rice / brown rice | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (unconfirmed if butter is added) |
| Flour tortilla / whole wheat tortilla | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (lard content not published) |
| House salsa, hot salsa, salsa verde, corn salsa, pico de gallo | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Guacamole | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Shredded cheese | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
| Queso dip | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
| Sour cream | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
| Ghost Pepper, Mango Habanero, Sriracha, Sweet Chili sauces | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (recipes not published) |
| General Tso’s sauce | ⚠️ Check | ⚠️ Check (some recipes use fish sauce or chicken stock) |
| BBQ sauce | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (may contain honey) |
| Buffalo Cauliflower | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
Burritos, Bowls, and Tacos
Every order starts the same way. Pick a base (burrito, bowl, soft-shell tacos, or taco salad without the shell), then a protein, then build it out with rice, beans, cheese, and toppings. Build a vegetarian order around the Boca Patty, then add white or brown rice, black or pinto beans, cheese if you want it, and any combination of the fresh salsas, guacamole, lettuce, cilantro, red onion, or fajita veggies. The Boca Patty is the classic veggie option here, but it’s made with egg. Order the Plant-Based Chorizo instead if you want a fully vegan protein, added to the menu in April 2026.
Quesadillas, Nachos, and the Chiwawa
Quesadillas are a flour tortilla stuffed with cheese and your protein pick. Swap in beans or the Plant-Based Chorizo for a vegetarian version, and skip the cheese if you’re vegan. Nachos the Works works the same way: corn tortilla chips, cheese, your protein, and toppings, all stackable with any of the vegetarian proteins above. The Chiwawa is the chain’s signature novelty item: a panko-crusted, lightly fried rice ball smothered in queso, topped with your choice of protein. Order it with beans instead of meat and it’s vegetarian. Panko breading likely uses egg wash, though, so it’s not a vegan bet without asking first.
Sides and Loaded Fries
Bubbakoo’s loaded curly fries menu leans meat-heavy. Standing options include curly fries topped with Nashville chicken, queso, and pickles, plus curly fries piled with Birria Crunch Stack beef, onion, cilantro, and queso. Both are part of the limited-time lineup the chain rolled out on April 13, 2026, alongside the Plant-Based Chorizo. Skip those two and order plain curly fries smothered in queso instead, which is vegetarian on its own. The Buffalo Cauliflower is a solid vegetarian side, just not a vegan one, since the sauce coating it has dairy in it.
Desserts and Drinks
Mini churros with caramel dipping sauce, fried Oreos, the powdered-sugar “Love Chips,” and a chocolate chip cookie round out the dessert menu. All of them are vegetarian, but the fried batter and caramel sauce mean none are a safe vegan bet without asking. Fountain sodas, bottled drinks, and Jarritos are vegan across the board.
What’s Vegan at Bubbakoo’s Burritos?
The cleanest vegan order is a burrito or bowl built on rice, beans, and the Plant-Based Chorizo. Add one of the fresh salsas and guacamole, and skip the cheese or queso. That combination avoids the two biggest traps on this menu: the Boca Patty’s egg and the dairy in every cheese-based topping. Fountain drinks, bottled sodas, and Jarritos are all vegan too, so you’re covered from the entree through the drink line. Beyond that, Bubbakoo’s doesn’t publish the fat source for its rice, beans, or tortillas, so strict vegans should ask before ordering rather than assume.
Special Dietary Requirements and Allergies
The Boca Patty contains egg, so it’s out for vegans and for anyone with an egg allergy. Cheese, queso, and sour cream are all dairy, and the sauce on the Buffalo Cauliflower is too. Bubbakoo’s doesn’t publish whether its beans, rice, or tortillas are cooked with animal fat, so ask at the counter if that matters to you. Proteins and toppings, including shrimp, are prepped on shared surfaces, so cross-contact with shellfish and meat is possible even on a vegetarian order. If you have a shellfish allergy, ask about the General Tso’s sauce specifically too, since some recipes for it use fish sauce.
Tips for Vegetarians at Bubbakoo’s Burritos
- Order the Plant-Based Chorizo if you want a protein with no egg or dairy at all.
- Skip the Boca Patty if you’re vegan. It’s egg-based, not a plant protein.
- Ask whether the beans, rice, and tortillas are cooked with animal fat if that matters to you. It isn’t published on the menu.
- Build a taco salad without the shell if you want a lighter, fully customizable base.
- Go easy on the General Tso’s sauce until you confirm the recipe. Some versions use fish sauce or chicken stock.
- Ask for the Chiwawa with beans instead of meat if you want to try the signature item as a vegetarian.
Conclusion
Bubbakoo’s Burritos vegetarian options are easy to build once you know the two traps. Watch for the Boca Patty’s egg and the dairy hiding in cheese, queso, and the Buffalo Cauliflower sauce. Lean on the Plant-Based Chorizo, beans, rice, and fresh salsas for a meal that works for vegetarians and vegans alike. See our full guide to eating vegetarian and vegan at restaurants for more on eating meat-free. Browse more restaurant guides, or check out what’s vegetarian at Chuy’s, Velvet Taco, and Moe’s Southwest Grill.
