In the 1990s, chicken Caesar wraps dominated lunchtime menus. Aside from the comforting hit of nostalgia for a simpler time, I don’t remember them fondly. Often soggy, laden with too much dressing and scant, dry chicken, it was the kind of unfortunate premade meal you’d eat alone at an airport cafe.
So you can imagine my surprise to see the Y2K-era sandwich having a sudden renaissance at popular restaurants around Los Angeles. But this time, it’s back with some much-needed upgrades: Reputed L.A. chefs and sandwich shops are finally doing the dish justice by using high-quality ingredients and adding their own signature touches — from organic fried chicken to chunks of falafel instead of croutons.
While Angelenos’ love affair with the Caesar salad has been ongoing since Italian chef Caesar Cardini debuted it in Tijuana in the 1920s, the inventor of the chicken Caesar wrap is a bit more mysterious. California Chicken Cafe opened in 1991 on Melrose Avenue and added a chicken Caesar wrap to its menu soon after in 1993. In 1997, fast food chain Wendy’s added its take to the menu (they’ve since been discontinued), giving the wrap nationwide exposure.
At Ggiata, an East Coast-style deli with five locations across L.A., the chicken Caesar wrap is inspired by the ones that co-founders and childhood friends Noah Holton-Raphael, Max Bahramipour and Jack Biebel grew up eating in New Jersey sandwich shops.
“Every neighborhood sandwich shop had a Caesar wrap on the menu — and if they didn’t then, they definitely do now,” said Holton-Raphael.
Since Ggiata launched its viral version in March 2024, the trend has picked up serious steam, inspiring iconic restaurants like Mini Kabob and Casa Vega to add the wrap to their menus.
No longer an afterthought, L.A.’s chicken Caesar wraps are made to order with ingredients like herb-blackened chicken, grain-free tortillas and house-made dressing that borrows inspiration from the salad’s Mexican origins. Here are 12 excellent chicken Caesar wraps (including one made with a baguette) to try around L.A. right now.
