# Do Chipotle burritos really suck as some burrito snobs would have us believe? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 11, 2012, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163 "2012-08-11T04:52:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/41 "2012-08-12T02:51:30Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > I find that locations can vary quite a lot in how skillfully the meat is prepared. There was one near my law school that did the shredded pork very well. But I’ve had some pretty dry pork in other locations. This. I’ve tried multiple meats at various locations; one’s better at pork, the other at chicken, etc. I’ve noticed the spice level varies between meats as well, although after reading the article, I wonder why? Sad that I just visited the Mission in SF, and opted for tacos instead of a burrito (we were only there for the afternoon and I wanted a sampling of various fillings). Still phenomenal, nonetheless. I usually get the bowl, too. Who knows, maybe Chipotle’s success will inspire another entrepeneur to make a more authentic yet consistent burrito that has mass appeal…:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/42 "2012-08-12T03:12:02Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > And for those folks who want “authentic” Mexican food - Do you wear centuries old traditional Central American clothes when you eat your authentic food? Did you drive a modern car to get there? > In other words, you are ridiculous. Food should be judged for what it is, not for whatever your mixed up notion of what it should be. I’m sorry, but this is my soul food. This is the food my mother took me to when I got an A in my classes as a primary student. This is the food that kept me going in my hard work and hard play college days. This is the food that saw me through love and heartbreak, countless jobs, moves, and everything else that is the stuff of life. I’m not some crazy snob, I’d just like a decent burrito so I can remember home. Now, I know Chipotle never claimed to offer that, and it’s fine. But don’t get mad at me when I look at that messy foil packet with a little tinge of disappointment. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/43 "2012-08-12T03:39:00Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > And for those folks who want “authentic” Mexican food - Do you wear centuries old traditional Central American clothes when you eat your authentic food? The author of the article specifically says that by “authentic”, he means a Mission burrito, which originated in 1960’s San Francisco. It doesn’t have anything to do with centuries old traditions, or even that much to do with Mexico. The guy that started Chipotle adapted the style to something that could be served out with less prep-time (as another poster notes, the time lag between ordering a Chipotle Burrito and eating that burrito is basically nil) in a fast-food setting. I like the end result, but it is different then what you’d get out of a Mexican place in CA or the Southwest (though its not like food-cart burritos are heavily standardized in anycase). ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/44 "2012-08-12T03:45:20Z")
Great big wad of rice and beans. Not my idea of a burrito. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/45 "2012-08-12T15:31:40Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Yea, here’s the [Slate article](http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2012/02/chipotle_is_apple_how_the_burrito_chain_is_revolutionizing_fast_food_.html) the OP’s article was riffing off, and the point of it, which the OP’s article misrepresents, isn’t that Chipotle is the best burrito in the world, but that the founder of Chipotle has found what was an unoccupied niche for “high end fast food”. > > Its not supposed to be better then the best “authentic” burrito you’ve ever had, its supposed to be better then Taco Bell. Yeah, the article in the OP completely missed the point of what the Slate article was trying to say - which had very little to do with if the burrito was any “good” but a whole lot to do with if the business was “successful.” There is no way you can argue that Chipotle hasn’t been successful as a business - and been successful in a very challenging business climate. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/46 "2012-08-12T16:35:08Z")
Authentic burrito? I have lived in California for 15 years and been to hundreds of authentic Mexican restaurants, there is no authentic burrito any more than there its an authentic hamburger. Mexico is very diverse and so is there food. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/47 "2012-08-12T16:44:56Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I’m about 99% certain you’re wrong about that. **CBEscapee,** who is, I assume, Mexican and preserves Mexican culinary traditions and is not shy about correcting us on this board, says that is incorrect in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=588319&page=2). > [@](#): > > Rice no. Beans can definitely be found in burritos. My favorite is a machaca burrito made with boiled beans. Bean and cheese burritos are common. One place I go has excellent chicken burritos with shredded chicken, beans, chihuahua cheese and a nice green salsa. These places are run by people from northern states. Burritos are not a typical dish in my part of México but there are a number of places in Guadalajara that specialize in them. Now, he is just one data point, and Mexico is a big place, and culinary traditions may differ from region to region. The only places I’ve been to in Mexico do not have burrito traditions, so I personally cannot speak first-hand. That said, I find rice in a burrito weird. They generally do not do that here in the Mexican places in Chicago. I honestly can’t remember ever seeing it. Then again, the topic is about Mission-style burritos, where rice is style appropriate. And, another “then again,” who cares, but the question of “Mexican-style” burritos came up, so I offer that little bit of info from **CBEscapee**. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/48 "2012-08-12T18:39:40Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > **CBEscapee,** who is, I assume, Mexican and preserves Mexican culinary traditions and is not shy about correcting us on this board, says that is incorrect in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=588319&page=2). > That said, I find rice in a burrito weird. They generally do not do that here in the Mexican places in Chicago. I honestly can’t remember ever seeing it. [Agreed](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=211444) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/49 "2012-08-12T18:56:37Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > I’m sorry, but this is my soul food. This is the food my mother took me to when I got an A in my classes as a primary student. This is the food that kept me going in my hard work and hard play college days. This is the food that saw me through love and heartbreak, countless jobs, moves, and everything else that is the stuff of life. I’m not some crazy snob, I’d just like a decent burrito so I can remember home. > > Now, I know Chipotle never claimed to offer that, and it’s fine. But don’t get mad at me when I look at that messy foil packet with a little tinge of disappointment. So don’t eat there. Problem solved. I grew up on authentic Polish perogies, but I don’t look down on people who like Mrs. T’s. (I’ve been known to eat them a time or two myself, even) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/50 "2012-08-12T19:31:52Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I grew up on authentic Polish perogies _Pierogi_ if you want to be extra authentic. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/51 "2012-08-12T19:35:11Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > So don’t eat there. Problem solved. > I grew up on authentic Polish perogies, but I don’t look down on people who like Mrs. T’s. (I’ve been known to eat them a time or two myself, even) ETA: Speaking of which, there should be a pierogi eating contest occurring very soon at the [South Side Polish Fest](http://www.southsidepolishfest.com/pierogicontest.html). (Third picture is of my cousin, who won last year, against some skinny-ass competitive eater looking sort of guy. Down to the wire, it was., with cousin Johnny only winning because the last guy hadn’t chewed and swallowed the last two or three pierogi he stuffed in his gullet.) ETA2: That was supposed to be an addendum to the last post. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/52 "2012-08-12T19:49:23Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > ETA: Speaking of which, there should be a pierogi eating contest occurring very soon at the [South Side Polish Fest](http://www.southsidepolishfest.com/pierogicontest.html). (Third picture is of my cousin, who won last year, against some skinny-ass competitive eater looking sort of guy. Down to the wire, it was., with cousin Johnny only winning because the last guy hadn’t chewed and swallowed the last two or three pierogi he stuffed in his gullet.) > > ETA2: That was supposed to be an addendum to the last post. Holy COW! Another fest to go to along with Taste of Melrose Park! The end of summer is shaping up nicely! DOH! It ends today! Bummer. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/53 "2012-08-12T19:50:44Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Taco Bell now has a competing offering, which Zagat says is almost as good as Chipotle’s. I have tried it before and found it to be basically a failure pile in a sadness tortilla. I have never had Chipotle’s, and am not encouraged to do so by my Taco Bell experiment. > > (Note, for the record, that I can eat Taco Bell’s unapologetically cheap and crappy grub all day, so this isn’t snobbery per se. 😉 ) …a failure pile in a sadness tortilla… I am SO stealing this tonight when I hang out with my friends. Yep, I’ll tell them that _I_ made up that line and they’ll think I’m a genius (again) and … \ YOU WON’T KNOW! \ ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/54 "2012-08-12T20:00:18Z")
I had never even thought about the origin of the humble burrito before reading this thread. According to the great and powerful Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > Authentic Mexican burritos are usually small and thin, with flour tortillas containing only one or two ingredients: some form of meat or fish, potatoes, rice, beans, asadero cheese, chile rajas, or chile relleno.[11] Other types of ingredients may include barbacoa, mole, refried beans and cheese, deshebrada, and (shredded slow-cooked flank steak). The deshebrada burrito also has a variation with chile colorado (mild to moderately hot) and salsa verde (very hot). The Mexican burrito may be a northern variation of the traditional taco de Canasta, which is eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. > > 1. Franz, Carl; Lorena Havens (2006). The People’s Guide to Mexico. Avalon Travel Publishing. p. 379. ISBN 1-56691-711-5. So, it appears that rice is one of a significant number of traditional fillings for the tortilla. This thread is making me hungry. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/55 "2012-08-12T20:04:40Z")
Rice is put in a burrito as a form of cheap filler, and that’s all there is to it. (I know this full well because I grew up working in my step-mother’s Mexican restaurant and I heard exactly what she said to the cooks.) La Cumbre (in S.F.) started off putting rice in because they knew that the people in the Mission who had money wouldn’t know the difference, so they could charge more for what seemed like “more.” The “-bertos” in San Diego County don’t do that because they started with a clientele who would think, “Now that I’ve got money to spend, why would I want to spend it on rice? That’s what I had to eat before I came here.” Burrito King in L.A. follows the same tradition. As for what’s a “true, authentic” burrito, there’s no such thing, and it has nothing to do with Mexico, because it was in the Southwest U.S. where burritos really took on a status as a cuisine unto themselves. (In Mexico, a burrito is just a way of getting food into your mouth.) In the U.S., they’ve taken on a life of their own, and it all just depends on what you like. I’ve never eaten at Chipotle, but if you must get a burrito at a chain place, I suggest Pollo Loco’s chipotle style burrito. The trendiness of the term “chipotle” has caused a “back-formation” that for once is actually good. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/56 "2012-08-12T20:14:24Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > So, it appears that rice is one of a significant number of traditional fillings for the tortilla. Right. A burrito is like a sandwich. It doesn’t make sense to proclaim what “should” or “should not” go into a sandwich. If you want to eat a rice sandwich, be my guest. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/57 "2012-08-12T20:32:25Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > …a failure pile in a sadness tortilla… > > I am SO stealing this tonight when I hang out with my friends. > Yep, I’ll tell them that _I_ made up that line and they’ll think I’m a genius (again) and … \ YOU WON’T KNOW! > \ As long as none of them has heard Patton Oswalt’s routine about KFC, you might get away with claiming it as your own. Live in Oakland, work in San Francisco, so there’s absolutely no reason for me o eat at Chipotle. I _have_ eaten there when away from home, and found it kind of bland and not really worth seeking out. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/58 "2012-08-13T01:24:16Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > So don’t eat there. Problem solved. > I grew up on authentic Polish perogies, but I don’t look down on people who like Mrs. T’s. (I’ve been known to eat them a time or two myself, even) I’m sorry, I must have posted in the wrong thread. I thought this was the thread about burrito snobs and opinions on Chipotle. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/59 "2012-08-13T01:26:35Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Holy COW! Another fest to go to along with Taste of Melrose Park! The end of summer is shaping up nicely! > > DOH! It ends today! Bummer. Just found out. Cousin Johnny defended his pierogi-eating crown, so that’s two in a row for him. All hail the pierogi king! ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163/60 "2012-08-13T02:01:44Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > I’m sorry, but this is my soul food. This is the food my mother took me to when I got an A in my classes as a primary student. This is the food that kept me going in my hard work and hard play college days. This is the food that saw me through love and heartbreak, countless jobs, moves, and everything else that is the stuff of life. I’m not some crazy snob, I’d just like a decent burrito so I can remember home. > > Now, I know Chipotle never claimed to offer that, and it’s fine. But don’t get mad at me when I look at that messy foil packet with a little tinge of disappointment. wow, man. get a grip. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-chipotle-burritos-really-suck-as-some-burrito-snobs-would-have-us-believe/631163.md?page=4)