Despite the fact that you’re getting some flack for being a “burrito snob” or whatever, I thought this was a good, detailed description of what you find lacking in a Chipotle burrito. And even though I like Chipotle’s burritos all right, it makes me want to try a really good one. (As a D.C. native living in Michigan, perhaps I’ve never had what you’d consider a really good burrito.)
What, did you expect that better burritos would be found at somewhere everybody’s heard of?
According to Mister Vigilante (a Mexican) they don’t put the rice in, in Mexico City where most of his relatives live. He says many of the border towns do, for filler to sell to the tourists. Usually when we get Mexican food at sit-down places (and we do this A LOT), there is no rice inside, unless it’s a special / super / supreme / filled with everything burrito. It’s always on the side.
Never had a chipotle burrito. I read an article that they basically use slave labor. I’m not sure what really to believe, haven’t looked that deeply into it.
I prefer Moe’s. To me it sounds like a similar place and their burritos are fantastic.
You prefer Moe’s to a burrito you’ve never had? That’s interesting, or something.
Ha! A+
As others have said, Chipotle is solid fast food. When you’re on a diet, you can assemble a bowl with fresh ingredients that’s going to be better for you (calorically, at least) than most any other fast food out there. The bowl I get has something like 520 calories, but I make two meals out of it (and am full at both meals)-- when I’m rushing around trying to get things done, that’s damned good fast food.
And that’s really the trick of it: Chipotle isn’t supposed to be authentic Mexican. I’ve lived in California my entire life and several times a month eat with friends’ families who either don’t speak a lick of English or are visiting from Mexico. I know authentic Mexican and while it’s delicious, authentic Mexican isn’t exactly positive for the dieting folks (lard, lard, more lard, fried lard, and some lard on the side). So, while I can stop at any number of taco shops in town, the point is that the calories won’t be as reliably controlled as they will be from Chipotle.
I have noticed that your Chipotle experience 100% depends on what’s in your burrito (duh, I know). I’ve had several friends proclaim they hate it, but fall in love with Chipotle when they get my suggested arrangement. You can get this in a burrito (more calories) or a bowl, either are just as good: chicken, rice (I think the white has a better flavor than the brown, but either or), fajita vegetables, mild salsa (pico), lettuce, sour cream, and cheese. No beans. That right there is a delicious meal. Sometimes if I’m trying to be extra good, I’ll do either sour cream or cheese, but that’s up to you.
Anyway, the point is: in my multi state Chipotle experience, the chicken is consistently good, as are the fajita veggies. The other meats and bans? I’ve heard too many complaints now to deviate.
I’m surprised the thread has gone on this long without anyone mentioning Chipotle’s direct competitor Qdoba. They’re the same kind of place, selling the same kind of burrito. I don’t eat there often enough to tell which of the two is better.
I’m glad I found this thread because I did not know that burritos more or less officially don’t contain rice.
I like Chipotle just fine. It’s great cheap dinner and movie food. A Chipotle burrito could just as well be called a “wrap” which is pretty darn common these days. All kinds of wonderful things can go in a wrap.
I’ve decided that I no longer desire “authentic” food. I’ve searched out enough authentic in my life and it’s not all that. 100-year-old cooking. Yum.
I’ll all new & fusion these days. You guys can keep your “authentic.”
Extra cilantro on that Chipotle burrito! And some hot sauce. No, not that salsa, that dangerous-looking orange stuff.
Qdoba was also started by someone in Denver. . . two years after Chipotle started. Their menu is basically identical, their rice has the same flavoring (jasmine lime cilantro), on and on. It’s pretty obvious that Qdoba is a Chipotle knock off. Having eaten at both, they are basically the exact same.
I hope Chipotle burritos don’t suck…somebody offered me half of one to take home for dinner tonight, and I want to look forward to it!
Smells good…
I wouldn’t say they suck at all. They taske OK.
You probably did not know it because it isn’t true. Burritos don’t have any official ingredients, except the tortilla, any more than a sandwich does.
Don’t say that! Nobody expects the burrito police, they’re everywhere!
(+1. I can’t believe there are burrito snobs here dictating what does and doesn’t belongs in a freaking tortilla. Get a life, guys.)
Holy shit…
Good. I am having to try VERY hard to not eat all of it, since I’m just using it for a snack. Having Indian later tonight and don’t want to ruin my appetite.
Thumbs up here.
I think Chipotle is quite good, especially considering my other options around here (Moe’s, Hot Harrys, and a number of passable but not great sit-down places.) The ingredients are high quality, there’s a reasonable amount of variation possible, and it’s fast. Now, if I was in Albuquerque I’d probably be heading to a place like Dos Hermanos, where you’d get beans, no rice, and red or green chile instead of salsa. It’s definitely a California-style burrito, and I’d love something local in the New Mexico style, but I won’t turn down a meal at Chipotle.
Personally, I think they’re missing a bet not doing breakfast burritos, at least on weekends.
I was also amused when I ran into a Chipotle in London (spotted it from the bus earlier and wound up dashing in later as London has a definite paucity of public restrooms, at least from an American point of view.) As far as I could tell, they just changed the pricing from dollars to pounds. I wasn’t curious enough to pay about $11 for a burrito.
Best part about Chipotle, for me, is they serve beer, or at least their downtown location does.
I find the anti-foodie posts kind of funny, as Chipotle is usually, in my experience, considered a reasonable place by foodies or whateverthefuck you wanna call them.
I call them “douchebags.”
Har har.
What I’m saying is, in my experience, people who like food seem to have a wide range of tastes that includes fast food and junk food. For example, I think I would probably qualify as a “foodie” of some sort. But I enjoy McDonald’s, White Castle, Jimmy’s John’s, etc. Then there is fast food I don’t like, like Burger King, Subway, and Taco Bell. But, in my experience, “foodies” run the gamut of low-brow to high-brow tastes. Maybe y’all are just meeting a bunch of dicks and the Chicago “foodies” are much more down-to-earth. The only “foodies” I’ve met that were douchebags were simply douchebags in general. Their opinion on food had nothing to do with it.
I find the same thing with the stereotype about hipster kids. Some of my brother’s friends who are in their late 20s and early 30s would qualify as hipsters. There seems to be a meme that hipsters are only interested in obscure music that the average person couldn’t possibly ever have heard of. Yet, without exception, every single “hipster” type I’ve met personally was as into the latest Jay-Z, Kanye, or Beyonce record as whateverthefuck it is as Bon Iver, Gotye, or whatever it is they listen to these days.
The term foodie is stupid. So is the notion of a “burrito snob.” (How do you connect “burrito” with “snob”?) People have opinions about all kinds of things: music, politics, stamp collecting, cars–whatever. Why not food? Why get all insecure about food, probably the lowest common denominator of them all?
Absolutely agreed.
La Bamba
They only have locations in college towns, and their burritos are exemplary.
I doubt I could ever crave a burrito so much again.
In a fair fight, La Bamba will SLAY Chipotle amongst the late night crowd any day.