Fresh- Tasting Mexican Fare
Written: Oct 18 '02 (Updated Oct 28 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The food; speed of service; prices
Cons: Atmosphere; limited selection
The Bottom Line: Chipotle is a very good Mexican restaurant, with high- quality taste and fast- food speed of service.
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| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Chipotle Grill |
Chipotle is a chain of Mexican fast- food restaurants that was founded by Steve Ells in Denver, Colorado, in 1993. Ells took his restaurant’s name from the jalepeno pepper which, when smoked and dried, is referred to as a chipotle. This restaurant chain is still in its growth stages, but in just 9 years it has expanded to include about 190 locations in 11 states: Colorado, California, Arizona, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, and Washington D.C.
Menu Selection:
Chipotle offers a simple menu consisting of four food categories: burritos, fajitas, tacos, and a burrito bowl. Burritos and fajitas come in four varieties: steak, chicken, carnitas (pork) and vegetarian. Burrito bowl and tacos are served with either chicken, steak, or carnitas. The food is prepared right before your eyes, in assembly line style (similar to Subway).
There are just a few side items available at Chipotle. You can add appetizers to your meal like chips and guacamole or chips and salsa. You can also ask for a side container of extra guacamole or salsa.
Beverages include fountain soft drinks, assorted bottled drinks, bottled beer, and margaritas. Fountain drinks are self- serve and they include free refills.
Atmosphere:
The inside of Chipotle is not the prettiest or coziest place I have ever visited to enjoy a meal, but it could be worse, I suppose. The interior seats about 70 to 100 customers with wooden chairs and tables, benches, and a few bar stools to choose from for seating. Many locations also have an outdoor patio.
The chairs are not very comfortable to sit on, with no padding and no room to stretch out. The table tops are metal, so they aren’t very attractive. Trash receptacles are large, metal barrels without any enclosure, and they are somewhat of an eyesore, even for a fast food restaurant.
Covering the walls at Chipotle are pictures of Mexican food- related things and a few three- dimensional murals. Music is piped in, on a continuous- play tape.
Pricing:
Chipotle food is priced fairly, with the main menu selections selling for between $4.75 and $5.50 each. The chips and salsa/guacamole side items are priced under $2.00 and the soft drinks go for between $1.00 and $1.50, for fountain drinks or bottled beverages.
Beer will cost you about $2.50 per bottle for domestic brands. If you want a bottle of Corona, Tecate, or Dos Equis with your meal, you will have to cough up an additional 50 cents.
Final Thoughts:
Chipotle is a unique restaurant experience in several ways. First of all, it’s a fast food restaurant, with quick service and fast preparation of the food. But the quality of the food is far better than other fast- food establishments. The main reason for this is the freshness policy at Chipotle. They do not use any pre- made ingredients or leftovers from the previous day. They prepare everything fresh, each and every day, to ensure that the taste is top quality.
The food that is served here is prepared as you walk down the cafeteria- style assembly line. You have the choice of mild, medium, or hot salsa, with everything you buy. Mild is prepared with fresh tomato chunks; medium with tomatillo green chili or roasted chili corn; and hot with tomatillo red chili. Depending on what you buy, you also have a few other options, like pinto or black beans, cheese, or sour cream. I recommend adding the sour cream to all menu items. It isn’t ordinary sour cream- it’s a unique blend that is a little less thick than the standard variety and more tasty.
Burritos and other menu items are served in a tin foil wrap, placed in a basket. They are quite large, and eating just one should be sufficient to fill most people up. The ingredients are not blended together, so when you bite into your food, you will notice that there are both hot and cold areas. The cheese and sour cream remain cool while the meat area is warmer. This might bother some people, but I found it unique and interesting.
My only complaint about this restaurant is the dismal atmosphere. I can tolerate the uncomfortable chairs, but at the very least, Chipotle needs to hide those ugly metal trash cans from open view. The cans make you feel like your attending a bonfire or a hayride. They proudly display the trash, for all to see.
Aside from the lack of aesthetics, Chipotle is a very good Mexican restaurant. It rates well ahead of other Mexican fast food, like Taco Bell, and it’s just as good (or better) as many sit- down Mexican restaurants. The key is the salsa, the sour cream, and above all, the freshness. It’s the taste that will keep me coming back to Chipotle, even if I have to sit on hard wooden chairs and look at the waste spilling out of the metal trash cans. It’s very good- tasting Mexican food, conveniently served with speed and friendly service.
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Mexican
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Recommended:
Yes
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