Although Chipotle has been one of the most popular fast-casual Mexican food chains for a few years, there’s no doubt that there’s been a recent surge of mass media attention on this particular food joint.
Social media platforms such as Tik Tok and Instagram have showcased videos where people are seen indulging in a Chipotle burrito or bowl, and it’s become an influencing factor in the quickly rising popularity of Chipotle. Users have even taken the hype to another level by making videos with trendy audios such as “If you finish a whole Chipotle bowl you is greedy,” meaning someone who finishes an entire Chipotle bowl in one sitting is considered big back for consuming that large amount of food.
Part of what makes Chipotle so popular among such a broad range of people is its versatility and ease of customization. Every customer has their own order or preference of what they want in their order.
For anyone who wants a relatively healthy meal that will fill you up, with no doubt, Chipotle is the way to go. For those who go to the gym, Chipotle burritos can be a quick way to load up on protein or carbs.
Similarly, everyone has their own way of enjoying their food. Tik tok trends depict people scooping up the contents of a bowl with their own bought Doritos Flamas chips, or stuffing their burritos with Hot Cheetos, taking this Chipotle craze to another level.
So, after seeing all this hype with Chipotle, I had to take matters into my own hands. I decided to try the classic Chipotle burrito with white rice, pinto beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, corn, lettuce, and red salsa (no cheese or sour cream because I’m vegan), and it was surprisingly better than I thought.
The flavors of all the ingredients went well together and I enjoyed the hint of sweetness that the corn added to the burrito, which I’m not very used to compared to the burritos I normally get at authentic Mexican restaurants.
My only complaint was that the tortilla was very poorly wrapped into the burrito which caused a lot of spillage. Additionally, the red salsa was a little too spicy for my liking and that comes from someone who can handle and absolutely loves spice. I would rate it a solid 8/10.
For fun, I decided to try a Hot Cheeto in my burrito and it was really gross because Hot Cheetos are generally a small little snack and that mixed into an actual meal, as in real food, was a different and weird combination of flavors.
I also tried a bowl with white rice, pinto beans, guacamole, pico, corn, lettuce, fajitas veggies, and tomatillo green salsa which was also really good with the chips. It basically tasted exactly like a burrito except it was a little lighter in the stomach, and it paired nicely with the crunch and saltiness of the chips. I did eat this meal with my mom and she pointed out how the chips were stale and I then realized they were stale and it kind of lowered my rating a bit to a 8/10.
Lastly, I ordered another bowl but decided to try something new this time around. I got the same as my usual order of white rice, pinto beans, guacamole, pico, corn, lettuce, fajitas veggies, and tomatillo green salsa, but with the addition of their plant based meat option, sofritas.
The overall flavor of the bowl tasted the same as my usual order, but honestly it wasn’t as good. The flavor of the sofritas itself wasn’t very prominent but it had a pretty mild flavor that didn’t really add anything to the bowl besides texture and volume. Because of the “meat,” I felt pretty full and couldn’t finish my bowl like usual. Similar to the Hot Cheetos, I decided to use Doritos Flamas to scoop up the contents instead of tortilla chips and it was really good. Definitely better than the Hot Cheetos in the burrito because the Flamas are still technically tortilla chips, but the spicy and sour flavoring of the chips added a nice kick to the meal. Overall I’d rate the bowl a 6/10, and I wouldn’t try it again.
In order to get a second opinion on Chipotle and have its meat section reviewed, my friend Maritza Ramirez decided to try the quesadilla.
“When I first tried Chipotle, I got a burrito bowl with chicken, but it was not the best flavor so it made me switch over to getting a veggie bowl instead. Ever since then, my go to has been the veggie bowl, but it’s now changed since I’ve tried the quesadilla.
“I decided to try out the quesadilla with meat because it wouldn’t make sense to order a plain cheese quesadilla when I can easily make that at home. I ordered a carnitas quesadilla and since the meal comes with 3 sides, I chose sour cream, tomatillo-green chili salsa and chipotle honey-vinaigrette. I tried the quesadilla by itself without any sauce, and it was surprisingly really good. It did look a bit dry but it’s normal for carnitas. I’ve seen Tiktok videos where people mix the sour cream and vinaigrette so I decided to try that and honestly it didn’t disappoint. The flavor is definitely better when dipping it in sauces and I would get it again. But, for it to be a white-washed Mexican food place, it was a solid 9/10.”
I wouldn’t say Chipotle is entirely worth all the hype, but it is really good. I like how it can easily accommodate those with dietary restrictions such as vegetarians and vegans, and even have a plant based meat option.
I wouldn’t consider it Mexican food, more so white washed Mexican food which is different considering the amount of authentic Mexican restaurants there are around here. I think that everyone should try Chipotle at least once in their lives because it’s a restaurant that I would say is unlike any other restaurant or at least any other Mexican restaurant because, while it’s not very authentic, it has a unique flavor of its own that isn’t like traditional Mexican cuisine.
