Chipotle is a higher end fast food chain that has recently received a lot of press for their decision to go GMO free. This move has given Chipotle the credit they deserve for their long time use of higher quality ingredients, especially compared to most fast foods. Their positive sales have reflected their commitment as consumers have become more aware of food quality and are driving the market forces in a positive direction. While Chipotle sales have risen recently, during the same time frame McDonalds fast food chain has suffered, closing hundreds of stores. Chipotle really cares about the source of their produce and meat and they try to support local farms that treat their animals respectfully and their plants as naturally as possible. They even stopped selling some of their pork products at one point because they could not get it from their good source any more.
Overall Rating ★★ ★
Food ★ ★ ★
Chipotle serves burritos, tacos, and bowls. Their taco’s can be made gluten free by asking for corn tortillas instead of wheat and they taste great, but our favorite is their make your own bowl! You can pick between brown and white rice, black and pinto beans, and all of their meat options or fajita veggies if you are vegetarian or vegan! You then pick your toppings which can include cheese, guacamole, salsa, corn, and shredded lettuce.
Everything is seasoned really nicely, but their salsa is where all the flavor is really packed! My favorite is the medium salsa, which I think is pretty spicy but adds a really nice bite.
Everything is gluten free except for their wheat tortillas, and everything but their cheese and sour cream is dairy free, so it is also very easy to accommodate for a vegan diet. Their website is very helpful by having Diet Information that let’s you know what ingredients are allergen free.
Tried and True Favorites:
- Chicken Salad
- Sofrita Soft Corn Taco
Quality ★ ★ ★
Chipotle ingredients are changing ocassionally depending on the location of the restaurant and farm productivity. To know exactly what you are getting check out their Ingredient Statement that tells you what quality of ingredients is used in everything they serve.
Their meat is always hormone and antibiotic free, and naturally raised as much as possilbe. Their pork is from pigs that are raised outside or in deeply bedded pens, and fed a vegetarian diet. Sounds great, especially now that they have committed to going GMO free. Their beef and pork are naturally raised by Chipotle standards, which right now does not include being pasture raised, but they are hoping to transition to that if they can find enough suppliers! For their chicken, they try to avoid additional additives like arsenic, and they are also always hormone and antibiotic free.
The dairy they use is from cows raised with no synthetic hormones like rBGH. The cows are pasture raised and get time outside, and fed a vegetarian diet.
As for their produce, a portion of their beans are organic, but because Chipotle is such a large chain it is hard for them to get all organic produce. Some of their local suppliers use organic practices, but the majority of their produce is generic. They do get all of their produce locally, meaning no more than 350 miles from the restaurant. This helps with freshness and is also more environmentally friendly!
They use basic oil for cooking like rice bran and sunflower oil.
For the most part they use generic wheat and corn for their tortillas but in certain locations they use organic wheat and now all gmo-free corn!
Atmosphere ★ ★ ★ ★
Chipotle is comfortable and nice for a fast food kind of restaurant. It is dimly lit and has a sort of modern feeling to it. They use a lot of metal in their furnishing which makes it look very innovative and fun.
Service ★ ★ ★ ★
Chipotle is a restaurant where you walk in and order and you see them make the food right in front of you. That makes the workers get a little bit rushed sometimes, but it also makes it very hard for an order to get messed up. All of our experiences have been encountering very friendly workers and fast service!
Price $
A full meal is usually around $7 to $10 depending on what meat you get and if you get anything extra on the side like guacamole or chips or a drink.
See their website for more details about their “Food With Integrity!” Chipotle
