The Battle of the York Road Burritos

In the York Road Plaza stands two giants of the Mexican fast-food world, Chipotle and Qdoba. Their merits are a controversial topic among Gilman Students. Both Mac Harris ‘27 and Thomas Bozzuto ‘27 ventured to the York Road Plaza to answer once and for all the long-lasting question: which is better?

At both restaurants, Thomas ordered a bowl with white rice, black beans, chicken, tomatoes, corn, sour cream, cheese, and guacamole. Mac ordered a burrito consisting of brown rice, chicken, corn, cheese, guacamole, and lettuce. We split chips and guacamole. 

A Chipotle bowl costs $9.50, while a burrito costs $12.60 with an additional $2.75 for guacamole. Chips and guacamole cost $4.55. The bowl was scrumptious; it consisted of very flavorful chicken and large portions that filled up the bowl. Despite many rumors about Chipotle's weak portion sizes, the portions were very filling. Likewise, the burrito tasted delectable—it was wrapped extremely neatly and consisted of the same flavorful chicken with just the right amount of guacamole inside. 

The chips were extremely salty, which we actually enjoyed. These salty chips came with a side portion of guacamole. Most guacamoles consist of tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, and various other ingredients. Regrettably, Chipotle guacamole seemed to lack flavor and tasted more like mashed avocados. Another factor that improved the overall meal was the ambiance; Chipotle had a happy, relaxing ambiance with music we enjoyed playing in the background.

Moving down the street, Qdoba had some positives as well, particularly their portion sizes. Though the bowl costs more at Qdoba ($10.25), it includes more food. However, the portion size of the chicken was offset by its blandness. While the chicken lacked flavor, one strong aspect of the Qdoba bowl was the guacamole, as the amount put into Thomas’s bowl was perfect. 

The burrito also cost $10.25 and was smaller than the Chipotle burrito. Similar to the bowl, the burrito’s chicken was dry, but the quantity of chicken was much greater than the chicken in the Chipotle bowl. That being said, one of Qdoba’s best qualities is the option of guacamole and the free queso unlike its counterpart Chipotle. 

Unfortunately, the chips at Qdoba, which cost $4.95, were stale and were less salty than Chipotle chips. The guacamole however, tasted much better, with a much more salty and tangy flavor similar to a classic guacamole, and the Sprite tasted delicious. Finally, the ambiance in Qdoba was welcoming, and the modern soda machine in the front of the restaurant was a bonus.

For Mac, the Chipotle burrito, despite costing over $2 more, gives an equal ratio of portion to price. The Chipotle burrito and salty flavorful chips tasted much better than Qdoba’s. In terms of the atmosphere in Chipotle, he said, “Whoever was working the Chipotle playlist did a very good job.”

Thomas thought the Qdoba bowl had larger portions, with more chicken and rice, but lacked many qualities the Chipotle bowl contained like tasty chicken; ultimately, he enjoyed the flavorful Chipotle bowl.