Chipotle vs. Burrito Loco
First let me preface this by saying that I try to learn a lesson from most things that happen to me in life. I didn't realize tasting burritos would be one of them, but low and behold, I am wrong. Now that I'm aware of this fact, there will be more lessons to be had in the future. Last week I learned that it's hard to pick a winner of a competition when you're comparing apples and oranges... Or in this case Chipotle and Burrito Loco. It's also difficult to make a final decision knowing that every one's palate is different and breaking a tie might play a factor along the way.
Here's a brief breakdown on our consumption....
We got two burritos from Chipotle. One Chicken and one pork. They both feature cilantro white rice, black beans, salsa fresca, fresh squeezed lime, red chile tomato salsa, lettuce, and cheese. The meat is all naturally raised and features grilled and garlicky flavors. The beans were slightly smokey and the lettuce added an enjoyable crunchy texture. Some of the down falls in my opinion, were that the cheese wasn't melty and ingredients weren't well assembled so one bite might be all lettuce and the next bite could be all chicken. While I thought this was an excellent burrito, and I think I'd partake in it again, it was a more Americanized burrito than the one we sampled from Burrito Loco.
We also ordered two burritos from Burrito Loco. One Chicken and one ground beef. Spanish rice, cheese, salsa fresca, pinto beans accompanied the protein choice. Now I've never seen anyone put lettuce in the burrito here, but I'm sure they might do it upon request if you said please. While the meat for the burritos wasn't highly seasoned, I enjoyed the freshness and simplicity of it with the flavorful salsa fresca and gooey cheese. The double press is what makes the cheese so wonderful at Burrito Loco. All burritos start out as a flour tortilla that is quickly steamed before being filled with all the goodies. Once wrapped, Burrito Loco gives it a second steam which melts the cheese and keeps the burrito together so well.
Size matters!
Burrito loco has multiple different sizes for whatever appetite you have... Medium, Regular or Gordo. A quick side note, if you finish the Gordo, you get your picture on the wall! As far as price is concerned, the regular Burrito Loco burrito and the Chipotle burrito are about the same give or take a few cents and that being around $6.50. But if you like a deal you'll want to try the School Special at Burrito Loco. For $5.95, plus tax, you can get a medium burrito, chips & salsa, and a drink. The bonus is that you don't have to be in school to be eligible to order this combo.
Nice things about both places is that there are choices. You can substitute or get whatever you want in your burrito. If you're not a burrito fan, try a salad or tacos instead. Both places have guacamole, salsa, sour cream and hot sauces. Customization is a beautiful thing.
And the winner is...
By a vote of 2 to 1, Burrito Loco was declared the better burrito!
Till next time, HAPPY EATING!
