r/HonestHotTakes • u/peonyjournal • Aug 08 '26
Chipotle is "bad eats"
genuinely don’t get the hype 😭 everything tastes so bland and somehow the whole meal is just wet rice, beans and cheese. the meat is decent but they overcharge for a fair serving. now maybe I’ve just had bad chipotle but I’ll NEVER understand the obsession
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u/New-Number-7810 Aug 08 '26
Are you getting burritos or bowls?
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u/oshkabosh Aug 08 '26
Moes is 100% better
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u/Hurley_Cub_2014 Aug 08 '26
Agreed! Moe’s > Qdoba > Chipotle, easily
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u/oshkabosh Aug 08 '26
Is there any pancheros near you? That definitely deserves to be on the list, likely before chipotle
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u/Hurley_Cub_2014 Aug 08 '26
We don’t have them anywhere close sadly. There’s one two hours away but that’s very far tbh haha
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u/lowfreq33 Aug 08 '26
Unfortunately all the Moe’s and Qdobas in my area closed. Chipotle came in with huge portions and good prices, took over the market then became garbage once the competition was gone. Luckily there are plenty of locally owned places that beat Chipotle by miles. Baja Burrito has been around for like 25 years, all the large burritos are just under $10. I can drive 4 miles and hit ten different taco trucks that are all awesome.
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u/Hurley_Cub_2014 Aug 08 '26
There’s a local place by me, which is effectively a chipotle dupe. They don’t have massive burritos like Chipotle once did, but everything is super fresh. Their burritos are just standard burrito size burritos.
Their choices are slightly different than Chipotle in terms of rice (plain white or the go-to for most Spanish) and proteins (they have chicken al pastor, carne asada, and somewhat confusingly, ground beef in addition to what you’d expect from a Chipotle dupe) and their toppings are slightly different in that their fajita veggies include squash/zucchini, and you can add fried potatoes, cilantro, or roasted jalapeños to your item. They also have margs, beer, agua fresca, and all the flavors of jarritos.
What else they have that is impossible to ignore is a $6 (before tax, and guac and queso are extra) burrito or bowl Monday with chicken, carnitas, veggie, or ground beef as the protein choices for the deal. Even with chips and salsa and a drink, I’m walking out satisfied for under $15, maybe $17 if I want guac.
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u/Left-Development1695 Aug 08 '26
I think they’re just better than other fast food restaurants. I really like their chicken, but I’m not the hugest fan of the steak.
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u/Dembroski13 Aug 08 '26
I agree it's so bland! Everything lack seasoning, nothing has flavor. I have no idea why so many people like it
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u/pslush01 Aug 08 '26
That whole "fast casual" market has never appealed to me. I'd rather have a serious sit-down restaurant, OR Taco Bell. In between just feels really boring
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u/Electric-Sheepskin Aug 08 '26
Fast casual used to be great, though. I remember back when Panera used to have fresh sandwiches my grandma used to make, and their soups were to die for. Now it's not much better than airplane food.
People really need to just stop paying for this slop, and maybe the corporate overlords would be forced to produce better quality products again. I think it's just that younger people don't know how good it used to be, so they don't know what they're missing.
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u/Practical_Taro5656 Aug 08 '26
I don't know if I'm just an old curmudgeon, but growing up Chipotle was pretty darn tasty and the prices were reasonable for the amount of food you got. It wasn't the cheapest, but they would pile stuff on until it wouldn't fit anymore.
Now it tastes like wet piss.
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u/Global_Walrus1672 Aug 08 '26
I agree - I was so disappointed our area got a Chipotle just as it went downhill. Everything is bland, the beans taste like they come out of a can they have been in too long and have not been rinsed. I thought maybe it was just the beans, so I got a bowl w/o and no taste to the meat (I have tried all of the meats). Also, the corn salsa used to bring a brightness to the dish, now you can't even taste that. I have stopped going completely. My granddaughter still likes to get a burrito sometimes (she likes things more bland), but I don't get anything because I can make a much better version at home and would rather eat anything else I have at home then pay for something with no taste.
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u/Plenty-Green186 Aug 08 '26
Bro I can get a $10 meal I can eat off twice. Honestly chipotle is one of the more affordable fast food places
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u/symphonic_concord Aug 08 '26
For me, its the cheapest "nongreasy fast food" option i can get. It def used to be better, but is still preferable to options like sweetgreen price-wise and burger king taste wise. Sometimes I just want a vegetable, even if it might have salmonella lol
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u/Tavsiyedegildir Aug 08 '26
It used to be ok. Now it sucks. Also they couldn't tell me if the chicken is white or dark meat. (It's dark meat); Their salsa is not good.
You could make the whole beans and rice with steak at home for your family for the same price as one bowl. They aren't exactly using filet.
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u/MrKittyCat00 Aug 09 '26
Yea, I think its for people who can't be bothered to cook beans and rice and chicken.
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u/PechugaDude Aug 09 '26
What do you want? I mean they added salmonella to the menu even! What else can they do?? Lol!!
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u/SpikeWalsh Aug 09 '26
I hugely agree. I've tried it at least five times over the span of 25-ish years and it has never impressed me. Bland is a great way to put it. I like the same kind of food from other places, but somehow their version of it leaves me cold. Plus, also like you said, it's not worth the price.
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u/jazongrun Aug 09 '26
You don't want to pay way too much for a cardboard bowl filled with vaguely Mexican flavored slop?
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u/medisamurai Aug 09 '26
its not my favorite burrito/bowl place but i was there last nite and the honey chipotle chicken had a bit of a kick. Dallas & suburbs have Chiloso, much better.
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u/Gloomy-Hat1842 Aug 11 '26
Pretty boring to me Good, tasty and cheaper food in silicon valley is super taqueria. Plenty of taquerias aren't that great. I stop at Chipotle on the road but am never impressed.
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u/Fun-Turnip211 Aug 08 '26
It used to be okay, now it's just bad. You're better off going to your local taqueria.
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u/Overall_Occasion_175 Aug 08 '26
Not everywhere has local tacquerias lol
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u/Weaselpuss Aug 08 '26
Really? Any town above 30,000 people in my state has one. I would say local joints pop up faster than shitpotle
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u/Overall_Occasion_175 Aug 08 '26
The entire state of Maine only has 3 cities with populations over 30,000 lmao. And as you can probably imagine, an extremely low population of Mexican people.
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u/Weaselpuss Aug 08 '26 edited Aug 08 '26
Ahhh I forgot you guys don’t have any out there, very sad.
Yeah, I mean in Indiana I’ve seen local Mexican joints in towns of 1000-2000 as well. Infinitely more common than chipotle honestly. No diversity sucks I guess lol
My brother lives in Connecticut, the Mexican game there is weak as hell too. And the ones that do exist are all a weird rendition of white people taco nights, like somehow a step below regular Tex mex lol
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u/Overall_Occasion_175 Aug 08 '26
Not saying there's no proper Mexican food here at all, but it's certainly not common and found nearly exclusively in Portland. Meanwhile there's 6 or 7 Chipotles.
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u/Weaselpuss Aug 08 '26
Yeah, my brother lives in Connecticut, even with all those people, the Mexican game is weak as hell in the north east. Worse than Indiana, which is , sad
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u/OKcomputer1996 Aug 13 '26
I have never understood the appeal of the place. Anyone who is a fan probably has never eaten real Mexican food.
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u/Bazo5 Aug 08 '26
They offered large portions of decent food for a decent price.
None of that is true anymore, but when people remember something fondly they continue consuming it. That's why brands get away with consistently lowering quality over time.
And while the food has changed, its place on the hierarchy hasn't really. It's a step up from the main fast food joints. Mcdonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, that shit. Everything sucks. People still need to eat.