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Peoples' opinions on where to find the most authentic burritos can vary as much as the fillings that go inside them, but there are several fast-food restaurants taking a whack at the Mexican-inspired, handheld meal. We set out to discover who's doing it best by taste-testing the typical chicken burrito on offer at four different chains.
Here's the burrito breakdown:
Chipotle Mexican Grill
The Order: Chicken Burrito with white rice, black beans, fresh tomato salsa, cheese and lettuce
Price: $8.65
Though there are countless ways to order a Chipotle burrito, we stuck to what we consider a classic combination of ingredients in a standard burrito. Size has never been an issue when it comes to this chain, but we were interested to see how its flavor matched up against other popular Mexican-inspired chains. At first taste, you can tell that the chicken is fresh and grilled, and the fillings provide plenty of different textures in one bite. The flour tortilla holds up to the hefty ingredients, but without the addition of extra condiments like guacamole and corn or spicy salsa, the whole package tasted pretty bland. There was hardly any cheese, and it wasn't melty like we hoped.
Taco Bell
The Order: Power Menu Burrito with chicken, romaine lettuce, cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole and avocado ranch sauce
Price: $6.39
We went with the Power Menu Burrito at Taco Bell because of it's similarity in ingredients to the other contenders. Though the cheapest of the burritos, our first impression was that it looked and felt pretty puny compared to the others. The tortilla had a nice grill mark on the outside, but that was the only bit of freshness in sight — the chicken had a rubbery, just-microwaved texture that was less than appetizing, and the rest of the toppings melded together into a soggy mess. The few bits of wilted lettuce were drowned in a heavy dollop of sour cream, and the guacamole and avocado ranch sauce combined to make a flavorless, green mush. This burrito definitely could have benefitted from the chew of some black beans or freshness of tomatoes.
Moe's Southwest Grill
The Order: The Homewrecker with chicken, seasoned rice, beans, shredded cheese, pico de gallo and guacamole
Price: $8.69
When we think of Moe's, we immediately think of their perfectly gooey queso, but their signature Homewrecker burrito shouldn't be overlooked. It looked nearly identical to Chipotle's chicken burrito at the first glance. This hefty number is stuffed with seasoned rice — with punchy notes of cilantro, which not all of our tasters appreciated—and the combination of fillings made for a crisp and perfectly savory mouthful. Guac doesn't cost extra on this burrito, and its flavor added lots of freshness and a hint of lime to the overall package. The cheese wasn't melted in this case either —one of the qualms we also had with Chipotle's version.
Chevys Fresh Mex
The Order: Fajita Burrito with grilled chicken, Fresh Mex rice, beans a la charra, cheese and fire-roasted salsa
Price: $18.50
Though less buzzed about than the other contenders, Chevys is a popular California chain, with locations scattered across the U.S. There are only two burritos on their lengthy menu, and we opted for the Fajita Burrito to stick to the chicken theme. Its appearance immediately makes it stand out from the competition — though flatter than the others, it just inches out Moe's for the title of biggest burrito here. You can immediately taste the smokiness from its fire-roasted tomatoes, and the chain's "Fresh Mex" rice, with an orange tinge and the flavor of typical Spanish rice, provides an extra punch of flavor. The only complaint here was the overpowering tomato flavor, and sogginess of the tortilla, thanks to the salsa.
The Winner: Chevys Fresh Mex
Much to our surprise, the least well-known chain of the bunch came out on top. Chevys' Fajita Burrito was a bit of a twist on your typical burrito, thanks to it's fajita-like fillings. Substantial pieces of onion and jalapeño, plus creamy, stewed pinto beans give this burrito big points in terms of texture and flavor, and the char-grilled chicken and melty cheese put it over the top. The price was definitely a downer, coming in at more than twice the price of the other burritos, but it's important to note that the burrito came with a sides of more rice, beans a la charra, a sweet corn tamalito, chips and salsa, making it a full-on meal. We'd definitely shell out the cash for another one of these.
