They serve pretty much the same thing, but which is better: Qdoba or Chipotle Mexican Grill? We got the same burrito bowl, and all the toppings included in the base price. This means Qdoba got a few extra toppings, but both bowls had chicken, pinto beans and white rice to keep things as even as possible.
Chipotle: $6.50
Julia: Chipotle surprised me! Even though it didn’t have as many toppings as Qdoba, the taste of the chicken and rice were especially strong in this bowl. There was some sort of unique spice that really stuck out to me. Though lacking on extra free ingredients, the mix of simplicity that Chipotle had was spot on.
Kelsey: Despite the lack of extra toppings compared to Qdoba, Chipotle’s chicken, beans and rice had much more punch to them. There was a more subtle, cohesive flavor between all the ingredients, and I would have hated to upset the balance by tying to add more to it. I might on occasion shell out the extra dollar or so to add some guacamole, though this bowl does not need it in all honesty.
Qdoba $7.80
J: Qdoba gave me a lot of food for my money — a bowl filled with cheese, guacamole and peppers. Although Qdoba offered more ingredients, when I took that first bite, it was hard for my taste buds to distinguish between what I was eating. It wasn’t as spicy as Chipotle, which I was undecided if I liked or not. This tasted more like a crazy taco salad than a burrito bowl, which was good, but not as flavorful as Chipotle’s.
K: Not being a real pepper fan, I felt the chunks of bell pepper were on the obnoxious side. I had to really dig through that bowl to find a bite with only burrito ingredients flavor, and even then, I had a hard time finding it. The chicken and rice really didn’t do a whole lot for me. Even though there were toppings aplenty, I don’t think we got any bang for our buck in regards to flavor. You might be able get more toppings for no extra charge at Qdoba, but overall, I was just unimpressed by the bowl in its entirety.
