Chipotle Mexican Grill

I don’t usually review chains, but WOW this last experience was bad. Not even a full scoop of meat and when I got my order the meat was COLD, pretty fatty/​chewy and just all around gross. I understand certain things can’t be helped, but having your meat at the right temperature seems to be rather important. Absolutely ridiculous.

I have always enjoyed eating at Chipotle in general. Tonight, I got my usual, the chicken fajita burrito. I immediately noticed that it tasted different, like either cinnamon or cumin… and I didn’t like it. It was ok, but not the normal chipotle flavor. Afterwards, I asked the staff if they had changed the spices at all. I was told that they had in fact changed the spices in the chicken… changing the adobo flavor and spices to a more sweeter flavor. I told the staff person/​manager that I did notice it and that I did not like it. To me, it takes away from the chipotle flavor. It no longer tastes like the spicy flavorful name that chipotle implies. I sure hope that they will take in to account customers’ opinions about changes like this. Also, I would hope that in the future, they would post these changes inside at the ordering counter… in case a customer has a food allergy.

Big burritos. This is what they are know for. You come hungry and leave full. I rellay enjoy this place, and the chips and salsa are good too. I remember when they fist came to Abq by Uptown Mall it was packed for a month and had a 2 hour wait. The staff are always nice and the food is always good.
If everything you read about Chipotle is true then this is one of the best fast food companies, and all other fast food companies should take some notes from Chipotle. They buy the products they need to make the food from local places in the cities they have setup shop. It is easy to say what they need to improve on, but they are far ahead other fast food companies in so many different ways.
This link is to a Chipotle commercial. Kinda funny. Oct-07−2015

Ok it’s not the usual NM style of Mexican food but I have to say this is some good «fast food». The ingredients are all very high quality and taste like it. You can’t deny the freshness of this stuff compared to other Mexican fast food such as Taco Bell and others. The chicken is tender and not rubbery, the guac is a bit chunky and not mushy, and the chips have flavor and not bland and over salted.
The line is usually long but the workers move extremely efficiently, almost like soup Nazi style on Seinfeld. And as for price, it’s not cheap but I would say it isn’t too expensive for the quality you get.
This specific location of chipotle is very good like all others I’ve been to, so nothing bad to say here. Definitely recommend to anybody who hasn’t tried it yet.

Unilocal has noted that I’ve checked in 3 times here and asks, «What keeps you coming back?» Well, fresh ingredients, that’s one thing. I like a business that treats their employees well, that’s another. I started going to Chipotle when they first opened because it was important to me that they sourced from ethical producers — and they still do as far as I can tell, or they try to. And now that I no longer eat meat, I’m super stoked they have a tofu option — sofritas, crumbled tofu cooked up with some spices. I like it.
But it’s not my style to frequent fast food, so even though it says I’ve been here 3 times, that’s 3 times in the last 2 and a half years. Hardly makes me a regular. I’ll pop in here to grab something healthy and fresh, that doesn’t make me feel complicit in the destruction of the world, and that’s about the size of it. Should be said, though, this is one of the only fast food places I’ll go to. You’ll never see me at the red and yellow clown, or at the place Jon Stewart liked to mock, or the one with the red head girl on the logo, or any of the others. They serve crap, cooked through with a liberal dose of misery, served by wage slaves who are desperately trying to survive. Screw that.

We patronize this location because it is the one closest to us — unfortunately. Went in today and they were not busy and were treated to some of the worst customer service. We were not greeted and the woman could barely make eye contact. She was dumping items in the bowl as if it were pig slop. We started placing our order and my husband likes the plain rice. They proceed to bring out at tiny cup of plain rice from the back and dump it in the bowl. My husband asked for more (the amount provided barely extended from one side of the bowl to the next) and he was ignored. We then had to wait as some to-​go orders were prepared. The to-​go ordered included 5 separate items, some of which she made wrong the first time and then had to re-​make. Meanwhile my husbands food is just sitting there. Finally, we are back in business. We get my son (2 yrs old) some tacos and then request some cheese for the tacos. We are told that he cannot have cheese unless we pay extra because it is considered a side and kids meals only get 2 sides. We were a bit confused but then asked that the cheese be considered one of his sides. We were told we could not do that because the sides were already on the plate — however no one instructed us that any of the usual «garnish» for the adult meals are considered extras for kids meals. The ever so rude staff began laughing at us, apparently because we are asking for cheese (or this was my best guess). My husband confronts them and they are suddenly mute. I request the manager’s card and they give me one for the «take out specialist» — I explain to them our frustration and the rude behavior that necessitated us, ultimately, just walking out. They were unmoved. They never spoke — not I’m sorry, nothing.
I called the number on the card (Gabrielle A.) I was given and was instructed to talk to the manager on duty. I told her that was who my issue was and I needed to speak to someone else. She instructs me that the general manager will be on site at 3pm. I ask for a phone number or mechanism to email him and am told that she will not give out his personal number. I told her that I was looking for a work # or email that he could be reached at and she told me he had none. I clarified «He has no work # or work email» which she confirms. Sure.
So from top to bottom — horrible experience. We have eaten at Chipotle locations in various states/​cities and consistently find bad experiences at the ones located in NM. This one may have been the worst experience…
Save your time and go to a real Mexican restaurant — we have so many of them here in NM it is a shame to waste a meal out at this location.
UPDATE:
After writing in to Chipotle’s corporate office we received a call that same day from their Denver headquarters. I was informed that their regional managers and store managers had been contacted about our experience so they could address these customer service issues. We were offered some chipotle bucks for our experience which I initially declined however she asked that I give this location another chance and rightly stated that it would not be fair to not give them the chance to improve their performance. We have received the cards but have not glen back as of yet. I think it will take some time to go back and test the waters. I do, however, applaud their corporate office for quickly trying to make things right.

Not bad for people unfamiliar with southwestern food. If you like tons of beans, rice, oil and very little meat, you’ll love Chipotle

Freshness galore! Everything was tasty although the guacamole is a bit tangy for my palate.

Food is consistent with other loactions. Meats never seem more that chared and salted. But the place is clean with good out door eating area with view of mountain.

It’s still a Chipotle so that gets it 3 stars. However, the management sucks. They are the slowest moving Chipotle I’ve ever been to. The trash cans were overflowing because no one took care of them. The sink is broken in the ladies room, sorry ladies no clean hands for you! They only had sugar in the raw for sugar. It is my least favorite Chipotle. New management please?

This is an update to my previous review. I contacted main office to complain and was given meal vouchers to compensate. I decided to give this place another try after being told that the problem would be fixed. It was better this time around but still not all the way fixed. This time they actually had everything except brown rice (again) in stock. I have given up and will only go to, in my opinion, the best location in ABQ, off of paseo and San Pedro. Sorry it’s not me its you. Chipotle is great just not this location at the time. New management? Just a suggestion.

Love, love, love Chipotle. My favorite fast, good for you food. Good location, but always pretty busy.

Just walked out of the place. Horrible. While ordering Tacos the girl was making them and she dripped sour cream on the counter where they slide the baskets across. She then smeared off the dripped sour cream from the counter along with other stuff and then wiped it on my taco tortilla. When I called her on it she acted like she didn’t do anything wrong.

Fresh and fast Mexican food! I went on a Friday night after work to pick up dinner, the line was long and they were busy but they had plenty of employees and moved the line fast. Our order was correct, fresh and great. We will be back

The hubby and I lovingly refer to Chipotle as «white people burritos» or «the Subway for burritos.» This is not the place to go if you are expecting an authentic Mexican or New Mexican burrito. This is the place to go if you lover a burrito with all the fixin’s. Its delicious and can be addicting.
I am reviewing this particular one because of the employees. I have been here MANY times since moving here because its right next to my husband’s work. The service is consistent and excellent. The staff is friendly and very accommodating. Every time I go there, it seems like all the employees are really glad to be at work and since having worked in food service briefly and HATING it, I find this to be either really good acting or that its genuinely a great place to work. And who doesn’t want the people making your food to be happy with what they’re doing?

Ok, so it’s not NEW Mexican food. It’s still good and a great place to go for a burrito bowl. It’s generally rather quick, even if there’s a long line, the servers still move everybody through pretty quickly and you get to see exactly what goes in your burrito, kind of like a Subway for burritos. Great place to go if you want a change of pace, a little something different from your normal New Mexican fare and you want it quick!

I want to love Chipotle, I do. And there are many things to love. They use locally sourced, responsibly cultivated ingredients. They excel at portion size, bargain pricing, and efficient service. I even love the simplicity of the menu itself, which features a variety of meats, salsas, and toppings in either a bowl, burrito, or tacos.
That’s all great. My problem is that the food is so, so boring. Beans, rice, meat, salsa, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, and tomato. That’s it. I could really use some more adventurous toppings. Black olives, jalapenos, cotija, machaca, some actual carnitas, anything even remotely ethnic or authentic would go a long ways towards making this place not seem like corporate mall food. In fact, calling it a Mexican grill is laughable. There is hardly anything distinctly Mexican on their menu.
My other chief complaint is that there is absolutely no heat to any of the food here.
The salsas, while tasty, are in no way spicy. They haven’t embraced the local culture and offered green chile like even McDonald’s has done. And their hot sauce is Tabasco. Tabasco! That is like trying to pass off ketchup as barbeque sauce! Outrageous. I have to take my Chipotle home so I can douse it with a proper Mexican hot sauce like El Yucateco. And seriously, people, you call yourselves Chipotle, and you don’t actually offer chipotle? I don’t even understand that.
Still, the food isn’t bad. I imagine most people would find it inoffensive and inexpensive enough to eat. But for me, I just never get excited about eating at Chipotle. I wasn’t one of those eagerly awaiting its arrival in ABQ. I have never driven out of my way to eat at one. And I am certainly not acquainted with it well enough to feel comfortable calling it Chipotes. It’s convenient, fast, cheap, and relatively healthy. But there are literally scores of other local restaurants in Albuquerque I’d rather get go for a burrito.

I must admit I was a little hesitant about this chain Mexican restaurant invading the New Mexican restaurants well established territory of delicious Mexican and New Mexican foods. That said, this has become one of my favorite fast food restaurants and let me tell you why.
The food is FRESH. Similar to Subway, you get to pick everything you want in your tacos, taco bowl, salad bowl, or burritos (these are your only options!). Once you’ve selected one of the four, you watch it being built right before your eyes. I highly recommend the chicken tacos with rice (delicious). I always get the green salsa (its the hottest) but they have three to choose from and they are GOOD.
I always feel just a little bit healthier eating here. The only downside is, like Subway, there is no drive up window. But nothing fresh and healthy ever comes that way anyways!

Your average chipotle. It was kinda cold in here when I came for lunch which is why I knocked a star. I had to keep my coat on the whole time. They were really good about cleaning up and sweeping, etc when I was there. My burrito bowl was as expected… I feel they are pretty consistent here and staff was friendly. The best thing was that «Hot Chip» was playing on their «radio»,. Awesome!
Also (plug) this location is in the same plaza as the dental office where I work! So come see an awesome dentist (me) and get good food at chipotle after!

Finally we have a Chipotle nearer the house (and the one on Paseo looks like it is almost ready to open which is splendid).
I have been here twice now (only knew it was open thanks to seeing people lining up inside — why don’t Chipotle make announcements on facebook, twitter or Unilocal!?)
I have eaten pretty much the entire Chipotle menu over the years.
On both my visits I had the tacos; chicken on flour tortillas yesterday and barbacoa on corn today.
The chicken was cold yesterday, which wasn’t great, I added black beans, brown rice, hot salsa and cheese.
Today I added the brown rice, black beans, hot salsa, cheese and lettuce.
I think the corn tortillas have more flavor, even their hot salsa isn’t spice enough sadly.
For the price you pay I think the food is very tasty & good quality.
Oh, their guacamole seems to be just pureed avacado — I can’t detect any spices/​other flavors — it is very fresh, just not how I like my guacamole.