Qdoba Mexican Grill

The food is fine, but you might need an engineering degree from MIT to operate the bathroom door, which requires a token. Too much to think about when you have to pee.
Then the soap dispenser was broken.
I told one woman behind the counter and asked for soap; she walked off. I told the second woman and she said the first went to get someone. Then a third woman, I guess the manager, came out and said nothing. I again said I would like to wash my hands. She then said, «Customers broke the dispenser» and seemed irritated. I finally said, «Can I just wash my hands behind the counter right there.» And she allowed me to do so. But one of them said I couldn’t place the broom by the swinging door to get behind the counter. It’s not like I work there. The broom was blocking the sink and it was only temporary.
Customer service and communication were lacking. And if you know the dispenser is broken, why not put a regular soap container in there? Just humor the few of us who actually want to wash our hands.

This review is for this location and the one on W. 50^th Street that doesn’t seem to be on Unilocal.The problem with both locations (and all Qdobas?) is the same: The people that work there don’t seem to LISTEN to what you are saying when you order. Like at all. At University Place, I ordered a steak burrito with peppers and onions; the woman nods at me and starts making a chicken burrito with beans (literally 2 seconds had passed). Uptown, I ordered two chicken tacos and one steak taco; the woman stares back at me, glazed over, and is like, «OK, so that’s one chicken, one steak, and what else?» Then the woman at the other end of the line tells the woman behind the register I had «three steak tacos,» and when I corrected her, she somehow interpreted this as meaning I was with the next customer in line and she started ringing up our orders together, causing even further confusion.
Also, the food isn’t even that good. It’s usually cold and not too tasty. Chipotle is much better, and honestly, during my last trip to a Qdoba I even found myself thinking Taco Bell would have been better.
Oh, and $ 9 dollars for three crummy tacos? At those prices, I could go to a real restaurant.

I enjoy this quaint location in Union Square.
The best part is Qdoba Rewards, as they’re often offering a great deal like any entrée for $ 5, or a burrito and chips with queso for $ 7.
Staff is friendly and service is quick. I also must mention that, when ordering a steak burrito, the supply of steak was very low. Rather than give me the scraps, they added fresh steak. That made the burrito wonderful and it’s the little things that go a long way.

Reasonable fast food. Good veggie options. Reasonably priced.

I love Qdoba, so why would this one be any different. Pretty close to Union but a little away from it that it’s not really a pain to deal with.
Better flavors than Chipotle and a good burrito in a pinch, meaningful words coming from a Californian.

Great food. Great place. Very Clean. Servers are really friendly. I visit a few times a week. I always get a burrito bowl which is on a plate without the tortilla. I love the chicken but sometimes get the steak or pork. The food is always hot and fresh. I really love it.

I’ve been trying to figure out what I prefer, Qdoba or Chipotle. Both are good, however, Qdoba has the edge — why? Anyone that knows me knows i’m a sucker for nachos — and they have the most amazing three cheese nachos! As other reviews mentioned, Qdoba, in general, has more options; they actually have a sampler option where you can order two different menu option, obviously smaller portions of each item, but still an innovative concept. I sometimes feel like experimenting with either tacos or the naked burrito, but I can never forego my nachos; so this really helps.
As for this specific Qdoba — service is ok. They are not super friendly here, however, they are not miserable either. I’ve never seen this place get crowded, but I usually tend to go here after happy hour where my «healthy» lifestyle goes out the door.
In summary, this is definitely another option if you like Chipotle, and for me, it’s actually a preference.

I’m on Team Qdoba over Chipotle, for a few reasons:
1. Much cheaper. If you sign up for their Rewards program, meals are only $ 5.
2. More variety. You can get nachos, a quesadilla, yadayada…
3. Brighter atmosphere. Every Chipotle seems dark and depressing to me.
4. Nicer service.
Oh, and queso sauce. I LOVE QUESO SAUCE.
Brotip: The rewards program also gives you a free drink when you first sign up. I only paid $ 5.44 for a meal that would have cost $ 12 at Chipotle.

I like this place a lot the one time I’ve visited, a burrito was only $ 6 (some sort of special going on though, normally I think it was $ 8.99-$ 9.99) and comparable to Chipotle, but definitely better in taste, value and customer service. The burritos are about the same size as Chipotle if you want to gauge what you’ll be getting. The burrito WAS good, but unfortunately, not completely memorable either. I suggest that if you come here, ask to grill the burrito after you’re done choosing all your toppings; when you taste that melted cheese on whatever you’re having, you’ll come to thank me on Unilocal later.
The place has a decent amount of seating as well as a clean bathroom. Definitely a plus. The only annoying thing is that you have to ask the employees for the key to use the bathroom.
For $ 6, I will surely be coming back.

It’s your standard Qdoba. EXCEPT after 5, it’s $ 6f or everything.
Just be warned, cheese sauce and guac are additional!
I’ve been to this particular location one more than few times and the food is pretty consistent. You see the cook grilling chicken, rice, beans, veggies all relatively fresh– depending on what time you go. There is also a restroom you can use, but you have to ask for the key from the cashier.
This qdoba is also open until midnight, which is a bonus if you are around union square and you have the munches and don’t want to eat McDonald’s.
Overall, your average Qdoba– just be warned that during slow times, the rice may be dry since it seats out there waiting for you to ask for rice in your burrito.

Excellent Qdoba, personally like them better than chipotle but there are not too many locations. This one is super convenient– pretty close to the union square station. The staff at this location is what sets it apart, never had a bad experience with anyone that works there. Very clean, fresh food, and reasonable prices (current deal on all burritos $ 6!)
Manager (i think) is incredibly nice, such a nice change of pace when considering the usual new york grumpsters!

One of these stars is for the efforts by management, the cashier & their Guest Relations department in rectifying this situation. That being said, I have to share the bad experience I had today.
Normally I’ve not had issues with Qdoba. Even at the busiest times of day (12 – 2 p.m. on weekdays), the staff have usually been good about getting my order right. I do tend to be a bit picky but not mega high maintenance.
Today, I ordered a chicken quesadilla but asked for no sour cream or guacamole. That was all. The lady who took my order said loudly «no sour cream, no guac». She also put the chicken in.
The person who was crafting the food further just takes it over without adding cheese, despite the fact that the menu says the quesadilla comes with cheese. I saw her omit cheese for another person who ordered a quesadilla (but didn’t ask for omissions in her order). I have always gotten quesadillas with cheese at other locations and never had to ask for it.
So, as we are waiting, it appears that the person dealing with my order has added sour cream and guacamole despite hearing not to. She hands it to the cashier when my husband & I have to point out that I specifically asked for no sour cream & no guacamole.
They put it in a new dish and we go to our table, when I notice that my quesadilla is pretty bare. There’s no cheese in it. My husband says I should speak up about it.
Amid the hubbub and craziness of the lunch rush, I wait in line to talk to the person taking orders. There’s really no place to deal with order issues or even getting take out containers if you want leftovers. By this time, the person who’d left out the cheese was taking orders. I mention my issue and she says «wait over there,» pointing to the cashier.
I wait. And wait. And wait. And continue to wait. By this time my husband has already finished his lunch and most of the chips and salsa we were going to share. I have a look on my face like I want to kill someone, which was definitely the mood I was in. I figured there was no way to speak to a manager since there was too much craziness and customers to be dealt with. I was ready to walk out and go somewhere else for lunch.
Eventually, my husband walks up and talks to the cashier. She says she noticed that particular problem with my food and that they’d make me a new one. She also offered to bring it to us.
After this, I realize it’s going to be hard to get a to-​go container after I finish the half I normally eat (as is historically the case based on Qdoba’s set up) so my husband asks to get it to go.
The cashier indeed comes up to us with the quesadilla in the bag. It was nice & hot as well. Finally, I got my food the way I wanted it.
After we left, when I was still in a bad mood and furious with the initial rudeness, I contacted their 1 – 888 number. The rep I spoke to was polite and they did say they’d send a free entrée certificate.
I mentioned being a Unilocal Elite reviewer and they connected me to a Senior Rep. What I didn’t know until later in the conversation was that the Senior Rep was one of the location managers. I’d thought I was simply speaking to a call center supervisor. She even said a quesadilla comes with cheese.
Because of this, I’m not coming back to this location. Though this one is closer to home, I’ll happily go to a location that has better customer service and where the staff isn’t trying to make you pay $ 7.89 for a quesadilla that isn’t one by their own employer’s standards. I’m also never eating lunch at Qdoba again.

Qdoba Mexican Grill is under the ownership of Jack in the Box which is a fast food chain more popular out west.
I really didn’t have much expectations for Qdoba since I thought it fell along the lines of Baja Fresh.
I checked the menu outside and thought the chicken quesadillas would be appetizing.
As I stepped in, I was greeted warmly by the individual behind the register which caught me off guard as places normally don’t great you enthusiastically.
There were a few people eating, mostly families with kids or people eating by themselves.
The food is laid out in the open in front of people so they can watch the server prepare their orders in front of them. It took about 10 minutes to prepare my food and the first bite was surprisingly tasty.
The portion was hefty — about 3 large slices along with guacamole and sour cream. I requested spicy sauce on the side and sauce had a nice bite to it which pleased my palette.
I sat at one of the window counters and watched people walk by as I was surprised by each taste. For a fast food restaurant, the ingredients were remarkably fresh and of higher quality.
I was expecting something bland that would require a lot of spicy sauce on it but I really didn’t use a lot since I wanted to experience more the actual taste.
It’s a relatively new restaurant off University Place so I’m curious to see how it will evolve over the course of the year. It will definitely be a place to stop by if I’m in the area.

Okay, so this is the same review as the other one I did a minute ago, but I don’t know which one to review. they’re the same business but instead of University Place its University Pl.
mmmmmmmm burrito with the queso sauce is awesome.
The burrito with the queso sauce is awesome. Genius idea– make a burrito and put the cheesy saucy goodness inside with sour cream and cheese.
I got a deal for a free entrée for liking them on facebook. I thought I would get a hard time when I was redeeming my freebie, but nope, they were friendly and helpful every time. The experience has been the same every subsequent time I’ve been here as well.
People may diss chains because they’re chains, but they only get big because they provide a nice experience at a good value. I can’t knock them for that. I’ve been to some mom and pops that serve crappy food but will feel «more authentic» because it’s run down.
Keep on doin’ what you’re doing Qdoba.

The moment I realized Qdoba was finally open on University St, I had made a mental note to pop in for lunch after my daily afternoon dog walking a few blocks away. With it being Cinco de Mayo, I thought why not go for Mex food. So I walked into this establishment on a fine Thursday afternoon to bump into a Unilocaler. That’s right, as I checked in, I realized so had Phil H!
I chose their signature fajita ranchero burrito, which was pretty tasty and filling. I did think an extra $ 1.39 for guacamole on it was a bit of a rip off but whatever, you live and learn.
It took a few minutes for me to get served and it wasn’t because they were busy. I think there was a bit of confusion in the assembly line. But I forgive them as they just opened.
Clean, ample seating and great location.

I don’t know how the F* I missed out on a Unilocal event in my own backyard. Goes to show you how far out of the loop I get when I’m working too much!
Anyway, I saw them open a couple of days ago here, and made a mental note to stop in. What with all the new lunch places opening on University Place it’s easy to overlook one.
First time I tried Qdoba was at Unilocal Enter Pronoun event. I had them confused with Chipotle. Let me tell you, they are a *LOT* different. The street tacos they had on offer came complete with a veggie version which was quite respectable in my opinion. Not Burritoville caliber, but damn good.
So I stopped in today with a fairly solid three-​star bias in my sights. But I was pleasantly surprised again. I scanned the menu for that foodie curse word, «vegetarian» and actually found it! Nice, i’ll try a burrito now, just to round it out a bit.
The service was super friendly, fast and efficient. Now granted they opened only days ago and the NY store manager — or perhaps regional manager was eyeing the operation and making things go smoothly. But still A+ service!
I ordered my burrito with all the goodies, sans the meat & sour cream. Then made a beeline for home, and am digging through said burrito as we speak!
Bravo Qdoba, you’ve done me right. I’ll be making a regular stop into this fine shop at least once a week.
My only itsy bitsy suggestion. It may be tough for a chain to mix up the menu, but if it’s possible, I’d suggest adding a few veggier (is that a word?) options to the menu. Cause at least on the island, there are a lot of us!

I know a bunch of Qdoba fans who have been trying to convert me from Chipotle (a.k.a. over-​priced Americanized Mexican fast food from McDonald’s). I finally gave it a try today since this location is offering the first 25 customers free entrées and drinks this entire week as its grand opening promotion. The people working behind the counter were friendly and patient. At first I couldn’t decide what to order because there were so many options. I finally decided on a «naked» burrito which is Qdoba’s equivalent to Chipotle’s burrito bowl. I asked for pork, Ancho chile sauce, and pretty much all the toppings they had to offer.
My verdict: Interesting flavors but not bold enough. I might go back to try the queso sauce, tacos, and nachos. In the end, it’s all over-​priced fast food.

I felt like VIP at the exclusive opening of the new Qdoba Mexican Grill at Union Square. The service here was quick and easy and the store was clean. Grant it, the store hasn’t been open yet but I do value a clean restaurant.
I ordered the grilled chicken quesadilla with salsa and chips. Everything was delicious and fresh. I am starting to like Qdoba more than Chipotle because they have more options.
I’m a fan of this new location. It’s a stones throw from Union Square Park and near a lot of great places. Will be back very soon.

Attended the Unilocal pre-​grand opening preview. The staff was super friendly and the food was fresh and tasty!
Thanks guys!

Mmmm… street tacos, burritos and quesadillas. Thanks to Unilocal I will be eating all this great Mexican food at a free preview today! New location that will be officially open to the public tomorrow. Easy access from the 4,5,6 subway line in Union Square.
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Now that I am home and relaxing I wanted to edit the review I put up earlier. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food was today. Ordered a burrito with grilled chicken, rice, pinto beans, and pico that was huge and full of flavor. Chips with salsa was crisp and tasty. There are a few different salsa options too, from medium to hot heat levels. Also had the chicken quesadilla and it was terrific. I even tried Qdoba’s version of gumbo, and what is cool is that you can pick and choose the ingredients. I had mine with pulled pork and it was pretty good. Lots of options here overall to mix and match in your burritos, tacos, bowls, etc.
All the food is fresh and made to order. Staff was actually quite friendly, and the store is brand spanking new. Big flat screen too hanging in the dining area that had the game on. Will definitely try it out again to see if the quality and taste is maintained as time goes by.