Freebirds World Burrito

While I love a good Chipotle burrito/​bowl, sometimes I want more variety. Aside from the Qdoba that just opened up in Mission, KS, this is your next best option. So many options that your first trip will inevitably be overwhelming. My favorite is the carnitas with roasted garlic, onion, cilantro rice, pintos, queso fresco in a jalepeno tortilla shell!

First visit, two people. It was 1:30 so probably at the end of the lunch rush. The food counter was very messy, food everywhere and most of the pans were low or completely empty. There aren’t many tables but most of them hadn’t been cleaned, and there was a bucket and a mop and mop bucket in the corner in the open which I hate. There appeared to be three people working. We ordered nachos and a burrito, both chicken, and we both thought the chicken was a little too salty but the food was decent other than that. Its a little on the high side for a fast lunch. For one medium burrito, one nachos, with sour cream and guac on both (both are extra), and two med drinks it was $ 24. Another few bucks and we could have had lunch in a decent Mexican restaurant and been served.
Considering the food was decent, and cutting them some slack for the appearance of the place since it was right after the lunch rush, I’d probably try it one more time if I was in the area. I wouldn’t make a special trip though.

It was my first time in, and I was VERY pleased with the results. The size of their burrito bowl was plenty and the service was also good as well. Steak is seasoned greatly and I can’t wait to try other choices soon!

Arrived at 950 pm Friday night and the doors were locked? !
There was a group of 6 –8 kids standing behind the counter *hanging out and eating*
The hours said open until 10 on the door, 1030 on Unilocal regardless these punks closed shop early and we’re milking the clock. Oh millenials… always so impressive..

Walked in yesterday at 8:40pm. Thought they were open until 10:00pm, hours on the door said 9:00pm. There was one customer getting a burrito. The guy making it was literally scraping the pans of the last bits of ingredients to make it. Gross. Close earlier if you’re not going to have enough stuff to serve until your closing time. I turned around, walked out & went to Chipotle.

Besides the long line, the food was awesome. You basically have the same employee from start to finish make your burrito, so there is no «assembly line». Also, an employee came around asking if anyone wanted refills and asked how the food was. that was nice. Will return for options.

First time I went I wasn’t all that impressed. I’m glad I didn’t give up there! This place is FAR SUPERIOR to Chipotle menu wise, there is no question about that. They have ground beef and queso for crying out loud! For that reason alone I go to Freebirds before Chipotle every time unless someone else insists on buying Chipotle. I live very close to this location and have for almost 2 years. The staff has always been friendly, helpful, and out-​going. I have never had to wait long for my food to be made and rang up. I have never used their online ordering but they do have that option as well. They have a good selection of drinks and their POT BROWNIES are a must have! I’m not sure if they are still called Pot Brownies, haha, but their brownies are a must get! Try this place out some time, I assure you that the food will not disappoint!!!

I’m a fan of Freebird… I’ve told countless people that they’re far superior to Chipotle, and the food still is… but the online ordering experience? That’s a whole other story. I had about 10 minutes to spare for lunch today, so I went online to place a carry out order. That process was perfect. Placed my order and hopped in my car, expecting to be in and out with no problems.
When I got there, there appeared to be ONE guy working behind the counter, serving the one customer in the store before me. I went to the register area, right below the «pick up here» sign, and waited. Then, I waited. Also, I waited. Then, just for good measure, I waited. Finally someone comes over and asks if I was picking up an order, and brings it up on the register. At this moment, I realized that they hadn’t even started on my order. Had I not already paid for it online, I would have walked out, but since I was already financially invested in this lunch, I opted to stay and wait.
I watched people trickle in to place their lunch orders… it was now about 20 minutes since I had placed my online order. At the same time, another trickle of what I presume to be employees began entering the store from a side door, none of them in much of a hurry… except the one guy that was apparently taking a huge catering order out for delivery… even he wasn’t moving with much urgency.
A couple that had come in AFTER I had physically entered the store was being waited on, and had gotten their order up to the register… all while I still waited. I was assuming that placing an order ONLINE would give it priority to folks entering off the street that arrived AFTER that order… is that not reasonable?
All in all, it was about 30 minutes from the time I placed my order online and walked out with my food in hand. I had to scramble to get back to work, then had to wolf down my lunch while I resumed my work. Didn’t get to really enjoy my lunch. The only thing that saved this review from being one star is the fact that I still like the food. However, if service is going to be this bad from now on, I guess I’ll have to find another go-​to place when the mood for a giant burrito strikes me. And that’s sad, because when this place opened, it was GREAT… great service, quick in-​and-​out ordering… but today, they did not hold up that standard. I hope it’s not a sign of what this store has become, because complacency in convenience is not good for the long-​term health of a lunch spot.

Similar to chipotle. loved their choices of tortillas.

I decided to order online and pick it up on my way home from work one day. I got my son a kids quesadilla, and myself a burrito. When I got home, our kids quesadilla turned out to be a kids burrito with all the wrong toppings. He’s two. Oh well. He’ll eat it anyway since there was nothing spicy on it. Once I got to try my burrito I was impressed with how much steak there was. It’s like it was all steak. Cause it was. The first third of my burrito was steak. The second was rice. The final were my other toppings. They rolled the burrito the wrong way. Thanks Obama. I’m just gonna stick with chipotle. For a burrito the same size it’s cheaper to go to chipotle anyway.

This place reminds me of a hippie version of Chipotle. I actually thought their burritos were better, as well as sauces and guacamole, which is saying a lot because I LOVE Chipotle’s guacamole. I would definitely visit and check it out, compare it to Chipotle, and see which you like better. I would visit all the time if I could, but I love by a Chipotle, so I find myself going there more often, simply because well, it’s down the street. If I had to pick between the two, I’d be at Freedbird’s though…

I really like Matt E.‘s characterization of Freebird as a disordered Chipotle. It’s delicious, with more options that add up to more interesting flavor profiles, across your standard «bowl, burrito, taco» triad. They also offer dessert (how you would have room after eating one of these things).
I’ve always said Qdoba was Chipotle with queso. Freebird is Chipotle with bacon. And garlic. And way more stuff.

All I can say is Meh.
I don’t know if my family hyped this place up or what, but I was not impressed.
First off, apparently there is one stereotype that is allowed in this joint… Hipster. I have nothing against the style but don’t look at me funky as I am wearing athletic shorts and a comfy T. I was being judged like crazy. I am not sure if it was just the location or what, but I had to get out quickly.
For the food… ehhhh. It was different that they had spicy rice, refried beans, and assorted sizes & flavors of tortillas but the food wasn’t all that good. I got the chicken freebird burrito and I ate it. That’s pretty much it. I wasn’t craving more nor have I craved it since but I will eat it if I have to.

Freebirds seems to have really polarized the local Unilocalers. I’m definitely on the side of the fans though. We used to have coworkers run to IV for Freebirds for the crew all the time when I worked in Santa Barbara, and was *really* excited when this one opened near me.
I love the multiple tortilla types, the Spanish rice option (which goes great for the kid who reacts badly to too much cilantro too!), the queso, dark & light chicken options, and the tortilla chips!
I can see where some would prefer Chipotle over Freebirds, but I’ve had better results here myself. Generally the meat has been fresher and less dry, there are more veggie options, and the line moves pretty quick. Plus, it still feels more like I’m supporting the «local guys» since they are from SB.

I really don’t get what all the negative reviews are about. I was visiting my daughter, and we were out shopping and got hungry so she suggested we stop in. I’d never heard of this place, and always like to try new places, so why not? Yes, the setup is similar to Chipotle, but you have a lot more options. I was very pleased with the quality and quantity of the food (spinach/​mushroom quesadilla), and the atmosphere was fun and funky. I mean, where else will you see a motorcycle riding statue of liberty suspended from the ceiling?
I’d definitely go back the next time I’m in town, and would recommend it to anyone looking for something quick and casual.

The best way to describe The Freebirds vs. Chipotle debate is to compare them to Microsoft vs. Apple. Freebirds/​Microsoft offer a large number of products which are functional but don’t aspire to greatness. Chipotle/​Apple offer a limited selection but executes them with the highest precision and consistency.
My few Freebirds experiences have been mediocre at best. The staff were usually more interested in socializing with one another and showing off their fancy tattoos than actually serving customers in a quick and timely manner.

This place is good enough, but not that exciting to me. Prices seem high and just not that special. This time I got nachos to go. She packaged the chips separately and I ate those nachos for about 3 days… it was a HUGE portion. It was pretty tasty, but something still just doesn’t make me want to go back very often.

I’ve eaten at Freebird several times, and I have enjoyed my food every time. Yes, it’s similar to Chipotle, but with a few differences. First of all, there are a few more options – different kinds of tortillas, different sizes of burritos, and two different kinds of rice, cilantro lime and Spanish. It’s also a slightly different flavor, with a lot more of a cilantro taste. For my friends who can’t stand cilantro, this is a major negative, but personally I really like the flavor. The salsas I’ve had, the tomatillos and pico de gallo, are really good. They have a barbecue sauce, which to me sounds just… wrong, but more power to them for the variety. I also like that they have a soda machine both in the waiting line area and on the other side by the register, so you can get your beverage while you wait and then refill it on the other side.
Which brings me to my big negative of Freebird’s – the wait. As in «be prepared to.» It’s similar to Chipotle in that you go down a counter where they load your burrito (or salad or tacos or whatever) as you watch. Unfortunately, it is nowhere near as fast as Chipotle. I hope that this is just because they’re fairly new and still working out the kinks. I would be interested in going to the location in Lawrence, which has been there awhile, to see if it is any better. The staff is nice, don’t get me wrong, but it definitely isn’t speedy.

So Imagine Guy Fieri were to eat a Chiptole. Not a chipotle BURRITO, mind you. An entire brick and mortar store. Then imagine he chugs a handle of Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo tequila, and then procceeds to vomit it all out, restructuring itself into a new burrito shop. What you’d get is Freebird World Burrito. This place is seriously obnoxious. So why four stars? Because as much as the atmosphere makes me want to stab my eyes and ears out, that was one tasty burrito!
Like Chipotle, this is one of those burrito factory-​line establishments, only with a just stupid umber of options. Four sizes of burritos (the largest looking like something off of Man vs Food), four types of tortillas, and that’s all before you even decide what goes in it! Multiple proteins, two rice varieties, three cheese options, and then toppings out the wazoo. You can definitely customize a delicious meal for yourself, and that’s not even considering the salad or bowl options. Plus, the burrito is incredibly structurally sound, which can be my complaint at other burrito shacks. The food here is tasty and legit.
But here’s the rub: you actually have to go inside the place to get the food. You have to subject yourself to ska covers of Van Morrison, awful imitations of tattoo art signage, and just a general celebration of all things low-​brow. The staff is friendly, but looks like they’d be more comfortable working at Pac Sun or Hot Topic. So maybe I’m a snob, I’ll take the label. But I’d rather hang out in the nice, crisp, minimalist Chipotle than this Disneyland version of someplace that belongs on Diners, Drive-​ins and Dives.
If you’re the kind of person that likes to call places «money», then you’d probably think Freebird is money. I think it’s a delicious product that I’ll take to go.

I appreciate what Freebird is trying to be, a hip, fun place to enjoy a quality burrito, but I am underwhelmed with their execution. As another reviewer mentioned, they have various size options for burritos, which is cool. The unfortunate factor is that regardless of choosing the smallest or largest size, you get the same size tortilla. So if you order a small burrito, you have excess tortilla. I do however, like the option of different flavors of tortillas, I believe they had spinach, sundried tomato, and regular white flour tortillas. The line was a cluster. Instead of waiting patiently for the person in front of you to complete their order, at Freebird, it’s a free-​for-​all and you line jump. Meaning if the person in front of you is getting beans, and you just want salsa, you skip in front of them, and quite frankly, it’s just a cluster.
We took our food to go, and because the music was so blaringly loud this probably wouldn’t be a place where I sat down to eat if I wanted to actually hold a conversation with my dining partner. Besides the organization and the overwhelming stimulus overload, the food was decent. Not sure I will convert over, BUT… They do have a rewards card… and apparently they have happy hour option, which I believe is an order of nachos and a margarita for 8 $…