Who is Mike?

Chipotle is the Mcdonalds of Mexican food. Oh Wait it’s owned by them!
It has no flavor at all!

You seem a bit out of sorts. Have you tried Pepto Bismol?

 I don’t understand Mike?

I’m lucky to have two home-style Mexican places in my neighborhood (near Bergenfield, NJ). I tried Chipotle a couple of times, but find that it’s near-clone, Qodoba, is somewhat better (and both are better than Taco Bell). I think “Mexican Inspired” is a good label.
 
Bart

Skip the tortilla and get the burrito bowl if you dislike the tortilla so much. 

You seem a bit out of sorts. Have you tried Pepto Bismol?

The meat as not even been grilled. It looks pressure cooked with no color other than grey. The Guacamole and Salsa has been over spiced with cumin. The interior is always wet to the point the tortilla breaks down. They are actually sticky when handled. Its always tepid or cold when you bite into it. In My Opinion the attraction is someone said it tastes good and the lemmings followed suit. The people who eat at Chipotle are the same people who cannot eat chicken on a bone, order well done burgers, overcook steak, and could never try sushi. 

A lot of us don’t really like authentic. I for one appreciate Americanized versions of certain foods. I probably haven’t had anything “authentic” except Mexican and believe me I’ll the take the USA version.

Apparently you didnt go to the right places in San Diego to eat!

To me Moe’s is nearly the same but offers a bit more bang for the buck. Their largest Burrito is about $8 and includes free chips and a salsa bar.
They do charge extra for Queso and Guac. My tab the other day for the medium steak (Joey bag of doughnuts) with Queso, chips, salsa bar and soft drink incl tax was $9.81.

We get a BOGO coupon once a year and that’s when we usually go.  The workers are pretty efficient and will make what you want the way you want it.  Expensive without the BOGO, but they do give you a fairly large portion.
 
Around halloween, they often have some kind of promo where if you dress like a burrito (a little tin foil on your head) you get a freebie or a big discount.

Mexican inspired is a good term! Even some of the mom& pop Mexican places here are more inspired than Mexican. I know a few that will make more authentic if you ask them but mostly serve gringoed down Mexican. I don’t think anyone walks in to a Chipotle or many others and expect “authentic”. I haven’t been in years, mostly because Chipotle is more food than I can eat, but I always saw fresh food served as you you ask them to be assembled.  

Is it really supposed to be Mexican food?  I would say that it’s Mexican inspired.
 
 

$10 for a burrito is expensive? You should never, ever, never go out for Mexican food here. [;)]  Even at our local, fabulous place (mainly drive-thru, with maybe 3 tables inside), you’re paying $8.00 for a burrito. That’s dry, with no condiments.

The poorest excuse for Mexican food on the planet. Its never hot, over cooked and way over rated. The sad thing is people think its good because they have never had the real thing. Way over priced meat that is steeped then sits in a warming vessel and plopped onto a sticky wet tasteless no lard tortilla. Yuppy food that they have decided tastes good so a bunch of people jumped on the I am cool band wagon. Go to San Diego and have a Carne Asada Burrito and you will never eat there again.  Starbucks and Krispy Creme fall into the same catagorie.