Battle of the Burrito Middle Weights
The Tri-Cities has a ton of options when it comes to food. There’s plenty of places to choose from, whether you want something special from an upscale steakhouse, down and dirty fast food, or something in between. What if you’re in the mood for decent Mexican style food but want something cheap and don’t want to sit down for a long time to get it? I wanted to explore a couple options that fit that need. I also wanted to choose a couple options that were in a slightly higher category for health and quality than some of the other lower quality fast food options. I decided to review Chipotle and Costa Vida because I think they fit the bill for being affordable and fast, but still made from quality ingredients. They both offer their own version of casual fast food in the Mexican-American category. I’ve sampled and compared the two different restaurants in a few ways that might help in a decision on where you’re going for your next quick burrito or taco order. For this review, I ordered a chicken burrito and a chicken taco from each place, both located in Pasco, WA. I also kept things simple because this is for your everyday person and I’m not a food connoisseur concerned with things like mouthfeel and what my palate detects.
Are They Convenient?
It’s a busy world and people these days want convenient options when it comes to ordering and picking up food. More and more businesses, including the two being discussed here, are offering mobile orders and curbside pick ups. Chipotle and Costa Vida both offer in-store and online or mobile ordering, with both also offering dedicated parking spots for curbside pickup. As far as indoor space goes, Costa Vida had a little more room and more seating. They both had a small space for outdoor seating as well. Chipotle and Costa Vida both have restaurants in each of the Tri-Cities, so if you live locally you should be able to find either one within a twenty-minute drive.
Is It Cheap?
Both restaurants will charge you about ten bucks for a burrito, with a chicken burrito from Chipotle costing $10.67, and Costa Vida costing $10.93 for the same thing. For one taco a la carte, it will cost you $3.92 at Chipotle and $5.61 at Costa Vida. Something to consider here is that adding things like queso or guacamole will cost you more at Chipotle than at Costa Vida. Chipotle charges $3.21 for a small side/addition of guacamole and $3.21 for a small side/addition of queso. Costa Vida charges $1.26 and $1.81 respectively. The prices I listed include tax. Basically, for about $15 or less you can go get an entrée and a drink at either place.
What Do They Have?
They both offer popular items like burritos, tacos, salads, and quesadillas. Both have limited sides like extra rice, extra beans, chips, salsa, or extra meat. If you’re after burritos, Chipotle has more options for meat as well as a plant based protein. Both restaurants update their menus with new meats occasionally to keep things fresh. Costa Vida has a few more entrée options like loaded nachos, smothered burritos, and enchiladas, as well as desserts. If you have a sweet tooth, chipotle doesn’t have an option for you. Costa Vida has a few simple dessert items like Key Lime Pie, tres leches and sweet cinnamon tortillas. For your Chipotle tacos you get two options for tortillas, which are a crispy corn or soft flour. At Costa Vida you also get two options with soft flour or soft corn tortillas. The chicken at Costa Vida was sliced into strips and not heavily seasoned. The chicken at chipotle is cut into more of a diced or roughly cubed shape, seasoned pretty heavily, and is spicier in comparison. The beans were similar, with black and pinto beans being the options for both restaurants, and both tasting about how you’d expect. Different in their own ways, but nothing that stands out in a big way. Chipotle has two options for rice, brown and white. Costa Vida has one type of rice which is a cilantro lime rice. Both restaurants flavor their rice and add cilantro. They both have a few different options for salsa with fresh, green, and red. Chipotle’s red salsa is definitely spicier. The main difference I noticed between the two when it comes to presentation, is that the ingredients are all in the tacos at Chipotle, but Costa Vida puts a scoop of beans and a scoop of rice in the dish next to the tacos, which gets a little messy. If you’re a stickler for how well your burrito gets rolled, Costa Vida did a better job with that. Chipotle just sort of folded the burrito up into a cube.
Are They Fast?
Both restaurants have a similar layout and process for ordering food. You walk up to the order spot at their counter where they have the ingredients laid out in containers for you to see and choose from. They both build your order in front of you and move you along to the register then you’re on your way. If you’re the only person in line you can expect to order and pay in about five minutes, as long as no anomalies occur like refilling containers or some other delay. It seemed like Chipotle had the edge by a few seconds, but that’s just if I’m being picky. Either way you’re in and out in a few minutes.
What’s the Verdict?
It’s a little anticlimactic when two things being compared to each other come to a tie, but that’s basically what happened here. They are pretty much the same when it comes to speed, cost, and convenience. The main thing people usually care about when it comes to food is the taste or quality. We also have to keep in mind that neither one will give you an authentic Mexican food taste or atmosphere, but that’s not what we’re concerned with here. I personally would place Chipotle and Costa Vida in the middle weight division for restaurants because of the cost and quality. Not 5 start joints, but definitely not bottom shelf either. If I had to pick a winner in the taste and quality category it would be Chipotle. My reasoning for that choice is that the meat from Chipotle was a little more tender and had a bolder flavor. Costa Vida might be your thing if you like smothered or saucy options. That being said, I really think either option is solid because neither one was gross or off-putting, and both were enjoyable and get you full at a reasonable price. Keep in mind I am referring to the chicken from both places, so if your go-to is beef, that’s a different story. I’d personally recommend that you try each and see what one has your preferred flavor.
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