Critic's Review
Time for a re-visit to the original bowl restaurant. Something new and interesting is the 1 10 minute limit parking spot in front of the restaurant.
What's interesting is that this is a huge shopping center; there are 100s of spots. When has the DWS shoe lot ever been filled? Maybe on Christmas Eve? The chances of not being able to get a spot to pick up your bowl are pretty small.
This place hasn't been busy since they first opened. Maybe there are just too many bowl restaurants. The business has never fully recovered from the Ecoli problems.
The food always looks the same.
They're still very generous with the portions. Both beans, veggies, chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream and cheese.
Still no lemon for the Iced Tea. A splash of lemonade isn't the same.
I always order it take out and then eat about half of it here. That way you get the take out cover.
Every bowl is different, even though it's the same stuff. I got more lettuce this time.
There was something different about the taste of this. Very bland. It's been a while since I've been to a Chipotle, but I thought it was better than this. It's not like you can add salt.
Conclusion
The so-called healthy bowl places don't really serve healthy food; flavored rice is not a health food. Beans, meat and veggies is the way to go. Even if it doesn't taste that great.
What happened to the Mexican Chocolate shakes they were test marketing?
Review 1/4/17
I hadn't been to Chipotle since the ECOLI incidents, And they've sured up their recipes and procedures in ways that don't seem like they'd improve the end product. 'Precautions" such as "blanching" meat (boiling it), shredding cheese in a central facility (which would require that they add add preservatives). Good things are that sick employees are now encouraged to stay home with pay.
The good thing about The Incidents is that there aren't long lines at 2:20pm anymore. The dude in the front didn't look happy about my photo; when people are taking a photo don't look right at the camera. It ruins the picture.
Meats cooking on the grill. Everything looked about the same as previously.
Something else that's new is that they now have chorizo, but I've "heard" that it isn't very good.
While the line was short, there was a family of 3 in front of me that apparently viewed lunch at Chipotle as some sort of big event. They asked a million questions and took all sorts of things on the side as extras. Something I've noticed is that like nobody ever gets a burrito. Bowls seem to now be the norm.
I got it to go, but usually eat half of it in house. You get the bad and the aluminum foil top if you take it to go. They're pretty generous with the stuff. No rice in there either.
It actually got more crowded around 3pm; I think this might be an after school place like Chick-Fil-A. The reason is simple:
Cheap as can be. And I got a late night snack as well.
Conclusion
Chipotle lost a lot of business with the Ecoli scare, but they're back to opening stores and the lines will return. Frankly I think that it's not quite as good as it used to be, but you never get the same amount of anything, so it's hard to say.
Review 2/7/14
I was out running some errands and had to get back by 4pm to cover my positions so I just stopped into Chipotle for a quick bowl. It fits my diet, and its a 10 minute deal. At 3pm there's no line. I went with "steak" this time; I usually get the chicken. Just to be different.
I thought about sitting outside, but the table are uncomfortable, so I went back inside. They have some strange seating here; there was a creepy guy that would have been in any pictures I took, so I had to sit on the side by the soda machines.
This place is just like all of the other; the plywood, semi-finished looked with speakers mounted in a way that your Dad might have done it back in the 60s.
The dude was cheap with the lettuce and cheese; I ate about half of this.
I don't really like the steak. Back to chicken next time. Very predictable stuff; but not the best bowl I've had here.
Last Visit 8/16/13
The first time I went into a Chipotle about 3 years ago I was wholly unimpressed; the only one around here was in Dania Beach on Stirling by 95. I didn't understand the concept back then; nor did I grasp the budget-friendly idea that often results in lines out the door.
Bad decor is part of the theme; plywood walls with uncovered speakers blare music as you wait on line for your turn at the steam table. The places look like they're about a week about from being ready to open; and they stay that way.
There are slight variations between locations. This one has metal tables and metal chairs. This is not comfortable seating.
Over time, you learn what you like and what you can get for your $6.25. Chipotle is become the place to get a bowl of stuff, as few opt for tacos or burritos. The 5 people in front of me on line all got a "burrito bowl", which is basically a bowl of stuff. My first time here I wasn't bold enough to get exactly what I really wanted; I don't really want a lot of rice. My first bowl was decent but it had too many carbs.
Now that I've got it down; I really like chipotle. Today is my low-carb cheat day, when I can eat as much meat, beans and vegetables as I want. So chipotle is perfect.
This bowl has veggies, chicken, both beans (pinto and black), mild salsa lettuce, sour cream and cheese. The best thing about Chipotle is that they never give you a hard time; they'll give you just about anything you want except for extra meat or guacamole without an extra charge.
A tasty, purposeful lunch and a half. With 3 Chipotles on Federal Highway now; it is clearly and without question the best place to get a bowl of stuff, and still only $6.25.