Chipotle Mexican Grill

I was pretty impressed by these burritos.
Firstly, I should start by saying I had an atypical experience, as I won a voucher for a free burrito at a Unilocal event.
**Thank you Alex!**
So…I wandered in here with a voucher for a free burrito, and I bought another for my husband.
Why I liked it:
— I’d never been to Chipotle before, but it was easy to understand/​order, so I didn’t feel like a clueless idiot (even though I should have!)
— They were pretty speedy! There was a bit of a line, but it seemed to go down in no time at all.
— The staff were sooooo nice! I wasn’t sure which meat I should get for my husband, so I asked for a recommendation. The lady behind the meat-​area then gave me a pot with some of each meat to try, so I could choose the yummiest! How friendly is that?!
— I chose the veggy version for me. It was a bit sloppy, but sooo good — despite me waiting over an hour before I ate it.
— It was huuuuuge!
The portions are so massive that I am not convinced I could eat this too often BUT it would be good on days when I’m really hungry!

It was… okay, I’ve had better, and I’ve had a lot worse.
A short queue when I arrived but it was relatively quick moving. Getting to the counter I was faced with the following questions: —
What would you like?
Burrito
White or Brown rice?
Brown
Black or Pinto beans?
Pinto
What meat?
Steak
I thought that would be all that was required… I was wrong… As soon as the tortilla had finished heating it was laid on it’s piece of foil and the filling started, or at least it should have. The same server was doing the filling, and I experienced a little déjà vu…
White or Brown rice?
Brown…
Brown rice is added
Black or Pinto beans?
Pinto
Pinto beans are added
What meat?
Steak
Steak is added…
What was the point of asking me in the first place?
The fillings at this point didn’t seem like a huge amount so I bulked it out with cheese, sour cream, mild salsa, corn salsa, lettuce and guac. The guac is expensive, but I seemed to get the last of the current batch which meant a little extra than the guy in front of me.
The burrito itself? Decent enough, the meat was very wet though which it didn’t seem to be when it was being put in the burrito. Literally dripping out of the bottom. Nice to have tabasco on hand in both red and green varieties to add to the burrito itself. The stools could be better if they could be moved a little, being fixed does make them a little awkward. Look, it’s a burrito, it’s good and it’s quick and probably healthier than a burger and fries. What’s more to ask?
Probably would have been 4 stars if not for the duplicate questions and the price of the guac.

Great burrito with quality ingredients. There’s quite a bit of choice when it comes to burritos around the west end but for me these guys are the best. The staff are always really friendly and seating area is very clean.

Good food, easy options and clean. And you can drink a beer with your burrito. It’s cheap and you are watching people walking, and they watch you.

I’m from the U.S. and thought that this Chipotle was much better than the American version. Each individual ingredient seemed slightly fresher, making a much better burrito bowl. The staff was friendly and gave large portions. It is a little more expensive than in the U.S. but I will still be returning.

I love burritos, I love Chipotle. This restaurant is lovely, with a team 100% committed to customer service. Some misunderstandings because of the language barrier but a smile and voila! Plus, they got the restaurateur label recently. if you know a bit how Chipotle works, you know this is a F***ing big deal!

The servers are genuinely friendly and chatty. They are what makes me come back. The food is pretty tasty too. Please Chipotle! Play some Mexican music!!!

The food here tastes just a little bit different than that at Chipotles in the United States, and I’m afraid I’m partial to the latter. That said, it is still good. More importantly, this is a solid cheap option in a city of expensive restaurants. Seating capacity is limited but not terribly so. Another plus: open until 11 PM on most nights.

What’s going on at Chipotle? Are they getting slack? I went to the Charing Cross branch last week, and I am sorry to say their quality plunged. The Carnitas was smelly (unpleasant ‘off’ smell — are they using cheap old meat?) and watery; it was sitting in the watery liquid. Grilled Chicken was too dry and fatty. The Rice was hard and bland, particularly the Brown Rice was simply tasted like it had come from dehydrated pre-​cooked rice. Corn Chips were as stale as ever, but Salsa was still great.
I still don’t understand why they add bacon to Refried Beans?
They need to get their act together.

By far, the best Burrito place in London! This is true of all their stores.
Hands down, the tastiest there is, my only gripe is they charge £1.40 for Guacamole (a little steep) and the cost overall is higher than their competitors. But, you won’t get better.
We’ve tried a number of other places and Chipotle is still our favourite go-​to burrito place where we KNOW we’ll get good service and good food.
They just need to open one in Ealing!

Tasty burritos, friendly and patient staff, nice place for dinner or lunch after studying at the nearby Bloomsbury campuses.
I love Chipotle and I’m glad they have locations in London but I really come here SPECIFICALLY for a Chipotle burrito. I’m sure there are lots of other places I could try and they probably have burritos that are just as good. For me it is a matter of familiarity and convenience.
So I would really only recommend coming here if you’re:
a) North American and miss Chipotle from home
b) have heard your North American friends raving about this place
c) don’t know of any other «Mexican» food places around the area and you need food

I have looked for a long time to find a good burrito place in London and recently found it. The Chipotle chain gives tasty flavours and great portions and a reasonable price of around £7.
I hadn’t been to this branch before, but was surprising my flatmate for her birthday by bringing her sister down for the weekend, so where better to do this reunion that a burrito bar, right?! I know that’s what you were all thinking, anyway.
Nice atmosphere here, long table down the middle of the store means you feel more sociable than just being stuffed onto small tables. When you’re a party of 6, it’s even better than trying to push 2 smaller table together. Not too packed at 7pm on Friday so you can sit down. I had the chicken burrito with brown rice (healthy New Year’s Resolution kicks in there) and medium spiced salsa. I like the medium here, it’s the right balance so you get some heat without exploding!
I preferred my burrito at another chain to this one, hence only 3 stars over the usual 4. It was a bit wet and not put together well so it fell apart on eating. I think they should have drained the chicken a bit more. But great flavours, lots of salad, sour cream, cheese really bring out the beans and coriander rice. £7 is a bargain in the middle of London too!
Yum yum!

One of the few locations of Chipotle in London. If you are craving the USA, stop by for a burrito. Be warned, it is way more expensive here. Yet, it’s healthier!

I know you’re out there, the American wondering if this Chipotle is really like US chipotle or if the Brits (who we love and adore) have ruined it.
Well, I braved it, and considering how, er, selective I am, I am happy to say that this Chipotle is about 90% legit. It’s British cheddar so a bit different, but still good. And there’s just something so slightly different, including the rice being a bit drier, but it still hits the spot for all those American jonesing for Mexican or Chipotle specifically.

My wife LURRRRRRRVES Chipotle.
I definitely like it, and would say it’s probably one of the best of all the newly opening Mexican fast food joints in London.
The ingredients are all really fresh and the service ALWAYS with a smile.
If Chipotle Uk introduced fake-​meats, like I think they’ve trialed in LA, this place would be a massive 5* and I’m pretty sure my wife would start coming here twice a day!

Tasty burritos with the option of brown rice, in a modern interior.
I was drawn here by the fact that, as I understand it, Chipotle is one of the biggest and most respected chains of Mexican (or is that Tex-​Mex?) food in the US. Many Americans are of course highly disappointed with the Mexican food available in London, so I was curious to see how this direct transplant from the USA (rather than an imitation) compared to my other burrito experiences in London. I was however encouraged that the two raised-​in-​the-​US Unilocalers I came here with, Erica U and Kerrin R, were happy to come along.
And, I have to say, I was pretty satisfied with my experience. I went for a beef burrito with brown rice and the other usual fillings (guacamole excluded) and I liked it: good quality, and fresh ingredients (not something that can be guaranteed if my experience at other burrito places is anything to go by), particularly the beef, which was excellent.
Service was good: quick and friendly. I didn’t really see what else they offered but I believe it included beer and the usual tortilla chips etc.
The interior is worth a mention too: no colourful décor with boppy music often found at other burrito joints. Instead, a rather understated if modern combination of low hanging lights, metal stools and a lot of light-​coloured wood.
Overall, I liked it.

It sort of bothers me that when people review Mexican restaurants they completely ignore the stratification of the cuisine, and compare fast-​food places with trendy high-​end Mexican (which in London still bears little resemblance to American Mexican, let alone actual Mexican food). Seldom do we compare a hamburger from McDonald’s with the incarnation found at Bar Boulud, but somehow all «Mexican» places are compared with one-​another.
Chipotle is not Mexican food — it’s American. It’s the fast-​food version of a Mission style burrito from San Francisco, and for fast food, its great.
I went last night and had chips, guacamole, a burrito, and a quesadilla (shared, not alone; i am not a pig). Everything was fresh, yummy, filling and quite cheap. I prefer this place to Daddy Donkey, Chilango (poor imitation, imo), and of course, the second rate places littered around town.
Sure, don’t go here expecting the same cuisine you had on your lovely vacation in Oaxaca in 2003, but don’t shit on it because they serve fast food.

This is how my brain reacted when it found out about a Chipotle in London:
«OMG CHIPOTLE MUST EAT NOM NOM NOM»
It’s not exactly the same as back home, but that’s because they source all of their ingredients locally. It also explains the high (er) price tag. Yes, it’s more than Chipotle in the states, and it’s comparatively expensive to other takeaway shops. But you’ll notice on the big board that you can see where all the meat comes from. And since there are a total of TWO Chipotles in the U.K., not an empire, they can’t exactly command discounts from bulk buying.
Still, it’s absolutely worth every pence. Just a few months out of the states and away from my beloved Mexican food is enough to make me rapid for some properly spiced chicken, and in this regard Chipotle is pure heaven.
There are a few notable differences here. Namely, you can get brown rice instead of the traditional white, the peppers include red and yellow bell peppers, and the mild salsa is less like fresh pico and more like a traditional salsa with a sweet kick.
But it’s still Chipotle through and through, and it’s brilliant. Go, nom.

As someone who has lived a few blocks from Chipotle for years and naturally ate there on average about twice a week, living away from Chipotle has been incredibly difficult. When I first learned about the Chipotle in London, not too far from Qatar, right… I was ecstatic. I couldn’t wait to have Chipotle again and it looked like my dream was closer than having to get all the way back to the US. This was my first mission once I got to London.
The restaurant was relatively easy to find and when I entered, I was so happy. The atmosphere was fine and already my hopes weren’t completely trampled. I had come with really low expectations since I didn’t want to be too disappointed. Anyway, I got my usual: steak soft tacos with guacamole. Everything was fine. More than fine. I didn’t taste any disastrous difference. They were great. I was so happy. Chipotle is a great addition to the London options. I’ll certainly be eating here every time I’m in London.
The only problem is that instead of 8 dollars, it is 8 pounds, but this is London. What can we do!

Chipotle c’est un peu le Subway du burrito.
On choisit sa pâte (blanche ou complète), sa base (riz, beans etc…) son accompagnement (salade, guacamole, sauces…) et sa boisson et le tout pour une moyenne de £9. Bien et bon mais pas foufou. Quand on voit les autres temples de la bonne bouffe que l’on peut trouver dans le quartier.
UPDATE: Chipotle arrive à Paris!

Probably the highest density of Americans in the UK. More per square foot than the Embassy in Grosvenor Square! As I sat enjoying my burrito, I heard some New York («Yo!»). Some Minnesota («…soda-​pop…»). And a sweet Southern «y’all». Almost like being back in the States!
Anyway, the food. I’ve had Chipotle’s in the US and I’ve had their competition in Reading. This was just as good as the former and better than the latter. Fluffy soft burrito with a nice-​sized scoop of coriander-​lime rice, a scoop of delicious chopped chicken, some corn salsa (Too mild. I should have had them add a spicy one.), sour cream and guacamole.
Rather than Coke or bottled water, I opted for something different and grabbed a can of San Pellegrino Limonata. Nice touch. I didn’t notice if there were beer options.
If it’s your first time, have the burrito. But if you must, the salad or the bowl are solid options. If you’re a veggie, they also have options without beef, pork or chicken, such as grilled vegetables.
Because the place is so packed, good luck finding a seat. You may have to wait a bit.