For the first time in my life, I stopped at Qdoba to get some food after a golf meet. I was very skeptical about stopping there because I have never had to before, and I was thinking that it wasn’t going to be nearly as good as Chipotle. I decided to get almost the exact same order that I do as to when I go to Chipotle. The order was a steak bowl with rice, lettuce, and cheese. I also added on a large fountain drink and some chips and queso.

The food was amazing but before we get into what my taste buds were telling me lets review the packaging. The first thing that I noticed was the difference in the packaging that the two companies use. The first is that chipotle uses a cardboard box with a tin foil and it seems very easy to put on the first time. But if you don’t finish or do n0t shake your bowl well enough and have to put the lid back on. You are simply unable to because the tin fowl creases and you aren’t able to snap it on. Qdoba uses a plastic see-through lid that allows for easy take off and easy put back 0n. But then you can also see how much is in there and how well you have shaken it up. Plus the difference in soda machines is absurd. Chipotle has the usually Coke machine that gives you limited options, but when getting drinks at Qdoba your options are unlimited. Qdoba has the Coke machine that allows you to choose your drink but then add multiple different flavors to the drink.

Now we can get into the food. First let’s start with the difference in the steak. The Chipotle steak can be very dry and not have much flavor, and often times has a burnt outside with a crunchy feel to it. The steak from Qdoba on the other hand was simply on a different level. It was juicy, tender, perfectly cooked, and very flavorful. After my first bite into the steak, it was absolutely life changing. The rice however was not as good as Chipotles because it didn’t have as much flavor, but the combination of the steak and rice is far better at Qdoba than at Chipotle. The cheese was basically identical, and I could not seem to tell a difference.

Going forward, if I have the option of choosing a steak bowl and it is between Qdoba and Chipotle, I would without a doubt drive out of my way to be able to have a taste of that steak bowl.