Chipotle vs. Qdoba - Which Mexican Restaurant Is the Best?

I still remember my first Chipotle experience. On the advice of my friend Nicole, I ordered a steak burrito with pinto beans and hot salsa. I didn't expect much, but it was love at first bite. The hot sauce was a little spicy at first, but after trekking back every day my mouth evolved into a Chipotle vacuum - the spicy stuff no longer stuck. I now have a full-blown addiction to Chipotle. Every time I walk inside the nearest restaurant I'm a little embarrassed because I buy 3-4 burritos at a time. I try to pretend that the extras are for my friends but nobody buys it. I always eat one and put the rest in my fridge for later. I like to toast the tortilla in my oven, or sometimes I'll pull a foil-wrapped goodie out of my fridge and eat it cold. Is it bad that the restaurant employees know my name and face? And that I have the whole Chipotle menu memorized?

If you haven't noticed buy now, this hub is going to be a little biased. Chipotle rules. Qdoba sucks.

I've always been quite fond of Mexican food (it must come from my mom). It's a little weird because we are both Asian and can't get enough of the stuff. Back in college I ran for the border quite frequently. For years Taco Bell reigned king when it came to fast food of the Mexican variety, but after a few too many explosions in the toilet after eating their "food", I cut that crap out of my diet.

Chipotle is my new manna from heaven.  Here's why they wipe the floor with Qdoba.

Every burrito needs beans. Do you want black or pinto? When comparing Chipotle and Qdoba, the black beans don't really taste that much different. BUT...the pinto beans are worlds apart. The Chipotle pinto beans are prepared with bacon. This subtle variation gives the Chipotle burrito a monstrous advantage in flavor.

Best of all, Chipotle pinto beans are only 30 calories per ounce while Qdoba pinto beans are 31 calories per ounce. The bacon-flavored beans are actually less in calories!

About 50% of Chipotle chicken and 33% of Chipotle beef is natural. Additionally, about 25% of their beans are grown organically.

As for Qdoba? Crickets... This could be just my perception, but I find their chicken to taste a little shady. Flash back to memories of Taco Hell toilet explosions.

Compare the official websites of Chipotle and Qdoba. The Chipotle website is fun, clean, and innovative. They even have an iPhone and iPod application. The Qdoba website immediately plays lame music that they want me to rate. I frequently rate the music as "don't like", but then the same song keeps playing! Why doesn't it change immediately? Little things like this make a difference.

Chipotle is funny! Here is a small sample of what they print on their shirts:

• "We Roll Our Own" (as if the burrito is a joint)
• "Incoming" (as if the burrito is a bomb)
• "Powered by Chipotle" (as if the person wearing the shirt gets all his/her energy from Chipotle)
  

Anyway, which Mexican restaurant do you prefer?