I’ve never had Chipotle.

Until now.

It might sound crazy since I know many of my friends LOVE Chipotle. I’ve never been a super-fan of Mexican cuisine, and Chipotle falls somewhere along that line.

With the new Chipotle in Meyerland Plaza opening on Oct. 7, I thought trying the restaurant out at its brand new location would be an interesting experience. Never once have I heard someone say they didn’t like Chipotle. Even my mom likes it, and she’s pretty picky.

I went to the restaurant with three of my friends on a Thursday after school. To ensure that I had a variety of ingredients to try, my friends and I all ordered our own bowls with different proteins. This time I only tried bowls, but I look forward to trying their burritos and tacos next time.

Chips and Queso 4.75/10

Starting with the appetizer. The chips were kind of stale, though they have a good saltiness to help add flavor to the plain queso. The queso had a little kick, but that’s just for me since my spice tolerance isn’t very high. The texture of the queso appeared a little thick, and I found the beige color off-putting.

The chips also came in a bag, but I’m unsure if that’s because I ordered to-go. One of my friends who came along on this Chipotle challenge told me the restaurant always serves the chips in bags though. I don’t know how to feel about this.

This appetizer didn’t taste completely bad, but not necessarily good. Even though I love cheese, I’m not the biggest fan of queso. This probably differs my scoring from others because I don’t really use the condiment.

Bowls: Chicken, white rice, black beans, lettuce, cheese, guac 7/10

At first bite, this bowl presented a smoky, grilled flavor. The roasted chicken and the black beans added to this taste. These flavors kind of made the bowl taste burnt in a way (the chicken probably was just burnt), which resulted in its lower ranking. I personally don’t favor chicken over other meats, but I found the Chipotle chicken decent.

This bowl in general demonstrated an even combination of vegetable and meat flavors. It contained a higher spice level, but I didn’t mind because it added to the overall taste.

Honestly, I didn’t find anything particularly memorable about this bowl, so I rated this bowl lower. I liked this texture the least out of everything I tasted.

Steak, brown rice, lettuce, corn, pico de gallo, sour cream, vinaigrette 8/10

I liked this bowl more than the others as it best suited my taste and personal preference. The vinaigrette and pico made the bowl tangy, but the steak offered a nice, savory contrast.

Unlike the others, this bowl included corn (I love corn), which added a bit of sweetness and a different texture. This bowl felt very well-rounded and I could taste the vegetables more clearly than in the other orders.

The lack of guacamole in this bowl allowed a different flavor compared to the other bowls because the individual flavors of the other ingredients weren’t overpowered. I also liked the texture of this order; it exhibited some crunch, some smooth and some tough. I had an experience eating this bowl—I didn’t just taste it and move on.

In the future, I’ll probably order a bowl similar to this one.

Smoked brisket, white rice, black beans, lettuce, cheese, guacamole 7.5/10

From the first bite, I only tasted cheese. With the bowl being overloaded with Monterey Jack, everything else seemed to take a backseat in comparison.

By popular demand, the smoked brisket is back on the menu after its initial launch three years ago. I’m glad I got to taste it, as I really enjoyed its sweeter flavor mixed with Mexican spices.

I didn’t mind the flavor of the black beans added to this bowl since it combatted the other sweet ones. However, the beans did give the bowl a more grainy texture, which I don’t necessarily prefer.

I rated this bowl slightly lower because the only thing I remember about the flavor is cheese. In a general sense, I remember this bowl the least.

Carnitas, white rice, brown rice, pinto beans, lettuce, cheese, guac, sour cream 8.75/10

I didn’t really know what to order, so I tried to order the ingredients my friends hadn’t added to their bowls yet.

And holy guacamole. The amount of guac and sour cream the workers add to the bowls is CRAZY. I could barely taste the other things in my bowl, but I’m not complaining because I have a serious love for both condiments.

Before this, I had never heard of carnitas. I thought the protein would be appetizing because I like pulled pork, and the carnitas pleasantly surprised me with a tender texture and a rich spiced flavor accented with a light sweetness.

Moving on to the pinto beans, I enjoy them more than the black beans. The pinto beans have an earthy taste compared to the black beans’ more bitter taste.

Altogether, I found my first Chipotle bowl solid and I would definitely order similarly next time I go to Chipotle.

Conclusion

I would rate my Chipotle experience a 9 out of 10. Even though my friends and I walked to the restaurant from the school, the trip still felt worth the journey. I’m glad I discovered new flavors and foods to enjoy, and this experience definitely motivates me to try different culture-influenced foods.