Burrito Beach

Blecch.

Went to Burrito Beach for lunch today because I've never tried it and I got bored.  Conclusion: Blecch.  As I write this I feel gross and bloated and just generally unwell.  

BB is like Chipotle if the quality was lower, the cuisine less authentic, and the price about equivalent.  And I say this knowing full well that Chipotle is about as "Mexican" as Panda Express is "Chinese."  BB is less Mexican than Chipotle, the flavors less nuanced, the trays of ingredients less fresh.  Consider this.

I got a bbq chicken salad, which was a small amount of lettuce, a large amount of mushy, overcooked, flavorless rice, black beans, and bbq chicken that was mostly sauce and the sauce was way too sweet and clashed with the other toppings.  My other toppings were corn, cheese, and tomatillo salsa.  These flavors should not have clashed, yet somehow, they did.

Also, because of the amount of sauce on the chicken, plus the dressing, plus the wet lettuce, plus the beans that were clearly not strained, the whole thing was a soggy mess before I even got a fork into it.  

Good points:  The guac was pretty good, the chips indistinguishable from Chipotle's (although there were significantly less of them), they have diet Dr. Pepper in the fountain.  

Anyone from the South would compare this more to Moe's than Chipotle due to the trashy Tex-Mex flavor combos (bbq chicken, buffalo chicken, etc).  But Moe's is WAY more successful at this venture, as their fast pseudo-Mexican grub is actually super tasty and wonderful.  

Skip this mess.

You can't go wrong here. The food is just as good as Chipotle, and the service staff is on point. They have the ordering process down to a science. Very friendly people, reasonable prices for downtown Chicago.

Went here for the first time today. It's pretty decent quick-lunch "Mexican"-American food. Nothing outstanding, nothing bad either. I'll keep going now and again for lunch while at work. Don't go here if you want actual Mexican food; head out to the neighborhoods.