It’s no secret that Chipotle is one of the best Mexican fast food restaurants in the country. Not only do they have mouth-watering food but the meat they serve are from animals that are naturally grown and their vegetables are grown on environmentally conscious farms. Reason enough to choose Chipotle, but once you discover and sample the Chipotle secret menu, well, you will be hooked on this restaurant!
Like many restaurants with secret menus, the trick is knowing what’s available. There are also different ways in which you can order certain items so the meal is maximized without increasing your bill. And since dining in restaurants all the time is not always feasible due to budget constraints, these food hacks will be quite important if you want to enjoy a great meal at a budget-friendly price.
Chipotle Secret Menu Items, Tips, & Tricks
Quesarito
Chipotle’s secret menu Quesarito has gotten the most buzz over the years – understandably so.
What Is The Chipotle Secret Menu Quesarito?
The concoction is essentially a burrito wrapped in a cheese quesadilla, and it’s as delicious, filling, and calorie-filled as it sounds. The idea for the Quesarito stems from Taco Bell’s menu item, but most Chipotle workers will know just what you’re talking about when you go to order it.
The Chipotle Quesarito is essentially a cheese quesadilla that envelopes a burrito, which is as gloriously delicious, intimidating, and calorie-heavy as it sounds. You can choose to stuff your Quesarito with any of the typical Chipotle ingredients – meat, beans, cheese, salsa, lettuce. You know the drill.
And as much as we’d love to, we can’t give credit to some fast-food-loving genius for coming up with this recipe. We have Taco Bell to thank for coming up with such an ingenious combination of two of our favorite Mexican dishes. You can order the Taco Bell Quesarito from their regular menu, but it is not nearly as hearty as Chipotle’s. T-Bell’s version only contains the basics – seasoned meat, chipotle sauce, reduced fat sour cream, cheese, nacho cheese sauce, and seasoned rice. Then of course, you have the outer-shell quesadilla to hold all the goodness together.
And while we love a good Taco Bell binge, that’s not what we’re here to discuss. The spotlight is on the Chipotle Quesarito.
How To Order The Chipotle Quesarito Off The Secret Menu
We know you’re all wondering how to order a Chipotle Quesarito without making a fool of yourself. And while you can straight-up ask the worker for a Quesarito by name, you’ll likely get some odd looks and many even an eye roll. Instead, just ask for a burrito wrapped in a cheese quesadilla instead of a tortilla. We will warn you – Chipotle employees have admitted that’s it quite the pain to prepare one of these, especially if there’s a long line of people (if it’s not mid-afternoon, there usually always is). You have to account making for the quesadilla and then stuffing the burrito, so if you don’t want to be on Chipotle’s blacklist, try ordering the secret menu item somewhere between 2 and 4 p.m.
But since many of us are avoiding going to restaurants, you’re probably wondering how you can order this secret menu item online and/or for delivery. Fortunately, ordering the Quesarito through the Chipotle app or one of its delivery partners is super simple. Just start with creating a burrito and when you finish stuffing it with all your favorite ingredients, pop over to the “Special Instructions” section of the app. Add that you would like to swap the shell of the burrito with a cheese quesadilla. In most cases, Chipotle will accept your mobile order and just up-charge you via the app.
Before you whip out your wallet, keep in mind that the Quesarito costs around $3.50 more than a regular burrito. When the secret menu item’s popularity skyrocketed, Chipotle had to come up with a price that not only accounts for the combination of ingredients, but how much time and effort goes into preparing one. You’re getting two menu items in one, so you can’t really complain.
Burritodilla
If you like the idea of the Quesarito but aren’t sure you have the appetite to finish it, the Burritodilla is your next best option. The Chipotle Burritodilla is a combination of a burrito and quesadilla and starts off with shredded cheese sprinkled on top of a tortilla. Then, a small amount of toppings go next – about half the amount you’d normally stuff into a burrito. Finally, additional cheese gets added to the top, and it’s folded up and grilled until the insides are nice and warm. Once you open its foil package, you will be greeted by a crunchy wrap filled with warm and tasty ingredients inside. Perfect if you’re torn between a quesadilla and a burrito. It costs about $5 per order.
Quesadilla
Surprisingly, this is not on their menu. Most, if not all, Mexican restaurants offer quesadilla. But thankfully, you can enjoy this cheesy goodness in any Chipotle if you are craving it. Depending on the size, the cost will be about $3 to $5.
Taco Salad
Only a few Chipotle restaurants serve this salad. If they do it in the restaurant near you, then you’re lucky, since a lot of people look for this item without success. The salad is served in a fried tortilla bowl and comes with the regular size salad options, so it will be excellent for lunch or dinner. The cost will be around $6 to $7.
Double-Wrapped Burrito
This secret menu creation is as simple as it gets – you’ll wonder why you never thought of such an ingenious order yourself. The Double-Wrapped Burrito is simply a regularly burrito wrapped in two tortillas instead of one. The point is to balance out the flavors since a traditional burrito is heavily focused on what’s on the inside.
Nachos
Chipotle’s nachos are available even though they are not advertised. You will be served a bowl of fresh tortilla chips with salsas, meats, vegetables, beans, and cheese. The price is around $6 to $7 dollars.
How To Order Chipotle Nachos
Chipotle employees are only trained to make the items that are on the official menu, so some employees won’t know what you’re talking about when you go to ask for an order of nachos. Some seasoned workers will, but your safest bet is to explain to the employee exactly what you want. There are a couple of ways to do this.
Order a Burrito Bowl and ask for chips instead of rice at the bottom. This is the easiest way to order Chipotle Nachos because you can pile your chips with any of the toppings. However, some Chipotle employees will tell you that they are not allowed to substitute the rice with chips. Since they are trained to make certain items, they may be instructed not to alter the menu too much, which means they would not be able to create the secret menu Nachos (or anything that isn’t on the regular menu). Fortunately, there is another way of creating Chipotle Nachos that shouldn’t pose any problems.
Simply ask for three things:
- A side of meat
- An order of Chips and Queso
- A separate bowl
This way, you have to assemble the nachos yourself, but it doesn’t take long to toss the ingredients together. The main downside to this option is that you only get chips, queso, and meat, rather than all the toppings that you can enjoy when you order a bowl.
If you are set on topping your nachos with pico de Gallo and pinto beans, we have one more option for you. Order a bowl, but only add in the toppings you would want on your nachos. For most people this means skipping the rice and possibly the lettuce. Then, ask for a side of chips and an extra disposable bowl. Once you get your order, line the bottom of your extra bowl with the chips, and top with your meat, beans, etc. This is essentially the same way to order a secret menu Taco Salad, as well, and it’s the best way to ensure you get your nachos exactly how you want.
Chipotle Nacho Toppings
Not sure what sounds good on your nachos? Chipotle’s toppings include:
- Meat – Chicken, steak, barbacoa, carnitas, sofritas
- Rice – White and brown
- Beans – Black and pinto
- Other toppings – Guacamole, fresh tomato salsa, roasted chili-corn salsa, tomatillo-green chili salsa, tomatillo-red chili salsa, sour cream, fajita veggies, shredded cheese, romaine lettuce, queso blanco
Single Taco
Yes – there are tacos on Chipotle’s regular menu. However, they come in sets of three, so they’re often overlooked. A single taco goes great with any of Chipotle’s other menu items if you need just a little extra but don’t want to double up on your order. All you have to do to get a solo taco is ask – most locations will honor your request and won’t make you order all three.
Free Extra Toppings
You may want to try maximizing your meal without the extra cost. To do this, you must know all the ingredients available at Chipotle:
- Meats, such as steak, carnitas, chicken, barbacoa, and soritas.
- Cilantro-lime brown rice, cilantro-lime white rice, black beans, pinto beans, and fajita veggies.
- Toppings like sour cream, fresh tomato salsa, tomatillo red chili, green chili, and roasted chili-corn salsa, Romaine lettuce, guacamole, and cheese.
Ordering most extra toppings at Chipotle is free, except for their guacamole. Simply ask and it will be provided. Some examples include grilled fajita veggies for meat-based meals or together with your rice and beans, soft tacos, tortilla, or salad dressing on the side for burrito bowls. You can ask for fresh cilantro, extra cheese, or more than one salsa.
Bonus Tip: Increase your serving size
Here’s an example of how you can increase the size of your burrito:
- Get a burrito bowl instead of the tortilla wrap, because you will get at least 15% more ingredients this way.
- Ask for a couple of tortillas on the side.
- Order both brown and white rice.
- Get black beans and pinto beans.
- Get half/half of your meats of choice.
- Get corn salsa and fajita veggies.
If you do as instructed, you will end up with two, almost full-sized burritos. Eat it all or share it with your friend.
At Chipotle, every employee is encouraged to provide what customers ask for. According to Chris Arnold, the company’s communications director, “If it’s something we can do, we’ll do it.” What that means is, if you want to order something that’s not available on their menu, order it anyway. Chances are, they’ll prepare it just for you!
