What to order · Updated October 2026
What to Order at Chipotle: Every Item, Judged
Chipotle is one of the few fast-casual chains where ordering skill changes what you get. The same $10–12 can buy you a sad half-scooped bowl or a meal that feeds you twice. Prices below are national averages — your city will vary.
The big picture: bowls beat burritos on value, chicken remains the best protein per dollar, and the quesadilla, for all that melted cheese, is one of the worst deals on the menu.
Every item, judgedThe verdicts
Chicken Burrito Bowl
Order itThe order everything else gets measured against, and still the strongest value on the menu. Chicken is the cheapest meat, portions well, and takes salsa better than any other protein. Ask for both rices and both beans — free, and they add real volume.
Chicken Burrito
DecentSame ingredients and same price as the bowl, but the tortilla alone is 320 calories of filler. Fine if you need it handheld; otherwise the bowl gives you a better ratio of the stuff you actually came for.
Steak Bowl
DecentMost-ordered premium protein, and the most inconsistent: sometimes tender, often chewy, always a smaller scoop than chicken. Barbacoa costs the same and delivers more flavor per bite.
Barbacoa Bowl
Order itUnderrated, and better beef at the same price as steak. Braised, shreddy, deeply seasoned, and spared the doneness lottery steak plays.
Carnitas Bowl
DecentGood when fresh off a new batch, dry when it's been sitting. A solid middle option priced between chicken and the beef tier, but it rarely beats chicken on pure value.
Sofritas Bowl
DecentThe spiced tofu is legitimately flavorful, and often seasoned harder than the chicken. If you're plant-based it's an easy yes. If you're not, it won't convert you.
Veggie Bowl
Order itSame price tier as chicken, but guacamole is included free, which is effectively a $3 discount. Load up fajita veggies, both beans, and both rices and it eats like a full meal.
Quesadilla
Skip itChipotle's worst deal. You pay premium-entrée money for a protein, cheese, and tortilla — no free rice, beans, or salsas inside, and the three included sides don't close the gap. A burrito is more food for less.
Chips & Guacamole
DecentGood in-house guac, but $5+ for a side is steep when the veggie bowl gets you the same guac free.
Kid's Build-Your-Own
Order itTwo tacos or a small bowl, a side, and a drink for roughly half the price of an adult entrée. Nobody checks your age.
Frequently askedFAQ
What's the cheapest way to get the most food at Chipotle?
Order a bowl with both types of rice, both beans, and fajita veggies, then ask for a tortilla on the side (free). You effectively get a bowl and the makings of a burrito for the price of one entrée.
Is Chipotle guacamole worth the extra charge?
On flavor, yes — it's made fresh in-house daily. On value it's around $2.95 extra, so it adds nearly 30% to a chicken bowl's price. The veggie bowl includes it free, which is the best guac deal on the menu.
Which Chipotle protein is healthiest?
Chicken and sofritas offer the best protein-to-calorie ratios. A chicken bowl with fajita veggies, black beans, and fresh tomato salsa lands around 500–600 calories with 50+ grams of protein.