Chipotle Finally Releases A Quesadilla, And Yes, It's Good
Chipotle has finally come out with a quesadilla. It's about damn time, huh? The chain has mastered burritos, burrito bowls, and tacos, so it only seems natural that there would be at least one quesadilla on the menu. While it was never officially listed, you can order a quesarito, aka, a burrito whose wrapper is a quesadilla, but there's never been an official quesadilla on a Chipotle menu. (Heads up: this new item is a "digital-only entree," meaning you have to order it through the app or on the website.)
Not to point directly at a competitor, *cough*Qdoba*cough*, but chains with similar concepts to Chipotle have had a quesadilla on the menu since day one. I mean, what's not to love about a quesadilla? At its simplest, it's melted cheese sandwiched by a soft tortilla—straightforward, comforting, and filling. They make perfect snacks or quick meals and are also a good vehicle for cramming sour cream, guacamole, or salsa into the mouth area of your face. Chipotle sent over a preview of its new quesadilla to take for a spin, and I've got the details for you.
I have to say, I am weirdly impressed with the tray that the new Chipotle quesadilla comes in. This seems like a small detail, but having the toppings served in those separate compartments means a few things: There's no small additional plastic tubs to throw away, and because of how things are partitioned, the heat from the quesadilla won't accidentally warm up the sour cream or guacamole. Hooray!
It's a generous portion, too. The angle of the photo above doesn't do it justice, but there's got to be at least four ounces of each condiment in the box. It's tall. It's easy to feel like you're getting skimpy servings of precious guacamole when someone's eyeballing a spoonful (or filling a tiny plastic condiment cup), but as long as the compartments are filled to the brim here, there's plenty to fill you up.
One more interesting thing about the packaging of the condiments is that they're wide and thin, not shallow and square. This leads me to the shape of the quesadilla, which is a thick folded square cut diagonally. It's very sturdy since the tortilla is wrapped over itself (kind of like a Taco Bell Crunchwrap), which means there's less risk of anything tumbling out. Pieces of a quesadilla cut into wedges typically end up being pretty floppy, especially when loaded with a filling like steak, chicken, rocks, whatever your heart desires. Chipotle has made quesadilla floppiness a non-issue.
Which brings me back to the packaging again: each triangle-shaped half of the quesadilla is prime for dipping. Hell yeah. No flop means you can load up on the goods in the wide dipping half of the tray. Again, chunky things like the pico de gallo or corn salsa are going to require a utensil, but you eat food. You understand.
The interior of the quesadilla is your standard cheese and filling, which you can top off with other Chipotle staples like beans, rice, cauliflower rice, fajita veggies—nothing out of the ordinary, but really, quesadillas don't need further innovation. Sure, you can mess around with them if you're Taco Bell, but Chipotle and Taco Bell live in different worlds and we love each for who they are. This is a house of mutual respect.
If you're someone who enjoys the comfort of a quesadilla now and then, rather than an enormous burrito bursting at the seams, this'll hit the spot. Chipotle apparently knows there's some of us out there who want to who want to live our lives to the fullest, and dip with reckless abandon—this quesadilla is a structural marvel as much (or maybe more) than a culinary one. It's definitely a worthy addition to the Chipotle lineup and should please fans of the brand who feel like they've been missing out on a classic.