The Secret Menu Items You Need To Try At Chipotle
It's common to go into a food establishment and want to change some things around. Sometimes you want to add, sometimes subtract, and sometimes restaurants simply can't (or don't want to) accommodate your food requests. Bummer. Maybe it's not that they're unable to — perhaps it's because you're not ordering your desired food alterations the correct way. Enter the secret menu (via Spoon University). At least 25 mainstream fast and fast casual food establishments have some sort of secret menu that's floating around in cyberspace, as reported by Fast Food Menu Prices. One of those restaurants is Chipotle.
Much to the frustration of some employees, when dedicated foodies find out that there's a secret menu, they take to the internet in drones and spread the word to other, less aware consumers. So just take a moment to give thanks to foodie fans for sharing their secret menu exploits.
But what exactly is on a secret menu? In Chipotle's case, it's menu items that could almost be considered food hacks — but not quite. From free fillings and condiments, sides, shells, and big bomber burritos, there's more than a few tasty treats that Chipotle has in store for you. Here are some of the tastiest secret menu items that Chipotle has to offer.
Cilantro
Cilantro is a pungent and versatile herb that is both loved and reviled. In fact, when it comes to this little green condiment, there is no "middle way." For the cult followers, cilantro is a flavorful addition to whatever you're eating — soup, salad, nachos, and well, you get the idea. If your food is bland (like white rice, for example), then cilantro adds a little bit of color and pizzazz and elevates your dish to something more than it was before.
On the flip side, there are some people who didn't inherit the cilantro obsession gene. They're so disgusted by the herb that they sneer at it. Why? Because to those few individuals (Food & Wine reports that roughly four to 14% of the population can't stand the stuff), this innocent plant tastes and smells like soap.
Whatever your taste preference, just know that cilantro is on Chipotle's Secret Menu. They'll add as much of this stuff as you want.
Cheese
Who doesn't love cheese? Cheese is like bacon — it makes everything better (for the most part). Cheese has more than one purpose, though. It's not just a contributing flavor. Cheese is a binder (aka glue) for the fillings that are inside your burrito, taco, or other handheld sustenance. When it's hot, it melts and brings all the fillings together in a glorious medley of meat, bean, rice, and cheesy goodness. As CultureCheeseMag explains, melted cheese can also help adhere the burrito to itself, because having a burrito flop open in your hungry little hands is no bueno.
But what kind of cheese does Chipotle use? According to one Redditor, the restaurant uses Monterey Jack. It's "a semi-hard cheese" with "a mild, buttery flavor" and "super" melting qualities, per Proudly Wisconsin Cheese. This means that Monterey Jack cheese melts quickly and evenly, and it makes the ultimate binder for the innards of your taco, burrito, or other cheesy item.
Bring on the queso. The more, the merrier at Chipotle.
Extra toppings and fillings
Let's say you're ordering a burrito bowl, but it's looking pretty sparse on top. That's when you bring the big guns: Chipotle's Secret Menu. With the exception of protein (beef, chicken, plant-based chorizo) and guacamole (those both cost extra), you can apparently get up to four spoonfuls of every topping at no additional charge, according to one former Chipotle employee on Reddit. Keep in mind that the food chain has around 15 different toppings (via MeetAtRoam), which include (but aren't limited to) grilled fajita veggies, two types of beans, three types of rice (this menu doesn't mention white rice, which is also a secret menu item), and at least four types of fresh salsa.
The same goes for fillings. Enjoy those extras and make your burrito even heartier or your quesadilla less pancake-y. In a 2013 article by Business Insider, the publication crunched some numbers, and with the help from Chipotle's Twitter people, deduced that there are at least 655,360 different combinations from just the toppings alone. Think about that. It's 655,360 different ways to a happy belly (with the cilantro-haters being the exception — their numbers will be a bit lower).
Never fear, toppings (and fillings) are here.
Plain rice
Plain white rice might seem a little out of place, but it is possible to get it. The issue a lot of Chipotle customers face when they order a bomber burrito, crunchy taco, or burrito bowl is that the rice already has cilantro mixed into it. Now, cilantro can add color and flavor to a dish, but if you hate it — or are allergic to it (though this particular allergy is "rare," up to four percent of adults some kind of food allergy, according to Healthline) — then your meal will ultimately taste like you're chewing on a bar of Ivory soap (via AllRecipes). That might lead to some unhappy words escaping your mouth, though having your mouth washed out with soap is usually the result of speaking unsavory words, not the other way around.
So if you're one of those few, poor souls that can't stand to even look at the green stuff, just order plain, unspeckled white rice from the Chipotle Secret Menu. If you're not into the white rice scene, then order plain brown rice. They have that, too, according to an employee response on Quora. Aren't you lucky that you have options?
Extra tortillas or taco shells
Chances are, if you're loading up on free toppings and fillings, your customized burrito/bowl/something really tasty will probably be larger than you're expecting. That's why this hook-up makes the Chipotle Secret Menu that much better.
If you order all of those additional toppings of happiness — remember, up to four scoops of each — then also put in a request for a taco shell. According to Reddit, they're now $0.25. Prior to 2020, taco shells and tortillas were actually free (via Today). But because some folks were taking advantage of this so-called "hack," Chipotle had to lay down the law and nixed it from the freebies department. Still, 25 cents really isn't that much for a sizable taco shell or two or three tortillas (depending on if they're flour or corn).
Remember, with great power comes great responsibility. All of this food you're ordering needs to go somewhere — and it probably won't be devoured all at once. So pony up an extra quarter and buy a shell (or some tortillas), and make an extra meal for later — or for a friend. It's a winning situation, no matter how you look at it.
One taco
"I would like only one taco," said no one ever. But truth be told, sometimes all you want is just a solo taco. Perhaps you only want one because you're not starving but would like a crunchy snack in between lunch and dinner. Or maybe you're a little short on dinero and that's all you can pay for (it's a good thing that the toppings and fillings are free at Chipotle).
Whatever the reason, if you're ordering off the Chipotle Secret Menu, you're in good hands. They'll hook you up with a single taco to match that single tear falling down your cheek because you wish you could order more than one of these fistfuls of crunchy happiness. While some former employees have pointed out on Reddit that a single taco really isn't part of a secret menu (they claim there isn't actually a secret menu at all), if you simply ask for a taco, they'll normally accommodate your request.
The 3-Pointer
This has nothing to do with basketball, and yet if you know about this gem on the Chipotle Secret Menu, then you're running circles around customers who are buying burritos off of the normal menu. There's a bit of mystique surrounding the name: 3-Pointer. Why is it called that? Is it because ordering one feels like you just made a major score? Well, yes. Actually, it is a major score. So that part is true.
This Chipotle Secret Menu item is aptly named the 3-Pointer because it only contains three ingredients (via Reddit). Each ingredient is assigned a different number, or point. It's the points system, folks. While proteins (including sofritos) and guacamole are not included in your 3-Pointer options (they're two points), all the other delightfully tasty fillings are only one little point. What does this mean for you? Well, it means that your vegetarian 3-Pointer options are endless.
When it comes down to pricing, a 3-Pointer ends up costing just a bit less than a normal burrito. So if you're short on change, this might be another filling option to look into. But don't go trying to order free fillings with your 3-Pointer. That won't work.
Nachos
There is perhaps nothing more universally enjoyed than nachos (well, besides burritos and tacos). The great thing about this cheesy, crunchy (and messy) meal is that you can pretty much get it anywhere — baseball games, movie theaters, gas stations. Well, almost anywhere. You're not going to find it on the normal everyday Chipotle menu, which is admittedly rather bizarre. But you will find it on the food chain's Secret Menu, in a way.
Fast Food Menu Prices says that Chipotle's secret nachos are actually just an item that's already on the menu (and it's pretty much fully "customizable"). Enter the burrito bowl. These bowls already include all the nacho fixings that your little heart craves — rice, beans, protein, gratuitous toppings like fajita veggies, sour cream, salsa ... you get the idea. To order your Secret Menu nachos, simply ask for a burrito bowl but have them substitute the rice for Chipotle's zesty lime-scented tortilla chips.
Boom. Insta-nachos. Doesn't that make you insta-happy?
Quesadilla — it's complicated
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the quesadilla wasn't part of the standard Chipotle menu. But things have dramatically changed since then, and as of March 2021, this south of the border grilled cheese is now on the regular, everyday menu ... sort of, but not really. It's only available as a digital item.
As it goes, to keep up with the demand for the off-menu item — which, according to Restaurant Business, is one of the "most requested" entrées that Chipotle receives — pretty much every location that offers digital ordering saw the installation of special quesadilla "ovens." Starting back in the summer of 2018, these special ovens had been undergoing testing at select Chipotle locations.
That being said, quesadillas still won't share the limelight on the main Chipotle menu any time soon. They'll only be available to order through the app and Chipotle website. However, quesadilla lovers who order in person can rest assured that your request for this comfort food will most likely still be honored by crew members.
Double-decker taco
You know those two-level busses that tour around Europe? That's what might come to mind when you think of the double-decker taco. This Chipotle Secret Menu taco is pretty much that bus, but in taco form. Ok, so it sounds like eating one might make you feel like you've been hit by the double-decker food-coma bus, but that's not necessarily the case, because it's probably one of the lighter options on the menu.
How so? Because the double decker is just a taco nestled inside another taco, that happens to be a cheese taco (via Spoon University). Fillings are usually just beans, rice, maybe a protein, and greens. Because it's important to eat your greens. Just think about it this way: The double-decker taco is just a taco that's cradled inside a cheese taco, kind of like how a human is cradled inside a hammock. A little cheesy taco hammock. Time for a nap.
Double-wrapped burrito
The worst thing about burritos — if there is a "worst thing" — is when your handheld tortilla baton springs a leak and all of those free fillings relocate to the floor. No one likes a burrito that's doing a reenactment of Mount St. Helens (via USGS). It's an experience, to say the least. A very painful learning experience (that will, more often than not, be repeated).
But it's a fact of life. Sometimes burritos just can't hold it together. And the only way to fix that — besides inhaling it as quickly as possibly, or even worse ... having to use a fork and knife — is to wrap it in another tortilla. Genius, right? This obviously won't work after the fact, so think ahead and order your burrito double wrapped, just in case. It's better to be prepared, not scared. Don't fear the burrito. If you want to live dangerously and don't want two layers of tortilla in your face, then set that extra tortilla aside, and if your burrito bomb does burst a little, just let those fillings land gracefully onto your unscathed tortilla. Once you're done, you'll have an unintentional leftover burrito.
Burritodilla
This sounds like it might be some sort of mutated dinosaur from Jurassic Park. "Watch out, there's a burritodilla on the loose!" But all joking aside, the name "burritodilla" seems to hint that this is some absurdly gargantuan burrito that will really put you in your place. In reality, it's just an overstuffed quesadilla on a mission to curb your hunger.
That being said, it's also one of the more popular items on Chipotle's Secret Menu, and according to Secret Menu Wikia, is basically just an extra cheesy quesadilla with rice, beans, and your choice of protein. The toppings are put inside a flour tortilla, along with handfuls of cheese (let's keep it real — this is still technically a quesadilla), and then folded in half. It's then cut into three triangles: One to eat at the time of ordering, one for dinner, and one for sometime in the foreseeable future, because you're going to be stuck in the horizontal position for a while. The burritodilla primal scream is "food coma," even though it's considered a more "diet friendly" version of the restaurant's quesarito (via HackTheMenu), because it only has half of the amount of toppings that a normal Chipotle burrito contains (though how much more friendly is up for debate).
Quesarito
If you thought the burritodilla was a monster, then you haven't met the big mama on Chipotle's Secret Menu. Ladies and gentlemen, the quesarito: A behemoth burrito dropping in at around 1,600 calories — for reference, Taco Bell's version is only about 650 calories (via EverythingWhat). This monster is beloved by Chipotle foodies and somewhat loathed by the employees who get stuck making this particular order (via Reddit). Why? Because this burrito isn't just a burrito. It's a burrito that uses a quesadilla as its tortilla. Yes. You heard correctly. A burrito wrapped in a quesadilla.
But why does it get so much hate? Employees mention that their gloves don't exactly protect their fingers when it comes to the hot cheese that might ooze out during the creation of this freakishly huge burrito. While preparing it is one thing, another issue is that some customers will order it during peak hours. This ultimately backs up the line and causes the other waiting customers to become hangrier.
Regardless of how you feel about it, the quesarito is a magnificent creation beholden by the burrito gods as a source of calorie-laden nourishment. Those that have mastered making one have unlocked legendary burrito-making status.
The taco salad — no mas
It's sad but true. The tasty taco salad is no longer holding rank among the Chipotle Secret Menu elite, as confirmed by HackTheMenu. While there's no definitive discontinue date, you can be sure that lovers of Chipotle's secret taco salad are probably mourning just a wee little bit.
However, where there's rain, there's always a rainbow. Even though the actual taco salad is no longer available, there's a little menu hack that will help feed your taco salad craving. It's incredibly simple and will make you go, "Why didn't I think of that?" If you think about the condiments that are in a taco salad, you can deduce that the closest thing to it would be either be a burrito bowl or nachos. If you order the burrito bowl, just ask for extra lettuce. You could even ask them to put your burrito bowl on a bed of lettuce, right? If you order nachos from the Secret Menu, just do the same thing: order lettuce. Remember, most toppings are free. Treat yourself to a designer taco salad. Live a little.