If you love authentic Mexican food, read no more, and if you love your quick local burritos, don’t turn away either. The two famous chains of Mexican “fast-food,” Chipotle and Pancheros, have long been placed under the chopping block in debates over whose burrito is supreme.

  In an attempt to address this rivalry, I have ordered identical burritos from both places to compare the two.

  To first address the commonalities of the two burritos, the following were evident across both burritos of each place.  Panchero’s homemade tortillas were in both cases incredibly soft and durable, with the signature ‘tortilla knot’ at the bottom of the burrito. I’ve found the knot to be a pleasant buffer against the spices within the burrito, rather than a nuisance as some claim it to be.

 In contrast, the pre-made tortillas at Chipotle were incredibly inflexible (my first Chipotle burrito ripped open as the employee wrapped it for me). Not only that, the watery pico seeped into the tortilla and cause the wrap to be gummy, reminding me of a wet dumpling wrapper before cooking.

  The cheese within the Panchero’s burritos was melted and evenly dispersed, whereas within the Chipotle burritos it showed up in cold chunks sporadically, suggesting the temperature of the food wasn’t high enough to melt it.

  Lastly, the ingredients within the Chipotle burritos were not mixed like the Panchero’s burritos, so each bite was often just filled with one or maybe two ingredients, barring any possible cohesion.

   To turn the tables, though, both Chipotle burritos had much larger portions, as the employees were generous when filling with each ingredient. Across all four, as well, the Chipotle lettuce was greener and much more evident within the burrito.

  To address specific differences, the first set of burritos I ordered included the following: rice, corn, pinto beans, cheese, carnitas, lettuce, and pico.

  Beginning with Panch’s, the rice was a little soggy and chunked together, as if it hadn’t been mixed in its container for a while, if at all. However, the cilantro flavor was strongly present which complemented perfectly the slightly firm pinto beans. The corn salsa was incredibly impactful, most likely a result of strong cilantro and a decent melding time before serving.

  There wasn’t much lettuce within the burrito, but the leaves that were present were wilted and trivial. However, the carnitas was moist even down to the smallest of shreds, reflecting the cook’s skill cooking pork.

  The pico contributed significantly to the cohesion within the whole burrito, as the juice of the tomato with hints of cilantro brought the meat together with the rice to form one three dimensional flavor profile.

 Then came Chipotle’s. First, the rice lacked any cilantro flavor. It seemed to just be a starchy filler without a real purpose. The corn salsa did have some mild flavor, but the corn was much tougher and there were far too many large chunks of pepper within it which drowned any other positive flavor in the burrito.

  The pinto beans were cooked well, but I couldn’t quite identify them within the burrito. The pico was just there as well – somewhat dry and without any juices to coalesce with other aspects of the meal.

  The pork was the one part of the burrito that was succulent. The chunks weren’t completely shredded and it was a little bit dry, but overall the park was definitely a highlight of the burrito.

   The next set of burritos I ordered included the following ingredients: rice, corn, cheese, chicken, and lettuce. Considering the repeated ingredients had the same flavor and effect on the burrito, I will address the ones that stood out.

 Regarding the Panchero’s burrito, the chef cooked the chicken well and chopped it into reasonable cubes that allowed it to mix with the rest of the burrito. A few chunks had a little too much seasoning, threatening to overpower the rest, but the lettuce and the rice ameliorated the few occurrences. Within this burrito in comparison to the other order, the lettuce was much more prominent and was able to balance more so the overarching flavors of the corn salsa and chicken.

  Regarding the Chipotle burrito, the lettuce was much sharper, allowing it to stop the heat of the chicken. Overall, the prominence of the lettuce seems to be a result of a possibly sharper strand of greens.

  Then emerged the problem: the chicken. The cook barely chopped it, with most pieces bigger than a half-dollar,  and he or she overcooked it so that it was incredibly dry and crunchy. Even more delightful, there was a piece of bone within one of the monstrous pieces of chicken. It was not anything else, and to verify, it came directly from a bite of chicken, singularly.

  It destroyed what was remaining of my appetite and I gave up on the burrito. It’s slightly unnerving that, after closing for health issues, Chipotle’s quality control is still lacking within the food.

  Overall, even without considering the bone, Panchero’s proved itself to be the better burrito maker. The fresh tortilla, more flavorful rice, meats, corn salsa, and pico contributed to a cohesive flavor that overshadowed the one dimensional flavor presented by Chipotle.