Qdoba

Good made-​to-​order food. The bad reviews here seem to all have simply been expecting something else, not something a little new/​different.
Try the Chicken Queso burrito.

I frequent this place a bit as my addiction to mission style burritos will probably never die. I do prefer it over some of the Chipotles in the area because of their consistency in flavors. I love that their salad comes in a tortilla bowl, unlike Chipotle. I’m a sucker for a good tasting tortilla bowl that doesn’t feel like I’m eating stale chips.

Great burritos. Nice owners I will Né back. Its better than the «other» places like it. WAY BETTER THAN CHIPOTLE. Bring the family and enjoy. Awesome wheat tortillas and plenty of healthy choices. Great food great prices great people. Very clean

This place is a similar process like other Burrito restaurants. Their prices seemed a tad bit more reasonable. I went during lunch and there was no one in line. I ordered Nachos with pulled pork. My food was immediately put together and I was rang up.
The pulled was very good. I have found that other at other places, the pulled pork is a tad bit salty. Any «extras» you want like Guacamole or Sour Cream is extra at this place. That is to be expected. Ironically one of the owner’s was there and I had mentioned to him that the median price for lunch these days was about $ 10 and he agreed.
This place is close to my work, quick, fast and the food is great. I will be back.

10 years ago, I had never heard of Chipotle. I guess I had just never lived in a market where they expanded to. Until today I had never heard of Qdoba. I’m usually way behind the times on national chains, I guess.
I think I know why I had never heard of Qdoba before. I like Mexican food. I like Tex Mex. My experience with Qdoba was… not at all remarkable.
I got a fried veggie burrito. The menu on their website describes this as: «Perfectly grilled zucchini, red peppers and yellow squash in a garlic herb seasoning make this one flavorful vegetarian burrito.» I have a minor quibble with that statement in that absolutely none of it is true. Perfectly grilled it is not-​the garlic herb seasonings were not present or I just could not taste them and flavorful is a bald faced lie. I also had them put the «very hot» habanero salsa on it. The salsa was just another thing I couldn’t taste or detect.
Chipotle is not a great tex mex place. But it’s better than here. All the time while working my way through this burrito I felt that instead of foil, they should just be wrapped in a white paper with the word «BURRITO» written in bold black font. Maybe a warning label that says «may contain burrito-​like substance» would help too.

The chicken was so very dry and tasteless. The chips were so so salty. So salty. Salty as in encrusted with what looked like Kosher salt on one side of each chip. I could not eat them, and I love salt. The guacamole tasted odd. I didn’t notice this at first, but when we came back in after eating outside, the restaurant had an off smell. For three people our bill came to $ 28. I can get a lot better food in Austin for that than here. 2 stars instead of one because there was nothing wrong with my daughter’s cheese quesadilla. Iced tea was good and the lemons were fresh. The black beans were fine. Also – the lettuce was fresh and that is not a small thing. I don’t understand how this is a step up from Chipotle, though. I don’t love Chipotle, but it’s fine. I can at least eat it.

I was not pleased at all with the food at Qdoba! I REALLY wanted to like it too, because it is right next to were I work, so it would have saved me the 10 min drive to Chipotle during lunch!
I ordered the salad bowl with steak, pico, onions and guac and lettuce. The exact same thing I order at Chipotle and I was very disappointed with Qdoba’s bowl! The meat was overdone, and just had no flavor, same with the guacamole. Will not be going back! Chipotle is worth the drive and the service is better too.

I was pleasantly surprised about Qdoba! I went when they were doing a promotion giving away a free burrito which obviously made me like them right off the bat. I do enjoy Chipotle and Freebirds a lot so I was pretty skeptical about trying out what seemed to be a complete knock off.
It was very good though! They had grilled veggies which included zucchini and squash which I really liked. They also had wheat tortillas and great tasting ingredients especially for me and my vegetarianism. They also had ample bottles of Cholula and jalapeño Tabasco sauce which were great additions. Overall it was quite delicious and a grand experience!
Great job!

Where do I begin… an upgraded Chipotle. The look and atmosphere is exactly like Chipotle. From menu to chairs. This place is double the size of any of the Chipotles I have been to. The food is amazing! I always get the Mexican Gumbo. It is probably one of my favorite foods. The queso is awesome as are there tacos.
I found this place in 2010 while living in Las Vegas. I was really bummed that I was not going to not be able to get my Mexican Gumbo fix, and had hoped there was one in Austin. So I did a little google search, and what do ya know! BAM… Qdoba Great Hills. I was like a kid on Christmas.
Unhealthy love for gumbo, I know… but you’ll know one day. Try it!

Food is average, fast, and cheap. The craft 2 menu is a deal. For $ 6, you can choose two items. Each item is customizable — flour or crispy corn tortilla, choose your meat, and your fixings. The meats were OK and lettuce was fresh. The Mexican Gumbo was pretty spicy and good.
Overall, everything was just OK. Come if you are in the area and want a quick, customizable meal.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Qdoba! Anyone who says that Chipotle is better obviously does not have any taste buds. Chipotle is flavorless and does not have any of the yummy sauce options. For non-​vegans, I hear the queso is really good as well. I’m semi-​vegan (I’ll eat certified humane dairy) and I have so many options there! I usually get the naked burrito with the Ancho Chili Barbecue Sauce. You HAVE to try the Ancho Chili Barbecue sauce! It’s sooooo good!
I was also surprised by how clean the restaurant was and how friendly the staff are. Everyone was very polite and smiley. That really means a lot to me.
I eat Qdoba at least once a week. Definitely a great place for lunch or a quick dinner!

It is acceptable if you’re in the mood for «Chipotle» (which seems to have become the neologism for the «giant burrito» style of food) but I wasn’t overtly impressed. Food was fine. Guacamole was passable. Nothing particularly jumped out at me, but the major deal breaker is that, despite the place serving Tex-​Mex, they didn’t have ANY regular Tabasco. Yes, they have bottles of the green Tabasco coming out their a$$, but they simply don’t carry the regular red.
Why?
What sense does that make? Killed it for me. Took it to go (got some static from the cashier/​manager when I changed from dine-​in to to-​go) and ate it somewhere that cares. There’s no excuse for that.

I remember not really liking Qudoba all that much when I lived in Pittsburgh. That was a few years ago now, so I started thinking to myself «I wonder if it’s as bad as I remember?» Um, yeah… yeah it is. The tortilla was ‘gooey’ with a slight rubbery texture. The chicken was overcooked quite a bit. I got the «hot» salsa option (Roja) and I didn’t taste one single little, tiny, minute, microscopic, sliver of spiciness to the food. The food tastes just about as steril as the environment looks. Everything was squeaky clean to the max. It was like Mr. Clean himself was there and power washed the entire place with his tradmarked cleanser. Why any person in their right mind would choose this place over Freebirds, or even Chipotle for that matter, is completely mind boggling. Qudoba is just a crappy chain Chipotle wannabe that will likely fail. If Qudoba wants to stay open, all they would need to do is slap a few signs of «All Natural», «Grass Fed» or «Organic» around the place and they would be just as busy as the shit station next door (Elevation). Good luck Qudoba, you’re going to need it.
Pros: Super Clean Place
Cons: Bland, Bland, Bland Food

Like Chipotle, only you get less food, it’s lower quality, and it doesn’t taste as good.
That’s really all you need to know. But in case you’re really bored and need some other stuff to read:
— Ancho Chile BBQ sauce was described as «molé-​inspired.» It tastes like BBQ sauce. Gross BBQ sauce. I asked the person behind the counter whether it was sweet, and he said no. Then he proceeded to drown my meat with it. It was sweet.
— We’re sitting there eating, and this employee starts putting the chairs all around us up on the tables. I smiled and joked, «Are you trying to tell us something?» He did not crack a smile: «No, ma’am. I just have to do this now or we’ll NEVER get out of here.» I asked what time they closed, and he said they close at 10:00. It was 8:20.
Lame.

Pretty good tacos. I would give it another go and try something else next time.
Similar to subway but mexican style.

Sure it is a chain. And, yes, one of the first things you will notice is the similarity to the format and layout to Chipotle. But really, it is the same format as any made-​to-​order burrito place. I, personally, like the variety of options offered at Qdoba better than Chipotle, but this is mainly an issue of personal taste.
My favorite is the Ancho Chile BBQ Burrito. I also like the pick two menu which lets you choose two smaller portioned options like tacos and soup.
Since I am married to a man who could eat a burrito every day of his life, I am happy to have another option added to our dining rotation.

Tried this place semi-​blind (w/​o prior knowledge) with a Latina friend the other day because we had a $ 5 off coupon with which they had blanketed the businesses in our office complex. We didn’t know much except that it was a «fresh-​mex» concept and would hopefully get us in & out within our measly 50 minute lunch hour.
Like the others have mentioned, the place works very much like Chipotle or Freebirds — you get in line and specify what ingredients to add to your burrito, bowl, tacos, or salad. You’d expect Qdoba would have an advantage because they also offer some signature sauces, but during our visit, they were so stingy with the sauce, we didn’t really get to taste them.
My friend ordered the Queso Burrito, which she discovered contained no queso, as she was required to ask for it at the right time when the queso ladler was directly over the burrito as it moved down the line.
I asked if they had soft corn tortillas for tacos and was told, «Oh, yes, of course» at the front of the line. When I got to the next staffer, I was told, «Oh, no, only soft flour and crispy corn.» Argh. I would have made a different choice of meal if I’d gotten the right answer when we started.
The «gumbo» (tortilla soup with beans & rice added) was okay flavor-​wise, but visually reminded me of canned condensed soup. There seemed to be some sort of gelling agent used to thicken the soup which just wasn’t appealing to me. My crispy corn tacos were also just okay. I tried the pork, which was not greasy (good) but had no flavor at all (bad), and the shredded beef, which was a little greasy but actually had some spice.
Overall, my impression was that the basic ingredients offered on the line at Qdoba were just not as high quality or tasty as those at my other favorite burrito places. I doubt I’ll ever return to give them a second chance, but another $ 5 coupon in my desk drawer may put me over the edge. Perhaps I’ll try the beef bowl next time…
P. S. They have a good kids’ menu, so maybe my next go will be with the 4 year-​old. He prefers bland!

How do you spell Chipotle with only 5 letters?
Q — D — O — B — A
My guess is that McDonalds, after successfully pwning off Chipotle on investors went back for a second dip from the same well. At least if you’re used to Chipotle, ordering here will be old hat.
Eerily, the inside of Q — D — O — B — A looks like the inside of a sub-​zero freezer. (don’t ask how I know what the inside of a sub-​zero looks like). The ambient temperature confirms the impression, my fingers were blue by the end of lunch. My lunch partner was gasping for air as the icy freshness refused to release her from it’s bony clutch.
But enough of the superficial superlatives, how’s the food?
B — L — A — N — D
Really, how do you get to be this boring and still remember to breath. The food «style» is almost identical to Chipotle, but with the taste taken down 50% or so. I had the Poblano Pesto chicken burrito which sounded awesome. Like many things, appearances were deceiving.
I won’t be returning, even if that hot redhead wants to go back again. I dumped the silly Q — D — O — B — A «frequent diner» card in the trash with my ½ eaten burrito.

I pass Qdoba twice a week on my work route and today there was a human advertisement on the street advertising that «Qdoba is Now Open». Unlike the 2 previous reviewers I had never heard of Qdoba before I saw their «Now Hiring» signs several weeks ago.
So, I got to try Qdoba for the first time today without any first week opened hiccups but I had a late 3PM lunch when it was not busy so the lunch rush hour might be different.
The ordering system is the same as Chipotle — you order at the counter and choose whatever you want added to your menu choice. I decided on the combo meal and chose a Mini Taco Salad with black beans, cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo and the fat free Picante Ranch Dressing and a crispy corn taco with pulled pork, lettuce, guacamole and salsa verde. My meal was light and fresh and I looked up the nutritional value on their website and my lunch caloric intake was less than 400 calories!!! For reals can this be true???
The guy who took my order explained that their beans and Tortilla Soup are vegetarian and that their Pork is extra lean and most everything can be ordered «Naked» or without Carbs.
They have 4 umbrella covered tables outside which perfected my meal thanks to this awesome weather!

I got hooked on Qdoba when I lived nearby one in Seattle, and now they’re finally opening their first Austin location on Monday (⁹⁄₂₇).
Qdoba follows basically the same format as Chipotle, with big burritos, tacos, and salads tailored to your exact specifications, as well as that delicious cilantro/​lime white rice. However, what makes Qdoba special are the various signature sauces like Ancho Chile BBQ and Poblano Pesto. For the queso fans, they have a great 3-​cheese queso that you can order with chips or on a burrito. Finally, for chileheads such as myself, they 1-​up Chipotle with a 5-​salsa lineup, including my favorite, a habanero salsa.
Pssst: Check out the soft opening from 11 – 1 and 5 – 8 this Sunday (⁹⁄₂₆) for free food!