El Jalapeno Mexican Grill

fine mexican food. guacamole was great, chips were MAGICAL. Seriously, thin, crispy, perfectly salted. I even got them as a go to when they were cold but I bet they’d be better warm. Veggie burrito was fine. Nothing spectacular, nothing wrong with it. decent digs.

Good quality fast casual mexican food. Personally like it better than chipotle because of the more options and better flavored salsa and queso dip Yummm! Mango sauce and pineapple salsa are great

This place has some character and is a solid Tex-​Mex stop. Not gonna lie though there are some similarities to the Chipotle bohemoth, but reasons I prefer this place over other burrito shops:
— it’s locally owned by a Columbus, Ohio family
— the rice, salsas, and meats have a lot more flavor and spices than the other places.
— there are lots of vegetarian options
— the steak is BY FAR THE BEST STEAK you will eat at any burrito shop. The tenderness and favor of the steak definitely makes it the star of whatever you put it on, burritos, tacos, quesedillas, salad, nachos… whatever.
— you don’t need to ask for more meat because the put a good amount
Prices are similar (if not lower) to the other places, so I’d advise you to shop local and check them out!

I live in NYC but in town to visit friends + fam. I am spoiled with all the Mexican burrito bars in New York but after having the chips + guacamole + steak quesadilla here, I’m determined to come visit my friends more often at OSU just so I can swing by here! Super friendly staff and DELISH queso dip. Also definitely try their homemade sweet mango habanero. Nicely done, I love a good fam-​own spot

I made a detour on the way home last night to stop in for carryout, after reading the reviews. The dining room is very cute, with brightly colored seating. I was the only customer and the guy working helped me immediately. I asked for a veggie bowl to go. He gave me a choice of rice, and then if I wanted black or pinto beans. I asked if the black are vegetarian and he said they both are. Awesome! I got a little of each. Since I said vegetarian, he bypassed the protein, so I assumed they had no tofu. I got my toppings, paid, and was on my way.
My bowl was delicious. I tasted very fresh, and I would much rather give my money to this establishment, than Chipotle. I will be back.

This may be my new favorite fast casual burrito place. I’ve had it bookmarked for awhile thinking it was a Mexican restaurant I was forgetting about (which I guess it kind of is), but in reality, it’s another Chipotle, Moe’s, Hot Heads except so much better than the latter two in my opinion! Honestly, it may even edge out Chipotle for me now, but I’ll have to try it a few more times.
First, all of the ingredients there seemed to be cooked just right and very fresh. The steak was delicious, and the salsa were all incredibly good. This is what I wish the salsas at Moe’s would be. They could definitely learn a thing or two here. Also, the hot salsas actually provide an actual kick unlike the one you get at Chipotle.
You can get a side of the chips and salsa which comes with queso for just $ 1.99, and the jalapeño cheese queso is really tasty. I should have tried the guac, but I’ll save that for next time. They have several different hot sauces you can use if you eat in.
On top of a burrito, you can get quesadillas, tacos, nachos and even chalupas. The price point is solid with just about everything around $ 6. The quesadilla my girlfriend had was huge, and she couldn’t finish it! The owner was very friendly, but he probably could have used more staff, since he was the only one there going down the line making the burritos and ringing us up. I’m not sure how long this place has been here, but I wish I had known about it prior to moving from my old place just down the road.

Very friendly service, excellent portion size, tasty ingredients, nice atmosphere. I’ll become a regular!

It’s my first time to taste this kind of food, I must say that it’s really good!

I’m really glad we tried this place. Yes, the ingredients are fresh, and yes, it’s inexpensive, but I like the person who made our food. He asked us halfway through our meal if it was okay, and we were glad to say that it was delicious. Chipotle is a solid place, but I always feel that the people who work there are cogs in a machine. You can tell that the people who run El Jalapeño care about it. Also, the salsas are better than Chipotle.

Very delicious and great price! Outside made me a little nervous but inside clean and staff friendly!

Great food, environment and service. all 3 of the workers managed to memorize my order after only a few visits. They are very personable And the food is delicious. Many options and very well prepared food. Also, they have only certified angus beef, which as some of you may know, Chipotle, a competitor does NOT support American agriculture. If you want Mexican food, go to el jalapeño. You won’t be disappointed

I’m just going to say it… this place is better than Chipotle. Yeah I said it. Wanna fight about it? It is better and here’s why:
1. More variety at no extra cost. I got fajita vegetables in addition to chicken for my burrito bowl. No extra cost for those bad boys.
2. If you get a combo, you get chips, a drink, a cup of salsa, AND queso. WHAT! And their queso is good. I got the green salsa. Mild, garlicky, sweet, and heavenly. Their chips seem to be good and homemade. The paper bag they came in was greasy so you know they’re bad for you… but delicious.
3. More variety period. They have three kinds of rice: White, brown, or Mexican. They have a special chipotle sauce you can put on your food and it adds a nice element to your entrée. Their salsas don’t all taste the same which is more than I can say about Chipotle’s.
4. They’re cheaper. I got all that food and a drink for under $ 10.
5. They weren’t crowded! I can’t explain how much I hate going into Chipotle and the line being a mile long out the door. Or how much I hate when someone brings in a laundry list of things they’re ordering to take home to their brood of 20 children or something. Like seriously, phone that shit in or order for yourself. Or order it on the app. El Jalapeño had no line. They already win.
6. Their chicken wasn’t grisly. It’s a toss up at Chipotle. Sorry.
The reviews on here don’t seem to be that favorable but I had a great experience. The restaurant was clean, the food was fresh, and the staff was friendly. Obviously, this isn’t a competition and I will still go to Chipotle on the regular but if I had to pick one, I’d pick El Jalapeño.

I love this place! I always get the bowl with white rice and double meat with steak and chicken.
Amazing food. Good service. I go their during lunch. When it’s the freshest

After a few recent visits the business has changed a few things. They actually have a good serving size of protein now, no more little scoops. A burrito will run you the same cost as any other competitors, I recommend giving it a try.

The burrito I had for dinner tonight was generous and tasty. The television was turned off, so I enjoyed the oldies songs that were playing. The restaurant is more comfortable and friendlier than any of the Chipotle locations I have visited. Nothing bizarre or unusual about my visit. I hope they succeed.

Good stuff. I’m almost afraid to admit that I go there for lunch because I know it won’t be busy. That’s not a statement about the food at all. I just think there aren’t enough people who know about this place. I’ve been several times and don’t see any reason not to return.

I honestly don’t understand why people compare it to Chipotle. Yes it’s set up similarly, but they use completely different ingredients and a much more diverse menu.
Yes you will find burritos and tacos (which are still very good), but my favorite is the taco salad. It’s the same shell you get at a mexican restaurant, for about half the price.
They have fresh ingredients, a solid number of choices when it comes to fillings, and a delicious sauce that he puts on top of the salads (or in/​on tacos/​burritos) that seems like a mixture of sour cream and salsa. I know it’s not revolutionary, but it is wonderful. I have also not had any trouble with them being «stingy» with toppings. If you want more, just ask…
The best part about this place is that every time I’ve gone, the owner (I assume) comes up and asks us how everything is, and offers to refill our drinks. He’s genuinely interested in making sure you have a pleasant experience which is hard to come by anymore, especially at a place like Chipotle.
Disclaimer: I love Chipotle, so don’t assume I’m trying to bash it. This just a different experience.

I’ve been to El Jalapeño a few times. From here on out, I will refer to it as Bizarro Chipotle because that’s what it is. They may call themselves, «El Jalapeño,» which loosely translated, I believe means «The Jalapeño,» but in fact, they are «Bizarro Chipotle,» which loosely translated, I believe means «Bizarre Chipotle.»
When you enter Bizarro Chipotle, you are greeted by the staff, who appears to be a Mexican family that owns the restaurant. Wait a minute, they’re not Mexican! They’re of some sort of South Asian. I’m South Asian, and I don’t even know what type of South Asian they are. If I had to take a guess, it would be Bengali. If you don’t know what Bengali is, please look it up on Wikipedia now.
Bizarro Chipotle is pretty much like Chipotle except for a number of different weird elements that make it Bizarro. When it comes to the food, I found it sufficient and comparable to Chipotle. I can’t attest to other Unilocal reviewers who think that the ingredients are not as good or that they weren’t provided much stuff on the burrito (then again, how much more unhealthier can Ohio get? Perhaps Bizarro Chipotle is helping you out with limited portions!) From my perspective, I think it’s worth a shot trying out a local establishment like Bizarro Chipotle and see if you enjoy it as much as a gargantuan mega franchise whose restaurants never seem to have adequate parking like Chipotle.
The Bizarro aspects come beyond the food. The décor isn’t anything special. For the amount of space they have and what they’re creating, it’s good enough. But, unless you’re working in the area and on a lunch break, it seems better suited to just take your Bizarro Chipotle to go or otherwise you’ll be entranced by their one HDTV inexplicably showing an episode of «The Bold and the Beautiful.»
On one specific occasion, I met the man who is responsible for social media for Bizarro Chipotle. To begin with, I’m not really sure why Bizarro Chipotle needs a social media representative for what appears to be a small, family-​owned restaurant. As they are of the South Asian variety, one would believe they would be up on their technology. It was even more of a concern when the social media representative openly told us that his home had been robbed thanks to someone monitoring his FourSquare check-​ins. Their Facebook page currently has 123 likes, which may mean 123 more houses that could get robbed.
The staff at Bizarro Chipotle is extremely nice. Specifically, the one young man who seems to have no life but to always be working at Bizarro Chipotle asks how your meal is going every time I’ve been there. They keep the place clean, and genuinely care that your experience at their restaurant is going well. They clearly would like to see you come back (as I have), but it’s sad to see that not that many people ever appear to be there even during the lunch hour. Why is that the case? Well, discounting some unique options in that plaza including Café Kabul, Sushi Ting, and Fortune Chinese Restaurant, Bizarro Chipotle is blocked by competitors that include:
1. McDonald’s — Seriously, you’re going to go for crap, quick fast food over trying a new local place attempting to clone better crap quick fast food?
2. Applebee’s — 14 minutes or it’s free? How speedy is your life that you must have an entrée at a sit-​down restaurant but it must be as fast as possible? Why not just have a delicious burrito at Bizarro Chipotle?
3. Raising Cane’s — Okay, I can’t fault you for going to Cane’s. It is delicious.
Bizarro Chipotle reminds me of The Dream Café on «Seinfeld.» They seem like a nice staff that is working hard to make their product a success, but there are so many weird elements to it that not enough people are going. At the end of the day, do you want to make these people the next Babu Bhatt or do you want to be a very nice person like Jerry Seinfeld? The answer is in your heart (which may be getting clogged if you are consistently eating the variety of food options in this plaza).
Bizarro Chipotle also has a «Buy 5, Get 1 Free» card allowing you to get a free burrito on your 6^th visit. I’m really banking on making that happen before this place closes. I also wish a free sombrero came with it. Perhaps the social media representative will see this post and make it happen, and then I can feel like Elaine Benes with her Sub Club card. Yes, multiple «Seinfeld» references in one Bizarro post.
Main point: if you’re in the area and in the mood for Chipotle, try out Bizarro Chipotle and see how you feel. Otherwise, seriously, are you all looking forward to this place going out of business and become an income tax agency or cash checking joint again?

I want so, so badly to be able to write something about this place without comparing it to… that other place. I mean, how many people can leave a review saying the exact same thing? Can’t a poor café be judged on its own merits?
Probably not when not only the concept but the layout of the food counter and the available ingredients (with a few exceptions) are identical.
The only differences between what I ended up with here and what I get there are that my burrito was toasted briefly (nice touch), it contained jalapenos (how apt), and it was much smaller than is typical at… some other place.
It was tasty, it was fast, it was cheap, and the guy was nice. But the restaurant itself felt really blah. Like, über-​fast foody. Like, I couldn’t have imagined sticking around and eating there. It was fine for takeout.
I like supporting local businesses when I can, so I might return here in a tossup between this and… that other place. Unless I’m in the mood for getting more burrito for the buck. Yeah, I can see that being a dealbreaker.

Another Chipotle knock off, still reason to try since we all love the concept and know it works.
They can’t come close.
The space looks nice, bright clean and the prices seem fair.
We got the burrito, quesadilla and chalupa, $ 6 each inless you want steak its a buck more.
The ground beef looked nasty, complete mush so we asked to try to chicken and steak first, I didn’t like either, the man said the steak was ok so we got one with steak the rest just veggie, which says alot that my men sacrifice meat for just veggie, especially if it costs the same.
They are extreamly stingy with the toppings, I wanted to scream at her «really you are just putting in one spoonful of rice, what sprinking pintos in there (it couldn’t have been more than 10 beans) so I got every veggie and sauce possible to get my moneys worth, even the fire salsa is not spicy.
There is no real flavor going on.
The quesadilla is exacty like the burrito just folded not rolled, so little cheese they should just call it a dilla.
The chalupa with flatbread just doesn’t work, not crunchy, just fried thick bread.
Not disgusting, just not worth going back to.