Critic Rating: 7/10

Jacqueline Hong:

For many students at Townsend Harris, Chipotle is a go-to fast-fast food restaurant for a relaxing, delicious meal. Unique compared to several other fast-food chains, Chipotle uses real ingredients prepared on-site. The menu offers a taste of Mexican-inspired cuisine, including burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and burrito bowls. Chipotle also provides rice, different varieties of meat, vegetables, cheese, sour cream, chips, guacamole, salsa and other toppings that create a customized meal. However, controversially debated across the country among customers are whether beans should be added to the meal. 

Beans are a great source of protein, iron, fiber, as well as antioxidants that add to the flavors and textures of the burrito, taco or bowl. Rice with beans is a classic combination, contrasting the salty and strong flavors with the rest of the meal. 

Quinnlan Burke:

When going to Chipotle, and ordering, the employees ask you a few simple questions, “white or brown rice? What kind of meat? With beans or no beans?” 

The wording of that last question is striking, “bean or no beans?” At Chipotle, so many customers don’t enjoy beans that employees find it easier to specifically ask while ordering. The truth behind why people don’t want beans in their bowls or burritos is because it ruins the Chipotle experience. 

Unlike in food like chili, where the slightly grainy yet mushy texture of beans aids the hearty and flavorful soup, the texture of beans destroys the burrito bowl. The fluffy rice, tender meat, and several other toppings added are completely thrown off by the inclusion of beans. 

The beans overpower everything in a chipotle bowl. If ordering for take out, be prepared to come home to soggy rice swimming in bean juice. If lucky, the marinated chicken can go from being the mainshow to something you may be able to taste in the back of your mouth. If paying the extra $3 for guacamole, say goodbye to the creamy, subtle avocado undernotes in every bite, as the beans immediately destroy any balance avocado brings to the burrito. 

No beans or nothing.