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Qdoba Mexican Grill
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Chelsea
216 Eighth Ave
New York, NY 10011
(212) 243-2100
216 Eighth Ave
New York, NY 10011
(212) 243-2100
- Nearest Transit:
-
23rd St-8th Ave (C, E)
23rd St-7th Ave (1)
23rd Street (PATH)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
15 reviews for Qdoba Mexican Grill
I. Love. Burrito. Babies.
No, I'm not talking about thiiis kind of burrito baby: http://www.ehow.com/ho...
I mean a burrito that is so big it's almost the size of a baby. Basically. Okay, I'm kind of grossing myself out here.
I've been such a devoted Chipotle customer that I'd hardly given Qdoba a chance. The thing is, neither are *really* that good. But given the time crunch for lunch, either will do.
Lately I've been really digging Qdoba. Their Ancho Chile BBQ burrito is my main squeeze. I can't help it. BBQ is going to get me every. Single. Time. Delicious quesadillas too.
And see? Now I've also given you a Halloween costume. Win-win.
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I'm a huge fan of Chipotle, but decided to give Qdoba a try. Mistake. Here's a blow-by-blow account of how Chipotle wins:
(CHIPOTLE AND QDOBA...FIGHT!)
The MEAT: Chipotle wins by a landslide. Chipotle's steak is juicy, flavorful, and often rare-ish (delish!). Haven't tried Q's chicken, but Chipotle's is also juicy and flavorful.
The TORTILLA: Q's wins with its more flexible tortilla.
The SALSA: Chipotle by a landslide again. Chipotle's corn is actually sweet, its tomato deliciously tomato-ey and juicy, and its green and red spicy and flavorful. Q's corn tastes like corn (yah, a shock, I know), tomato was nothing to write home about, and green and red were completely flat and unspicy. QDOBA SALSA FAIL.
The TOPPINGS: Q's cheese tastes creamier (and melts better), but that's all that's good. Q has tortilla strips that you can put on your bowl, but they were limp and tasteless. Compare with Chipotle's chips: not free, but thick and salty--delicious. Q's fajita veggies were undercooked and greasy-looking, and Chipotle's are well-seasoned and delicious (I always get extra).
Chipotle ftw.
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Our evening went like this:
Me: Let's get Mexican food!
My Wife: OK! there's a Burritoville on 23rd!
~five minutes later~
Me: WTF? Burritoville is gone??? that sucks! It's all Chipotle's fault! Let's try that fake Chipotle down the street.
My Wife: Pewp... ok.
~five minutes later~
Me: Yup... pretty much like Chipotle, except the rice in this burrito isn't as good. Also, I am pretty sure this isn't what I ordered.
My Wife: These nachos are nearly craveable, though.
Couple walking in the door: WTF? Burritoville is gone???
Me to couple: We just said the same thing
~Couple leaves without ordering anything~
~We finish our meal~
~Ten minutes later my wife has major stomach pains from the queso sauce on the nachos~
~Next day I write this snarky review~
Huge props to the marketing genius at Qdoba who decided it would be a good idea to put one of their guys out on the street (in the freezing cold), handing out samples of piping hot quesadillas. My friend and I, who were wondering where we could grab a cheap bite, cheerfully took the bait and headed inside for more.
MMM.
Cheap and satisfying. The salsa selections, not so great. There is happy hour from 2(or 3) to 7, with $2 beers. And...free chips and salsa with an order! (Really, as it should be, but we all know how some places like to skimp).
Noe was the gentleman who took our order - funny guy. The end.
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I watched somebody get assaulted with a bag of trash here.
Two diners were in some sort of quarrel - one a younger a man and the other a seemingly crazy caned older man. Caned man, after taking his food to go, came back into the restaurant to start poking the younger man with his cane. He poked the guy a few times while he was filling his fountain drink. He then left while the younger man sat at a table near the open window seating. Cane guy returns to knock the younger guys food off the table, to which the younger man responds by throwing his drink at him. Shortly thereafter, the younger man runs out of the restaurant, grabs a bag of trash on the curb and hits the older man with it.
3 stars for entertainment.
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Authentic or not, this place sucks. Here's why:
1) There is absolutely no attention to detail. This begins with the fact that they hire random people off the street to prepare the food in front of you and who proceed to make your item with utter recklessness. They pour bean water inside your burrito. They overstuff the burrito until it tears open, which they never even try to fix.
2) They do not sell full-sized orders of chips and salsa. If you order chips and salsa, you get about 2 tablespoons of salsa. Thus, you must order extra salsa and be charged for it.
3) In relation to #2, the chips are nasty.
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See... here's the thing: you get a mess of tortilla chips (white, yellow, blue, red, whatever), you put a mess of cheese on it (chihuahua, asadero, cheddar, monterey jack, whatever), and you put it in front of me and I WILL EAT IT. Everything else is just gravy (a.k.a. salsa, crema, beans, veggies, pickled jalapenos, and whatnot).
I went into Qdoba. I ordered the nachos. I ate one-third of them. I threw the rest in the trash. THIS IS UNHEARD OF. My bf quite literally couldn't believe they were so bad that I actually said no to a plate of nachos.
The chips are flimsy, the so-called cheese sauce is disgusting and the beans are a bore. It tastes like processed garbage. I haven't tried anything else and -- believe you me -- I never will.
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Why all the hate for Qdoba? I love this place. Yes, even though it's a chain - this is amongst the better chains in existence, and the best of the east coast burritos chains for sure. For the price, the burritos are large and they will make them EXACTLY as you ask for them (I am extremely picky about my burritos); I have had them err once, but I caught it immediately and they apologized and started making me a new one.
My favourite is the ancho chile BBQ chicken burrito, because the sauce is almost mole-esque; it's a little spicy, a little sweet, rich and tasty. I ask for lots of sauce and they oblige. They're also happy to add in an assortment of grilled veggies with my chicken and sauce.
My second favourite burrito is the fajita ranchera, which I like with steak; the ranchera sauce is nicely hot , peppery-tangy and free of vile cilantro. The meats and vegetables are fresh, hot, and high quality; the tortillas are steamed moments before preparation, and the sauces are just yummy.
This location is clean with a reasonable amount of seating, a nice large bathroom, and a corner location which affords natural light. It may not be truly Mexican but the food is tasty and affordable. I always leave here satisfied, for under $10, and you can't beat that.
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Even though all the ingredients are fresh and tasty this mexi-chain has never blown me away.
First of all I love enchiladas and Qdoba doesn't, they aren't on the menu. Also I think you can judge a Mexican restaurant by its guacamole and while Qdobas was extremely fresh it seemed like it was just mashed up avacados, no tomatoes or anything.
All in all for only 7$ a burrito it is a great place for a quick meal.
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I'm not a major fan but Qdoba'll do and considering its proximity to home you'll occasionally find me here eating tacos; likely scowling while muttering something under my breath about missing California.
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Why so few stars for this Qdoba? Not a clue... I'm a huge Mexican food fan born and raised in California and had nearly given up on finding good Mex in NYC until I found this place. Quite simply, I believe this is as good as it gets for fast food Mexican in NYC. The meat is lean, tender and tasty - must try the steak at least once. The 4 salsas are exactly as described - I recommend the spiciest one, not 'I can't breathe' spicy, yet just the right amount to still add flavor and not kill you. Unlimited selection of fresh condiments to couple with your burrito/quesadilla/taco...the queso is good and do the sour cream. If I only could get one thing? Do the burrito fully loaded with all that, the spiciest salsa, and steak, and you won't leave unsatisfied, I swear.
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If you are looking for a good alternative to Chipotle, Qdoba is worth trying. I first experienced this chain in the Atlanta airport, during a very long layover. At that time I had a phenomenal burrito and wished there were locations in New York. Fast forward a year and I realize that there are locations all over Manhattan (I guess all of which are fairly new). My visit to this location was not as mind blowing as my first in Atlanta, but I will continue to go back to see if maybe that changes. Who knows maybe I was just really desperate that day. Even so I still say it is just as good, if not slightly better than Chipotle (which has lost a little of their flavor too).
I had a passable quesadilla for dinner after happy hour last night. And yes, I was toasted, so I probably am not the best judge of the food here. But I know it can't compare to the taquerias back home in California.
I only went here because they sent me a $5 coupon in the mail, and I wish I hadn't bothered. This place is somewhere between Taco Bell and Chipotle, and I probably wouldn't go again. The nachos are just tortilla chips with cold cheese sauce, sour cream and salsa dumped on top. They forgot to put the barbeque sauce on my boyfriend's Ancho Chile Burrito, and the service was bad - a long wait in line because the cashier had no idea what she was doing. Just go to a *real* Mexican restaurant instead!
yes, i am back with yet another review of a mexican restaurant. i think qdoba is great. i think any discussion of its authenticity is just a silly waste of time. so go for some fast food chain style "mexican" food and you'll be totally satisfied. like me. i called tonight at 7:30-ish to order delivery. i got a vegetarian taco salad with extra hot hot sauce and my bf ordered chicken and beef tacos a mix of soft and hard one of each. the order showed up v. quickly and exactly how we wanted it. he went on about how good his was and mine was v. good as well. but my hot sauce certainly was H-O-T. now, i am not one to shy away from heat (my motto is "it's not hot enough unless i am sweating") but i have to admit, this stuff was tough...anyway, i still enjoyed it. a lot. it's all about managing expectations, ya know?
