It’s no secret that Chipotle is one of the greatest restaurants in New York City (and possibly the world), but with so many Chipotles out there, sometimes it can be difficult to decide which one to go to. Luckily for you, I did some scientific research and went to five Chipotles on the Upper East Side. I have ranked them all for you here. I’ve come up with what I believe to be the fairest rating system:
- Friendliness of the Staff: Nothing can ruin a meal more than somebody being rude to you right before or during consumption.
- Cleanliness of the Store: I think this one goes without saying. If I wanted to eat a burrito in a dump I’d just take it home to my apartment.
- Front Line Time: Sometimes you walk into Chipotle and there is a huge line, and sometimes you walk in and there’s no line. I’ve timed how long it takes to get from the moment I was helped at the tortilla press until the cashier gave me my change. (Each time was then put in order and given a score based on the other stores I’m comparing here.
- Taste: This one is obviously very important. Chipotle prides themselves on consistency throughout the company as far as the taste of their food. I ordered the same thing every trip to keep the scoring fair.
- Employee Attractiveness: To keep things fair, I didn’t want an attractive employee to boost my overall scoring of the Chipotles, so this became it’s own category.
Everything is scored on a 1-5 scale, with 5 being the highest. I might not be a bio major, but I hope my science helps somebody out there decide on a Chipotle.
3rd Avenue between 68th and 67th StreetsThis Chipotle is arguably the most popular among Marymount students. The problem is that it also is the most popular among Hunter students, which almost always means a long line. This is by far the most convenient Chipotle. It’s sandwiched between Marymount and the 68th Street 6 train stop. There also is an M101, M102, and M103 bus stop directly in front of this Chipotle.Friendliness: 2.5Cleanliness: 3.5Line Time: 2:07.19 (2)Employee Attractiveness: 2.5Taste: 2.5OVERALL TOTAL: 13/25This Chipotle was home of the cute boy who inspired the Employee attractiveness category and I was incredibly disappointed to see that he was not in the store the day that I was there. Otherwise, this is a pretty average chipotle. Nothing spectacular stood out to me in a positive or negative way.
1st Avenue between 70th and 69th StreetsThis Chipotle is a hidden gem. It’s about the same distance as the 3rd Avenue Chipotle except for the crowd is mostly residential, meaning if you go in the middle of the day, chances are you’ll walk right up to the tortilla press. It’s the ideal Chipotle to go to in the middle of the school day if you want to look out of big glass windows and also don’t feel like talking to anyone.Friendliness: 2.5Cleanliness: 2.5Line Time: 2:58.17 (1)Employee Attractiveness: 3Taste: 3OVERALL TOTAL: 12/25This Chipotle was the lowest scoring due to two factors. First, the chips tasted like they didn’t even bother putting lime on them. But, the most important reason for the low score is that under no circumstances should it take three minutes to move from the tortilla press to the cashier. That’s just unacceptable. I was trying to be lenient because an annoying customer in front of me decided to order a quesarito, however the lack of communication among employees was mostly why the line was held up for so long.
3rd Avenue between 84th and 85th StreetsThis Chipotle is the closest one to the 1760 Residence Hall (and my own apartment). I have never gotten along with this Chipotle. Once I had an employee yell at me because I wanted to pay with two gift cards. Also, the drink station is directly in front of the register. It makes the area too crowded and also makes it harder to put soda in a water cup without anyone giving you ‘tude.Friendliness: 3Cleanliness: 4Line Time: 1:41.65 (3)Employee Attractiveness: 3Taste: 4OVERALL TOTAL: 17/25This Chipotle has drastically improved since the last time I had been there. I was pleasantly surprised. The employees were friendly and spoke louder than the music, which is always nice. I went at 9pm and my chips were fresh and still a little hot. This Chipotle also has a very nice brick wall the feels very cozy. Seating is limited, however. If it’s busy you’re better off getting your food to-go.
53rd Street between Lexington and Third AvenueThis Chipotle is the closest to the 55th Street Residence Hall. When I lived at 55th I rarely went to this Chipotle because it’s slightly out of the way if you’re walking home from school. The most exciting part about this Chipotle is the outside seating, if you’re into that.Friendliness: 2.5Cleanliness: 2Line Time: 1:12.35 (5)Employee Attractiveness: 2.5Taste: 3.5OVERALL TOTAL: 15.5/25The store was kind of messy when I got there only an hour after they opened. The food was very fresh though. The best part about this Chipotle was that they were playing New York Groove by Ace Frehley and that song is amazing.
3rd Avenue between 60th and 61st StreetsThis Chipotle is so new that they don’t even have a liquor license yet. It’s right across the street from Bloomingdales and Dylan’s Candy Bar. It’s close to 55th and not too far from school either.Friendliness: 3Cleanliness: 3.5Line Time: 1:26.61 (4)Employee Attractiveness: 3.5Taste: 3OVERALL TOTAL: 17/25I wasn’t expecting such a high score for a store less than a month old, however this Chipotle was pretty much on point with almost everything. The coolest part about this Chipotle are the benches in front of the store, in case you want Chipotle but your grandma wants to chill outside.
I’ve learned two lessons from my scientific research. First, if you really want to eat Chipotle, you might be better off waiting until you’re closer to where you live rather than eating near school, however, if you want to eat in between classes, you have two sufficient options. But, the most important conclusion is that eating Chipotle for five days in a row is only fun if you decide to do it, not when you force yourself.