Chipotle-Style Burrito Bowl

History & Origin

The burrito bowl is one of the most intelligent and successful creations of the Chipotle Mexican Grill chain, founded by Steve Ells in Denver, Colorado in 1993. Ells, who had trained at the Culinary Institute of America, wanted to bring the authentic flavours of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine to a fast-food format without sacrificing ingredient quality. The burrito bowl was born from a simple but brilliant observation: many people preferred to eat the contents of a burrito without the tortilla - whether for health reasons, a low-carbohydrate diet, or simply because they liked it better that way. The proposition was radical for the fast-food industry of the 1990s: fresh ingredients, cooked daily, without preservatives, in generous and customisable portions. The coriander and lime rice is perhaps the most iconic element of the Chipotle-style bowl - a preparation that fans of the chain have been attempting to replicate at home for decades. The success of the burrito bowl demonstrated that Tex-Mex food could be reinvented to satisfy the tastes of more health-conscious consumers without losing its flavourful and comforting essence. Chipotle became a cultural phenomenon that forever changed consumer expectations of fast food.