5 Ordering Tips To Get The Best Chipotle Burrito Bowl

One of the best things about going to Chipotle is how customizable your orders can be. No matter what you get, you are able to choose between multiple options of just about every element of your dish. But perhaps nothing on the Chipotle menu has more customization options or more room for tweaking than the burrito bowl. And we've got some of the best tips around to help ensure that your Chipotle burrito bowl is the best it can be for your particular tastes and preferences.

To be clear, we won't be recommending any tweaks that transform your burrito bowl into some secret menu item or otherwise turn it into something that is no longer a burrito bowl. Everything on this list is about making simple tweaks to your burrito bowl without needing to dish out any extra cash other than some pocket change. And while you can do most of these tips by ordering through the Chipotle app, you'll get the best results — particularly when it comes to getting specific amounts/proportions of things — by trying these suggestions in person.

A Chipotle ordering hack that everyone should not only know but use every time is asking for extra portions of burrito bowl ingredients that don't come with an upcharge. Double meat is obviously out — though we've got a little hack about making the most of the meat options for free in the next entry — but pretty much everything else on that ingredient table can be requested in larger portions at no additional charge. So if there's something you want more of, get more of it! Just be polite, ask nicely for your extras, and be on your way.

Notably, some customers have reported being charged for extra rice and beans, despite Chipotle insisting that that isn't its policy. So those examples are seemingly isolated incidents, and for what it's worth, most of the examples we found of people claiming this happened to them were from several years ago. So it might not be something you need to worry about. Either way, if you don't want to be caught off guard by unexpected upcharges, you can always call ahead to the Chipotle location you plan to go to and confirm which extras are free and which ones come with an additional cost. 

Want to mix and match the meat in your burrito bowl without paying for double meat? Go half and half! You can order two of Chipotle's meat options in one burrito bowl; you'll just get a half portion of each that will then combine into one full portion of protein. This allows you to try different meat combinations without having to pay for double meat. Just be aware that you'll be charged the price of the more expensive of the two meats you choose.

Halving things shouldn't stop at the meat, either. You can also do half white and half brown rice for a satisfying blend of the white rice's softer texture and the brown rice's earthier, nuttier flavor (not to mention its higher fiber count). Likewise, you can split the bean portion of your burrito bowl equally between black beans and pinto beans to mix the textures and flavors of the two legumes. While this should go without saying, you don't have to choose only one of these half and half combinations. Do all three of them in your next Chipotle burrito bowl to get as many of the available flavors into a single dish as possible. 

Unlike almost everything else at Chipotle, there is only one type of cheese available, so you can't choose between multiple options. Other than asking for some extra pinches of that tasty Monterey Jack cheese, there is one other request you can make when adding cheese that is a total game changer. Next time you order you Chipotle burrito bowl, ask the worker to add the cheese to your bowl right after they've added the meat.

By putting the cheese directly on top of the meat when it's still at its hottest, the cheese can melt a bit into the meat, completely transforming the flavor and texture of each bite. Now, people have strong opinions on this, with many feeling like cheese isn't supposed to be melted in tacos or burritos. If you're one of those people, we respect your stance, and this hack isn't for you. But if the idea of melted cheese on a burrito bowl sounds intriguing to you, try having it sprinkled over your protein of choice the next time you order.

There's a reason we didn't just lump salsa in with our previous recommendation to try various Chipotle burrito bowl elements half and half. While you should definitely mix and match various salsa combinations, doing so requires a bit more thought about the type of flavor and level of heat you are looking for than splitting the rice or the beans.

For example, Chipotle's tomatillo-red chili salsa has gotten more spicy, so you may want to pair it with a salsa that tames that added heat a bit. In that case, you'll want to do half red chili salsa and half fresh tomato salsa, the latter being the mildest of the four Chipotle salsas. If you want as much spiciness as possible while still getting a mix of more than one salsa, the move would be to pair the two tomatillo chili salsas together, with the tomatillo-green chili salsa bringing a medium heat.

It really all depends on what you are looking for, and it's something you'll need to experiment with until you find your ideal blend. You can do any combination of two or three, or just go for all four if you're so inclined. Just keep in mind that you can order that second, third, or fourth salsa on the side and try it on just a few bites to see what you think of the mix before you commit to it for your whole burrito bowl. 

While many of these tips are directly related to burrito bowl construction, this one is more of a way to elevate your potential burrito bowl leftovers. And in this case, that means having an extra tortilla on hand. Unfortunately, a tortilla is no longer a free add-on for a burrito bowl like it used to be, which is also why we needed to add the addendum that one of these tips wouldn't be 100% free like all the others.

Still, you should be able to get one for just $0.50 at most U.S. locations, so it's still cheap enough to throw it in with your burrito bowl order. In doing so, you then have the option to either take whatever portion of your burrito bowl you didn't finish and turn it into a taco to have for lunch the next day, or go ahead and help yourself to a side taco at the same time that you eat your burrito bowl. It's certainly much cheaper than the $2 to $3 bucks that a side of chips — another way to utilize your burrito bowl leftovers — will run you.