Lunch Break Quiz: Chipotle vs. Baja Fresh

Welcome to a new edition of Lunch Break! For the past few years we’ve scoped out the nutritional content of our favorite lunch spots here in Washington, from Potbelly to Pret a Manger. Now it’s time to test your knowledge with our handy Lunch Break quiz. 

This week we’ve pitted two of our most-read Lunch Break posts against each other: Chipotle and Baja Fresh. Take our quiz and find out how the Mexican fare at the two hotspots stacks up. 

Chipotle

Burrito with carnitas

A flour tortilla filled with carnitas, cilantro-lime rice, sour cream, roasted chili-corn salsa, and cheese.

Baja Fresh

Nacho burrito with steak

A spicy burrito with jack and cheddar cheeses, black and pinto beans, rice, jalapeños, smoky queso fundido, salsa crema, and crunchy tortilla chips.

It’s not much better than Baja Fresh’s nacho burrito, but it does have about 400 fewer calories. Consider ordering a bowl version instead.

With a whopping 1,347 calories and 50 grams of fat, this is a meal no one should eat. There’s also a scary 3,224 milligrams of sodium.

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Chipotle

Chicken burrito bowl

A tortilla-less bowl with chicken, brown rice, black beans, fajita veggies, green tomatilla salsa, and sour cream.

Baja Fresh

Wahoo Baja bowl

A tortilla-less bowl with grilled wahoo, rice, beans, roasted vegetables, onions, cilantro, and salsa verde.

It’s a great source of protein at 46 grams, but at 625 calories and 22 grams of fat, it can’t compete with Baja Fresh’s grilled fish option.

The grilled wahoo bowl has a decent 589 calories and contains just 6 grams of fat. Just watch for the high sodium content.

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Chipotle

Salad with carnitas

Romaine lettuce with carnitas, pinto beans, roasted chili-corn salsa, cheese, and vinaigrette.

Baja Fresh

Shrimp Baja ensalada

Romaine lettuce with shrimp, tomato, cotija cheese, pico de gallo, and tortilla chips.

It’s a hefty 760 calories and contains more than a day’s worth of sodium.

At a snack-worthy 230 calories, this salad packs in 28 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber to keep you sated.

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Chipotle

Barbacoa soft corn tacos

Three soft corn tortillas filled with barbacoa, brown rice, fajita veggies, and green tomatilla salsa.

Baja Fresh

Americano soft taco with steak

Two tacos with steak, grilled flour tortilla, lettuce, tomato, salsa, and jack and cheddar cheeses.

Three of these tacos come in at just 575 calories and a nice 32 grams of protein. Add salsa for an extra 9 grams of fiber.

Just two of these tacos pack more calories than three of Chipotle’s. Plus each one only contains 2 grams of fiber, so you’re likely to be hungry soon after lunch.

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Melissa Romero