Review of Chipotle’s New Garlic Guajillo Steak

Seasonal items. Limited time offers. New tastes. Complete menu overhaul. Whatever tactics they employ, chains aren’t just vying for our attention. They also fight among themselves to see whose balls shine the brightest. This year alone, colleague Emily Heil and I have written about the Big Cheez-It Tostada at Taco Bell, the steakhouse burgers at Arby’s, the pizza bowls at Papa John’s, and the French toast sticks at Wendy’s. Some were as shiny as the bumper of a ’54 Buick.

By design and temperament, Chipotle hasn’t been the type of chain that dresses up like a rainbow-glittered horse to get you to come over to the house and play. Chipotle believes in “53 ingredients you can pronounce,” not mac-and-cheese sticks dusted with atomic orange Cheetos powder as artificial as the Las Vegas Strip in the middle of a desert. In the midst of the clown car that has become the quick-service industry, Chipotle has managed to maintain a shred of dignity, at least with menu development, if not always with labor conditions.

Papa John’s new pizza bowls are a bad execution of a bad idea

In recent years, when Chipotle introduced a limited-time item, you might not even notice it until you clicked through the main menu to select a protein. Last fall, the chain ignored those who shunned beef and rolled smoked brisket, and earlier this year Chipotle added pollo asado to the menu, though both are now just memories. Before the pandemic, the company tested a handful of dishes for potential inclusion on the permanent menu. Four years later, it seems a few made the cut, including the quesadillas, which you can only order online, presumably to prevent a drag on the line at the store.

You have to give Brian Niccol, chairman and CEO of Chipotle, a lot of credit. The guy who, during his time at Taco Bell, basically threw everything at the wall to see what would stick, has changed his sidewalk-performer shtick to match the more philosophical Chipotle’s ethos. The results speak for themselves.

Chipotle’s latest limited-time offering is garlic guajillo steak that can be wrapped in your favorite protein carrier: burrito, bowl, salad, quesadilla, taco, or any ingenious hack you can convince the counter staff to accept. To be honest, the garlic guajillo steak, based on the ingredients list alone, sounds a lot like the preparation for the pollo asado, although as always, the devil is in the details.

The new protein, available starting Wednesday, begins with cuts of top sirloin and tri-tip (usually sourced from the bottom sirloin), which are marinated, grilled, seasoned with garlic and guajillo peppers, sliced, then finished with a squeeze of lime and chopped coriander. The garlic guajillo might be pollo asado in stud clothes, but you know what? I do not care. These things are as flavorful as mass-produced beef gets, down to the not-insignificant heat of guajillo and chipotle chiles, a pair of peppers not exactly known for their ability to ignite the palate.

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My issue, as always, is how Chipotle’s excellent proteins are regularly enhanced by lesser ingredients. Despite its reputation for quality products, Chipotle is a company that makes its nuts by relying on fillers: rice, beans, salsa, lettuce. That’s why your burrito is, you know, $12 and not $16 or more. The model, of course, is the reason for Chipotle’s mass appeal: It caters to both snobs and students, a few demographics with some overlap.

But here’s the thing: Can I ask Chipotle to create another menu? Allow guests to order the equivalent of a hot skillet filled with chicken or barbacoa or garlic guajillo steak. Pair these proteins with flour tortillas, fajita veggies, and salsa. Let’s pack the tortillas with all the meat we want so we don’t have to jury-rig the dish ourselves. What I’m asking for is basically a fajitas platter with the tasty strips of garlic guajillo steak. I would pay whatever you want. Really.

Brian Niccol, can you make it happen?