Chipotle Lovers Told Mashed Which Limited Time Meat Was Their Favorite- Exclusive Survey

Chipotle, like most fast food restaurants, has a menu that's fairly limited in scope. Such economy of scale, after all, helps put the "fast" in fast food. Still, over the years, the restaurant has learned how to keep its menu as fresh as its ingredients by adopting a trick used by many of its competitors: introducing special "limited time" options. Rather than rolling out new entrees a la you-know-who's McRib, though, Chipotle frequently adds new meat options that can be used in its burritos, bowls, salads, and tacos.

These new meats of Chipotles are a mixed bag, however. Some become fan favorites, while others don't go over so well. In this exclusive Mashed survey, 582 burrito eaters weigh in to tell us which of these meats they prefer and might even like to see back for a second round (just in case Chipotle's open to hints). Among the five choices, these being carne asada, chorizo, garlic guajillo beef, pollo asado, and smoked brisket, the one that comes out on top is something that drew mixed reviews back when it was still available on Chipotle's menu.

Chipotle's smoked brisket, a menu option that was available in the fall of 2021, was something that some people called too dry or a bad fit for the menu in terms of flavor. Nonetheless, 33.16% of our poll respondents still retain some lingering fondness for this meat. Coming in a not-too-distant second, however, is the carne asada, 2019's chunky little meat strips that were about as tender as you'd expect from fast food steak (meaning, not very) but are still missed by 29.73%.

Garlic guajillo beef is a more recent offering. In fact, it's still on Chipotle's menu at the time of writing, but when it goes away, only 15.29% of the people we polled are likely to get upset. This meat is still slightly more popular than the pollo asado, though, as only 14.09% choose this as their favorite Chipotle meat. While this all-dark-meat chicken dish was introduced in spring 2022, it seems to have disappeared from the menu already and may go down as one of Chipotle's bigger flops. Pollo asado fans can take some consolation, however, in the fact that their favorite managed to beat out Chipotle's chorizo, at least. This surprisingly flavorless sausage, off the menu since 2018, is a meat that only 7.73% of our poll respondents could love.