Qdoba Mexican Grill

This is the worst burrito you can find within 5 miles of Harvard square. Chipotle is about five times better and Felipe’s is at least ten times better. The meat is overcooked and oddly flavored; the salsa is mediocre, soupy, and overpowering; nothing is particularly fresh, and the burrito is mostly filled with rice and cheese. I don’t understand how they stay in business.

Without question, the best burrito place in the square. Here’s why:
1. Queso, like the MELTED kind IN your burrito. Damn. And also the shredded kind for added texture.
2. They don’t charge for guac and there is NO SOUR CREAM in it like at Anna’s.
3. The burritos are huge. HUGE.
4. Friendly staff. Clean.
5. The quesadilla is a tortilla folded in half, not in thirds like at other places… so the stuffing yummyness gets distributed more evenly.
6. They have that soda machine that requires a factorial do determine the number of combinations one can enjoy.
(But I don’t drink soda. I’m on a diet)

I have no idea how I can devour that massive burrito as well as chips, oh the gluttony! But, I love every single minute of it, even though I feel a little bloated afterwards.
First things first, the staff here is really nice and polite, like, they treat you well. If you want to try a sauce or salsa, just ask, and they will give it to you. And, when I ordered chips and salsa, got the salsa, but not the chips, they have me the chips without worry or questions asked!
The ingredients are all fresh and tasty, and very well in balance. Although, if you, like me, like lettuce, you should ask beforehand to have some extra lettuce put in there.
This place has two things that (I think) are unique… Guacamole is free, and they have ground beef, and delicious queso diablo sauce.
WIll probably be returning soon, and maybe trying something a little less gluttonous!

I enjoyed the deal that they offered, however when I brought my Chicken Quesadilla home it was like everything was smooshed and definitely not as good as when I had it at Station Landing. I probably wouldn’t come here again.

took kind of a long time to order and i think it’s a tad more expensive than felipes.
but, happy customer

Just got to Harvard Square after traveling for 7 hours and needed food in my stomach ASAP. I saw Qdoba and immediately knew that Mexican food would hit the spot.
The restaurant was empty and I immediately decided to get the «Naked Burrito»…sounded pretty appetizing.
The rice tasted very authentic to what you find in Mom and Pop tacqueria and the chicken was juicy. By the end of the meal, I was pretty satisfied.
I only wished the restaurant had some chipolte sauce! Other than that, it was a fabulous meal.
Go visit!

I prefer Qdoba over Chipotle or Felipe’s (also in Harvard Square) because of the queso. If you haven’t had Qdoba’s queso, you are missing the entire point of going to Qdoba. Get the Steak Queso Burrito and be ready to have your mind blown. Get a side of chips and queso and you’ll be full and happy all day. Qdoba also rocks because they have Cholula hot sauce instead of Tobasco.
I like this location because it’s got TVs going, it’s always clean, and anytime a line starts to buildup they immediately put more people on the counter to speed things along.
Definitely my default «I want Mexican food» place in Harvard Square.

I actually prefer Qdoba to Chipotle. The chicken is juicier and more flavorful — and less expensive!
The staff was friendly as well. This location is right in Harvard Square so I will definitely be stopping by again after class.

I come here for dinner before my Spanish class at the CCAE. Does this count as practice?

Standard qdoba food; greasy, cheesy goodness. However, the people working there were unusually stingy with the ingredients for my burrito. I ended up needing to go back for a quesadilla afterwards in order to get enough to eat. I think they heard us grumbling, though, because they gave us complementary chips and guac. I would have rather just had a full sized burrito.

My favorite fast food joint.
I swear they sprinkle some kind of addictive «cracklike» substance on the food.
How can it be sooooo freakin Good.
When I first discovered them I ate there everyday for a month.
Now it’s just my go to place if I don’t have anymore meetings for the day.
Burping up this fantastic food into prospects faces is quite the deal killer.
I haven’t been to one where the people suck. Always friendly yet professional.
The steak burrito is great. You can have it «your way».
Pay extra for more meat etc…
Unlike Chipotle a scoop of quacamole is onle a buck and a quarter instead of 2 bucks.
I also hear the cows at chipotle are fed better and don’t experience a horrifying death.
Hey I’m down with that.
But the the cows from Qdoba Taste Better…
Can’t speak for the chickens…

I had the worse experience at Qdoba this afternoon after stopping by for a quick snack. My friend and I went to use the bathroom and she went first, so I waited outside since there’s only one bathroom stall. A female employee came through the employee door quickly and tried going into the bathroom by jiggling the door handle. I told her that my friend was already in and she just glared at me and left. I went in after my friend finished, and this same female employee went in right after I did.
About 30 seconds after exiting, I realized that I had dropped my white iPhone 5 in the bathroom so I quickly went back. When she exited I asked her if she found my phone and she said no, but that she would check with her manager. I started to panic but my boyfriend stayed calm and used the «locate my iPhone» app for me, as he had downloaded it previously. He initially couldn’t catch a signal so in the meantime I went to look for the female employee, as she didn’t get back to me. She was behind the counter and when I asked her if she had spoken to her manager about the phone, she said that there was no phone found in the bathroom. However, she appeared to be lying so I was suspicious.
After several tense minutes, the app kicked in and lo and behold, the beeping noise led my boyfriend to locate my phone in a box located in their kitchen shelf! When my boyfriend heard the noise he simply walked into the kitchen and the (male) manager met him. My boyfriend explained that my phone was missing and that it had been located by using the app. At this point my boyfriend asked me to point out the employee, and when I did she went BALLISTIC and started yelling and screaming at us, denying that she had taken it. I calmly explained to the manager that she was the only one who went in after me and it was clearly evident that she had stolen it because it was in the staff kitchen. The manager had to hold her back and she then yelled at me and said I was stupid for leaving the phone in the bathroom.
The manager informed us that this employee would be terminated because of prior incidents, and said she was «really having a bad day.» She stormed out and I don’t know if she returned. The manager apologized and offered us a free meal but we politely declined.
I would be very cautious about this restaurant, as I’m not sure if she was really terminated or not. I’m from Hawaii so I didn’t think it was worth filing a police report, although the evidence would have clearly supported my claim.
If simple honesty is not offered here, can you imagine what they would do to your food if you pissed them off? Very disturbing.

You see me working overtime trying to get my elite badge back!
I flew out to Harvard a few weeks ago, and after I pahked the cah in Hahvahd Yahd (sic), I just had to have some Qdoba because there’s no Qdoba on the Best Coast! We both got the vegetarian burritos, which were HUGE and as big as that of a small Mexican baby. The burrito was fresh overall, with the lettuce likely shipped from a Salinas monoculture.

Burritos the size of a baby’s head. Make sure you keep that in mind when you go buy one here. Filled with nicely seasoned, fresh ingredients. And I’d highly recommend trying their chips and queso. Sometimes when I want a small snack I’d just get an order of chips. They’re that good. I was a bit sad when this location stopped serving breakfast burritos. Those were great.
The staff are nice and there’s plenty of indoor seating. They also have a wide variety of food. Some days I can feel like a taco salad or fajitas if I’m not in the mood for coma inducing burritos. And unlike most places they do serve beef and pork and they won’t mindlessly put the spicy salsa if I ask for the mild one. This is one of my more favored Mexican franchises.

I love burrito chains… Boloco, Chipotle… a few other ones that aren’t as good… but Qdoba tops them all. I remember many years ago trying my first burrito and Qdoba… the thought of a burrito grossed me out because I really was not in to Mexican food… it. was. amazing. I have been hooked ever since. BIG burritos, great taste… can’t beat it.

I love Qdoba!
The food is fresh, the staff (relatively) friendly, and he service is pretty quick. I love getting either the Craft 2 menu or the taco salad.
Get a cup for water!

I’ve always been a Qdoba fan and this establishment seemed to serve up exactly as expected. I ordered a shredded beef burrito and was very happy with the taste, quality and overall experience consuming it!
There are three nice booths beyond the fountain bev area which are much quieter and more intimate than the large, boisterous dining room.

This place is clean, it gets crowded sometimes but when I’ve gone on weekends it was pretty empty.
Try the Mexican gumbo! I highly recommend their Mexican gumbo, it’s a soup made with rice, beans, & corn. It is fantastic — hot, tangy, and perfect for the cold Cambridge winters.
The chicken burrito contains lime-​flavored rice, black beans, salsa of your choice, and spicy (but not too spicy) marinated chicken. It’s blander than Chipotle, so I personally am not a fan. Get the Mexican gumbo instead.

Eww, what a dirty restaurant. The place was not clean. It reeked. My group waited several minutes for the girl behind the counter to acknowledge us, despite the fact that she could see us standing there. She wasn’t friendly at all, and repeatedly gave us ‘what huh?’ looks when we indicated what we wanted one our burritos. NO thanks. Normally, I love Qdoba but this location was awful.
The worst part would be the bathrooms. Do not go in there. Go somewhere else or you may be scarred for life.
So many better options around on Mass. Ave. that there should be no reason for anyone else to find themselves at this particular Qdoba.

Every Qdoba seems to have the same exact rating. 3 stars. I tend to agree with that, particularly this Qdoba. Unlike Anna’s, there’s only one size (oversized). And unlike Chipotle, there really isn’t much of a taste to the whole package, even when you add in the more provocative-​sounding salsas like chili corn (Chipotle also has a corn-​based salsa, but not as well-​named). Overall the burrito is quite boring.
On the plus side, they’re quick, filling, and unlike some places (Chipotle), the burritos stay together throughout the entire process of eating it. So no burrito asplosion. Also, the bathrooms at this one are clean, and the service is generally good. Basically a quick in and out when you’re on the run in Hahvahd Square.