First Place: Felipe's

As the Cambridge weather nears freezing and our workloads call for all-nighters, one thing remains constant in nearly every Harvard student’s diet: the burrito. In this mini-series, we’ll be posting detailed reviews and rankings of grilled chicken burritos from four different establishments (Boloco, Chipotle, Qdoba, and Felipe’s), judging on criteria ranging from temperature to tortilla thickness. By the end, we hope to have made the lives of inebriated wanderers and starving studiers a little easier, while offering an easy tool for Reading Period procrastination—burrito rankings.

Burrito #4: Felipe’s super grilled chicken burrito

Includes: Chicken, salsa, black beans, rice, cheese, tortilla.

-50 points for charging 45 cents for sour cream.

Price: $5.00

+1,000,000 points for understanding the penny-pinching student’s plight: this burrito is cheaper than every other by more than a dollar.

Weight: 1 lb, 5 oz.

+300 points for heft.

Tortilla: Pretty flavorless, but less chewy than the others. Neither delicious nor atrocious.

Neutral.

Rice: So much flavor. So much moistness. So, so, so good.

+1,000 points for being the only establishment to succeed in this category.

Guacamole: $.85

+300 points for the cheapest guac yet.

Chicken: Juicy and flavorful.

+1,000,000 for getting chicken right.

Cheese: Melted. Perfect.

+1,000,000 for actually melting the cheese, which went perfectly with the rice and the tortilla.

Extras: Many: five flavors of salsa, chipotle marinated onions, pickled carrots, radishes, jalapenos, key limes, cilantro, and onions.

+500 for a huge selection of free sauces and sides.

Hours of operation: 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday

+1,000,000 for being open—and bustling—late at night, when you’re looking to satisfy drunk cravings while seeing everyone you know.

Deals and steals: None, it seems.

-50 points—we probably deserve something free for all of the business we provide.

The bottom line: Felipe’s offered the only truly fantastic eating experience. The cheese was melted, as it should be, and the burrito-maker mixed the ingredients thoroughly—every bite included every flavor. Another perk? Felipe’s smaller grilled chicken burritos are only $3.90 each. The glory of Felipe’s has never been a secret among Harvard students—as evidenced every Saturday night—but it is now official that its burritos are the best.

Total points: 4,002,000

Final Ranking: 1/4

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons.