Very Tasty Fast Casual Mexican

I’m sure we’ve all eaten at a Qdoba or a Chipotle. They’re fast casual Mexican places (although we have to put “Mexican” in quotes as their food is not authentic by any real measure) that serve a flexibly fixed menu. You have your proteins, usually a couple of types of beef, a chicken, something vegetarian, how you want it served, from a burrito to tacos to a bean and rice bowl, and then you have a choice of some toppings to go on, which at a minimum means picking your salsa. Everything is put together for you quickly and then you get to wander off and eat it out of a cardboard serving bowl.

It works. It’s convenient, feels fairly fresh, and is arguably healthier than just wandering over to a Taco Bell for lunch. Qdoba and Chipotle aren’t necessarily good, but they’re better than the alternatives (most of the time), and when you have a craving for Mexican eats, they can sate that craving while on a budget. Although, honestly, with the rising costs of fast food, even the part about being on a budget is questionable. And when you factor in health scares (such as the problems Chipotle has had with their food), variations in quality between franchises, and more, it can feel like eating at one of these large chains just isn’t worth it.

Supporting locally can feel like a better option and, at least in Southern Virginia, there is a solid option to get local Mexican eats in a fast casual setting. Chicano Boy has two locations, in Staunton and in North Chesterfield, and both serve the kind of fast casual fare you would expect from a Qdoba or a Chiptole, but better, fresher, and more interesting. Supporting locally is great since you know your money isn’t going to some faceless board of directors lining their golden whatevers. Plus, great food just feels better.

Like a Qdoba or Chipotle, Chicano Boy has the standard options you expect. Their menu first breaks your options down by what kind of dish you’re looking for: tacos, burrito, bowl, salad, or super nachos. Unlike one of the other chains, these selections actually imply the standard fillings and ingredients you’ll get. With a burrito, for example, you’re getting red rice, pinto beans, cheese, sour cream, and guac inside the burrito, plus your choice of proteins. A salad, meanwhile, lists mixed greens, black beans, tortilla chips, and a cilantro-lime green goddess dressing, to be topped by your protein of choice.

I like the ways these are constructed and I don’t mind the lack of extra options in comparison to other places. Wth Qdoba, for instance, their base building blocks are the same, and then they ask if you want white or brown rice, black or pinto beans, choice of meat, choice of toppings. Chicano Boy streamlines it down, but frankly the options still feel the same. Can you really tell the difference between black and red beans from Qdoba when they’re over-boiled and then thrown into a stuffed burrito. Beans are beans. Your choice implies something to care about, but deep down it doesn’t really matter. It’s like the purveyors of Chicano Boy understood this and just took the worry out of the process. “You want a bowl? We got you covered.”

The meats are similarly set up and streamlined. The options are americana (ground beef), beef (brisket), pork (carnitas), chicken, sweet potato and black bean, tofu al pastor, and chorizo and potato. Each also comes dressed with extra toppings, such as the americana having cheese, sour cream, pico, and lettuce included, while the chicken is marinated in citrus, oregano, and garlic, and then topped with sour cream, cotija cheese, and radish. Each protein has some interesting flavors included (such as the brisket coming with pickled onions) that adds a solid pop of flavor.

Honestly, I really love the flavor options here. The brisket is super tasty, moist and well cooked, and the additional flavors, like the pickled onions, stand out even when sitting combined with the toppings and options included on the nachos. I’ve sampled both the brisket and the chicken and, quite honestly, I struggle to decide which one I like more. I have skipped a few other options that don’t really appeal to me (for instance I don’t each much pork, so the carnitas and chorizo options don’t appeal, and the americana feels too basic for me at this point), but just because I don’t like them doesn’t mean others won’t love them.

Also, they have a seasonal shrimp option I really want to go back and try. I just have to find the time to get over to the restaurant since I don’t live super close to one of the locations. But if the chicken and brisket are any indication, the shrimp should be amazing.

Structurally, the food holds up well. The nachos remained solidly crunchy throughout my initial lunch, and even when sampling the leftover I found many of the chips to still be crunchy over an hour later. That’s an impressive feat for nachos. Meanwhile, their burritos are wrapped well and hold up to reheating without the wrappers falling apart. Everything has a really nice balance in construction and assembly, leading to well balanced, easy to eat, and substantive food that doesn’t get gross or weird immediately after you box them up.

I will also note the portions are huge. I’ve never managed to eat a full portion of any of their meals, always having about half left over for later. I don’t consider this a bad thing as I love eating on a meal for two or three servings all day. But certainly this isn’t a quick bite restaurant for their main options, and you should know that going in. Hell, some of their extra sides, like various preparations of crispy potatoes with toppings, feel like they’d be their own, substantive meals. It’s a lot of food and you’re going to leave full.

The best recommendation I can say for Chicano Boy is that it’s a good thing they aren’t in the town I actually live in, and I have to drive half an hour to get to them because, honestly, if they were any closer to me it would be bad for my wallet and my belt size. Their food is so good I’d be there regularly. And I’ve love every portion of it, as well.