Restaurant Review: Qdoba Mexican Grill

I recently had the pleasure of dining Gluten Free at Qdoba Mexican Grill. Qdoba is a "fast-casual" restaurant featuring Tex-Mex style food like burritos, tacos, and quesadillas. Before I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I frequented Qdoba and it was a favorite of mine, but I had not been back since going Gluten Free. Qdoba started in Denver in 1995 and now has nearly 500 stores in 42 states.

A quick check of their menu online and you'll quickly see gluten in several places, i.e. flour tortillas. But some clarity is provided on their Allergen information page. The soft white corn tortilla shell is marked as wheat free along with a big variety of other items on the menu.

For my order, I played it safe and went with a naked burrito, i.e. in a plastic bowl. I was not brave enough to get the soft white corn tortilla shells. I asked the worker to change her gloves and for me the risk of cross-contact was pretty low (as low as it can be in a gluten filled restaurant kitchen). Each ingredient is in a separate container and has it's own designated spoon. I ordered the naked chicken burrito and had the following added; Cilantro Lime Rice, Black Beans, Romaine Lettuce, Chicken, Pico de Gallo and Cheese.

The naked burrito was really yummy and big enough for 2 meals. I got a little creative and used my beloved Utz tortilla chips to scoop and eat the burrito rather than a fork. I did not suffer any gluten consequences and will definitely go back.

FYI - Qdoba also has a rewards program called the Qcard. Swipe your Qcard each time you buy Qdoba and after about 10 purchases, you'll be entitled to a free entree. You can get your Qcard at the register when you check out.

Qdoba has 6 Triangle area locations
Raleigh
*424 E. Six Fork Rd.
*3101 Edwards Mill Rd., Ste. 102

Cary
*2222 Walnut Street

Knightdale
*210 Hinton Oaks Blvd.

Apex
*1005 Beaver Creek Commons Dr.

Chapel Hill
*100 W. Franklin St.