In anticipation of the opening of Chipotle’s new location in town, I decided to revisit some of Sioux Falls’s most popular Mexican restaurants. With this popular food chain finally entering the competition next October, some might be curious as to which restaurants will fair the best against this new rival. 

Qdoba, arguably THE best Mexican restaurant in town, opened its doors to Sioux Falls consumers in 1999. Since then, it has become a staple spot for teens, families and adults to grab a deliciously cheap lunch or dinner. The thing that makes Qdoba stand out the most compared to other eateries is their customer service. Because I eat at Qdoba at least once a week, I have become quite familiar with many of the workers at the 57th and Louise location. The majority of the workers that I see frequently actually look like they enjoy working there and are very friendly, unlike at the other places. 

As I am an extremely picky eater, my order at Qdoba is almost always a kid’s cheese quesadilla. It takes only a few minutes to prepare and is relatively cheap for the amount of food you receive. For only $4.89, including tax, you get a small quesadilla, a side of your choice and a drink. For broke teens, like myself, this is a great deal. 

Located across the street is Pancheros. While not nearly as popular in Sioux Falls as Qdoba, Pancheros has still managed to keep its doors open. One of the most popular complaints amongst customers is that their food is very “average.” This held true with the $5 cheese quesadilla that I ordered. It wasn’t bad, but it was not anything out of the ordinary. Pancheroes ranked 18th out of 28 Mexican restaurants in Sioux Falls with a 3.5-star rating. Qdoba, on the other hand, which ranked 11th with a 4.5-star rating, has Pancheros badly beat.

Next, I decided it was finally time to give Giliberto’s a try. Ranked 7th with a 4.0-rating, Giliberto’s is a hotspot for many teens because of its 24-hour service and very affordable prices. Fellow Statesman staff writer, Avery Nelson, and I had heard about the hype from an overwhelming amount of our classmates, so we knew we needed to give it a shot. 

I ordered a ground beef and cheese burrito ($6.75) and a churro ($1.80), and Avery ordered a chicken burrito ($6.75) and a churro. The wait time for the food was relatively short; however, when I bit into my burrito, grease began to drip out the bottom. By the time I had eaten all that I could have of the gigantic burrito, the pool of grease had grown very large and was foul looking, to say the least. Surprisingly, the churro did manage to make up for it though, and it was a good way to finish off the interesting experience.

Lastly, my family and I went to Jacky’s. Ranked 1st, Jacky’s has quick, hospitable service and quality Latin food that many people swear by. Even though it is a sit-down restaurant, unlike the others, Jacky’s maintains a reasonably priced menu with tons of different options. This being said, I still opted for a cheese quesadilla for $8.99, which happened to be one of the best quesadillas I had ever eaten. Along with this, we were given free chips and ordered the $5 queso, and I was beyond satisfied with my meal.

After eating Mexican food for four days straight, I’ll be taking a much-needed break from takeout food and cheese, but through this process, I have determined what restaurants will be able to stand their ground when Chipotle arrives. Jacky’s takes spot number one because of its speedy service and outstanding food quality, while Qdoba follows close behind in second place. In third place is Giliberto’s because of the leaky burrito I received and in last place is Pancheros.