Santa Fe Burrito Grill — Restaurant in Franklin

This local restaurant opened in late May 2015 as a local Mexican alternative to Chipotle. I walked in expecting something wholly different than Chipotle, but it turned out to be nothing more than a knock-off with different decorations. Its menu looks the same, the set up is the same... even the to-go containers are the same.

As far as food offerings, SFBG offers burritos, salads, bowls, tacos and nachos (tortilla chips with queso). Sound familiar? One thing they do differently is that they offer you the choice of having your meal served as a torta (sandwich).

Like Chipotle, you can top your meal here with beans, rice, fresh salsa, cheese, lettuce, and sour cream. Although I had hoped it would taste fresher and more authentic, my hopes were dashed. Alas, the taste was nearly indistinguishable from Chipotle.

Other differences exist between the two. Santa Fe Burrito Grill offers you the choice of having your meal served with either Mexican or white rice (vs. brown or white rice at Chipotle). SFBG also offers cilantro as a topping, which I admit was a nice touch, as it added extra flavor. SFBG also offers Mexican style sodas and homemade flan, which looked really delicious.

So, is it worth it? If you're looking for a slightly less-expensive, mid-priced Mexican restaurant, you'll be happy here. But, if you're looking for something innovative and new, you might be...

Outstanding experience. This restaurant just opened very recently. I took two of my daughters here for lunch today, and all three of us were very impressed.

The owner was the first person in the assembly line, and he was enthusiastic and friendly. And ALL of the down-line food assemblers were friendly and enthusiastic as well, and the burrito-assembly skills were outstanding.

This restaurant is VERY reminiscent of Chipotle, only WAY better. The prices are lower. Frankly, Chipotle beans are dry...not so with Santa Fe beans. And the flavor of the fillings is MUCH better than Chipotle. My two daughters and I all agreed on this.

I don't eat out often, cuz of my budget, but I have decided after today's experience that Santa Fe will be one of my major go-to restaurants from now on when I feel like a little indulgence. I mean, they are no more expensive than any fast-food joint in the area, and their...

This is a nice burrito place with a great atmosphere and friendly people. And I really don't want to say anything negative about it because it's a family owned restaurant and I want them to do well. But honestly, except for the atmosphere, I like Chipotle better. I tried several burritos at Santa Fe, including chicken and barbacoa, and the meat just isn't as flavorful or tasty. And Chipotle claims to be using pasture raised animals without antibiotics, while I don't see any mention of this at Santa Fe. The pricing for both is similar. I think Santa Fe needs to do more to raise the bar so that they can better compete with Chipotle. I was recently at Bueno Y Sano in Acton, MA, and they offer some really interesting burritos, such as Thai style, fajita style, red curry, breakfast burritos, etc. I think this would be a great idea for Santa Fe! They need something like this to make them better...