If you haven’t heard of Chipotle, the chain has a following for their Mexican food done fast in clean, sleek spaces, and really catapulted that trend to the national spotlight. Chipotle very rarely alters their menu, and even now it’s quite simple: burritos, bowls, salads, and tacos, all with three meat options and now also their Sofritas.
Sofritas came about during what was originally a test for chorizo, and you can taste that with all the adobo, roasted tomatoes, and poblano peppers working together in spicy harmony. They’re using Hodo Soy’s tofu, and trying to keep everything to local farms who are simply making good food.
I ordered a burrito bowl, piled high with Sofritas, brown rice, black beans, cheese, lettuce, and a slew of their salsas. Their portions are huge, that’s for certain, but the toppings are well-balanced for getting a bit of everything in each bite. I definitely recommend ordering the sofritas with black beans; even the manager, a self-professed carnivore who now eats it twice weekly, felt the flavors worked more harmoniously. Topped with cheese, the mix of spiced tofu, beans, and brown rice was hearty, comforting, and, most importantly, didn’t feel remotely like a sacrifice at the altar of flavor.
Whether alone or in a bowl, Sofritas works. I definitely caught the chew of tofu, but in general it tasted like a variation on chorizo, warm with cumin and adobo. It’s going to be a good one for introducing carnivores to Meatless Monday. Given how rarely I visit fast food chains, I may have to make an exception.
For now, you can only get Sofritas as an option on the West Coast, so hopefully they’ll expand it out soon so everyone can give it a shot.