As I explored The Columbus School’s cafeteria, I was immediately struck by a number of aromas from the various meals being served within that crowded glass building. The lunch options varied from Cuban sandwiches and gourmet salads, to skewers and chicken grills accompanied with french fries and magnificent Colombian arepas.

However, what caught my attention was the newly implemented taco and burrito section, which according to students, has become increasingly popular over the past months. I stepped into a long line, reassured of this section’s success. As I reached the front, I was greeted by a huge smile from one of the most beloved cafeteria ladies, Jenny, who asked me if I wanted a burrito, or a taco.

This decision has been something with which almost every High School and Middle School student has to deal with every day, which was an immediate indicator that I should eat both meals and through a thorough analysis decide which was better.

Taco: 5,000 COP

Just like in the popular American, fast food chain restaurant, Chipotle, customers get to choose the ingredients they want to be put in their tacos. One can choose between chicken and beef, as well as three sauce options, different  vegetables, and refried beans.

I chose to fill my taco with refried beans, a bed of lettuce topped with minced beef and pico de gallo, melted mozzarella, guacamole and sour cream. The tortilla was tasty and crunchy, and its saltiness helped highlight other flavours within the taco. The guacamole was fresh as well as the lettuce and the pico de gallo. The vegetables felt like they’d been freshly harvested and brought to my plate that same day. The beans were soft and had a hint of smokiness, giving them a bold and delicious taste which complimented the juicy and tender minced beef.

The taco was a bit of a struggle to eat, seen as It crumbled a bit after a few bites. I noticed several people around me who were having the same problem. However, with careful bites and maneuvers, I was able to eat all of it, and it ended up being kind of fun.

The taco was a regular size, which was disappointingly small taking into account its flavour and price. Most students agree that one should have the option to order one taco and fries, or two tacos, instead of having the first option as the only option.

Burrito: 6,500 COP

The contrastingly soft flour tortilla is placed in a warm plate, and like the taco, customers choose between the same ingredients to put in their burrito.

For the sake of objectivity, I made my burrito with the exact same ingredients as the taco and found that most of the delicious complementing flavours were still there. However, the flour tortilla had a completely different effect. It was warm, and soft, and had a bland taste which overshadowed the smokiness of the beans and the strong flavours of the guacamole and sour cream.

I expected the burrito to be an easier and neater meal, but the result was the exact opposite. The amount of ingredients in the burrito, didn’t allow for it to be folded properly, which lead to a pile of the burrito’s insides, falling out the back and into my plate.

As they were closely sealed into the tortilla, some of the ingredients such as the pico de gallo, the juicy meat and the guacamole started leaking a mixture of juices that also fell into the plate as I bit into my burrito. These juices were constantly falling on my hands and making an unpleasant mess out of the whole meal. As I finished, I ended up throwing away my plate with a nasty mixture of fall-out ingredients that were now impossible to eat without a fork and a knife.

The burrito was noticeably larger than the taco, and contained more of each ingredient. This resulted on a feeling of satisfaction, that was definitely an advantage from the taco, and made it worth its slightly higher price.

Final Thoughts

Both options are as healthy or unhealthy as one wants them to be, and all ingredients are of great quality and taste. The taco is somewhat better in taste which can be attributed to it’s corn tortilla which gives it crunchiness, saltiness and flavour. The taco is also cheaper and easier to approach and since the tortilla doesn’t need to be heated up, it’s quicker to make. However, if one is looking to have a larger and more filling meal, the burrito is the way to go seen as it has a notably larger size compared to the small taco.