Fourth Place: Boloco

As the Cambridge weather nears freezing and our workloads call for all-nighters, one thing remains constant in the life of nearly every Harvard student's diet: the burrito.  In this mini-series, we’ll be posting detailed reviews and rankings of grilled chicken burritos from four different establishments (Boloco, Chipotle, Qdoba, and Felipe's) while judging on criteria ranging from temperature to tortilla thickness. By the end, we hope to have made the lives of inebriated wanderers and starving studiers a little easier, while offering an easy tool for Reading Period procrastination—burrito rankings.

Burrito #1: Boloco’s original classic Mexican burrito

Includes: Chicken, tomato salsa, cilantro, cheese, pinto beans, and Boloco rice, all wrapped in a flour tortilla.

+25 points for giving the rice a special name.

Price: $6.25

-200 points for changing the menu and draining poor college students’ bank accounts.

Weight: 1 lb, 3 oz.

+75 points for a sizable portion.

Tortilla: Flavorless and exceedingly chewy. Does not sufficiently retain heat.

-100 points for an odd stretch factor and for failing to keep the burrito toasty warm.

Rice: Moist, but lacking zest.

+100 points for adding succulence, -50 points for nonexistent flavor.

Guacamole: $1.50

-50 points for pricey, yet necessary, guac.

Chicken: Bland.

-300 points for tasteless protein, which should be playing a starring role.

Cheese: Shredded and unsavory—unclear whether cheese was even in the burrito.

-200 points. No melty goodness to be found.

Extras: Cranberry sauce (is this Thanksgiving?) and sour cream (too soupy) are free.

-50 points. Strange selection, stranger taste.

Hours of operation: 7 a.m.-11 p.m. daily

+100 points for offering literal “breakfast burritos,” -300 for closing before the hours that we need burritos most.

Deals and steals: Frequent free burrito days, Boloco Card discounts, and offers for Harvard students—perhaps we can expect a "Snowloco" sometime soon?

+100 points for community spirit, +500 points for loving Harvard, +1,000 for free food!

The bottom line: The Boloco burrito experience was underwhelming. None of the individual components performed particularly well and they never came together as one tasty, cohesive bite. Though Boloco offers an extensive menu of smoothies, shakes, salads, and breakfast items, the classic grilled chicken burrito was not up to par.

Total points: 650

Final Ranking: 4/4