The opening of Chipotle (165 Alps Rd.) in a brand-new building on the spot of the former Package Warehouse has provoked much excitement in this town, similar to the reaction of Bethel, AK to the news it was getting a Taco Bell, only with a happier ending. If you’ve attempted to navigate its small and tight parking lot only to find yourself pulling an Austin Powers at the end with no through-traffic, you can attest to its popularity. The chain, previously funded by McDonald’s but no longer, is yet another fast-casual Mexican joint, in the same genre as Moe’s Southwest Grill and Willy’s Mexicana Grill, both of which have locations a short walk away. So, what sets it apart? The answer required some gustatory research and inspired a lot of burrito consumption, resulting in this conclusion: where you get your burrito kind of depends on your priorities.

The two main things Chipotle has going for it are simplicity and ethics. There are choices, but the menu isn’t large and the selections after you pick your protein or lack of one are limited: black or pinto beans; mild, medium or hot salsa; chips or no chips; etc. It’s loud in the restaurant, especially at the moment, when it seems to be operating at capacity, so you may have to yell or ask the staff to repeat themselves, but everyone remains in good humor. One of the corporation’s mottos is “Food with Integrity,” meaning that it avoids products from animals raised with antibiotics or hormones and attempts to use organic and/or local produce when practical. Sure, it’s not Farm 255 and Chipotle has had public squabbles here and there, but for a fast-food restaurant, its decisions are admirable, and the chain’s promotion of its values has undoubtedly influenced others in the field.

Your options are: burrito, burrito bowl, tacos (hard- or soft-shell) or a salad, plus sides of chips, salsa and guacamole. Pricing is straightforward, and the line moves speedily. Really, unless you’re counting calories, what you want is a burrito. The tacos are fine, but they can’t stand up to the juiciness of their contents. Sometimes even the burritos can’t, and an explosion near the end of the line means doubling down on the tortilla element. The meat (barbacoa, carnitas, grilled chicken or steak) has good taste and texture and doesn’t feel like it’s been boosted with artificial flavorings. The chips kind of suck, which is the norm for most on-the-go Mex, and the salsa comes in woefully small containers, but the place is on the whole well run and satisfying.

In my heart of hearts, I may still prefer Willy’s, due to its excellent Sinaloa tofu, quieter atmosphere and, to be honest, familiarity. It also has a salsa bar, as do Moe’s and Barberitos (except for the Tate Student Center location), and perhaps the best salsa of any fast-casual in town, which is not to say its sauces can live up to the salsa roja at, say, Sr. Sol, which also serves a knife-and-fork-requiring, decidedly unhealthy but amazingly delicious burrito of its own. Both Willy’s and Moe’s house Coca-Cola Freestyle machines, which enable a rainbow of soda choices out of one nozzle and are a big attraction for kids. The younger set in general is probably best directed to Moe’s, where your progeny can eat for free on Monday nights, but the silly names of the menu items, the loud “Welcome to Moe’s” with which you’re greeted on entering and the excess of choice in ingredients such as cucumbers and grilled mushrooms get on my nerves. The steak also tastes a bit much like some Platonic ideal of “steak,” but the chips are a small step up from the restaurant’s peers.

Barberitos may not actually be healthier than most of its competition, but it’s done a good job promoting itself that way and, like Moe’s, it offers a 10-inch-tortilla-rolled, smaller burrito as a lower-cal option. The problem I’ve always had with it is its confusing pricing, which forces you to calculate mid-order just how much you want sour cream or guacamole, especially when prompted by a different person than the one who originally took your order. The locally based chain also offers more menu items than is the norm, with fajitas and quesadillas alongside the burritos, tacos and salads.

Finally, there’s The Taco Stand, operating for almost 30 years in Athens. The pleasure of T-Stand is the potential lack of choice: all you have to do is give your order once, specify your preference for sauce and hang out while the folks in the kitchen assemble your food. There’s considerably less thinking involved, which makes it ideal for pick-up at the end of a nine-hour workday, and the specialty burritos in particular (Baja, Herschel) can hold their ground against any of the big boys’ offerings. The chips may be extra, but they’re also greasier, saltier and, therefore, better than those at the other burrito places in town.

Chipotle does lunch and dinner every day, is working on a liquor license, takes credit cards and has a patio, should you care to eat outside.