NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. — Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is opening a new restaurant concept in Santa Monica, Calif. Farmesa is a California-inspired eatery serving customizable bowls featuring a protein, green or grain, two sides, a choice of five sauces and a topping option.
Dishes include Santa Maria-style grilled tri-tip steak, everything spice-crusted ora king salmon, whipped potatoes, golden beets, sprouted cauliflower and sweet potato chips. Beverage offerings include organic drinks from Tractor Beverage Co. along with still and sparkling water.
The restaurant will open with an abbreviated menu and limited hours initially.
“One of our strategic objectives is to create or invest in emerging culinary spaces and restaurant concepts that fit within Chipotle’s food with integrity mission and make fresh food daily,” said Brian Niccol, chairman and chief executive officer. “Our New Ventures team, which was created in 2022, developed a unique restaurant concept that uses classic culinary techniques with flavorful ingredients in a fast-casual setting that we’re excited to test and learn on before we determine a broader rollout strategy.”
Farmesa is located in the Kitchen United Mix food hall and will offer pickup and delivery through marketplace apps including DoorDash and Uber Eats.
“Launching Farmesa in the Kitchen United Mix food hall in Santa Monica and partnering with third-party partners for pickup or delivery will allow us to reach a large number of consumers, learn quickly, and evolve our concept and menu so that we can deliver on our goals before expanding,” said Nate Lawton, vice president of New Ventures at Chipotle. “We believe there’s an opportunity to serve premium, craveable food every day and we’re eager to bring this new concept to life.”