7 Chain Restaurants That Use The Lowest-Quality Guacamole

"Guac is extra." Every Mexican-style chain restaurant eater has heard this phrase enough to repeat it in their sleep. The versatile condiment is the perfect addition to many a dish (or just with a side of chips) and plenty of chain restaurants have added it to their menus. When forking out cash for guacamole, you anticipate something fresh. But, sadly, many popular chain restaurants fall short of our reasonable expectations when it comes to the avocado mash. 

Instead of offering that delicious scoop of guacamole like Chipotle is known for, an alarming number of eateries drop the ball when it comes to the citrusy spread due to low-quality ingredients or poor execution. To help you avoid a mouthful of mush, we rolled up our sleeves and searched the web, hitting up X, Reddit, and other sites, to find out which chain restaurants diners think have the lowest-quality guacamole around.

America runs on Dunkin', but it needs to run away from the coffee chain's avocados. While it doesn't sell guacamole specifically, the company offers an avocado spread on its toasts and flatbreads. The idea of creamy avocado on your breakfast sandwich is enticing, but reviewers tell a different story.

Dunkin's avocado spread is made with avocado, sea salt, black pepper, and lemon juice. However, many shared sentiments that the lemon juice was overbearing to the point that you couldn't taste anything else. One Redditor complained, "All I could taste was lemon with a little bit of avocado and sea salt," while another agreed, saying, "All I could taste was LEMON. It should be called lemon toast." Aside from the taste, diners also complained of the spread's off-putting texture. 

It could be the preservation method Dunkin' uses that detracts from the authenticity of the food. Lemon juice helps prevent avocados from turning brown, but the chain clearly went overboard in its execution. In addition to Dunkin's drinks reviewers say you should avoid, you might want to skip the avocado spread too and order a bagel with cream cheese instead.

Taco Bell has built a loyal fan base since its launch in 1962, and patrons love the chain's tacos, burritos, and more. The guacamole, on the other hand, is a different story. In fact, to say that Taco Bell could do better in the guac department is an understatement, as reviewers have noted the flavor and texture are both off.

One X user took to the keyboard to state: "Taco Bell said they make the guacamole fresh every morning... with what? Green acid?" Diners also took to Reddit to voice their negative opinions, writing, "Seriously, what is this green slime they call guacamole? [...] It also borderlines on being flavorless to tasting like literal rotten avocado." Another Redditor agreed with the poor flavor, noting, "Tastes like sour lemons and nothing like avocado/guac." While you can try the best Taco Bell menu hacks to enhance your meal, it seems that none of them will make the chain's guac taste any better. 

There are 99 things wrong with Subway's breakfast menu, and guacamole is one of them. Technically, you'll find avocados, not guac, in its breakfast items, but we digress. The point is, unless you want to play Russian roulette, biting into a mouthful of either garlicky spread or slimy nothingness, don't order the green stuff.

Subway is no stranger to controversy. From its scandalous "yoga mat" bread that has since been phased out to allegations that its products contain high fructose corn syrup, the company has seen dark days. While it has made strides to improve, the chain's guacamole remains a let-down. Despite its promise to "Eat Fresh," the green stuff tastes of chemicals and looks like it was squeezed out of a tube. With all the complaints that the guac is just a slimy, smashed avocado paste, this is one you will probably want to just avoid ordering.

Filiberto's will have you screaming, "Holy guacamole!" and not in a good way. The Southwestern chain claims to be "Arizona's favorite Mexican food, though the origins of the accolade are unclear — ask some Arizonans and they'll flip the script. From poor service to cold food, the casual dining chain seems to have some struggles. It's labeled as "Mexican jail food" by some locals and only has two stars on Yelp. We're guessing this assessment is largely influenced by the avocado-based condiment. 

The overarching sentiment of the restaurant's guacamole (if you can call it that) is astoundingly negative. Some describe it as a sauce, while others refer to it as "avocado salsa". One Redditor stressed that the chain's "disgusting green sludge" shouldn't even be called guacamole. Considering it's nearly flavorless (at best) and borderline inedible (at worst), the green slop is definitely not worth the mess of eating as it runs down your burrito. A reliable store-bought guacamole would never do you dirty in the same way as Filiberto's would.

Taco Del Mar actually does a decent job of serving semi-fresh, partially healthy food for a fast food chain. The brand, based out of the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada, boasts coastal Mexican food that gets above-average ratings online. But while its flavorful fish tacos and oversized Mission-style burritos are a hit, a quick look-through at online reviews reveals that the chain's guacamole misses the mark. 

Online, the guac looks picture-perfect, displaying a palatable bowl of the creamy green dip with fresh chunks of avocado that tantalize the taste buds of onlookers. However, pictures can be deceiving. While Taco Del Mar boasts that its guacamole is made fresh daily,the reality, according to the countless customers who lived the distasteful experience firsthand, is that the guacamole is often brown or stale. Furthermore, on some mornings, Taco Del Mar workers put a little too much elbow grease while preparing the food, resulting in a soupy consistency with lumps. Besides being off-putting, that watery-like texture will make it a challenge to eat.

Do you really trust another fast food joint starting with "taco" to get guacamole right? In the words of one customer on Facebook who sums up the sentiment of the masses, "If Taco John's was the prize at the end of a race, I would run backward," while another claimed it tasted like "overpriced Temu food." Considering all the hate, it's no surprise that Taco John's guacamole is disappointing. 

Along with an unnaturally smooth texture, Taco John's guacamole has a bland, forgettable taste that adds nothing to your meal but empty calories. All that and the business still has the nerve to ask you to dish out extra cash for the pile of green stuff. It's probably wise to avoid the eatery altogether. But if you are stranded and starving with no other options in sight, just make sure to stick to the chain's salsa rather than guacamole.

As a disclaimer, Qdoba doesn't deserve as much criticism as the other chain restaurants on this list. But, although it excels in producing spicy, smoky, and satisfying queso, it doesn't make a decent guacamole. While it may be made fresh, its watery consistency and bland flavor hint that the restaurant may be using highly processed, mass-produced avocados.

Many weigh Qdoba on the same playing field as Chipotle, meaning it's got big shoes (or burrito bowls) to fill. The internet loves pitting the two restaurants against each other, and almost every time, Chipotle comes out on top, mainly because the because it boasts a higher tier of quality control.  Diners complain that Qdoba's guacamole features chunky avocado pieces, a lack of lime juice, and a thin consistency. 

The silver lining? The chain's guac actually comes free with your meal. But you know what they say — you get what you pay for. If you value a zesty and fresh variation over cost and convenience, you'll be better off making guacamole with a secret ingredient from home, packing it in an airtight container, and slathering it onto your burrito instead.

We searched the ends of the internet to make sure that we got the most accurate conclusions so that you get the best guacamole to pair with your meal. To start, we established what exactly makes guacamole bad — things like watery or slimy textures, too little or too much seasoning, and the addition of preservatives. 

We then sifted through internet forums like Quora and Reddit and rating sites such as Yelp and TripAdvisor. We also researched countless blogs, YouTube, TikTok videos, and Facebook posts and comments to determine which chain restaurants fit the mold.