National Burrito Day falls on the first Thursday of April every year, which means today, April 2, 2026, is the one day restaurants across the country compete to hand you the cheapest, or entirely free, burrito they can manage.
The deals are real, most of them require a rewards app, and several of them expire at the end of the day. Here is everything worth knowing before you decide where to go.
What Is National Burrito Day?
The holiday has no official governmental recognition, which is honestly fine. It exists because restaurants decided it should exist, and the competition among chains to offer the best deal has made it genuinely worth paying attention to.
The burrito itself has a longer history than the holiday. The word appears in Mexican dictionaries as early as 1895 and means “little donkey” in Spanish, a name that likely refers to the way the tightly wrapped bundle resembled the packs carried by the animals.
Burritos arrived in the United States in the 1930s and became a staple of Tex-Mex and Mexican-American cuisine that now spans everything from fast food to upscale restaurants.
The first Thursday in April became the unofficial celebration day, and in 2026 that lands on today.
Chipotle
Chipotle has the most elaborate deal structure of any chain participating this year.
The main event is the Burrito Vault, a digital game the chain launched in 2024 and has brought back for 2026 with a new feature called Double Protein Power Hour.
The game runs through April 1 into today, with prizes distributed hourly from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern.
To play, Chipotle Rewards members visit UnlockBurritoDay.com and attempt to guess the exact burrito order combination.
Players get four attempts per hour. The first person to crack the code each hour wins free burritos for a year.
The next 3,600 winners each hour receive a BOGO entrée reward. After those are claimed, 2,000 double protein rewards are awarded.
The new Double Protein Power Hour occurs once randomly each day, during that hour, all prizes and proteins are doubled, meaning the first two players who unlock the vault win free double protein burritos for a year, and 7,200 BOGO double protein entrées are available.
More than $2 million in total prizes are on the line across the campaign. To be eligible, you must be enrolled in Chipotle Rewards, sign up at chipotle.com/rewards.
Beyond the vault game, Chipotle is offering free delivery today on orders of $10 or more placed through the Chipotle app or chipotle.com.
Use the code DELIVER at checkout. Note that this applies to digital orders only, and higher menu prices apply to delivery orders in most states. The free delivery promo is valid today, April 2, only.
Qdoba
Qdoba Rewards members get a free burrito or bowl today when they purchase any entrée and a drink.
The offer excludes quesadillas. It is valid in-restaurant and online, and the reward will be automatically loaded into eligible members’ accounts.
Check your rewards wallet in the Qdoba app or at qdoba.com/rewards today to access it. This is Qdoba’s “Burrito Insurance” promotion, and it is one of the stronger deals of the day, a straight BOGO that does not require a game or code.
Moe’s Southwest Grill
Moe’s is offering BOGO free burritos, bowls, and Moe Value Meals at participating locations today. Rewards members can redeem the offer online.
Non-rewards members can get the same deal in-restaurant on April 2 by mentioning it at checkout. Moe’s rewards members also receive an entry to win free burritos for a year with any April 2 purchase.
The sweepstakes runs today from 9 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Eastern, you can enter by scanning the Moe’s app at checkout or commenting on Moe’s official Facebook or Instagram posts on the giveaway announcement.
Del Taco
Del Taco rewards members, Del Yeah! Rewards, get a free Classic Burrito with any purchase of $3 or more today.
Save the offer in the Del Taco app or at deltaco.com and select it before checkout. Valid at participating locations only.
El Pollo Loco
El Pollo Loco Loco Rewards members get a BOGO free offer on chicken guacamole burritos, queso chicken guacamole burritos, or chipotle chicken guacamole burritos when they buy one online or through the El Pollo Loco app today.
Sign up for Loco Rewards at elpolloloco.com if you are not already a member.
Freebirds World Burrito
Freebirds is selling Freebird-sized burritos for $5.95 today in-store, unlimited while supplies last. Rewards members can also order up to two burritos online using the code FREEBIRDS.
The Freebird size is the chain’s largest format, which makes this one of the better straightforward value deals of the day.
Bubbakoo’s Burritos
Bubbakoo’s rewards members get BOGO burritos today and yesterday using promo code BURRITODAY during online or in-app checkout. The offer runs April 1 through 2.
Baja Fresh
Baja Fresh is selling $5 Baja Burritos with chicken today at participating locations. Limit one per person, valid in-store only.
Rewards members who make any purchase today also receive a $5 off $20 coupon loaded into their rewards account for future use.
Torchy’s Tacos
Torchy’s is offering $5 Breakfast Burritos in-restaurant today until 2 p.m. at participating locations.
The breakfast burrito includes cage-free eggs, refried pinto beans, crispy potatoes, chorizo, green chile queso, and mixed cheese in a flour tortilla, served with roja salsa and tomatillo sauce. The chain says it delivers 49 grams of protein.
Tijuana Flats
Tijuana Flats customers can get a discounted Tijuana Burrito with chips today, and can also add a free “Make It Wet” upgrade, smothered in gold queso, queso blanco, or spicy chipotle sauce, using promo code SAUCED26.
Chronic Tacos
Chronic Tacos loyalty members get BOGO free burritos through the Chronic Tacos app today, excluding the California Burrito and Surf and Turf Burrito. Valid April 2 only.
Condado Tacos
Condado Tacos is offering half off all burritos today. No code required. Valid for dine-in customers and those ordering through the chain’s app or website. Not valid on third-party delivery platforms.
Dog Haus
Dog Haus rewards members who redeem a $3 Haus Burrito today, all $3 going to charity No Kid Hungry, will receive a BOGO reward for Dog Haus’ Bad-Ass Breakfast Burritos redeemable any time through April 30.
Farmer Boys
Farmer Boys VIF (Very Important Farmers) rewards members get BOGO 50 percent off any breakfast burrito today, exclusively through the Farmer Boys app.
Tocaya
Tocaya rewards members get a free side of chips and guacamole with the purchase of any burrito today at participating locations.
Pancheros
Pancheros is giving away 10,000 free burritos today. The chain will share four different codes on their social media accounts, Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTokm throughout April 2.
Loyalty app users can enter a code in the app to redeem a free burrito.
What To Remember
Almost every deal listed here requires either a rewards membership or a download of the relevant app.
If you have not already signed up for the chain you want to visit, most apps allow same-day enrollment, but give yourself a few minutes before you get in line. Nearly all of these offers are valid at participating locations only, which means not every location of every chain will honor them.
Go early where possible. Popular chains tend to exhaust their promotional inventory before the end of the day, particularly on deals that are not capped by quantity.
The Chipotle Burrito Vault prizes in particular reset hourly but are limited within each hour, so earlier attempts in each hour give you a better shot at the BOGO rewards.
National Burrito Day is also a good day to check your local taquerias. Smaller, independent restaurants often run their own deals that do not make national roundup lists and sometimes offer better food for the money than any chain can match.
