Chicken Caesar wraps, the celebrated TikTok sensation, have quickly made their way to the DMV. After gaining popularity on social media, with New York City’s Milano Market and Lenwich going viral for the chicken caesar wrap, the trend is prevalent in Montgomery County as well.
Caesar salad originated in Tijuana, Mexico, in 1924 when, while running low on supplies, restaurateur Caesar Cardini quickly threw together romaine lettuce and parmesan to keep hungry American tourists fed. Over a century later the recipe has barely changed, but with the addition of a tortilla, customers are more hooked than ever.
To determine the best chicken Caesar wrap, I set out with my friends, juniors Gabi Estrada and Hailey Goldberg, trying seven local places: Chopt Creative Salad Co., Panera Bread, Pura Vida Miami, Sweetgreen, Ted’s Bulletin, Trader Joes and Whole Foods.
7. Panera Bread
To even call our meal at Panera a “wrap” would be unfair. Instead of the traditional tortilla and crunchy lettuce shell, Panera offered a new menu item, Salad Stuffers. Salad stuffers featured a warm, hollowed out baguette, loaded with caesar salad ingredients, romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, croutons and Caesar dressing. “Normally my favorite part of the chicken Caesar wrap is that it tastes refreshing and healthy, instead the panera stuffer tasted heavy and more like hospital comfort food,” Goldberg said.
6. Ted’s Bulletin
Ted’s Bulletin was the most formal restaurant on our list and also featured the largest wrap. However it was unfortunately flimsy and fell apart easily, similar to a messy sandwich. “I wanted the Ted’s Bulletin wrap to be delicious because I love brunch there but it just tasted like they wrapped up a salad loosely, it didn’t have that crunch that a wrap should have,” Estrada said.
5. Pura Vida Miami
The Pura Vida wrap cost $21.95: $22 for lettuce in a tortilla?! The price alone was enough to give us a negative bias when trying the wrap as it needed to be absolutely amazing for us to consider the price worth it. While the wrap was definitely of good quality the location’s crowded atmosphere and high cost kept the wrap at fifth on our list.
4. Sweetgreen
Sweetgreen is infamous for trying and failing with new menu items. First they tried “Plates” in 2023, then air-fried, nutrient dense “Ripple Fries” in 2025, and now after debuting their, way too oily, “Wraps” it is clear that the chain should stick to their classic salads.
3. Trader Joes
Coming in at number three the Trader Joe’s wrap was good, however it didn’t stick out to me. “I love Trader Joe’s but their wrap was small and nothing special,” Estrada said.
2. Whole Foods
While I have a personal bias towards Whole Foods as it is the first chicken Caesar wrap I ever tried, its wrap still remains amazing nearly a year later. The wrap is perfect for eating on the go and is unique for its lettuce shell, in addition to a spinach tortilla, with chicken and caesar salad layered in rings inside.
1. Chopt
Unlike every other wrap on our list, the Chopt wrap is fully customizable. I choose to add in avocado and remove cheese, while Estrada adds broccoli and Goldberg adds cranberries. While Chopt is incredibly slow and I would recommend placing an online order ahead of time, the final wrap is indeed worth it. “Chopt is the absolute best, it is a massive wrap loaded with whatever additional ingredients you’d like and it always tastes crunchy and fresh no matter what,” Goldberg said.
