The cost of things these days? Far too expensive! Inflation, supply chain, giddy price gouging from proprietors large and small—the boring factors are too numerous to count. To protect our readers, Racket recently launched the Best Budget Bites series, where we’ll showcase a toothsome, wallet-friendly food item that’ll actually fill you up. Have a nomination? Hit us up: tips@racketmn.com.
What: Chicken snack wrap
Where: Toma Mojo Grill, Richfield and Minnetonka locations
Cost: $2.99
Availability: Daily, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Let's begin by addressing the long, winged shadow cast by the McDonald's Snack Wrap.
The simple product—grilled or crispy chicken strip, shredded cheese, veggies, and sauce wrapped in a flour tortilla—was introduced in 2006 only to be discontinued in the U.S. 14 years later. They were reportedly tedious to assemble, per Business Insider, and once franchisees had to juggle the logistics of all-day breakfast, the snack wraps lost out. But since their removal from menus, a steady drumbeat of "Bring back the McDonald's snack wrap!" has thudded across the internet; the fast-food giant made headlines last December when it teased the triumphant return... of a similar item, and not until 2025.
Which brings us to a stroke of marketing genius from Toma Mojo Grill, which we first learned about last week via Eater Twin Cities. The fast-casual, Mediterranean-inspired chicken joint launched by two fine-dining vets just introduced a value menu that, by 2024 standards, features jaw-droppingly low prices. The star of the show? Three riffs on the McDonald's Snack Wrap—piri-ranch, spicy, or mango, available roasted or crispy—for $3 each. Also on the menu: $3 humus wraps, $2 drummies, and $2.50 fries, plus $3 Hamm's and Fulton hard seltzers to wash it all down.
We chomped the six possible variations snack wrap variations earlier today for lunch, and are happy to report that, while not mind-blowing, they do arrive at the platonic ideal of the $3 chicken wrap. The steamed flour tortillas and shredded iceberg lettuce will transport you back to the McDonald's drive-thru circa '06; they're just vehicles and window dressing, respectively, for the two categories Toma Mojo knows how to nail: chicken and sauces.
The tenders aren't skimpy, and both roasted and fried arrive piping hot—a nice contrast to the cool lettuce and sauces. Juicy and tender, the chicken looks and tastes like actual chicken—a welcome contrast to the dud pieces you'd sometimes get at McDonalds, which felt like chewing Gollum's slippery tongue. The roasted chicken pops with marinated flavor, while the heavily breaded fried chicken delivers satisfying crunch. Of the delicious house-made sauces, the sweet and subtle mango might reign supreme, though you can't miss with the legit kick from the spicy or the creamy notes of the piri-ranch. It'll probably take two wraps to deliver on the Best Budget Bites fill-you-up promise, but you'd still be well below the unofficial $10 threshold we've yet to breach with this series. Hell, have three!
Quality comfort food at fair prices fits the Toma Mojo ethos, as described to us last year by co-founder Mike Knox.
“Paul [Backer] was enamored with what was going on in 2011, with the foams and the tweezer tongs,” Knox says of his Toma Mojo partner. “I think he got tired, and he learned that complexity doesn’t always equal flavor. When you’re drawn into food, it’s usually not haute cuisine that hooks you. It’s a hamburger, a slice of pizza, something you got when you’re a kid.”
BBB Hall of Fame
