Boloco Burritos

A good place to get a burrito or a bowl with plenty of options for toppings. Firstly, I love the restaurant from the inside. Its clean, and its ambiance is excellent. Staff is pretty helpful with explaining the process of ordering. They have options for smoothies too and these looked very appealing, but I was content with just getting an original sized bowl. Good options for vegetarians. I love places where you have the power to customize how your food is place, and Boloco is a good place to go try out different combinations of burritos or bowls.

Unique spot for lunch if you are sick of the usual sandwich spots around Dupont. You have the option to order online, from an iPad when you walk in, or from the cashier. I chose the iPad option because it allowed me to take my time and not feel rushed in picking my toppings which by the way are unlimited and free! (i think extra protein is an upcharge though)
I tried the Tikka Masala original bowl and was impressed with the fresh ingredients and normal sized portion (i.e. not too huge that it put me in a food coma). Unfortunately, my ability to pick toppings needs work, or maybe I should have picked more options. I felt like it was missing something so I will need to come back and give it another try.

This place is amazing… chipotle who? All the ingredients are fresh and organically filling. No matter what your appetite they have something to satisfy you. They are certainly not shy with options and get this no added cost. Service was impeccable. This global inspiration truly made my day!!!

A more diverse Chipotle-​themed tex mex burrito joint. They do burritos, burrito bowls, chips & dip and smoothies. The burritos come in 3 sizes: mini, small and regular. While the burrito from Chipotle is humungous (bigger than even the regular size), boloco burritos does have a wider variety of options from the tortillas to proteins to ingredients.
My burrito of choice is the cajun burrito. It has sour cream, black beans, brown rice and corn salsa with cajun spices and whatever protein you’d like. I ordered the mini size and that’s what it was, the size of a starbucks espresso shooter can. Nonetheless it was tasty although the price was high (4.50). The chips and guac are decent but I can’t tell the difference between their guac with Chipotle’s guac. Their smoothies are my favorite, I love the nutella smoothie.
There’s a kiosk that you can order from if you’re paying with credit card or the loyalty card. You can also order online through your smartphone too which is convenient if you’re in a rush. Overall, Boloco Burritos has the variety and diversity plus the smoothies. If you want larger sized burritos at a cheaper price, do Chipotle.

I often write on Unilocal!but I rarely write directly to the establishment when I have a great experience, but a great experience it was as my first time.
I went to the DC location on 19^th Street for the first time earlier this week (in the pouring rain!) and was so very pleased with the entire experience – from the kiosk ordering to the waiting and watching the awesome big-​screen TVs to actually chomping down greedily and quickly on the burrito – a custom-​made burrito with so many toppings, all for $ 6.99. I must say, this is hands down the best burrito place I’ve been to ever. I ordered it with pinto beans, grilled tofu, lettuce, cheese, boloco rice, and the masala sauce. So scrumptious! I can’t wait to come back.
They even have a membership card so repeat diners can collect rewards. I love that!
TLDR version: Fast, quick, affordable, delicious, and conveniently located near businesses galore. This fights with the Well-​Dressed Burrito for my #1 burrito place downtown. Chipotle not in the running? Not even close.

I’m actually sitting inside Boloco right now. They have free wifi, which is a nice perk for a fast food restaurant. I ordered a bowl, but I cannot seem to finish it because it is FAR too salty (and I am not usually that sensitive to salty foods). Overall the flavors are good, but very similar to Chipotle, there’s just too much salt. I feel like I need to wear a Camel-​bak for the remainder of the day to rehydrate. Also, the food takes a while to prepare, and it’s not busy here at all.
I think next time I will go to Protein Bar across the street. Even though, now that I think about it, the food at Protein Bar doesn’t seem to have very much flavor, and Boloco’s flavors are overpowering… maybe they should just merge and create one restaurant called Boloco Bar, then the food will be just right.
Four stars because of the free wifi and overall decent atmosphere, 2 stars for the food. I’m not mathematician but I think that averages out to three.

Boloco lands somewhere between a 3 and a 4 star place, depending on what you order/​what you’re looking for.
The good:
1) Boloco has TONS of options, ranging from thai peanut sauce to grilled veggies, to black beans.
2) The servings are generous and you can pretty much get whatever you want on your burrito/​burrito bowl.
3) They have a loyalty card.
4) The ingredients seem fresh.
5) Nutella milkshakes.
The not so great:
1) The place is disorganized and confusing… and I’m talking about the staff, menu, and tastes. Get ready for some major confusion. The tastes of the ingredients are all individually great, but don’t necessarily all go well together (let’s face it… everything goes well together at Chipotle). The staff also seems a bit confused on every level, beginning with the ordering on a touch screen which can’t be edited without a bit to-​do. It’s just a strange place. I don’t mind it, but it is certainly not for everybody. That being said, give it ia try! Inexpensive, quick, and easy.

You know the rule: Ask and you shall receive!
The staff are really friendly and really do want to create a great customer experience.
PRO TIP: You don’t need to pick a bowl or burrito off the menu, YOU CAN CREATE ONE and add as many topping as you want!

Kept walking by this place, and it sounded awesome, so one night when I had some time to kill before an event, I stopped in. The staff was friendly. I ordered the terriakki bowl. I liked that the broccoli was fresh, and the steak was really good. However, the sauce was super salty (and I LOVE salt), and overall it just tasted like one of the chicken terrakki bowls I get in the frozen section of the supermarket for three times the price. Overall, decent food, but, I probably won’t be returning.
If I’m in the mood for a burrito, I’ll just walk the extra few blocks to Chiptole.

My coworkers and I were very excited to try Boloco as it recently opened in the area we frequently grab lunch during work. Sadly it was more of a frustrating experience than an enjoyable one. Perhaps the ‘loco’ in the name is derived from their organization and management style.
Let me start with the good stuff… the interior is modern/​industrial and their menus are organized in a thought tree style – very fun. The food is on the cheaper side – about $ 7 – 9 per bowl. There is a chalkboard wall where customers are encouraged to doodle. And there are kiosks where you can place your order on a touch screen to bypass the line. This was very cool… until the girl behind the counter said they had run out of printer paper and weren’t aware they should be preparing our orders. This was after my 5 coworkers and I had waited for 15 minutes and inquired why folks behind us had received food and we had not.
Once we had received our food, we squeezed into their biggest booth and began to eat our long awaited lunch. All of us agreed that it was mediocre at best (between us we had a custom bowl, a teryaki bowl, a thai bowl, and a thai wrap) but the portions were fair. My one coworker joked that the food was akin to Baja Fresh, which he so aptly renamed as ‘Baja Meh.’ Good idea, good portions, but nothing to write home about.
The Unilocal rating for 2 stars couldn’t be more accurate for this place…‘Meh. I’ve experienced better.”
I would 110% recommend going to Rice Bar next door for a similar style of food that is way better quality.

This place seems to be competing for Chipolte’s business… maybe it was just the combination of what I ordered, but, the ingredients did not taste as high of quality as Chipolte. I tried the mini bundle — 2 mini bowls — with Tikka Masala with chicken and Cajun with beef. Both were just ok.
These bowls may have left something to be desired, but, at least it’s real food. Does not seem as processed as some places. Not bad, just not great. I suppose it hits the spot for fast casual, but, truthfully, I’d rather just have Chipolte.

Slow! I ordered on the computer for convenience and there is no line for the lady at the register… Absolutely insane how the line of like 10 people waiting to pick up their orders at 4:30 in the afternoon.
BUT the soy berry smoothie is FABULOUS.

I work in the area and come to Boloco often for lunch (about 3 – 4 times a month).
First the good:
— I really like the classic mexican burrito. It’s delicious and the small size option is perfect for lunch. Get this every time!
— I also love the smoothies! Definitely something different from other lunch spots.
Ok the bad:
— There is a major disconnect between the branding/​communications and the actual experience you have. For example, there’s a sign in the restaurant that says something to the effect of «For 5 star in-​person service, head this way» and then you get to the cashier to be greeted by an employee who clearly doesn’t want to be there and gives you attitude when you ask questions about the menu. No clever slogan or marketing gimmick is going to make up for bad service. If anything, it just magnifies the disconnect.
That being said — I do find that the Managers and people making the food/​calling out the orders are friendly and helpful. For some reason, it’s always the cashiers who provide awful service, time and time again.
Yet I still come back… cause it’s convenient and that classic mexican burrito is just too good.

I love the idea if teriyaki, spicy Thai, or Mediterranean salad in my burrito. It’s an appetizing concept and no doubt it was great. Just the right amount of rice, sauce, and veggies in each burrito. It’s not over bearing like moe’s or chipotle.
The most unique experience is self-​ordering at the touch screen register. You can customize your order and pay without needing to bother anyone. Of course there are other «human» registers available if you need to talk to someone. You pick up your order by order number or name.
I’d say its a great place for a quick burrito during your lunch hour. If there ever is such a thing.

I walked 8 blocks with a few of my coworkers to try out Boloco. Was it worth the walk? Yes and no…
I love the inside of this place. Plenty of comfortable seating, super clean, and just an overall nice décor.
They have self serve kiosks but its up for debate if it actually makes ordering quicker. Cool touch none the less. You have tons of options to choose from but everything is easy and simple.
My burrito was pretty good but there wasn’t as much chicken in it as I’d hope for. You have the option to add extra meat for a little over $ 1 more. I opted to add all white meat chicken which was a bit over $ 1 so I decided not to get extra meat. My order was already close to $ 9 at that point anyway. Once I added a drink it was closer to $ 11! For 1 burrito and a drink?! For some reason I feel that the meal should at least come with chips for almost 11 $…
It was definitely satisfying. I wasn’t stuffed but I damn sure wasn’t unsatisfied. The portion is just right. I was a little torn by this for some reason lol. I guess I’m just greedy.
—What I spent—
1 Original Cajun Burrito
1 Small Drink
$ 10.46

So many free toppings and Tofu is also offered. What’s to complain?
I got original size and it was very filling. I guess Chipotle can be more filling but you can get similar one if you ask more beans and rice to make your burrito more substantial.
Try teriyaki or thai peanut sauce. They are surprisingly good and go well with beans and rice and even cheese. Sounds strange? You just have to try it. If you want boring bean/​rice/​salsa/​cheese/​sour cream with meat burrito, you can go to somewhere else but at Boloco, you should explore all different options.
Milk shake is the MUST-​TRY.
PS: Check out the board ‘Friendly deal’. You can get discount milkshake or some deal. Also, Online order gives you 10% discount!

I have decided to go ahead and give Boloco 4 stars now, mainly because their customer service is so awesome. You can tell that they are really concerned with how people like the food.
While I still think that the burritos lack a bit of flavor and could use a little more meat, I have found one that I like: the Memphis BBQ burrito with pork carnitas and bacon. The smoothie milkshakes are also very good, especially the Nutella and the Cookie Monster.

Boloco recently opened up next to work, so I decided to give it a try. When I got there, the place’s quite packed & there’s a line there.
You can either make your own burrito or get their recommended ones. I decided to go with their Tikka Masala ($ 5.93) — Masala Sauce, Brown Rice + Meat of your choice. I went with their steak, which’s seasoned quite nicely. However, the thing with this burrito is that after your 1^st few bites, it got boring. There’s really not much else going on, no veggies & no other sauce. It has potential, but they definitely need to add more stuff to their Tikka Masala burrito.
Conclusion — I think it’s pretty cool that you can make your own burrito. However, they really need to step it up with their recommended burritos. For $ 5.93, I’d rather go to Chipotle honestly…

If Chipotle and ShopHouse were male twins and had a threesome with a female Taylor Gourmet, Boloco would be the baby.
In other words, it comes from a burrito and «ethnic» being inside a hipster-​esk, trendy-​ish, MacBook-​toting chocha.

Ah, Boloco, how I’ve missed you. We were so tight in grad school, but I had to relocate, and during our separation, I was sad. I could still smell your enticing scent. But, we are reunited at last and I’m one happy chica.
I love Boloco. They focus on fresh, sustainable ingredients and do burritos with a global twist (think Thai or BBQ), though you can still get a more traditional version. I always make my own. The original size is way too big for me, so I usually get small. Even though I went for the grand opening, staff was super friendly, and they gave out samples of Nutella shakes (which were awesome).
The inside is quite nice — lots of space to sit, different configurations (tables, stools, lounge chairs), outlets, etc. Can’t wait to return.