The Burrito & Coffee Cart

This was a standard for my coworkers and I for a long time, and Carlos was always a friendly face when we’d get burritos. A neighborhood institution gone too soon. RIP Carlos.

Just wanted to add my thoughts to the family of Carlos. He was a Farragut Square institution and kept us all happy and full for many years. Godspeed.

Carlos will be missed by many. I didn’t realize what an impact he had on my life. Aside from being my go to person for burritos and coffee, he was a friend, someone to talk to. He remembered my kids and the things going on in my life. He was always so thoughtful and his eyes would light up when he talked about his daughter in college and his son. He was a genuinely, sincere, kind man. Carlos — you will be missed.

RIP Carlos. I drank his espresso and got my candy fix from him for five years. He had a great air about him — we didn’t chat alot but he always seemed pretty zen and at the same time energized. I’ll miss him.

Man, this is really sad news. Carlos was a great guy.

RIP, Carlos. You were such a bright spot for everyone at Farragut North, and will be sorely missed. Our thoughts go out to your family at this sad time…

Sad news to report about Carlos Guardado, the wonderful man who ran this cart. According to his wife, he passed away in his sleep Friday, October 1, 2010. There will be two funeral services for him on Tuesday 10÷5÷10 from 2−4pm and 6−8pm at:
DeVol Funeral Home
10 East Deer Park Drive
Gaithersburg, MD 20 877
So bummed to lose this cart. In addition to great and budget-​friendly burritos and espresso, Carlos was my favorite person to talk soccer with. He was also a devoted youth soccer coach with an amazing passion for the game. He will be greatly missed.

I have no idea what everyone’s raving about, since I came away from this place thinking I just had a «poor man’s burrito». It’s just rice, beans, a tad of salsa, and whatever other options (cheese, guacamole, sour cream) rolled into a tortilla. Rice is just rice, beans are just beans out of a can, and the tad of salsa is what gives a little bit of flavor to the otherwise completely uneventful (and un-​nutritious) burrito. It’s like paying to eat spaghetti from a $ 1 box and tomato sauce from a store-​bought jar. Could throw those ingredients into a tortilla myself.
I personally prefer Well-​Dressed Burrito over this place. Well-​Dressed gives you a lot more in your burrito, including peppers and onions and some form of meat (like salmon, beef, and chicken). And the price is about the same.
The cart was a total waste of my money.

Sure I normally want meat in my burritos but Carlos’ beans are amazing. The textures of everything were spot on and I’m willing to stake my CA burrito credibility on it.
Hit up this cart. Bring 6 bucks. Leave Full.

Vegetarian burrito sounds like an oxymoron to me. Having grown up in the bay area where Mexican food is plentiful I don’t remember ever having a burrito without carnitas, pollo, or carne asada. BUT… I really enjoyed this burrito… it had all the burrito flavors without the meat. The Black beans were savory and rice was just right. I love steamed tortilla shells… toasted just seems wrong. I had mine with guac and sour cream = $ 5.75.
Anyhow — I thoroughly enjoyed it and as a meat eater I am pretty darn full and satisfied but without the heavy meat food coma…
This might be a good place to go if you’re a guy and want to go on a lunch date with a vegetarian.

I can’t say enough great things about the Carlos Guardado Burrito Cart. I have eaten 2 – 4 burritos here per week for years. The salsa and beans are so good, I don’t even mess around with the more fatty toppings. Pure and simple, with the subtle dash of cinnamon in the beans. Carlos is my favorite lunch in DC, probably in all the world.

In a head-​to-​head match up between Carlos’ Burrito & Coffee («B&C») Cart versus John’s Pedro & Vinny («P&V»), B&C falls short by a hair. But it’s a very close match up. Both food stands offer vegan and vegetarian burritos at $ 5.00 (tax included). In the category of construction, B&C is the clear winner because Carlos evenly distributes the ingredients better than John. Speaking of ingredients, B&C again takes the edge because the black beans are noticably better. But when it comes to service, extras, and value, P&V is unrivaled. John is a lot more fun and seems to enjoy talking with his customers more. He plays to the crowd. Plus, guacamole and sour cream are included in his $ 5 burritos (compared to an extra 75 cents at B&C). Moreover, P&V offers a loyalty card and free York peppermint patties. Again, the ingredients aren’t as good at P&V but the size (10% to 15% bigger than B&C) and service makes up for the difference. Ultimately, your decision might be based on convenience (although the food cart is 2 blocks from each other) but for my money, I prefer Pedro’s & Vinny’s. [Last Visit: April 8, 2009]

I’ve eaten at both Carlos’s cart and Pedro and Vinny’s. I definitely prefer Carlos, though the burritos are both are pretty good.
The prices are comparable. Pedro and Vinny’s burritos are massive though, like Chipotle sized. The downside is that they’re so big and John makes them so quickly that the stuff inside isn’t evenly distributed. All the sour cream and guacamole might be on one end, and the rice on the other. Carlos burritos are the perfect size, and they’re definitely not small. Because of the way Carlos rolls, everything is evenly distributed. By the time you unwrap it, the cheese has melted through the beans and rice and it’s absolutely amazing.
His hot sauces aren’t exotic and there’s not a huge variety to choose from. The plus side and advantage this has over Pedro and Vinny’s is you can’t go wrong. You choose your spice level and there’s no chance the sauce is going to overwhelm the other tastes in the burrito. There’s also no chance your «fruity» sauce is going to end up ruining the whole thing.
There’s never a long wait, though there is a lot of construction in the area. If there’s a line, you might get in the way of pedestrian traffic.
I highly recommend Carlos!

I don’t understand why there are such long lines down at Lawyer Burrito cart at 15^th and K when there is this tasty option only a block away. Not that I mind, since I’d rather go hungry than wait in a lunch line.
This place makes for a very very solid, quick lunch. Nothing fancy: just beans, rice, guac, cheese, and a tortilla. Recommended.

Cheap burritos that are really delicious. I know Pedro and Vinnys had a big cult following but seriously people, these burritos might be better. One caveat: the hot sauces here are standard issue, not exotic and fruity like at P & V’s, but he spices his beans with cinnamon, and it tastes great. Yum!

This burrito stand is where it’s at! While waiting in line at Chipotle, you run the risk of your food getting cold as it moseys its way down the assembly line, but not at Carlos Guardado’s stand. He works quickly to take and make your order and is super nice, to boot. You start with a basic burrito ($ 5.00) made with your choice of a plain, tomato, or spinach tortilla, rice, refried or black beans, and salsa. Add-​ons (sour cream, guacamole, cheese) are 25 to 50 cents extra. What you get is a piping hot, huge, and mighty delicious burrito that will satisfy you for the rest of the work day.

Awesome!
Carlos is a great guy — cheap big coffees in the morning. He always has a ton of sodas, juices, water, etc for real cheap (cheaper than CVS or any drugstore). The burritos are tasty and quick — $ 6.25 for a big burrito with beans, rice, cheese, sour cream, and guac.