Chinito’s Burritos

I work right across the street, and this is the closest food to my office, so I’ve been there quite a bit when needing grub while working. Honestly, I’m not a fan of the burritos, bowls, or tacos. It’s the tex-​mex egg rolls, szechuan slaw, and addicting chips that keep me coming back.
Or did, anyway. They’ve been closed for at least three weeks with no notice. Everything is exactly as it was, you can peer inside and it looks like they could come back at any time. So… not sure what’s up, but I kinda miss those chips.

Wanted to like it. In fact, went when they opened many years ago and enjoyed it. This time the burrito was huge but nothing special. No flavor at all. Can’t believe with Union Market a couple blocks away I wasted a lunch here. Won’t do it again…

We have Mexican Asian fusion in Austin, Texas and this was just okay… I ordered a chicken bowl which was pretty good… decent portion and fresh. The egg rolls were not that great… it had some Mexican food that was infused but mostly like a bean cheese burrito. I didn’t like it because the dough of the egg rolls was too chewy so it didn’t mix well with the filling. The ambiance is okay. This place is more for late night eating after going to a club or bar. Pricing is good for the size and portions but they really need to improve on quality and creativity.

Was staying/​working at a nearby DC area university for a week-​long summer program. The restaurant was close enough for a convenient pick up, and the menu seemed interesting.
We processed a big order for a dozen or more dinner meals for our staff and delegates through the restaurant website for the next day, a Sunday dinner pick-​up. It appeared that our order went through, although the carnitas option did not display on their ordering page/​app.
So, on the next day a couple staff members left early enough to pick up our large order, and they were surprised that the restaurant was closed when they arrived. No signs at the restaurant why it was closed or signs from their web site. We originally thought it was some kind of joke, but we checked again on web sites stating that they were open on Sundays. Unilocal even says that they are open on Sundays. Pretty weird, right?!
Too bad. We were looking forward to trying out the food. Our organization (and our delegates) will probably never find out how good or bad the food is or even consider it for a future event. If I ever am in/​near the area again and get an opportunity to eat here, I may update this review. Who knows.

I have read about this place in DC Eater before and passed it on my way to the Dangerously Delicious Pies all the time. Finally I decided to try it, I heard about the Asian twist on the menu and the ingredients… etc.
As people say, the service is friendly and good. For me the food is just so so, I had a Chicken Burrito, the chicken is a bit on the dry side. First you choose if you want a burrito or a bowl… etc, then you pick your protein, and then you make what go inside it. For me, I took the black beans, grilled vegetables, cheese, salsa. and lettuce. I tasted no vegetables apart from big chunk of onion. It is not a bad burrito, but nothing remarkable about it.
There is a table as you enter the premises, where there is a silver bowl, there are tortilla chips inside, and next to it, there are different favors of salsa bottles in a stainless steel container. You can help yourself to the tortilla chips and the salsa.
The place has a counter top in front of the open kitchen, it also has communal counter top facing the window.
One thing that really bothers me is how greasy the place smell, when I left, which I was hardly there more than 20 – 30 minutes. My hair and clothes smells like I have been standing in front of a fryer all the time. Either the place’s ventilation really sucks or the oil in the kitchen uses for frying need changing…
Slightly disappointed.

Do not come here! Being from the west coast part of the country I know what good Mexican food is.
I eaten at different Mexican-​Asian fusion places and they were surprisingly good. However this place was far from that. Not surprise at all since all of the food in DC is gross.

So, I ordered a bowl, but was handed a burrito. But, it was the most delicious! I got chicken with everything, black beans, veggies, rice, all the fixins! I love how everything is fresh and you can taste it too! The mambo sauce is so tasty, do yourself a favor and get a sample.
It’s close to my neighborhood, so I’ll definitely be back! Next item to try is the steak tacos with asian slaw!

I wanted to try this place for months and had to go because they had such high reviews. First, their hours were incorrect on Unilocal and they have «winter hours». My boyfriend was kind enough to stop in and get me something when he saw them open. I got a chicken burrito with fried rice. The chicken was good but the fried rice was bland. To be a fusion spot, I wanted to see more Asian influences. The egg rolls were great but don’t eat them piping hot because it will all ooze out. The egg rolls also come with a sauce — I believe it was a homemade ranch. Good place to go when you don’t want to deal with lines at Chipotle and want to support a local business.

Friendly staff, if this is your first time they don’t have a problem explaining how to order and explaining their menu.
Food is great, i love that they use fresh ingredients and you can actually see them being made from scratch in front of you.
I tried the burrito before but this time i got to try their new wings which were the best I’ve tried no lie. If you’re on H st deff worth the 3 blocks to get here

I’m a big fan & absolutely love this place!!!
Everything on the menu is fresh, nothing is frozen. Props for freshness
I got good vibes when I was greeted by the man behind the counter, he made my tacos expertly and to order.
You can build your own taco, burrito, quesadilla etc. one of my favorite things to get is the chicken & steak tacos with asian style slaw and top it with mambo sauce!!!
First burrito shop I’ve experienced that has incorporated mambo sauce into the equation — brilliant. Also please try the light orange colored sauce it’s amazing and very spicy!!!
Everything I’ve tried here has been excellent. Usually I visit for lunch and I love the selection of beverages, lots of choices. Also try the egg rolls, they are very tasty!
You should really check this place out of u like Mexican food!

Just a regular burrito for dinner, right? Wrong. Let’s take a closer look.
Pinto beans, pico de gallo, chicken, lettuce. A delicious, but tired combination.
But there’s something different going on here, with those strange golden crisps sitting on top of the mountain of ingredients. French fries.
Wow. The french fries, in combination with what you assume is a variation of Chipotle’s cilantro-​lime rice would make a good enough burrito, right?
Wrong again. You’re so stupid. That’s no generic cilantro-​infused rice — — that’s straight up fried rice, son.
This fusion of flavors is miraculous. But you should try it for yourself. The novelty and flavors of Chinitos Burritos hablar for themselves.

Im upset. Not with Chinitos, but at myself. Upset because I adjusted my expectations and still experienced a lost. Upset because I could have gone to Chipotle and experienced better service and a burrito that is 100x better tasting than the one I experienced at Chinitos. Im upset, because I could have known better.
Because Im rarely upset with myself and others, I will not waste too much time describing the random situation I had at the cash register. Suffice it to say, I wasn’t ready.
Here are the facts:
1. The burrito shell tasted like hot metal. Im pretty sure the chemical I tasted could be linked to a carcinogen.
2. The meat (steak) was though and tasteless.
3. The veggies they put in the burrito must have been days old, because I couldn’t taste one hint of onions, bell peppers, or cabbage, which typically have strong flavors.
4. The eggrolls had potential, but failed to provide enough seasoning. I could have purchased ranch dressing at the grocery store and it would have tasted the exact same.
5. The burrito was LAGER THAN LIFE, and EXPENSIVE… depending on your perspective (eggrolls = $ 4.00; burrito = $ 10). If you plan on making it two meals, its not that bad. I didn’t want to finish eating it at all, so I wasted my money.

HUGE burritos. You won’t need to eat all day if you eat 1 of them.
Staff was friendly, food was fresh.
Ordered a burrito, chips and salsa and bottle of coke. It came to $ 11. Not bad. I would eat here again.

Chinito’s puts chain burrito joints to shame.
HOW IT’S DIFFERENT:
–1 refrigerator
–NO freezer
–EVERYTHING is fresh (Fresh produce, meats, beans, homemade sauces/​salsas)
–Reasonable pricing
–Generous servings
HOW TO ORDER:
Patrons fill out a form to pick:
1. Bowl, Burrito or Tacos
2. Protein
3. Rice, Beans, Cheese, Sauces, Guacamole, Veggies
You can also order:
*Salsa and Chips (DELICIOUS! These just might be my favorite tortilla chips. Not overly thin or thick, lightly salted, freshly made, but not greasy. Ours were still warm.)
*Eggrolls Try them-​Chicken and cheese gooey goodness, served with a side of ranch dressing.
I also appreciated the thought process behind the construction of my burrito bowl to avoid a soggy salad. The black beans were the bottom layer, then the cheese, salsas, lettuce and protein. These little touches did not go unnoticed.
Chinito’s appears to be a local neighborhood gem. After ordering, I realized the nice, friendly guy behind the counter was the owner– very cool.

Chinito’s is basically a Chipotle knock-​off with an Asian twist (Chinito is Spanish for pretty much anyone of Asian descent; hints of sesame oil and soy sauce abound in the food): you fill out an order form and choose your protein (carne asada, carnitas, chicken, shrimp) and then add on other items (rice, beans, etc). They also have sides like Tex-​Mex egg rolls and Szechuan slaw, all of which can be washed down with a Mexican Coke.
The space itself is pretty spartan, with only a couple of places to sit and eat. However, the staff was really friendly and helpful which is more than you can say for a Chipotle. I’m glad they filled the formerly vacant storefront, and it’s great if you are a Gallaudet student or live in the neighborhood, but it’s hard to motivate for a repeat drive across town for a two-​person $ 24 burrito meal.

I grew up in this area. When I told my dad to drive us to this location for lunch, my dad insisted that there was no restaurant at this address. Little did we know there was no street sign on Florida Ave. for Chinito’s burritos. We drove back and forth a few times. Right before we decided to give up — we turned — here it was — a hole in the wall packed with locals!
Immediately upon entering, the sweet, quirky owner greeted us and explained his menu/​source. Like other Unilocalers have mentioned — Chinito’s reminded us of Chipotle with a bit of Californian twist (perhaps Asian influence? the laidback ambiance?). After quickly glancing at the menu and the kitchen, my husband went with their ground beef rice bowl, I went with their shrimp salad bowl, and my dad went with their chicken burrito along with a side of hand cut fries.
Although there was only one additional person working in the kitchen/​assembling the orders, our foods came in no time. Each of our orders was enough to be split into 2 meals (soooo much yummminess). My bowl was loaded with stir fried veggies, grilled medium sized shrimp, salsa, vegan black beans, and guac. My dad’s ginomous burrito was bursting with flavors from the very first bite. I’ve never seen my dad not finishing his food — this was the first. My husband loved his ground beef, pinto bean, guac, and fried rice mix. Every element in his bowl just worked so well! For only $ 2, the hand cut fries was a steal — larger than the large from Five Guys! Crunchy and perfectly seasoned! paired perfectly with all the sauces they have available at the table especially the sweet wasabi!
The sweet owner even took his time to come up to each customer to make sure they are happy with their order! Amazing food for amazing price — Will definitely return to try their other combo.

This place isn’t impressive, but it’s simple, filling, local, and inexpensive.
As for picking a number, it’s tricky — they offered a groupon where it worked out to be $ 6 for $ 10 or something. They don’t skimp on the portions at all. Love it! They have a collection of hot sauces including house made sauces, mambo, and sriracha. They have a skater theme, and obviously support the local University across the street, Gallaudet.
The only cons I could come up with is both times my bowl seemed a bit watery, which I thought mostly came from the pork, but it happened on my shrimp bowl too. With the exception of the shrimp, which was amazing, their meats are tasty, but not cooked to order. Ie, probably cooked once a day and just kept warm. Conversely, Chipotle’s meats (and all ingredients) are always fresh, and from somewhat sustainable sources.
It’s really really inexpensive for vegetarians, with bowls starting at $ 3.50!

Restaurant? No. This is a take-​out joint with very friendly people serving huge burritos for only $ 8. A restaurant has a menu, tables with chairs and a bathroom. Three star food, one star place.
Ordering every ingredient separately confused both me and the people behind me, so I didn’t feel so bad. How about a menu with some suggestions. I like it when someone else has figured out a great combo, don’t want to puzzle it out right on the spot bcos I’ll get it wrong.
Green cilantro salsa on the tables was easily the best of the four choices. House made chips were very good. House salsa was thin, spicy, not so interesting.
Vegetarian rating: the whole place only offers a few things, you’re fine if you like a bean & cheese burrito, I didn’t spot a grilled veggie option.
Burrito was large, fairly warm, tolerably well made. I want it blazing on a cold night like when it’s 15 degrees in DC. Shrug, didn’t happen for me.
At Chinito there are exactly two high tables with exactly one bench per table where you might pause to Hoover your food. And no matter how much you need to, ahem, get a haircut, no chance. Wash those hands before you leave home. A good thing they don’t sell beer here LOL!

More like 3.5, but since I like this place and want to support local business, I’ll round up.
I really like the flavors that this place offers and I love the mix of Mexican and Asian Fusion. I usually get the burrito and my husband likes the tacos, too. I like the sauces (the hot sauce and wasabi especially!) as they have a kick and are super flavorful. The staff is friendly and helpful when you make your order on the sheets. They always give you a ton of meat. I love how they support Gallaudet as well.
Some areas of improvement:
Parking is tough. There are no metered spots or «temporary spots» and the neighborhood parking nearby is packed.
The chicken I got in my burrito could have been cut a little smaller (but don’t change the portion size!)
My eggroll could have been a tad more crispy
Although, we live closer to the Chipotle on 8^th we make the trip here instead of going there when we got a burrito fix.

Join me at Flava Town…
Genetically gifted with a refined palate, a masterful artist and craftier of gastronomical delights… Chinito.
Armed with a culinary education and decades of restauranting experience he teases patrons with voluptuous burritos stuffed with carefully crafted ingredients and fresh tacos filled with carnitas, asada or a protein of your choosing.
His mis en place has never come into contact with a freezer or a microwave and his produce and meat are thoughtfully purchased from the market daily. Methodical, bordering on genius, he does not purchase grocery items that he would not be proud to serve to his family. This Chinito is no Cheapito.
As I took my first bite of the quesadilla, I accidentally shouted way too loudly, «Homie, don’t PLAY!!»
Also an avid storyteller, If you catch him when business is slow, ask Chinito to tell you about the time he caught a kitchen staff member sweeping the kitchen with one arm. You’ll be glad you did.