Qdoba

the staff was very nice and the manager very accommodating !

Closed at 8:30 when hours said they closed at 9… luckily there was a chipotle across the street. Qdoba has lost the plot.

The food is good but I won’t be going back because the service is so inconsistent. It’s okay when a manager is present but when is not around the staff gets sloppy. The next time I want a taco I’m walking to District Taco or Baja Fresh.

It’s on the same block as Chipotle but flavour-​wise, it’s in an entirely different realm. Their burritos are more rounded inflavor (think round, firm tush vs round, hairy rolls). Their rice has some garlic, meat has hints of bbq, and overall there is more to enjoy. Nevermind their menu full of savoury joys to hold onto. The Next time you think Chipotle, smack yourself to remember that you intended to think qdobas.

Yum. Fresh food. Friendly staff. I’ve been there twice recently for lunch. Both times, I had the salad in the taco bowl. The taco bowl was very fresh and fun. The chicken on top had a seasoning that really made the dish. And the taco bowl at QDoba is lower in calories than ones I’ve seen at other restaurants. As someone obsessed with iced tea, I was happy to see they have unsweetened iced tea. Of course, I’d like to have lemons or packets of lemon juice available but few take-​out places do that.

Craving a steak quesadilla this past Sunday night, I decided to walk to Qdoba near DuPont to fulfill my craving. Fail! Doors locked. Lights off. Sigh. Partly based off the assumption that a large chain restaurant like this would be open on a Sunday, I didn’t even think I needed to check hours before heading out.
With a sad look on my face and a drag in my step, I walked across the street to get my quesadilla at Chipotle. Don’t get me wrong I love Chipotle, but sometimes you just want to mix it up.
I was going to add the hours to this listing, but a quick search on the Qdoba website doesn’t show any hours. Maybe next time, for everything that didn’t get done in this post…

Where have you been all my life!!! Seriously, I’ve walked past this location a thousand times and have never noticed it (it sort of tucked away), but I’m so glad I found it! No more long ridiculous lines just to wait for a yummy Naked Burrito Bowl (no names about the place across the street…)! And Hector was simply wonderful, just the prefect service you can provide to a customer :)
I will be returning!

TL;DR: Just not worth it: The price, hassle or experience. Great management, though.
Referential:
Across from Chipotle, slightly more towards 18^th.
Students: Burrito and a drink for ~$ 4.50 every Tuesday/​Saturday
I’ll preface this by saying I had never been to Qdoba before. In fact, I was walking to Chipotle when a woman approaches me asking if I want to try Qdoba for free. Free sounds good, so I obliged. Granted, I didn’t even know where it was, and this advertisement was seriously necessary because it’s in a very nondescript location. The place is nearly empty, and the menu is confusing – until I ask if I can just tell you what I want instead of the options listed (odd that they all had a different price for a number of combinations, but used barely different ingredients). Anyway, a burrito wrap later, and I’m at the register. I see a sign for student specials they run, and I ask the manager about them. The manager (Marco) was EXTREMELY nice and pleasant. He told me about other promotions they’ll run next week, and to spread the word. I left on a high note; it was pleasantly surprising to see good customer service at a DC establishment (notable upgrade from Chipotle, too).
Food was good, not amazing, but good. It doesn’t taste as fresh as Chipotle, and their sour cream is rather lackluster, but it’s a solid burrito – hard to mess up a tortilla with the mix-​ins.
So I held true to my word and told some coworkers about the place. We all went in on a Friday to a line – it was nice that their business picked up (granted, it was lunch hour). Let’s just say, they did a complete volte-​face. I ordered the Ancho-​Chile BBQ burrito, and as the guy is warming up the tortilla, he asks what kind of beans. As he’s getting the beans, he asks what kind of meat. OK, there is a line ahead of me; I’m barely at the tortilla station. Whatever, fast service is good I suppose. Seconds later a lady asks, «what kind of salsa?» I CAN’T EVEN SEE WHAT KIND OF SALSA YOU HAVE. It’s seriously at the other end of the line, I’m still on the tortilla. «Medium» seemed safe. I get to the meats, «cheese?» No, I don’t want cheese. The next girl, and this is where it starts to peeve me, starts wrapping my burrito. I’m like yelling across the line telling her I want sour cream. Opens up the burrito, dollops it on, and wraps it. WAIT, I want lettuce. Starts closing it again, opens it up, lettuce. Wraps it… I guess they didn’t want my extra $ 2 for guacamole because I didn’t even get a chance to ask for it. Meanwhile, it was probably the most piss-​poor attempt at a wrap job I’ve ever seen. Sauce oozing everywhere, making the burrito soggy. Ugh, it was bad. Then I hear a shout from behind me, «wait, I want guacamole.» The poor woman behind me ordered a vegetarian burrito, and the same girl was wrapping her burrito before they put on the guac. She went through the exact same motions for the lettuce, too. So I’m not alone… Do I want cheese? No, but I want everything else. The girl couldn’t give a flying f***, either. Got my free drink, peaced out. Open it up, it falls apart, great job. Food was ok at best, no redeeming qualities to justify not walking across the street for organic meats and veges at Chipotle.
Will I be back? Maybe on a Tuesday for the student special. I mean, my burrito was made, and I had to wait to pay anyway, so what’s the rush?
Food is a 4 for a safe bet; –3 for terrible service, +1 for the nice management.

When I want a burrito but there are no burrito trucks (because I’m in DC… reality check) and I don’t want to deal with fally-​aparty, same-​old same-​old burritos and ridiculous lines at Chipotle, I come here.
I always get a queso burrito with steak. (If you read my reviews you know that I tend to stick with my «usual» on menus that I frequent… sorry.) I did their version of a «bowl» and they didn’t really do the ingredients in the right order or use enough lettuce, so that isn’t great. Go for the burrito. Otherwise, I have heard that they do a really good taco salad.
The lines are always short and quick — 2 people preparing and one at the register handle it just fine. And they have Cholula for their hot sauce, and they have nantucket nectars (like Chipotle). Hooray!

This place rocks for breakfast. I come here whenever I’m in the area for an early morning doctors appointment and I always leave full, happy, and ready to start my day!
I recommend the regular breakfast bowl (comes with egg, potatoes, chorizo or chicken, queso, pico de gallo, etc) and a FREE COFFEE for less than $ 3. What a deal! I can’t say much about their lunch options because I’m never really over here for lunch – but breakfast here can’t be beat!
Also – I have had really positive experiences with the employees. They are very friendly and seem happy to serve me (which can be rare sometimes at other grab-​and-​go lunch spots).

I eat there more than I should, probably. Always friendly and professional service and the food is delicious, especially for the inexpensive price. Great place to grab a quick lunch if you work nearby.