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I came here to today and ordered their veggie burrito and it was good. It works just like Chipotle but their hot sauce is not as good.
It has indoor and outdoor seating and is located just above the 7th St exit of the Blue, Red and Purple Lines.
Pretty tasty. Came here for lunch several times as I work in Downtown LA and it's right off the 7th & Metro Red Line Station.
It's similar to a Chipotle, but they have more options. I really like the Pesto Chicken Burrito. You wouldn't think that pesto would work in a burrito, but it's actually really good. My only complaint is that it makes my burrito lukewarm b/c the pesto is seriously cold.
Their fresh guac is pretty tasty.
Gets really busy at lunch time, so I would go at a non-peak hour if you are in a hurry.
Okay today my co-worker made me go here. I had their 3-cheese nachos con seasoned "ground beef." Oh la la . . .
We all know this is not authentic Mexican food, it's the American way to eat Mexican food w/out all the heartburn, gas, etc. hehehehehehe.
I am curious to try what the chick behind me ordered, the "skin-less" burrito . . . which is basically all the stuff in a burrito w/out the tortilla in a bowl. That look yummy . . . oddly enough . . .
Anyways, I say check 'em out, don't expect to see your Nana behind the counter, because she's at home with your Tata.
Ok Qdoba I gotta give you your props.
Are you Ciudad ? No
Provecho? No
Casa? No
But hell youre a step above Taco Bell and Del Taco and my office keeps you in business, it seems so there ya go.
Flavors are fresh and for what it IS it aint half bad. For the price, a naked taco salad with grilled chicken usually hits the spot. In this economy, most of us arent eating a Morton's or Water Grill every day for lunch.
A good option for fresh flavors on a budget.
That's nothing to sneeze at.
Awww now come on! Not edible?
This place is good and definitely has flavorable Mexican food.
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Let's cut straight to the chase: Qdoba is a poor man's Chipotle. There is really no two ways about it. Both of these establishments are basically the EXACT SAME BUSINESS MODEL, only Chipotle does it better. Unfortunately, there is no Chipotle in this neighborhood so... we are forced to satisfy our urge for gigantic American burritos here. No biggie, I mean they sling an OK burrito. It's just not sublime. They do have slightly more options that Chipotle, but I mean, if you do one thing well you don't need to branch out. That is why Bob Denver is still doing the Gilligan thing. Never change dude, never change.
The staff is really friendly and upbeat and seem to be having a good time. I like that. I would hope that you have as much fun making a burrito as I'm going to have eating it.
On an interesting legal note, a Qdoba opened up in a mall somewhere in America that had a sandwich shop with an exclusivity agreement written into their lease. The sandwich shop sued, claiming that Qdoba was a competing sandwich vendor and a judge actually had to make a ruling declaring that burritos are not, in fact, sandwiches.
My first Yelp review, and I figure I owe it to the place I eat at every time I'm in Los Angeles on business. Whether it's lunch or dinner (or breakfast, even) I guarantee I'll be there at least once when I'm in town.
For $10 I get a sizable burrito with extras (love the Queso) and a bottled drink to take back to the hotel.
As mentioned previously, these burritos are made to order, with the base "recipe" being enhanced with your choice of salsa and other add-ons like cheese, sour cream, guac, etc. You could go totally custom if you want, or just let them build what you've ordered and leave it at that.
The bottled beverages seem to change over time, with the current selection being Nantucket Nectars.
The staff is always friendly and I've never had a bad experience. They're currently posting an 'A' rating and, aside from being closed one day to kill some bugs, the place is always clean and I never think twice about the quality.
It's pretty good!! Even I like Chipotle better, unfortunately, there is no Chipotle near by. But whatsoever, Qdoba is pretty good enough for me. I always get Chicken Burito!! The size of burritos is pretty big, the price is decent. It's very tasty and flavors are very fresh!! I always take out, but the store is very clean and neat if you want to eat there.
As usual, I joined their email club to get specials. They do not send very many emails, but when they do, they are good offers. The best one they send is the buy one get one free burrito offer. 50% off is a great deal.
This place is not real authentic Mexican food, but it is good for the price and the time it takes to get your food.
Great downtown lunch spot. everything I have had has been pretty good. nothing you crave on your day off, but a decent burrito shop
Chipotle gets 5 stars and Qdoba gets 3.
I went there for the first time during my lunch break and got the grilled chicken nachos. As they were putting together, my nachos, I was thinking to myself, "Why doesn't Chipolte do nachos. I love nachos." I got my food, took a 7 minute walk back to my office and began eating it at my desk. I soon came to realize why Chipotle is a 5 star without nachos and Qdoba is a 3.
Heavy, soggy and not so fresh tasting.
Recommendations if you get nachos to go from Qdoba... Ask for the chips on the side. Have them put toppings on a separate plate so you can enjoy crunchy chips with every bite. Unfortunately for me, I had to throw away 3/4th of it with the chips being soggy enough to be a dip in itself.
I'll go again and try something simpler next time, like a taco. Chipotle has tacos... and tacos are hard to mess up, right?
This place is just like Chipotle. There are a lot of places that serve up pricey greasy food around here. Qdoba was kind of a blessing for me since it appears to be a little healthier than anything else in the immediate area. I like to order the naked chicken burrito.
ok. That's about it. If you're type of Mexican food is El Torito and the likes then you'll enjoy this. It is edible but it's not all too "authentic."
Qdoba is ok...not fantastic by any means, but good. I have eaten here several times mostly out on convenience. It is strange though, I went to the one in Madison, WI all through graduate school and I found it to be fresh, healthy, lite, and tasty. Totally different experience at this location. The food is good but not healthy, lite, or particularly fresh or tasty.
The cheese quesadilla is good; they use several different kinds of cheeses in it which is always a bonus. They will also put the salsa of your choice inside the quesadilla prior to putting it on the press so that the inside is just filled with cheesy salsa goodness. It is served with a tiny bit of lettuce, guacamole, and sour cream. The nachos are very strange. They put beans on them, a queso, salsa, and shredded cheese. But they don't melt the shredded cheese, very odd. The salsas that they have to choose from are quite tasty: mango, spicy, corn and black bean, and a mole. Paul likes the spicy shredded beef burrito.
Overall....the salsa is really good, the food is ok, and it is good in a pinch. They don't like to give you extra fixins or salsa but if you ask them nicely they will give you a plastic take out container filled with it and add extra stuff to whatever you are getting. But only if you are friendly!!!!!!!!!!!
Mexicans make all the food in LA. It doesn't matter if it's Korean food, Middle Eastern food, Southern BBQ, sushi or soul food, Mexicans make it all..
Except for this shit! I came in here starving and as soon as I saw "other than Mexicans" making the food at a supposed Mexican restaurant, I should have known..
Including Camp Pendleton, the hospital and every airplane in the last 27 years - this is the worst food I've ever had..
Qdoba is Mexican fast food by way of assembly line production. My veggie burrito bowl was touched by at least four people: one dude scooped in the rice, then a woman put some beans in, the next woman threw in some salsa, and then another woman put in some cheese and guacamole. Umm, but they forgot my grilled vegetables. They looked panic stricken when the burrito bowl was sent back in the other direction for the veggies. Then when the cashier was ringing me up, I was asked if I wanted my tortilla; unsurprisingly, they forgot it. They also charged me for a cup of soup, which belonged to the guy behind me in line. So then they had to figure out how to credit my card for that two bucks. How lame can these people be?!?
All that trouble and the food was mediocre. They may have forgotten to put in some sauce... They also made the guacamole too limey. It probably has to do with the location though, since there's a large lunchtime crowd and the staff is trying to rush everything. I'd try a different Qdoba.
It was lunch and I was desperately craving a carnitas taco. I walked down to my office building food court to find that my old standby taco joint was closed. The amazing taco joint down the street just seemed way too far and out of pure laziness I decided to try Qdoba.. that place that's always so busy.
Is it bad yelping to say that it SUCKED? I was there at 1:30 and the place was full but with only a couple people in line. I asked for a chicken taco (they didn't have my carnitas) and the guy pulled an admittedly fresh tortilla out to pass to the next girl. She plopped down some decent looking chicken and passed it on. I asked her if I could have it without sour cream and she said "not me" and pointed down the line. I asked the next guy for no sour cream and he pointed to the next girl.
Ultimately I got my no sour cream taco but for a price. My optimistic taco turned out to be a huge disappointment! The chicken and tortilla were fine but umm... that's all I got! They put some "hot" salsa on it that had no spice at all (okay so I like it hot) and tasted and looked suspiciously like marinara sauce. Oh, and there was some kind of weird white processed cheese that was kind of like grated Parmesan without the flavor. Where was my cilantro? My onions and veggies?! I guess I've been spoiled with my tiny flavorful street tacos in LA.
The only nice thing about the place was that it was clean. I didn't like the pushy rush of the place and the food was downright bad! Qdoba, you are my one and only "you suck!" on Yelp and by gosh did you earn it.
I love Chipotle for lunch, unfortunately we don't have one downtown. I ventured over to Qdoba with some coworkers who described it as "similar to Chipotle". I walked away with the following conclusion, "It's kind of like sleeping with your girlfriends sister", it kinda looks and tastes similar, but there is just something wrong about the whole experience.
I don't think I'd ever come back to Qdoba, instead I will wait for the Chipotle near USC to open and take the DASH bus down there.
"Corporate Burrito" J.E.
Some of my coworkers eat here from time to time. They raved about the Mango Salad and Naked Chicken Burrito. I must say that the staff was super friendly and accommodating when it came to preferences (no sour cream), The chicken in the salad was tasty but thats about it.
The food is average and not worth the walk from work. We could have La Salsa which is much better. Its pretty much a fast food place with everything that tastes the same just put together in different ways. We didnt finish our food because it just wasnt good enough to waste calories on. If its close by and youre starving, give it a go, or else, nothing special.
It is easy to tire of Qdoba food. It is equally tiring to decide how to pronounce the name. The place was introduced to me as "kyoo do ba" which sounds oddly Korean.
If you are looking to fill yourself, then order a burrito. My co-worker called it a loaf since it is so fat. The rice and the rest of the fixings are rather good for assembly line food.
The three taco item is not filling at all, so if you are in the mood for tacos then order something extra with it. The nice thing is they give you a choice of hard shell or soft shell tacos.
If I am hungry, but I want the word taco in my order, then I will order a taco salad with grilled veggies. They make a distinction between "grilled veggies" and "vegetarian" on the menu, but as far as I can tell they use the same ingredients for both.
Their quesadilla is disappointing because the quesadilla is your fall back item at any mexican restaurant. Theirs is way too greasy and makes it not pleasant to eat with your hands.
Mexican food, it ain't.
Sure it's in "the style of" mexican food, in the way that if you were to go to a karaoke bar and sing "Don't Stop Believin'" while really drunk you'd be singing in "the style of" Journey. You're doing an amateaur attempt at Journey, you might be good, but people aren't going to listen to a CD of you singing a Journey song.
This is like that. Yes they have burritos, quesadillas, rice, beans, etc. but it's not really mexican, you know? I've had some good stuff here. Yesterday I had one of their taco boat salads, or tostadas if you will. It was a crispy tortilla bowl filled with lettuce and some steak (you can get chicken or ground beef too) and other toppings - good if you want something light. The breakfast burrito scramblers are pretty good too. They come with eggs, sausage or chicken, salsa, potatoes and you can add sour cream and avocado for a bit extra.
I must be living in another world: Qdoba did have some TASTY food, but $8 for a midget taco, a thimble of soup, a regular soda, and a crusty cookie - I guess I'm just a cheap azz with no respect for capitalistic glutony.
Bah humbug on all of you who patronize these places and make the world as expensive and generic as I believe Paris Hilton to be.
. . . grumble grumble grumble
Echoing the Meh espoused by fellow Yelpsters, I have to say that Qdoba is the definition of hum-drum. I went to college in Boulder, CO at the turn of the Millenium. This was when and where Qdoba started and I feel that it is the same now as it was back then, a large pile of average quality food fit for a student's budget.
Hang on, I'm listening to Rio right now and I need to have a dance break for the Chorus. "Like a river twisting through this dusty land". Ahhh. That was hot.
OK, back to Qdoba. I suppose it has stayed the same while my tastes and budget have changed. I'm vegetarian so a veggie burrito has freshly grilled peppers, lots of black beans and guac and corn/tomatoes and salsa. It's always enough food for at least two lunches and it costs $5.50 up from $5.25 in Boulder circa 2001. That's a lot of bang for your burrito buck. There is nothing really exciting about any of the ingredients or flavors but simultaniously there is nothing lacking about them either. The phenotype of the mega-burrito joint started in Boulder at Illegal Pete's but has been swindled by other Colorado restaurantrepreneurs and brought to the Golden state. Pete's did it better but as anyone who has ever visited "The Hill" in Boulder knows, the employees were constantly baked out of their minds and would frequently mess up the most basic orders. This business model works when the clients are also so baked that they really don't notice or care about the burrito's contents and most forget they were even getting food halfway through the process so when it is handed to them they think it magically appeared from the stoner fairy. Regrettably, in the real world Pete's couldn't work and it's clones are sadly in the same boat.
Wow you all are insane.
Helloo? The Chicken Queso Burrito?
Qdoba is one million times better than Chipolte, my dear friends. The chicken is way better and the lettuce dosn't have that funky taste like Chipolte lettuce does.
Seriously. You people have issues.
It can be done. It is possible to get edible food here. Not easy; just possible. Remember, it's a Jack in the Box. (Corporate ownership-wise.)
First, realize it isn't Mexican food. It's not even Americanized Mexican food. It's just whatever it is: a tortilla, some beans, some vegetables, some sauce (salsa wouldn't be the right term). Think of it as a casserole. Or a salad or something.
Next, use the unfortunate fact that you are here to your best advantage by forgetting about the menu. Pick something from the menu that roughly approximates what you might want to eat - say, chicken - then customize like hell. I don't like the calorie-dense, un-tasty tortillas. So I order "naked" (or whatever it is they call it). I mean, I ask that my food be naked. Well, you get it.
Another cool alternative (for me), is to ask for the tortilla on the side. Yeah, I'm a little weird, but I don't need the entire blanket; I like the insides better than the outsides.
Pick your sauce wisely. I like the hottest stuff. I guess that's mainly because it's the hottest stuff and I like hot. But others may prefer something else. That's cool. They're your tastebuds.
In the end, it's a second-rate Chipotle rip-off.
The burritos are killer heavy , not outrageously huge, but bigger than the average. You custom make your own burritos. They have all the ingredients set out SUBWAY status. The meat is average, the chicken taste better though. They also have delicious brownies... milk too =) I'm a sucker for brownies.
3.5 stars. Not bad, but it could use more spice. I usually get the steak nachos. I really like their guacamole. The service is tepid, and parking is nonexistent. If I'm not on the train I don't bother to stop.
The burritos I've had here are the closest approximation to the word "meh" that I've ever tasted. They just don't move me to write anything remotely fawning about them. With that being said, it's not the worst "Mexican" food I've ever had - so, you know, they've got that going for them...
I think Qdoba is sooooooo superior to Chipotle! The nachos are friggin' awesome, and the pesto poblano burrito? FREAKING HEAVEN.
I just tried this place today for a very late lunch.
So being that the closest Chipotle isn't close to my office at all either, I decided to try Qdoba. I attempted to get something as similar to my Chipotle usual, which is either the Barbacoa or chicken fajita burrito. It was a little disappointing that the fajita veggies were the last of the batch, so I got the dredges of the container. It was way after lunch hours, but before dinner hours, so I was kind of in that tweeny state anyway. They put it together for me - a warm tortilla, some rice, the remaining veggies, some chicken, and jack cheese. Lately I've been forgoing the cheese at Chipotle and getting the roasted corn salsa instead, but the kind here had bigger, visible chunks of jalapenos in 'em it so I didn't bother. The burrito was wrapped up and put in a bag; I was charged, and then I walked out. Getting back to the office, I heated the burrito up for a little bit (I like my food piping hot), sat down, and consumed.
The rice was a teensy bit less flavorful than Chipotle's. The chicken was OK - a little greasier than I'd expected, but some prefer that juicier texture while I'm better off with meat a little on the dry-but-flavorful side. I couldn't finish the burrito when I got to the bottom, because it ended up being a lot greasier than I'd hoped for. I washed it down with some water. All in all, the burrito satisfied my hunger. Nice.
I am willing to give it more of a review when/if I try more stuff. I'd also like to note that they offer a lot more than just burritos, tacos, tortillas, salsa, guac and chips - so that's a plus over Chipotle - I just don't know how good it all might be!
"This is so close and open late on a Sunday, why don't we go here all the time?..."
I live 2 blocks away and it's right above the metro station (Qdoba somehow beat MTA to the punch for signage rights, so this metro entrance is basically anonymous).
So why doesn't an ever-hungry 20-something downtown soldier feast here regularly?
When you first walk in the door you will notice an exorbitant amount of cheese. It's everywhere. 5-gallon clear plastic tubs sit on every available flat surface in the kitchen, as though it just rained cheese and they had a leaky roof. My first thought to explain the phenomenon was restocking, maybe even a cheese "shift change" of sorts. Turns out everything, save the torilla soup, comes with three heaping handfuls of cheese to properly stuff your gullet.
....So far this isn't really a bad thing unless you have a cheese problem. The real problem comes later, and in 2 waves.
1. post meal. You will be destroyed. Your innards laid to waste like Atlanta in the wake of Sherman's railroad wrecking goons. They hide red onions in everything so your breath is also poisoned even beyond altoid repair.
2. post post meal. You will produce a nasty, angry, self-destructive BM that takes no prisoners and generates sympathy from none leaving your GI tract empty and aching for the gentle flavorless foods of the forthcoming carpetbaggers.
So if you have a have a sodium deficiency and amnesia this is your place.
This is Mexican fast food, similar to Baja Fresh or La Salsa. I've only had the pre-made burrito lunch boxes catered to my office. I thought it was pretty damn Delicious for fast food! And we got a ton of food. I can usually finish a whole burrito from Baja Fresh, but I had to bring half of my burrito home from Qdoba. AND I was starving! It's definitely on my list of downtown lunch places.
I'm going to have to disagree with my two fellow reviewers. First of all, it's sooo convenient to work. I get on the red line, exit the station, go into the restaurant, order the food, go back to the red line, and back to work! All in less than 20 minutes! By the time I'm back to the office the food is still warm, no need to warm up. I love that part! Then comes the flavor part. I think the chicken it's great! It's full of flavor, not your plain white flavorless chicken. Now, let me add one more thing: "Mexican Food it's supposed to be greasy." That, besides the spices, it's one of the things that makes it so tasty. My personal opinion? I've tried Chicken Quesadillas everywhere... but these ones are the BEST. They are huge, now mind you... the tortilla is the same size others use, but they fill it with a lot of chicken, cheese, and salsa... that makes the quesadilla bigger than anywhere else I've been, and way more tastier. Greasy? Yes, but as I said before "tha's the way it's supposed to be!" Oh, and it is filling allright... I can only eat half of it in one seating, I have the save the other have for mid-afternoon, and yes, it's still delicious by then. The burritos are huge, my advice? share it with someone else... you know, half and a half. I still have to try the tortilla soup; that I'll have to eat there.
Lunch time is super crowded, so if are not into waiting and want to eat in, get there before 12... otherwise, you'll have to get in line, but don't worry, they're quite fast, so the waiting is not that long.
ENJOY!
qdoba, owned by jack in the box, is mediocre at best. it's mexican-style food like another reviewer said, not authentic mexican, and it's squarely of the fast food variety. i come here for a burrito maybe once a month, but only because it's within walking distance of work. i would never think of driving here solely to eat at qdoba.
as for the food, the grilled veggies are good, some of their salsas are nice, and the chicken tastes ok, but the rice, beans, cheese (afaik, not a native burrito ingredient), and tortillas taste like they're mass-produced (and probably are). their only saving grace is that they are convenient, relatively cheap, and are actually a notch or two above taco bell (but below baja fresh, which i don't think is all that good either).
A shameless rip-off of Chipotle. Go get the real thing near USC.
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Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Mexican
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