This summer, the ubiquitousness of food trucks downtown seems to be surging, with the latest offerings ranging from cupcakes to Banh Mi. On Friday, I jumped on the chance to get out of the office and try out one of the most legendary: Pedro and Vinny's burrito cart at 15th and K.
I spotted the line well before the truck. And while the wait was significant, about 30 minutes, it was not due to inefficiency. The one man show in the cart was working at lightning speed, and had a great disposition, playfully bantering with each customer, seemingly oblivious to the heat.
The options are exclusively vegetarian: beans (black, refried, or both "black and tan"), rice, cheese, and hot sauce; there is a wide variety of designer tortillas (tomato, spinach, wheat, onion garlic); sour cream and guacamole carry a nominal charge.
When I was about three people away from the front, the burrito man requested a water from the cooler of drinks. The woman in front of me obliged, but in handing him the water, knocked over three bottles of hot sauce which promptly shattered and burst all over the sidewalk. I bring this up because the burrito man's reaction was so cool and collected. He diffused her embarrassment, and promptly picked up the glass, and watered down the mess, and then got right back to work.
Now my turn. I opted for everything, medium size in a wheat tortilla. When asked about my heat preference, I went with a 6 out of 10 and was given a combination of their homemade habanero mango hot sauce. I had to trudge back to my desk before trying this creation, and after the long wait was starving. The burrito did not disappoint. It was the best I have had in this city, with immense flavor, heat, and sweetness. That the ingredients were fresh was clear, and the complexity of the heat, sweetness, and coolness of flavors made me forget there was no meat. My one complaint was that it could have been wrapped a bit tighter, but fortunately I had a stockpile of napkins at my desk. Be forewarned though, this is a messy lunch and one best suited to solo dining.
This stand is cash only with an honor box for the money. I think (you do your own math) my medium burrito was $6.50, but I left $8 for the outstanding service.
If you work anywhere near here, this is the best burrito I have had in DC and is most certainly worth the wait.
That looks delicious! Growing up in San Diego, I've found it hard to get decent or similar burritos to the ones in SD since I moved here a few years back. Is he there everyday? I'll definitely be willing to make a trip over there to try it out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up on this place!Unfortunately I don't have the opportunity to make it into DC on weekdays, but my husband & a friend who happens to be in town from California (as the previous comment eluded to, the real Mexican food connoisseurs) went yesterday afternoon and they were both pleasantly suprised at both the quality of the burritos and the excellent service provided!
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