#buredo

Ace with sushi burrito style!

Address: 825 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005

Price ($ - $$$): $

Menu (as of March 2017)

Website

Buredo (pronounced buh-REE-doh) in DuPont appeals to a particular type of consumer: someone with a bit of an adventurous and avant-garde palette. The eatery is definitely not for food purists as its main offering are traditional Japanese sushi rolls stylized in burrito-sized seaweed wraps.

What’s great about the restaurant is that they have multiple gluten-, dairy, and nut-free (GDN-free) and vegan options already on the menu. I (somewhat recklessly) decided to wing it and modify something on the menu so that it ~seemed~ GDN-free; luckily, it worked for me (though I don’t recommend this method unless you’re willing and able to face the potential histamic and/or colonic consequences).

The wraps are pretty standard burrito-sized meals; I was hungry so I was able to split one with a friend and then eat the other half of another friends’ order — inadvertently, I ended up trying two wraps.

First, I ordered (and modified) the Pai Mei wrap. THIS IS NOT MARKED AS GDN-FREE. The menu describes it as “salmon sashimi, asparagus, arugula, pickled red onion, daikon, katsuo mirin crunch, toasted sesame mayo.” Having googled all of the ingredients, a hungrier version of myself determined that no toasted sesame mayo would make this an appropriate meal choice (as sesame sometimes triggers my peanut allergy and I couldn’t be certain it was gluten- or dairy-free), though upon reflection I suspect there may have been trace amounts of gluten in the katsuo mirin crunch. Nonetheless, this wrap was so delicious I almost cried eating it. Salmon sashimi is a favorite of mine and I thought the combination of flavors and textures — the crunch of the asparagus, the slight bitterness of arugula, and the spiciness of the red onion and daikon — complimented the fish well. I was surprised by how much I liked the presentation itself; the wrap was not quite as filling as a traditional burrito but still left me feeling full.

*While I didn’t have an issue with the wrap, others may so consume at your own risk.*

I ended up eating half of my friend’s Elle wrap — it’s marked as both vegan and gluten-free (and it would have probably been a wiser choice for me to begin with). The menu lists the ingredients as “organic tofu, arugula, roasted red pepper, jicama, green onion, black sesame seeds, garlic crunch, passionfruit miso sauce.” While I often try to avoid soy and sesame, I gave in this once (it was worth it) — clearly this wasn’t my best restriction-free meal. Sometimes, vegan options can taste a little underwhelming, but I was pleasantly surprised by this wrap. The passionfruit miso sauce packed a punch and created an interesting flavor palette, particularly when paired with the ingredients’ different textures. 

I waffled back and forth about publishing a review on this meal — while the restaurant is generally inexpensive (all of the wraps at Buredo cost less than $12) and fairly allergen-friendly, I did not fully sample the allergen-friendly items on the menu. However, there are a number of options that are completely GDN-free. Additionally, I liked that I could see my food being made (always a plus for me) and that it is easy to make additions/substitutions as needed, rendering the meal generally more customizable than not.

All in all, while I should definitely be a bit more cautious about eating out without a clear confirmation of ingredients, I do recommend Buredo for a quick, affordable, and tasty bite while out in DuPont — it’s increasingly harder to find inexpensive places to eat in the neighborhood. When I go back next, I’ll see if there is a more in-depth itemized ingredient list available and will edit this review with that information.