Are you tired of eating at the same few restaurants in Tenleytown? Buredo, a local restaurant chain specializing in burrito-sized sushi rolls, is guaranteed to bring excitement to your meal. I had been eyeing the restaurant ever since its opening in Tenleytown early this year, nestled in-between the Cava and Nando’s Peri-Peri. After a few months of indecisiveness, I finally decided to try it out.

Buredo offers a variety of burrito-sized sushi rolls (including vegan and non-fish options), salads, miso soup, and snacks (wasabi edamames, cookies, chips) all between $2-$13. It was an extremely windy day when I stepped into Buredo, and the power was out. A high-pitched beeping came from the kitchen, and the lights were out. Sunlight from the front window shone onto the wooden tables and across a long, black wall covered in neon-colored drawings of a futuristic city, with Japanese scrawled under flying spaceships and robots. Despite the power outage, the staff was very kind and in high spirits.

I excitedly ordered the Hanzo roll ($11.85), which is yellow-fish tuna sashimi (raw fish), avocado, pickled fennel, cucumber, arugula, tempura “crunch”, and lemon aioli wrapped in a layer of rice and nori (dried seaweed). The roll is as it is described: burrito sized — it even came wrapped like a burrito. When I bit into it, I heard the crunch of the tempura and cucumber, tasted the fresh and subtly sweet tuna sashimi before I realized a component was missing: avocado. Without the avocado, the roll tasted almost bland, though that may have just been because of my disappointment. Perhaps the staff is still learning how to make the different meal. Other than that, I still thought the simple flavors of the tuna and cucumbers complemented the tangy-salty flavors of the arugula and pickled fennel. I would recommend asking for some of the complimentary sauces, including the yuzu, unagi (like a sweet-salty, thicker soy-sauce), spicy mayonnaise, and soy sauce, which accentuated the flavor.  

Overall, I would give Buredo a 3 out of 5 stars. I’ll give them credit for great customer service and having a creative alternative for lunch. I will definitely go back — I am interested in trying out their other meal options. •

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARGOT DURFEE