What a wondrous was to maximize profit yield. I can think of no better way to overcharge for basic grocery store items, make someone wait ten minutes, and go deaf t the same time than going to a California Tortilla. All hail the glorious fast food chain that middle-class suburbanites love. While the food and service is great, the cost is just a tad too much for essentially ¢90 of worth of food. It's no wonder why this is the most replicated business model out there in the franchise food industry. Called a "premium" fast food (that's becasue it has fancy decor and at %35 mark up over general fast-food eateries) C.T. offers burritos and tacos that are custom made to your instructions. I can't lie and say that my $8 burrito wasn't filling, but I just can't get over thinking, I paid $8 for a tortilla shell wrapped around rice and a 2.oz of beef. So please come here, if you have money to burn.
(2)
Derek H.
Good fish tacos. I would pick CalTort over Chipotle any day
(4)
Angela S.
I'm not sure what it is about the CalTort franchise where the menu is the same, but the burritos taste different depending on the location. This was my first time at this location, while I have frequented the Darnestown and Bethesda CalTorts many times. The Bethesda location always makes my No-Meato burrito full of rice and barely anything else (I have stopped going there). The Darnestown location stuffs it so full of fresh ingredients that it does not taste like fast food. This place? Lots of rice and drowning in a pool of vinegary sauce. I actually didn't even know this burrito had a sauce until now. Beans and rice = flavorless (this is a problem at all 3 locations), queso and chips are fine. I think the Darnestown store should be the overisight/training ground for all the other locations. They have it down. I am being generous with the 3 stars, but I will update next time I go. It could very well go down to 2.
(3)
Mark L.
Yea, this place has gone downhill badly. Poor service. Dirty tables. Immature staff. They are not trained and I will not be going back. Moe's Southwest Grill is right up the road and they offer a lot of the same. I am not sure what happened to this franchise but its like they do not care in Frederick.....
(2)
Rob R.
Decent burrito. The BBQ sauce in mine was in a clump and the girl at the register was clueless but polite (new girl, so I can't really be mad). Otherwise, no complaints but not exactly wowed. I remain a Chipotle loyalist for now.
(4)
Heather S.
Wow! This place has went downhill in he 4 years since I've been gone. Used to be one of my favorite eateries, but I don't think I'll be back. My chicken tortilla soup is so salty I can barely eat it. It's not near as clean as it used to be and the wall of hot sauce has diminished by half. I'm very disappointed:-( the quest is nearly solid and the burrito was dry.
(1)
Jamie N.
We tried this place for the first time this past weekend. Food was ok, nothing special. My burrito had so much rice in it that I dumped half of it out. The restaurant was clean and the employees were friendly. Cost me $20 for 2 of us, for that price I would rather go some where and be served.
(3)
Mehmed M.
Meh. Shitty quality ingredients - generic toppings and absolute garbage iceberg lettuce - at higher prices than chipotle. Only saving grace is the copious amount of hot sauce choices. The selection of hot sauce choices moves it from a low 2 to a solid 3. But seriously... Chipotle is right down the road. Go there.
(3)
Alliah H.
First trip to this restaurant, and was pleasantly surprised. My husband and I got the Enchilada bowl with chicken. The chicken was really good, I think the chicken tasted better than Chipotle's. The restaurant was very clean and bright with nice tables and chairs. We went at lunch on a Thursday and the traffic flow was steady but it never felt busy. The staff was friendly and quick with our order, and our food came out prepared nice and fresh. We are big fans of Chipotle, but this was just as good, and felt lighter and not as spicy. We are excited that we now have two fast food burrito places we can choose from!
(5)
Daisy P.
Waiting 20 mins at 8:30pm on a Sunday night for 3street tacos! The place is not busy.....
(2)
John L.
My favorite place for blackened chicken. I like it better than Chipotle. Chips and queso is to die for.
(5)
Omar F.
The dirtiest food place in all of Frederick!!! Young, very immature, under-trained staff with no supervision at all. I literally was kicking trash out of the way when walking around this place. All trash cans were full, I just left my tray. All utensils and items completely empty. All tables were nasty. To top it off a bunch of teens were in and out the entire time talking with their friends that worked there, so this kept the staff from serving wain customers. Wow!!!
(1)
Jinki Y.
The restaurant remodeled! Everything looks amazing, fresh and very brand new! They also got a freestyle coke machine. My favorite! Along with their yummy crunch ranch chicken salad with avocado! ;)
(5)
Deidre C.
Went to CalTort today for my free birthday burrito. They've revamped the menu since my last visit. I was excited to see a Korean BBQ burrito on the menu. They've also re-stocked the Wall of Fire since my last visit which made me very happy. The burrito was amazing. The Korean BBQ sauce was spot-on. It was the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. Good amount of meat in my burrito as well. Chips and queso were delicious as usual.
(5)
Keisha C.
This restaurant is excellent!!! When I used to come here for my lunch or dinner break at work, I would usually order the BBQ chicken quesadilla. The staff were super nice, and I don't know much about their bathrooms, but the thing I like is that they have a wall of hot sauces.
(5)
Bill E.
Awesome atmosphere! We went a little before they closed (2 hours to be exact) and the cashier didn't seem to happy about that. The food was pretty good but we felt if we went earlier the food would of been a little better. Awesome selection of hot sauces! I got the chicken bacon burrito which was pretty good nothing fantastic for a burrito spot though. Tortillas we fresh and homemade which was a nice plus.
(3)
Laura A. V.
I'm addicted to their roasted veggie and bean quesadilla with honey lime dressing!!! Service is always great and they are always cheerful in there. I want the lime dressing recipe!!!
(5)
Alan M.
California Tortilla is a good alternative to the typical fast-food joints. If you enjoy Chipotle, you will probably like Cal Tort as well. They have some tasty vegetarian options on the menu, and I love their fish taco combo with rice & beans. Their guacamole is quite good, and they have an extensive variety of hot sauces to choose from. If you plan to visit the restaurant on a regular basis, be sure to pick up one of the Burrito Elito reward cards.
(4)
Guy S.
Decent burritos, a great selection of hot sauces, and some quirk from the staff and decor. I dig the crunchy BBQ ranch and buffalo wing burritos. Plus their BBQ chicken quesadilla is purty good. I would call this place good, but not awesome. This location is close to our house so we frequent the joint because of convenience as much as liking the grub.
(3)
Francis S.
OK fans lets see what causes this place to get the "Not if this was the last place on earth to eat award" I was (little word big meaning) a fan of this place, I was friends with the original owner, I was at the Grand Opening. But after the change over I will not (after last night) return ever, ever, ever, ever (get the point?) again. Where to begin............ I and my family of four decided to get take out. We ordered two of the new BBQ Burritos, a Blacken Chicken quesadillas, and a BBQ Burrito Bowl. What we got on the first trip was: 1) A quesadillas not fit to give to a starving dog! 2) The BBQ Bowl had (I am not kidding) maybe 4oz total of food. TOTAL! 3) All the food was luke warm at best bordering on frigid! I live less than 3min away so it was not like I traveled far and besides the heater was on (maybe that was why the bag was hotter than the food. You think?). After much debate on should we return or just suck it up. I decided to return. At that point, I drove all the way back over only to have the Manager tell me that this was what it was supposed to be like it or not. I then asked for the bowl to be made into a burrito and they were so angry that I returned, as a unsatisfied Customer, that they jammed the food into the burrito and broke it into pieces & then just wrapped it up, and handed it to me with disgust. Another cold burrito that was not really a burrito but a tortilla shredded and falling apart with cold inedible food stuff. Now I have visited the location in Mt. Airy, MD, and let me say my Yelp on that location will be Stellar. But on the Frederick location the food is horrible, the quality and standards are nonexistent and the Staff is lazy, inattentive, not Customer centric, and just plain BAD! The Store is always dirty, unclean tables when no one is in there and I have been in at different times. Overall if there was a Negative Rating it would be a negative 5.0 X 1000. In my humble opinion CAL TORT "PAM", ditch the attempts to be funny in your Taco Talk and fix the problems with your Franchise in Frederick as it is a slop house.
(1)
Jeremy T.
Got to visit on my birthday! And get this -- they had put a FREE burrito on my Burrito Elito club card! Suhweet... I got a BBQ Ranch burrito (minus the ranch) and substituted pork for the chicken. Yum yum yum all the way home. Can't wait to do it again sometime.
(5)
Nazzarena L.
I'm quite the CT coneisseur since I used to live in front of the flagship store in Bethesda. This franchise is not the one of the best, and neither is the worst (that would be Balto) Cons: 1 location in the sticks, 2 undiverse employees i.e. school kids and "culturally disadvantged caucasians" (you may refer to google for plain english translation of this politically correct term), 3 lack of city papers stacks to read (oh wait, this sisnt CT's fault, it's just Frederick...) 2 and 3 means you are on your own anti boredom devices (e.g a smart phone or some papers from work) while eating your burrito Pros: 1 very efficient employees (kids and CDC who really know how to work. must be the job crisis!) and even get to know your "usual" 2 stays open late (big reason to go after a late work night)
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : No Caters : Yes
If you enjoy Taco Tuesday, then you have officially fallen in love with the Mexican Food. The main grain of Mexican cuisine is maize. Also known as corn, maize is grown for the past 9000 years after the crop was discovered by the people in Mayan civilization. Mexican empire flourished when they started growing beans, tomatoes, chili pepper, sweet potato and cactus. Till this date these ingredients are used in cooking authentic Mexican dishes and drinks.
Great use of spices, fresh chili pepper dishes like fajitas, tortilla chips, corn chips, salsa, chimichangas, burritos, nachos and quesadillas are invented in America. But when you are looking for authentic Mexican food then you must find a restaurant in the city that serves Rajas con Queso, Garbanzo in a Guajillo Chile Sauce, Pork Filled Chiles Rellenos, Chiles en Nogada, Molcajete Salsa, Pico de Gallo and Frijoles de la Olla. An eye-opening fact – Mexican don't like their food hot. They use fresh chili and other spices to create a flavor that lingers in your mouth.
Mexican food is great for those who are Gluten Intolerant as they use Corn instead of wheat in most of their dishes. Also, you can easily find many beans based Mexican dishes. Another dish which didn't get similar glory as tacos or nachos is the Mexican hot chocolate. If you love something hot on a chilly day, then go for Mexican Hot Chocolate. On merry days, you can enjoy the authentic Mexican Drinks like Tequila, Mezcal, Tecuí, Sotol, Bacanora, Charanda, Posh O Pox, Puebla and Pulque. Mexican Cuisine is for people who enjoy strong drinks and hearty meals.
Chef A.
What a wondrous was to maximize profit yield. I can think of no better way to overcharge for basic grocery store items, make someone wait ten minutes, and go deaf t the same time than going to a California Tortilla. All hail the glorious fast food chain that middle-class suburbanites love. While the food and service is great, the cost is just a tad too much for essentially ¢90 of worth of food. It's no wonder why this is the most replicated business model out there in the franchise food industry. Called a "premium" fast food (that's becasue it has fancy decor and at %35 mark up over general fast-food eateries) C.T. offers burritos and tacos that are custom made to your instructions. I can't lie and say that my $8 burrito wasn't filling, but I just can't get over thinking, I paid $8 for a tortilla shell wrapped around rice and a 2.oz of beef. So please come here, if you have money to burn.
(2)Derek H.
Good fish tacos. I would pick CalTort over Chipotle any day
(4)Angela S.
I'm not sure what it is about the CalTort franchise where the menu is the same, but the burritos taste different depending on the location. This was my first time at this location, while I have frequented the Darnestown and Bethesda CalTorts many times. The Bethesda location always makes my No-Meato burrito full of rice and barely anything else (I have stopped going there). The Darnestown location stuffs it so full of fresh ingredients that it does not taste like fast food. This place? Lots of rice and drowning in a pool of vinegary sauce. I actually didn't even know this burrito had a sauce until now. Beans and rice = flavorless (this is a problem at all 3 locations), queso and chips are fine. I think the Darnestown store should be the overisight/training ground for all the other locations. They have it down. I am being generous with the 3 stars, but I will update next time I go. It could very well go down to 2.
(3)Mark L.
Yea, this place has gone downhill badly. Poor service. Dirty tables. Immature staff. They are not trained and I will not be going back. Moe's Southwest Grill is right up the road and they offer a lot of the same. I am not sure what happened to this franchise but its like they do not care in Frederick.....
(2)Rob R.
Decent burrito. The BBQ sauce in mine was in a clump and the girl at the register was clueless but polite (new girl, so I can't really be mad). Otherwise, no complaints but not exactly wowed. I remain a Chipotle loyalist for now.
(4)Heather S.
Wow! This place has went downhill in he 4 years since I've been gone. Used to be one of my favorite eateries, but I don't think I'll be back. My chicken tortilla soup is so salty I can barely eat it. It's not near as clean as it used to be and the wall of hot sauce has diminished by half. I'm very disappointed:-( the quest is nearly solid and the burrito was dry.
(1)Jamie N.
We tried this place for the first time this past weekend. Food was ok, nothing special. My burrito had so much rice in it that I dumped half of it out. The restaurant was clean and the employees were friendly. Cost me $20 for 2 of us, for that price I would rather go some where and be served.
(3)Mehmed M.
Meh. Shitty quality ingredients - generic toppings and absolute garbage iceberg lettuce - at higher prices than chipotle. Only saving grace is the copious amount of hot sauce choices. The selection of hot sauce choices moves it from a low 2 to a solid 3. But seriously... Chipotle is right down the road. Go there.
(3)Alliah H.
First trip to this restaurant, and was pleasantly surprised. My husband and I got the Enchilada bowl with chicken. The chicken was really good, I think the chicken tasted better than Chipotle's. The restaurant was very clean and bright with nice tables and chairs. We went at lunch on a Thursday and the traffic flow was steady but it never felt busy. The staff was friendly and quick with our order, and our food came out prepared nice and fresh. We are big fans of Chipotle, but this was just as good, and felt lighter and not as spicy. We are excited that we now have two fast food burrito places we can choose from!
(5)Daisy P.
Waiting 20 mins at 8:30pm on a Sunday night for 3street tacos! The place is not busy.....
(2)John L.
My favorite place for blackened chicken. I like it better than Chipotle. Chips and queso is to die for.
(5)Omar F.
The dirtiest food place in all of Frederick!!! Young, very immature, under-trained staff with no supervision at all. I literally was kicking trash out of the way when walking around this place. All trash cans were full, I just left my tray. All utensils and items completely empty. All tables were nasty. To top it off a bunch of teens were in and out the entire time talking with their friends that worked there, so this kept the staff from serving wain customers. Wow!!!
(1)Jinki Y.
The restaurant remodeled! Everything looks amazing, fresh and very brand new! They also got a freestyle coke machine. My favorite! Along with their yummy crunch ranch chicken salad with avocado! ;)
(5)Deidre C.
Went to CalTort today for my free birthday burrito. They've revamped the menu since my last visit. I was excited to see a Korean BBQ burrito on the menu. They've also re-stocked the Wall of Fire since my last visit which made me very happy. The burrito was amazing. The Korean BBQ sauce was spot-on. It was the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. Good amount of meat in my burrito as well. Chips and queso were delicious as usual.
(5)Keisha C.
This restaurant is excellent!!! When I used to come here for my lunch or dinner break at work, I would usually order the BBQ chicken quesadilla. The staff were super nice, and I don't know much about their bathrooms, but the thing I like is that they have a wall of hot sauces.
(5)Bill E.
Awesome atmosphere! We went a little before they closed (2 hours to be exact) and the cashier didn't seem to happy about that. The food was pretty good but we felt if we went earlier the food would of been a little better. Awesome selection of hot sauces! I got the chicken bacon burrito which was pretty good nothing fantastic for a burrito spot though. Tortillas we fresh and homemade which was a nice plus.
(3)Laura A. V.
I'm addicted to their roasted veggie and bean quesadilla with honey lime dressing!!! Service is always great and they are always cheerful in there. I want the lime dressing recipe!!!
(5)Alan M.
California Tortilla is a good alternative to the typical fast-food joints. If you enjoy Chipotle, you will probably like Cal Tort as well. They have some tasty vegetarian options on the menu, and I love their fish taco combo with rice & beans. Their guacamole is quite good, and they have an extensive variety of hot sauces to choose from. If you plan to visit the restaurant on a regular basis, be sure to pick up one of the Burrito Elito reward cards.
(4)Guy S.
Decent burritos, a great selection of hot sauces, and some quirk from the staff and decor. I dig the crunchy BBQ ranch and buffalo wing burritos. Plus their BBQ chicken quesadilla is purty good. I would call this place good, but not awesome. This location is close to our house so we frequent the joint because of convenience as much as liking the grub.
(3)Francis S.
OK fans lets see what causes this place to get the "Not if this was the last place on earth to eat award" I was (little word big meaning) a fan of this place, I was friends with the original owner, I was at the Grand Opening. But after the change over I will not (after last night) return ever, ever, ever, ever (get the point?) again. Where to begin............ I and my family of four decided to get take out. We ordered two of the new BBQ Burritos, a Blacken Chicken quesadillas, and a BBQ Burrito Bowl. What we got on the first trip was: 1) A quesadillas not fit to give to a starving dog! 2) The BBQ Bowl had (I am not kidding) maybe 4oz total of food. TOTAL! 3) All the food was luke warm at best bordering on frigid! I live less than 3min away so it was not like I traveled far and besides the heater was on (maybe that was why the bag was hotter than the food. You think?). After much debate on should we return or just suck it up. I decided to return. At that point, I drove all the way back over only to have the Manager tell me that this was what it was supposed to be like it or not. I then asked for the bowl to be made into a burrito and they were so angry that I returned, as a unsatisfied Customer, that they jammed the food into the burrito and broke it into pieces & then just wrapped it up, and handed it to me with disgust. Another cold burrito that was not really a burrito but a tortilla shredded and falling apart with cold inedible food stuff. Now I have visited the location in Mt. Airy, MD, and let me say my Yelp on that location will be Stellar. But on the Frederick location the food is horrible, the quality and standards are nonexistent and the Staff is lazy, inattentive, not Customer centric, and just plain BAD! The Store is always dirty, unclean tables when no one is in there and I have been in at different times. Overall if there was a Negative Rating it would be a negative 5.0 X 1000. In my humble opinion CAL TORT "PAM", ditch the attempts to be funny in your Taco Talk and fix the problems with your Franchise in Frederick as it is a slop house.
(1)Jeremy T.
Got to visit on my birthday! And get this -- they had put a FREE burrito on my Burrito Elito club card! Suhweet... I got a BBQ Ranch burrito (minus the ranch) and substituted pork for the chicken. Yum yum yum all the way home. Can't wait to do it again sometime.
(5)Nazzarena L.
I'm quite the CT coneisseur since I used to live in front of the flagship store in Bethesda. This franchise is not the one of the best, and neither is the worst (that would be Balto) Cons: 1 location in the sticks, 2 undiverse employees i.e. school kids and "culturally disadvantged caucasians" (you may refer to google for plain english translation of this politically correct term), 3 lack of city papers stacks to read (oh wait, this sisnt CT's fault, it's just Frederick...) 2 and 3 means you are on your own anti boredom devices (e.g a smart phone or some papers from work) while eating your burrito Pros: 1 very efficient employees (kids and CDC who really know how to work. must be the job crisis!) and even get to know your "usual" 2 stays open late (big reason to go after a late work night)
(3)