Friday Question of the Day – Best Tacos in DC

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by Prince Of Petworth May 5, 2016 at 10:22 pm 112 Comments

I guess I still got cinco de mayo on my mind – let’s make this an easy one, though by no means inconsequential, where are the best tacos in DC. (Please include the neighborhood where the restaurant is located.)

ctk

El Sol.

Yes, Habanero is also very good.
- justinbc
  
  +1, have tried all the others mentioned thus far and El Sol beats them in my mind. I’m not going to say absurd things like BY FAR and HANDS DOWN etc because the best ones are all relatively close, and still far from what you get in the better Mexican / taco areas of the country.
  - justinbc
    
    Btw I’ve been to several of the supposed super taco spots out in the burbs (Taco Bar and R&R to name a couple), and I’ll just save most people some time and say don’t bother going out there for them. They’re better than most of the spots in DC, but pretty much on par with the “best” spots you can find in the city.
    - MtP
      
      Yeah, I loved R&R, but I think Habenero is just as good.
- bikerdc
  
  Where is El Sol?
  - JohnH
    
    There’s 2. One is in Mt Vernon Square on 11th inbetween M and N (very small). One is up by Petworth – not as familiar with that area.
  - justinbc
    
    The one that I’ve been to is in Petworth. I’ve heard there’s another in Shaw, but that it’s not as good.
    - SMGC
      
      Nah, I’ve been about a dozen times and it’s just as good.
John

Best tacos? Hate to be generic, but District Taco tops all the smaller joints I’ve tried.

Best Mexican? Habanero on 14th.
- Anon
  
  District Taco is my favorite because I live in Capitol Hill and I’m not normally grabbing quick bites when I’m out in other neighborhoods. I do think they’re the best in the Hill but there are probably better places farther out.
- CoHi
  
  I respectfully disagree. DT’s meat is so bland! Their tortillas also leave something to be desired. Now, their chili con queso is something I can get behind!
  - jumpingjack
    
    Agreed. I’ve never understood the appeal of District Taco. The meat is ok (it can be watery and sometimes bland). But the tortillas are awful and just ruin the entire experience – they’re soggy and gummy and stick to the roof of my mouth. Even people who like DT have agreed with me on this!
    - Anon
      
      The corn or the flour? I guess I’ve only had the corn which are tasty.
      - jumpingjack
        
        Flour. I’ll try the corn if I ever go back.
  - anon
    
    +1 DT’s chili con queso is amazing
brob626

Taqueria habanero all day! And as a Texan, I consider myself an authority on good tacos.
- womp
  
  Texan here too! I’ll have to try this place.
- Diane
  
  Texan too and we just mover here 8 weeks ago. Coming from NYC and am so ready for Tex-Mex. Super taco in Adams Morgan is also good.
- TX2DC
  
  So many Texans! :-)
- Phill
  
  As a Californian I object to Texan’s taste in tacos. However regarding this question I agree with your pick of taco places in DC. :P
- CoHi
  
  I need to try Habanero AND El Sol. This Texan is behind on her taco tasting.
- KM
  
  Another Texan! Missing breakfast tacos dearly…
Kukki Bakemono

I really liked Pica Taco when I went, but I’m excited to try Habanero and El Sol.
jim_ed

El Sol. Though I had a carnitas torta there last night and I may never go back to eating tacos.
- apers
  
  omg that torta.
Anonymous

Taqueria Habenero on upper 14th St near Red Derby/Lyman’s. It’s not even close for me either.
DC1

Habanero hands down… Closest thing to El Gordo from San Diego/Tijuana (the real deal!).
- tigershark
  
  San Diegan/Tijuanese here, so Texans can stick to the Tex-Mex thread, which is by far and away a different cuisine that what we are speaking of here. Yes, tex-Mex is good and I say go in peace, but it is it’s own thing (like many Texas things). Habanero is the best so far, El Sol is on my list.
Otis Gal

It used to be Taqueria Habenera but: first they dramatically decreased their portions and then food/service went downhill. Very sad. Still searching for the best taco now.
jumpingjack

I love the El Chilango truck that parks between Rosslyn and Courthouse.
- superstar
  
  This is the correct answer.
- hilary1121
  
  Yes absolutely the best tacos
- Katie
  
  They have a brick and mortar spot on V St.! The best by far.
- Truxton Thomas
  
  I assume that’s the food truck for Tacos El Chilango on V Street NW?
  - jumpingjack
    
    The truck pre-dates the brick and mortar by years. The V St location is owned by the brother of the truck’s owner.
    - justinbc
      
      Yep. I liked them from the truck, thought they were OK in the store.
TrendWatcher

Lengua tacos at Restaurant Judy
oh2dc

Taqueria Habanero on 14th is my favorite. I live near the El Sol on 11th. I don’t get it.
Diane

Super Taco in Adams Morgan.
Tract44

Super Taco in Adams Morgan.
It doesn’t have much in the way of seating for eating in, but I get delivery all the time.
They also have a funny theme song on their website.
MtP

Tacqueria Habenero on 14th next to the Red Derby BY FAR in my mind.
Anon E Mous

Trump International Hotel
- Pixie
  
  Lolz
- TX2DC
  
  The BEST taco bowls in NYC.
- Truxton Thomas
  
  I love Hispanics!
- binpetworth
  
  Sure to give you indigestion
- Bloomy
  
  +1
placation

By far it is El Chilengo at 12 & V NW – amazing and cheap.
- Trinidandy
  
  +1
jkdc

taqueria nacional at 14th and t. great tacos, good specials, awesome space
Pixie

J & J Taqueria on Georgia Ave & Jefferson St is surprisingly good. I also really like Pica Taco.
- anon
  
  Are you sure it’s on Georgia and Jefferson? I don’t recall seeing one there. In any event, I would never go to that corner at night.
  - J&J all the way
    
    J & J gets my current vote too since they are in my neighborhood, and equal factors for best tacos are convenience and deliciousness. It’s on Georgia and Sheridan.
  - Pixie
    
    Oops thanks for correcting me! It’s a few blocks north on Georgia and Sheridan by the Walmart. There’s another J&J carry out out place on Georgia and Jefferson. Don’t go to that one.
AP

Pica Taco at 14th & Florida NW. The pastor taco is my favorite.
- CoHi
  
  I also like Pica Taco! There is one right by me on 16th and Columbia NW. I’m not going to call it my favorite taco, but definitely my favorite taco within a 5 minute walk from my house (and since I live in Columbia Heights, that’s actually saying something).
Bogey

Espita at 9th and N
- justinbc
  
  Good mention. I really like the tacos at Espita and TICO, but those are in a different category of “good” than I would consider this question to be posed at.
  - LedroitTigah
    
    Yeah – the fish tacos at TICOS are legit
- JohnH
  
  Restaurants are disqualified if they cost $20 and you have to pay for salsa.
AdMoRez

DC folks don’t know good tacos! Even if you claim you are from Texas or West Coast, none of the tacos here come close to what I had in San Antonio, or San Francisco. Real al pastor tacos cook the pork on a verticle spit, and nowhere in DC does that because they know DC folks don’t know what a good taco is and will buy up skillet fried pork and call that al pastor. Habanero comes the closest, but it’s nowhere near as good as the al pastor verticle pork spit tacos you get in the West Coast. El Jarochita II in Arlington does have the authentic al pastor tacos, roasted pork cut off a vertical spit on weekends. El Sol, Pica Taco, El Reys, Super Tacos and Bakery, District Taco, they are all junk and if you think they are good, you haven’t had good tacos. El Chilango is decent, the corn tortilla is well made, but again, the pastor pork meat is not cooked on a vertical spit and once you have had that, everything else sucks. The sauces here are tame as well. You get the real heat in authentic taqueria places.
- BethPopville
  
  There had to be one.
  - 11th St
    
    I’m surprised I had to scroll down far enough to get to this.
- justinbc
  
  Oh shit, no vertical spit, we’re all doomed.
  - Jill
    
    Actual LOL!
- SMGC
  
  Fresca on H street has the vertical spit! Taqueria Habanero is good but their al pastor was very disappointing because isn’t true al pastor. Try Fresca’s.
  - AdMoRez
    
    Thanks SMGC, I’ll have to try that, I work near Union Station near H so this wouldn’t be hard to try.
- Philippe Lecheval
  
  I will agree with you that El Rey sucks in pretty much every way.
Alberto

Taqueria Distrito Federal is authentic as it gets! Simple and delish!
TacoKat

El Sol!!! Tacqueria Habanero is also very good, but I feel like their portion size has decreased, and it’s always packed in there, so it takes forever to get said tacos. Tacos El Chilango is also very tasty. Good veggie options there. Pica Taco is good- tacos are big there! I have yet to try District Taco!
jcm

RIP Mama Chuy :( I actually haven’t been to most of the spots mentioned here. Guess it’s time to expand my horizons.
elly2

Fully acknowledging this is not DC and not getting into ‘best’….. but Taco Bamba in Falls Church- worth the drive to check out!!
- SunnieJ
  
  +1 to Taco Bamba
- jumpingjack
  
  I like Taco Bamba a lot.
- northeazy
  
  +1. Worth the metro ride and walk. Super busy at lunch time tho
Anon

So I assume when y’all are raving about at a place you’re mostly thinking about their pork tacos. But for those of us who don’t eat meat– where are the best fish tacos? Or vegetarian tacos?
- ForTheLoveofTacos
  
  The squash blossom tacos at El Chucho are amazing…
- Pixie
  
  Chaia in Georgetown makes really delicious vegetarian tacos. Not exactly authentic, but very tasty.
- tacochelle
  
  A strong second for El Chucho, plus the Earthy Taco at Johnny Pistolas. Can’t claim to know about the quality of other tacos at Johnny Pistolas since I haven’t seen it in this comments section yet, but the veg option is very good and makes me feel like I’m not an afterthought.
- abdc
  
  I always get the fish tacos at Taqueria Habanero. They are money. I’m not sure how they are cooked, but I doubt they are too concerned with cross contamination with meat though…
- elly2
  
  The spicy mushroom taco at Taco Bamba is on point.
- lg
  
  For veg and fish tacos, I really like Lesos Taco and Johnny Pistollas
B

Also obviously not in DC, but Taqueria Los Primos in Laurel, MD is incredible, especially their al pastor.
ForTheLoveofTacos

Results of a Cinco de Marzo Taco Crawl among friends: https://www.behance.net/gallery/27308839/Infographics.
marybindc

Taqueria La Placita in Hyattsville is great.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/taqueria-la-placita-hyattsville

I haven’t had many of the other ones mentioned here, so I’m not going to rank it in comparison, but it’s really good.
MarkQ

I have been chasing the “you gotta try this place” taco for 20 years. From Arlington to Riverdale to Adams Morgan to DC upscale joints to food trucks galore. Honestly, I can’t tell that much of a difference between any of them and Chipotle. And yes I’ve been to Southern California and had tacos there too. Very few places seem to be doing anything special with either the tortilla or the meat… or the salsa. I love a a taco washed down with a cold beer, and like pizza, 99% are fine. Seriously, what am I missing?
- MVT
  
  habanero salsa
- Jill
  
  I once spent a month in San Diego for work, and made my way through the must-try taco places, but I didn’t think any of them were noteworthy. Like many things in Southern California, the food is incredibly overrated.
  But tacos are like pizza– even if they’re not great, they’re still very good.
  - former SD resident
    
    The only must-try taco places in San Diego are those with the best fish tacos. Otherwise? LA is the place to go for good tacos, not San Diego.
    - Jill
      
      I was only eating fish tacos because I don’t eat meat, so yeah…
- justinbc
  
  The salsa at pretty much every taco place I’ve been to in DC is just awful. Generically flavorless and usually watery. El Sol has some decent salsa, and Espita has some great ones that will leave you burning long after.
  - Anon
    
    The verde salsa at Habanero is outstanding. I’d try that again.
- welshi
  
  Either tacos just aren’t for you or you don’t care too much for food. That’s totally fine and you aren’t missing anything if that’s you. Me? I’m borderline obsessed with it and have searched far and wide in the DMV area in search of the best carnitas taco. To each their own.
  - welshi
    
    I agree it’s like pizza though- even if it’s not very good, it’s still good. That being said (like pizza) a super delicious taco is an incredible experience.
SMGC

El Sol is by far the best Mexican place in town but I never get tacos there (always huaraches, tortas, pozole, or breakfast items). I say this as a Mexican. Also, the new-ish Fresca Taqueria on H street has AMAZING al pastor tacos. A few other items are hit or miss but they are mostly really good and i HIGHLY recommend their al pastor. They do their tacos al vapor (steamed tortillas, not griddled) which is not my favorite style but they’re still f&^#ing delicious.
Drobe

The best taco place in the DC area is absolutely Taqueria la placita in Hyattsville md. I’ll have to give El Sol a try!
Timmy`

For those wondering, Habanero is on Door Dash, so you can have it delivered if you so desire.
Shaw_Resident

Taqueria Habanero – 3710 14th Street, Washington, DC 20010

Best tacos in DC – better than El Sol in my opinion (especially new El Sol location), The owners and all the staff are extremely nice and you can’t beat their chorizo taco or the tinga. Great margs and queso fondido!
James

Takorean and Far East Taco Grille
Egad

Has anyone tried Lezo’s Taqueria in Mount Pleasant? Any good?
- lg
  
  I like it a lot!
Bill of Tacos

I started a taco blog a few years ago called Bill of Tacos. The goal was to eat at every taco joint in DC and I almost did it. The best tacos were in Georgetown. No lie. I didn’t want to admit it but they topped the usual suspects list. Unfortunately Bandolero is gone, but there is still Farmers Fishers Bakers. If you refuse G’town then try El Chilango or Pica Taco. Also Smoke & Barrel should bring their tacos back.
- justinbc
  
  Smoke & Barrel had the most disgusting tacos I’ve had in this entire city.
  - James
    
    Agreed. Went there for their HH special since they were ridiculously cheap and they weren’t even worth the $1 or $2 I paid for them.
V

I’m here for the comments
JohnH

Lauriol Plaza!
.
(jk…just to piss people off)
.
But let me know when there’s a “best fajitas” and I will defend them to my death….
Abby

Hidden gem: El Camino in Bloomingdale. The mushroom tacos are amazing.
Anon

So they’re not trendy right now, but I have a soft spot for hard shell tacos. What’s the best place for those in particular?
- palisades
  
  Safeway
AdMoRez

Taco Bell obviously
Senor Loma

Pa’ Tacos El Papi on Columbia Pike at South Jefferson (truck) Hands down the best!
El Charritto Caminante on Washington Blvd in Arlington, VA
Chupacabra off of H St NE.

District Taco in DC on the hill blows
Zbear

Taqueria Habanero for me. People tell me El Sol is better and I think it’s good but not even a close second.

The posole af Habanero is the best I’ve had, as are their carnitas, fish, chorizo and al pastor. Oh the agia frescas and coffee too

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