Desperately Seeking Tacos
While the local food scene is better known for Salvadoran pupusas, it doesn't stop many a displaced Californian (or Texan or Arizonan) from the fervent pursuit of an authentic Mexican taco.
These tacos are a far cry from any oily, hard-shelled monstrosity found at Taco Bell. Traditional tacos are generally two small corn tortillas filled with shredded meat, onion, cilantro, and finished off with a squeeze of lime. I distinctly remember the first time I ate "real" tacos: I was in Southern California, and it tasted like nothing I'd ever experienced growing up in the Midwest. Ever since then, I've been trying to recapture the impossibly delicious flavors of that taquería without having to fly across the country.
In an attempt to find D.C.'s best taco, I undertook an unscientific survey of five area taquerías. This search was by no means exhaustive -- it only included as many taco places as I could manage in one week. Moreover, menu differences prevented me from ordering the exact same items at every restaurant. Taco price varied slightly among restaurants, running between $2.00 - $2.75 each.
Were any of these tacos as good as something you might find in L.A.? Frankly, no. But sometimes, you just really want tacos. So here's the skinny on the next best thing, short of hopping a five-hour flight.
Pica Taco
Tucked away on the first floor of the Argonne apartment building, Pica Taco is a relative newcomer among D.C. taquerías, having opened last summer. Pica Taco has a less extensive menu than other restaurants, serving only chicken, barbacoa (beef), al pastor (pork), and lengua (beef tongue). Skip the chicken, which was dry and cottony on my visit. The al pastor suffered from the opposite fate: chopped pork chunks were smothered in a smokey red sauce, which soaked through the tortillas and obscured the taste of the meat.
But Pica Taco redeemed itself with the juicy barbacoa taco. The shredded beef is intensely moist and has a slightly sweet, barbecued flavor that's almost reminiscent of Chinese bbq pork buns. These were far and away the best beef tacos I tried during this experiment. Also, salsa fans take note -- Pica Taco was also the only taqueria I visited that serves their tacos with tomatoes.
1629 Columbia Rd NW
Washington, D.C.
(202) 518-0076
Metro: Columbia Heights
El Charrito Caminante
El Charrito's take-out menu claims that they are the best Mexican taquería in Arlington. The restaurant offers seven different types of tacos: beef, beef tongue, chorizo, goat, pork, chicken, and the combo. I ordered beef, pork, and goat tacos. Unlike most other taquerías, which use raw white onions, El Charrito dresses their tacos with sliced green onions and shredded radish. For those who find raw onion to be too sharp, this topping has less of a bite and allows the meat flavor to dominate.
Unfortunately, both the pork and beef tacos were dry, with the pork being the biggest offender. The goat taco was a definite winner: moist and flavorful without tasting gamey. I doused my remaining tacos in El Charrito's moderately spicy green salsa, which added an infusion of much needed moisture.
(My dining companions ordered pupusas, and I will briefly note that the tomato-y slaw accompanying their pupusas beat any I've eaten in D.C. But that is the subject of another story.)
2710 Washington Blvd
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 351-1177
Metro: Clarendon
Note: cash only
El Pollo Sabroso
Technically Pollo Sabroso isn't a taquería; it's a Peruvian roast chicken restaurant. The only reason Pollo Sabroso is worth a mention is for their chicken tacos. The other chicken tacos I tried were disappointing, dry shreds of flavorless meat. Pollo Sabroso's chicken is juicy, caramelized, and spiced similarly to their crisp roasted birds. The other fillings (beef, pork, tongue) are unremarkable -- stick with the chicken. Pollo Sabroso's tacos are served with a side of slightly smokey chili sauce, cilantro, onions, and a medley of very spicy pickled jalapenos, onions, and carrots.
3153 Mt. Pleasant St. NW
Washington, D.C.
(202) 299-0374
Metro: Columbia Heights
1434 Park Rd NW
Washington, D.C.
(202) 986-0022
Metro: Columbia Heights
Super Tacos and Bakery
While I am generally skeptical of Yelp reviews, several noted that Super Tacos and Bakery has an unpleasant odor about the place. I too noticed a strong smell, something like cleaning fluid, upon setting foot inside. Still, that did not stop me from placing an order for four tacos, carne asada (grilled beef), al pastor (roasted pork), carnitas (fried pork), and lengua (beef tongue). I also picked up some sauces from the salsa bar -- a rather flavorless salsa verde and a slightly spicy red sauce.
True to its name, Super Tacos were by far the largest tacos I tried and contained the most meat. As is so often the case, though, quantity did not always equal quality, as the carnitas and carne asada were both dry. The carne asada revealed some flavor after a bout of hard-fought chewing, but the carnitas sadly did not. The other two tacos fared better -- the al pastor was moist with crunchy edges, the roasting having concentrated the pork flavors. The best was the lengua taco, overflowing with tender hunks of meat. Beef tongue is not everyone's cup of tea, but Super Tacos' lengua retains a strong beef flavor with only a hint of a metallic aftertaste.
1762 Columbia Rd NW
Washington, D.C.
(202) 232-7121
Metro: Woodley Park or Columbia Heights
Taqueria Distrito Federal
Taqueria Distrito Federal is arguably the standard by which other D.C. tacos are measured. They have the biggest selection of meats: 11 different fillings ranging from the usual suspects (carnitas, pollo, carne asada) to the offal (beef tongue, beef tripe, pork skin) and everything in between (al pastor, chorizo, goat, pork ribs). On this particular trip, I ordered the barbacoa chivo (goat), barbacoa res (beef), costilla puerco (baby pork ribs), and chicarron en salsa verde (pork skin in green sauce).
The goat, which on past visits had been moist, was a bit dry and gamey this time. The other three tacos were strong contenders. The barbacoa res was moist and beefy, though not as complexly flavored as Pica Taco's offering. The pork ribs were also solidly prepared --- moist and with nice caramelized bits. My favorite, however, was the pork skin. Basically pork rinds reconstituted in green sauce, this taco was squishy, smokey, and delicious. That said, the oddly spongy texture of pork skin is not for everyone.
Taqueria Distrito Federal was the only restaurant I visited that served their tacos with avocado, as well as the usual cilantro and onion. They are also generous with the lime and a mild green chili sauce. The combination of citrus, avocado, and green sauce gives their tacos an especially bright, fresh flavor.
3463 14th St. NW
Washington, D.C.
(202) 276-7331
Metro: Columbia Heights
805 Kennedy St. NW
Washington, D.C.
(202) 276-7331
So where is the best D.C. taco? After eating more tacos than I care to think about, I did not have a definitive winner. On balance, I will say that Taqueria Distrito Federal came closest to those transcendent Southern California tacos, but that's not saying much. Based on my week of tacos, I have come to the following conclusions:
Best chicken taco - Pollo Sabroso
Best tongue taco - Super Tacos
Best beef taco - Pica Taco
Best pork tacos - Taqueria Distrito Federal
Best goat taco - El Charrito
Did we miss your favorite taquería? Let us know in the comments.