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Taqueria La Placita
The cueritos and pork skin taco at Taqueria La Placita.
Photo by Laura Chase de Formigny for The Washington Post via Getty Images

The Best Tacos Around D.C., According to Eater Editors

Try tortillas topped with tilapia, carnitas, chicken tinga, and more

by Tierney Plumb Updated
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The cueritos and pork skin taco at Taqueria La Placita.
| Photo by Laura Chase de Formigny for The Washington Post via Getty Images
by Tierney Plumb Updated

Any time is a great time to eat tacos in D.C. Many options — wrapped with flour or corn tortillas — start around $3 a pop, which means going on a citywide taco crawl is very doable.

Here are 16 great taco spots around D.C. For the best Mexican restaurants around the area, go here. —Additional reporting by Adele Chapin

For this latest map refresh, we say goodbye to places like Hoja Taqueria, El Chucho, and Rito Loco.

Don’t see a personal favorite on the list? Sound off in the comments or shoot us an email ([email protected]).

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Little Miner Taco

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Little Miner Taco’s birria de res tacos oozing with melted jack cheese became so popular that the food truck added multiple locations across the DMV. Fillings for its destination quesotacos include birria, chicken tinga, grilled chicken, and mushroom, all served with consomé for dipping. An additional location sits in Rockville.

4308 Rhode Island Avenue, MD 20722
Beef tacos
Beef birria tacos with consommé from Little Miner Taco. 
Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

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Taqueria La Placita

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Taqueria La Placita will curb just about any kind of taco craving. The menu features more than a dozen different tacos, including beef tongue. Don’t forget to save room for horchata. Hyattsville, Maryland is a hot bed for tacos, with other options like Cocineros and La Fondita.

5020 Edmonston Rd (at Farragut St.), Hyattsville, MD 20781
(301) 277-4477
(301) 277-4477
A plate of tacos — tongue, sausage, carnitas and beef — at Taqueria La Placita in Hyattsville.
Deb Lindsey/For The Washington Post

Also featured in:

Cielo Rojo

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The Takoma Park favorite for vegan-friendly Mexican fare carves out room for 10 types of tacos built on heirloom corn tortillas. Highlights include local chicken stewed in homemade mole sauce or tequila-infused cremini mushrooms atop a bed of pinto bean puree.

7211 Carroll Avenue, Takoma Park, Maryland 20912

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La Tejana

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The Bib Gourmand-designated taco stand unveiled its first standalone location in Mt. Pleasant in 2022, bringing the upper Northwest neighborhood a true taste of the tiny taquerias its co-founder Ana-Maria Jaramillo frequented growing up in Texas. Toppings loop in local favorites like 2Fifty Texas BBQ’s chopped brisket.

3211 Mount Pleasant St NW, Washington, D.C. 20010

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Mezcalero

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This street food-centric taqueria fills its tortillas (corn or flour) with over a dozen featured ingredients. Combinations range from shrimp and avocado or mushrooms with goat cheese to the extra hearty campechano (chorizo and steak mixed with potatoes) as well as blackened fish with pico de gallo. Its Mexican-born restaurateurs Jessica and Alfredo Solis also send out stellar Mexican street tacos at sibling spot El Sol.

3714 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010
(202) 803-2114
(202) 803-2114

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Taqueria Habanero

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This festive Petworth eatery is a casual and cool destination inspired by cuisine from Puebla, Mexico. Its native Mexican owners serve hits like tinga poblana (shredded chicken and sausage) and tilapia-filled tacos. An additional D.C. location sits across town in Northeast’s food hall Bryant Street Market.

3710 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010
(202) 722-7700
(202) 722-7700

Also featured in:

Taqueria Al Lado

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This Adams Morgan taqueria prides itself on grinding its own masa. Handsome blue-corn tortillas are the base for tacos simply dressed in traditional garb of cilantro, onion, and a razor-thin radish slice. The al pastor gets cooled down with some pineapple, while tempura-battered cod has a thicker blanket of crunchy cabbage slaw and chipotle crema. Owner Rolando Frias also added a location across town off H Street NE.

1792 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC 20009
(202) 481-0048
(202) 481-0048
Tacos on a white plate
Taqueria Al Lado one of the few restaurants in town that nixtamalizes corn masa on the premises.
Evan Caplan/Eater D.C.

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Taqueria Xochi

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Chef Teresa Padilla, a longtime veteran of José Andrés Group, serves up dishes inspired by her hometown of San Jose Teacalco in Tlaxcala, Mexico from a hot pink takeout window on U Street. That includes cheesy quesabirria tacos with either a blend of chuck and brisket or lamb, as well as tacos spotlighting fillings like carnitas, chorizo, or mushroom. Delivery is available, too. Taqueria Xochi recently expanded across town with a new stall in downtown food hall the Square and a big space in

924 U St NW, Washington, DC 20001
(202) 292-2859
(202) 292-2859
A trio of tacos on a table with accoutrements on the side
Taqueria Xochi co-owner Geraldine Mendoza says authentically Mexican tacos — like these nopales-filled tortillas — have only onion and cilantro as a garnish with salsa on the side.
Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

Also featured in:

Oyamel

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If its legendary grasshopper tacos aren’t your thing, José Andrés’s whimsical Oaxacan eatery has lots of other $6 options at the ready. Try the Yucatán-style pit barbecued Pipe Dreams pork with Mexican sour orange and pickled red onion, or one with braised Roseda Farms beef tongue with a spicy chile. A new location recently arrived in NYC.

401 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20004
(202) 628-1005
(202) 628-1005

Also featured in:

MXDC

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Chef Todd English’s Mexican eatery relocated up 14th Street NW to its new Logan Circle neighborhood. Patrons can mix and match tacos (three per order), with options like carne asada, pork belly, mahi mahi, and huitlacoche.

1610 14th Street Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia 20009

Santa Rosa Taqueria

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The cherished taco spot run by Sunnyside Restaurant Group (the team behind Good Stuff Eatery) made a triumphant return to Capitol Hill in 2022. Meat for al pastor tacos comes from a gyro stick wrapped in pineapple, a birria taco is made with cheesy pot roast and consomé, and a spicy chorizo option comes with an egg.

301 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20003
(202) 450-4800
(202) 450-4800

Also featured in:

Republic Cantina

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The gold foil wrapper is fitting for breakfast tacos worth treasuring at this Tex-Mex cafe in Truxton Circle. Republic Cantina builds them on stretchy, rich flour tortillas that would pass muster even in Texas. Go for the smoked brisket, served with fried onions, potatoes, and avocado salsa, or a carne guisada (stewed beef) variety with scallions and crispy tortilla strips. 

43 N St NW, Washington, DC 20001
(202) 997-4340
(202) 997-4340

Taqueria el Poblano (Multiple locations)

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This homegrown chain covers all the bases, serving taco favorites (seasoned pork, beer-battered fish, grilled vegetables) along with upscale proteins including roast duck (and sometimes lobster tacos). There’s also grilled shrimp drizzled with avocado sauce on a flour tortilla and shredded chicken stuffed into crunchy shells. Another location sits in Arlington.

2400 Mt Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22301
(703) 548-8226
(703) 548-8226

Also featured in:

El Rey

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The longstanding taqueria in Shaw expanded across state lines with an outpost in Ballston, complete with a 50-foot long bar and 10 different tacos on the menu. Those options include a “DC Taco” filled with panko-coated fried chicken breast strips, crispy potato frites, cilantro, and El Rey’s own mumbo sauce. Its biggest outpost to date recently debuted in Navy Yard with sprawling views of the Anacostia River and a terrific new taco menu.

4201 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22203
(571) 312-5530
(571) 312-5530
El Rey’s industrial-styled outpost in Ballston resembles the original in Shaw.  
Mykl Wu/El Rey

Also featured in:

Taco Bamba (Multiple locations)

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Restaurateur Victor Albisu keeps growing his Taco Bamba chain with neighborhood-specific tacos served at each. Alexandria’s Landmark locale, for instance, showcases slaw-topped Korean-style chicken nuggets. Taco Bamba made a triumphant return to D.C. in 2022.

6259 Little River Turnpike, Alexandria, VA 22312
703-775-2966
703-775-2966
Special “nuestros tacos” from the Taco Bamba in Fairfax
Special “nuestros tacos” from the Taco Bamba in Fairfax.
Greg Powers for Taco Bamba

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Taco City DC

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The homemade corn tortillas make all the difference at Taco City D.C., where the chilorio de res tacos (braised beef, avocado sauce, pickled habanero and cilantro) and the al pastor tacos (spit-grilled pork, pineapple, onion, cilantro and salsa roja) really shine. The neon-lit taco shop in Navy Yard also specializes in hand-squeezed margaritas and comforting pozole rojo soup.

1102 8th St SE, Washington, D.C. 20003
(202) 629-4012
(202) 629-4012
Tierney Plumb is an editor of Eater's Northeast region, covering D.C., Boston, Philly, and New York.

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Little Miner Taco

4308 Rhode Island Avenue, MD 20722

Little Miner Taco’s birria de res tacos oozing with melted jack cheese became so popular that the food truck added multiple locations across the DMV. Fillings for its destination quesotacos include birria, chicken tinga, grilled chicken, and mushroom, all served with consomé for dipping. An additional location sits in Rockville.

4308 Rhode Island Avenue, MD 20722
Beef tacos
Beef birria tacos with consommé from Little Miner Taco. 
Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

Taqueria La Placita

5020 Edmonston Rd (at Farragut St.), Hyattsville, MD 20781

Taqueria La Placita will curb just about any kind of taco craving. The menu features more than a dozen different tacos, including beef tongue. Don’t forget to save room for horchata. Hyattsville, Maryland is a hot bed for tacos, with other options like Cocineros and La Fondita.

5020 Edmonston Rd (at Farragut St.), Hyattsville, MD 20781
(301) 277-4477
(301) 277-4477
A plate of tacos — tongue, sausage, carnitas and beef — at Taqueria La Placita in Hyattsville.
Deb Lindsey/For The Washington Post

Cielo Rojo

7211 Carroll Avenue, Takoma Park, Maryland 20912

The Takoma Park favorite for vegan-friendly Mexican fare carves out room for 10 types of tacos built on heirloom corn tortillas. Highlights include local chicken stewed in homemade mole sauce or tequila-infused cremini mushrooms atop a bed of pinto bean puree.

7211 Carroll Avenue, Takoma Park, Maryland 20912

La Tejana

3211 Mount Pleasant St NW, Washington, D.C. 20010

The Bib Gourmand-designated taco stand unveiled its first standalone location in Mt. Pleasant in 2022, bringing the upper Northwest neighborhood a true taste of the tiny taquerias its co-founder Ana-Maria Jaramillo frequented growing up in Texas. Toppings loop in local favorites like 2Fifty Texas BBQ’s chopped brisket.

3211 Mount Pleasant St NW, Washington, D.C. 20010

Mezcalero

3714 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010

This street food-centric taqueria fills its tortillas (corn or flour) with over a dozen featured ingredients. Combinations range from shrimp and avocado or mushrooms with goat cheese to the extra hearty campechano (chorizo and steak mixed with potatoes) as well as blackened fish with pico de gallo. Its Mexican-born restaurateurs Jessica and Alfredo Solis also send out stellar Mexican street tacos at sibling spot El Sol.

3714 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010
(202) 803-2114
(202) 803-2114

Taqueria Habanero

3710 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010

This festive Petworth eatery is a casual and cool destination inspired by cuisine from Puebla, Mexico. Its native Mexican owners serve hits like tinga poblana (shredded chicken and sausage) and tilapia-filled tacos. An additional D.C. location sits across town in Northeast’s food hall Bryant Street Market.

3710 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010
(202) 722-7700
(202) 722-7700

Taqueria Al Lado

1792 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC 20009

This Adams Morgan taqueria prides itself on grinding its own masa. Handsome blue-corn tortillas are the base for tacos simply dressed in traditional garb of cilantro, onion, and a razor-thin radish slice. The al pastor gets cooled down with some pineapple, while tempura-battered cod has a thicker blanket of crunchy cabbage slaw and chipotle crema. Owner Rolando Frias also added a location across town off H Street NE.

1792 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC 20009
(202) 481-0048
(202) 481-0048
Tacos on a white plate
Taqueria Al Lado one of the few restaurants in town that nixtamalizes corn masa on the premises.
Evan Caplan/Eater D.C.

Taqueria Xochi

924 U St NW, Washington, DC 20001

Chef Teresa Padilla, a longtime veteran of José Andrés Group, serves up dishes inspired by her hometown of San Jose Teacalco in Tlaxcala, Mexico from a hot pink takeout window on U Street. That includes cheesy quesabirria tacos with either a blend of chuck and brisket or lamb, as well as tacos spotlighting fillings like carnitas, chorizo, or mushroom. Delivery is available, too. Taqueria Xochi recently expanded across town with a new stall in downtown food hall the Square and a big space in

924 U St NW, Washington, DC 20001
(202) 292-2859
(202) 292-2859
A trio of tacos on a table with accoutrements on the side
Taqueria Xochi co-owner Geraldine Mendoza says authentically Mexican tacos — like these nopales-filled tortillas — have only onion and cilantro as a garnish with salsa on the side.
Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

Oyamel

401 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20004

If its legendary grasshopper tacos aren’t your thing, José Andrés’s whimsical Oaxacan eatery has lots of other $6 options at the ready. Try the Yucatán-style pit barbecued Pipe Dreams pork with Mexican sour orange and pickled red onion, or one with braised Roseda Farms beef tongue with a spicy chile. A new location recently arrived in NYC.

401 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20004
(202) 628-1005
(202) 628-1005

MXDC

1610 14th Street Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia 20009

Chef Todd English’s Mexican eatery relocated up 14th Street NW to its new Logan Circle neighborhood. Patrons can mix and match tacos (three per order), with options like carne asada, pork belly, mahi mahi, and huitlacoche.

1610 14th Street Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia 20009

Santa Rosa Taqueria

301 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20003

The cherished taco spot run by Sunnyside Restaurant Group (the team behind Good Stuff Eatery) made a triumphant return to Capitol Hill in 2022. Meat for al pastor tacos comes from a gyro stick wrapped in pineapple, a birria taco is made with cheesy pot roast and consomé, and a spicy chorizo option comes with an egg.

301 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20003
(202) 450-4800
(202) 450-4800

Republic Cantina

43 N St NW, Washington, DC 20001

The gold foil wrapper is fitting for breakfast tacos worth treasuring at this Tex-Mex cafe in Truxton Circle. Republic Cantina builds them on stretchy, rich flour tortillas that would pass muster even in Texas. Go for the smoked brisket, served with fried onions, potatoes, and avocado salsa, or a carne guisada (stewed beef) variety with scallions and crispy tortilla strips. 

43 N St NW, Washington, DC 20001
(202) 997-4340
(202) 997-4340

Taqueria el Poblano (Multiple locations)

2400 Mt Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22301

This homegrown chain covers all the bases, serving taco favorites (seasoned pork, beer-battered fish, grilled vegetables) along with upscale proteins including roast duck (and sometimes lobster tacos). There’s also grilled shrimp drizzled with avocado sauce on a flour tortilla and shredded chicken stuffed into crunchy shells. Another location sits in Arlington.

2400 Mt Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22301
(703) 548-8226
(703) 548-8226

El Rey

4201 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22203

The longstanding taqueria in Shaw expanded across state lines with an outpost in Ballston, complete with a 50-foot long bar and 10 different tacos on the menu. Those options include a “DC Taco” filled with panko-coated fried chicken breast strips, crispy potato frites, cilantro, and El Rey’s own mumbo sauce. Its biggest outpost to date recently debuted in Navy Yard with sprawling views of the Anacostia River and a terrific new taco menu.

4201 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22203
(571) 312-5530
(571) 312-5530
El Rey’s industrial-styled outpost in Ballston resembles the original in Shaw.  
Mykl Wu/El Rey

Taco Bamba (Multiple locations)

6259 Little River Turnpike, Alexandria, VA 22312

Restaurateur Victor Albisu keeps growing his Taco Bamba chain with neighborhood-specific tacos served at each. Alexandria’s Landmark locale, for instance, showcases slaw-topped Korean-style chicken nuggets. Taco Bamba made a triumphant return to D.C. in 2022.

6259 Little River Turnpike, Alexandria, VA 22312
703-775-2966
703-775-2966
Special “nuestros tacos” from the Taco Bamba in Fairfax
Special “nuestros tacos” from the Taco Bamba in Fairfax.
Greg Powers for Taco Bamba

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Taco City DC

1102 8th St SE, Washington, D.C. 20003

The homemade corn tortillas make all the difference at Taco City D.C., where the chilorio de res tacos (braised beef, avocado sauce, pickled habanero and cilantro) and the al pastor tacos (spit-grilled pork, pineapple, onion, cilantro and salsa roja) really shine. The neon-lit taco shop in Navy Yard also specializes in hand-squeezed margaritas and comforting pozole rojo soup.

1102 8th St SE, Washington, D.C. 20003
(202) 629-4012
(202) 629-4012

Related Maps