District Taco

Curb Appeal/Location: Stewart Bean

Being an actual resident of the District of Columbia, I found it very misleading and discomforting that "District Taco" was in fact not in the District, but Arlington. I understand if the original restaurant started in the District, and because of its popularity sprawled into NOVA like the rest of middle class America, but this simply isn't the case. Thurbs down on location.

Like most places on Lee Highway, "curb appeal" doesn't really apply to this place. The word appeal means there is a level of attractiveness or allure to the physical structure of the building. Pretty much your standard rectangular building, glass front, and neon glowing sign. On a positive note, unlike the District, there was ample parking and no wait.

Rating: 2.0 Thurbs

Food and Beverage: Brian

Before dining at District Taco, I had heard tales of the food cart that travels around the DC metro area. Reasonably priced, authentic Mexican food is the name of the game. For starters, District Taco offers many more food choices than their namesake implies, but they still keep it pretty basic as far as Mexican food goes. Tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas, and homemade guac are some of their specialties. Notably, they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner which I found quite impressive. Brian had the breakfast burrito, Stew a barbacoa burrito, Tommy a spicy chicken burrito, and Bumpy a steak burrito. We also enjoyed the homemade guacamole, and no lie, it’s homemade. The proof is in the pudding.

For those of you thinking “Chipotle Burrito” when I use that term, District Taco offers a more authentic version. Burritos are served on plates doused in sauce, covered in melted cheese and served with lettuce and tomato on the side. These are more like the burritos you would receive at an actual Mexican restaurant. I can confidently say we were all impressed and pleased with our orders. Our huge, overstuffed burrito dishes arrived reasonably quickly and piping hot. They also offered an extensive self serve bar of salsas to supplement your food. To drink, I believe we all had water. However, they do have a Boylan’s fountain featuring their full line of pure cane sugar sodas. One downside to the District Taco menu would be there lack of hard tacos. Sorry, folks. They only serve soft. Also, using plasticware to try and tackle these dishes can be quite a feat.

Rating: 3.25 Thurbs

Ambience/Entertainment: Bumpy

My past has included a couple of short travels to Spanish speaking countries and though I did not expect the ambiance of District Taco to recreate similar emotions; I did still maintain some low lying standards of Hispanic authenticity. District Taco met none of those expectations. It was likely somewhere in between the mystic, yet relaxing music playing in the restaurant that you might also expect to hear during a massage and my Hispanic cashier who couldn’t tell me what the word Orale! on his District Taco t-shirt meant that my dreams were dashed.

The restaurant was filled with families enjoying the diverse Falls Church culture, which was nice. I also appreciated the brother of the owner stopping by our table to ensure the food was up to par. However, if you’re looking for the ethnic roots of the menu to match the atmosphere of the restaurant look elsewhere.

Rating: 2.0 Thurbs

Service/Cost: Tommy

The entrance to District Taco is a little on the confusing side, with 2 doors that don't lend themselves to easy entrance or exit. The entrance, especially with all of the people coming in and out, was a little bit crowded as we tried to let people past while we waited inside for the Guest of Honor to get there. The cost of all menu items is pretty much normal/reasonable for decent Mexican food. I got a burrito mojado (spicy, apparently), and it was about $6-7, split some chips and guac with Stew and the gang for $5, and a Boylan's soda was about $2. For around $10-12, this was a really good meal and pretty much the same price as something like a Chipotle but with a different flavor and better guac.

At one point the manager/owner came out to ask how the food was and if we enjoyed everything. Obviously for a new restaurant, the management is going to be a little bit more hands-on to ensure a growing base of patrons, but on a very busy night in the restaurant, it was a nice touch to show that there was genuine interest in how people were enjoying their food and what they thought of the restaurant. Always good to see that the managers understand that people don't just come to a restaurant because of the food. Nothing amazing on the cost side, but really good service, fast and friendly.

Rating: 3.5 Thurbs

Overall Rating: 2.6875 Thurbs