If you moved to DC but are originally from AZ, NM, TX, or CA…

[Anonymous]

Rango's in Tyson's.

[Anonymous]

DC chapter of UNM alumni group picnic in the Fall. Semi-truck with fresh Hatch chili, roasted on site here. You order how many pounds you want ahead of time…And they serve enchiladas, etc at the picnic. There used to be a Little Anita’s here. Not the same as one used to be in Albuquerque but at least nostalgic.
Honestly I think the hardest thing to get locally are good corn tortillas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve lived in CA, NM, and TX. No New Mexican food anywhere here. But there are a few good Mexican like Gringos & Mariachis and Casa Oaxaca. But for more casual, Taco Bamba is pretty good too.

I've in CA for 40 years, and not the expensive parts, and in a neighborhood with lots of Mexicans. Those restaurants are ok, but not "good Mexican".

I find that hole in the wall places are more authentic than the more nicer places because they are usually operated by the Mexican families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m from Arizona. My husband is from Texas, so he loves Chuy’s. It fine, I guess. Our favorite is El Sol in Vienna and they have a DC location, too. Alfredo Solis is the chef and he is from Mexico City. It’s by far the best Mexican I’ve found east of Arizona.

And also, to add to the international list of cities where the Mexican is lousy, include Helsinki. Yuck.

Why oh why are you eating Mexican food in Finland?? That makes no sense to me… it’s like people who visit China and eat only at Italian restaurants.

DP but it's not weird. When people come to DC from other countries, do you think they should only eat burgers and hot dogs? No. It's a major city and has a lot of food from different cultures, some native to the US and some not. Visitors to DC might go out for burgers but they might also get Ethiopian or Chinese or Mexican. The joy of eating in a city is you don't have to eat the same style of food every day.

Having traveled through Scandinavia, I have had Mexican there. It wasn't great, but there was novelty in finding out what Swedish people think Mexican food is. Like it's interesting to see that cuisine translated to a country that has a very different diet than what we eat in the US. I also ate Italian food, shawarma, Chinese carry-out, pizza, and burgers. I also ate tons of fish and pickled things.

Oh, and also, guess what people who live in those cities eat a lot of? American food! Our friends who live in Sweden go out for burgers and fries once or twice a week. Also pizza and shawarma. They don't sit down to pickled herring every night.

[Anonymous]

How about Mi Rancho in Silver Spring? Gives me old school TexMex restaurant vibes that in TX would be pretty good, but here it seems like a hidden gem. Nice huge patio too.

[Anonymous]

mole enchiladas at Los Chamacos in Arlington (Columbia pike)

[Anonymous]

I miss Alamo Mexican in riverdale. Texmex style.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our Mexican neighbors really like Tia Queta in Bethesda.

Has Tia Queta been good lately or had a revival? It used to be a favorite (like, in the '90s) and then when I last went there about 10 years ago it had really gone downhill and the longtime owner seemed to be losing it. We loved him and it was sad to see. But if it's back and good again, I will go check it out!

All of this makes me miss Enriqueta's in Adams Morgan terribly.

[Anonymous]

https://tortas-y-tacos-la-chiquita.negocio.site/

[Anonymous]

From El Paso TX /Juarez - nothing compares here. I do really like La Tingeria in Falls Church. Most authentic Mexican I have found. Everything else is South American- the tell is when the “Mexican” restaurant has papusas on the menu.
La Tingeria

https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/04/11/la-tingeria-review/

[Anonymous]

Ixtapalapa in Gaithersburg is very good!

[Anonymous]

My family is from NM and I lived in AZ. Mi Rancho in Silver Spring isn't bad. Don't order their sopaipillas though. They are weirdly bready and not fried properly.

Taco Zocalo (local NoVA chain) is actually pretty good but they only do tacos.

Also I am so sick of rice in burritos. It really ruins a good burrito.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:San Francisco native, DC transplant here.

There is nowhere in the DMV that makes either decent Mission-style burritos or decent SW cuisine. The only place worth visiting for the food of our homeland is Taco Bamba, which makes tacos (and only tacos; they're very loud on that point) in interesting frontera styles.

Former 40 yr CA resident here... the answer is.. there isn't one, really. Taco Bamba is probably the best one we've tried around here, so far.


I cannot for the life of me understand why people like Chipotle.

I haven’t eaten Chipotle in maybe seven years (all those E. coli things put me off them) but it’s it own thing. Obviously inspired by Tex Mex/Mexican food but it’s fast food that is made from scratch. I miss it as an option.

[Anonymous]

Found myself in Finksburg after an appointment at Hopkins...Taqueria El Guacamole guys. It's absolutely the most authentic I've seen in the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m from Arizona. My husband is from Texas, so he loves Chuy’s. It fine, I guess. Our favorite is El Sol in Vienna and they have a DC location, too. Alfredo Solis is the chef and he is from Mexico City. It’s by far the best Mexican I’ve found east of Arizona.

And also, to add to the international list of cities where the Mexican is lousy, include Helsinki. Yuck.

Why oh why are you eating Mexican food in Finland?? That makes no sense to me… it’s like people who visit China and eat only at Italian restaurants.

DP but it's not weird. When people come to DC from other countries, do you think they should only eat burgers and hot dogs? No. It's a major city and has a lot of food from different cultures, some native to the US and some not. Visitors to DC might go out for burgers but they might also get Ethiopian or Chinese or Mexican. The joy of eating in a city is you don't have to eat the same style of food every day.

Having traveled through Scandinavia, I have had Mexican there. It wasn't great, but there was novelty in finding out what Swedish people think Mexican food is. Like it's interesting to see that cuisine translated to a country that has a very different diet than what we eat in the US. I also ate Italian food, shawarma, Chinese carry-out, pizza, and burgers. I also ate tons of fish and pickled things.

Oh, and also, guess what people who live in those cities eat a lot of? American food! Our friends who live in Sweden go out for burgers and fries once or twice a week. Also pizza and shawarma. They don't sit down to pickled herring every night.

The title of this thread caught my eye since I’m from AZ. Apparently, it caught my eye back then, too, because I’m the one who recommended Chuy’s and El Sol in Vienna. I also said don’t eat Mexican food in Finland. I lived there for 3 years and sometimes, you just really want Mexican food! Also, one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve been to was in Shanghai (and I’ve been to Italy multiple times)!