This is how I felt when I lived in texas and the west coast, but with chinese food. Could not find good chinese delivery ANYWHERE. Meanwhile it's a stable on the east coast. So strange.

And Pizza!

Anonymous wrote:Virginia native here. What’s your verdict on Guajillo in Arlington. I think it’s tasty but no idea if you guys would deem it authentic.

BTW your states don’t have any food Vietnamese food.

You're kidding, right? Houston has a large Vietnamese population and excellent Vietnamese food. And also, California.

Virginia native here. What’s your verdict on Guajillo in Arlington. I think it’s tasty but no idea if you guys would deem it authentic.

BTW your states don’t have any food Vietnamese food.

Lived in Austin for a while and really like Taqueria Picoso in Alexandria. It’s different but really good. I eat at District Taco because my kids like it but don’t think it’s anything special. We eat at Chuy’s for nostalgia and it’s the best TexMex you’ll find around here and is fairly consistent. I’ve heard good things about Chop Shop in Alexandria but haven’t tried it. We also love Taqueria Poblano in Del Ray. We eat at Los Tios sometimes because it’s close to our house but it’s a Salvadoran inspired Mexican/TexMex and kind of misses on both fronts.

We’ve gone to Mexican restaurants in Copenhagen and Milan as a joke, with predictable results.

Copenhagen place actually had cold water smoked fish on the menu ...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New Mexican here and I prefer New Mexican food to Mexican food. Yes, it's different. There's nowhere to find it around here, except possibly at my Alma Mater's reunion every year.

Chuy’s (chain) had some New Mexican style stuff and it was decent but the one in Rockville closed.

Came here to say this. We drive to the Chuy’s in Springfield to get our fix. Green chili tastes like they make it in house even though it’s a chain (and it is actual green chili— most people out here don’t know what that is).

Right now they have an abbreviated menu because of Covid, which is too bad. No rellenos. But the steak burrito smothered in green chili is very good. They also have a chimichanga on the menu (call it a chuychanga). Not the best I ever had or anything but it’s so hard to find around here that I order it sometimes anyway.

You know what I really miss are Navajo Tacos. Fry bread in general but Navajo tacos especially. The American Indian museum has an “Indian Taco” that is actually tasty but they do it with a bison-based red chili. Tasty, but it’s not the same. There’s a place in my hometown in a strip mall that does them and they use canned green Chili’s and it’s still better than anything out here.

Now I’m homesick.

Pp- but I like charro beans much more than refried (so I don’t have a dog in the refried fight) and I must note that El Paso’s margaritas are muy malo.

Born in TX, then lived in CA, now here. I think El Paso (in Arlington) is passable.

Our Mexican neighbors really like Tia Queta in Bethesda.

If you around Vienna, Taco Bamba and El Sol.

As a half Mexican - Cielo Rojo in Takoma Park, hands down

Anonymous wrote:Hole in the wall places tend to do refried beans better, IMO. The only people I know who actually like refried beans are from the Southwest. Most of my friends from other places order black beans (soup style beans) which is an abomination at a Mexican/Central american place.

Anyplace that can’t make good beans has no right to call itself a Mexican restaurant. Refried beans are essential if they purport to make food from the north of Mexico but if they specialty is central, southern, then charro beans or black beans are an acceptable alternative. But they should still be tasty. There’s no excuse for bad beans at a Mexican restaurant. Same with tortillas—different regional styles are fine but they should have some kind of decent tortilla.

There have to be more decent (and by decent, I mean hole in the wall) places in Alexandria/Springfield/Woodbridge, no?

Anonymous wrote:Hole in the wall places tend to do refried beans better, IMO. The only people I know who actually like refried beans are from the Southwest. Most of my friends from other places order black beans (soup style beans) which is an abomination at a Mexican/Central american place.

That’s me. I love refried beans, preferably made with lard. We never had black beans around when I was growing up.

Hole in the wall places tend to do refried beans better, IMO. The only people I know who actually like refried beans are from the Southwest. Most of my friends from other places order black beans (soup style beans) which is an abomination at a Mexican/Central american place.