Restaurant Spotlight of the Week

I will say upfront that Taqueria el Poblano has some of the best Mexican food that I’ve ever eaten, not just in the D.C. area, but even compared to food served in authentic Mexican restaurants in Southern California. Everything about the dining experience at Taqueria was fantastic: the taste, service, menu selections, environment, and last but certainly not least, the price.

Though it appears to be just another small shop at the Lee-Harrison shopping center, Taqueria is deceptively roomy on the inside. Vibrant colors and festive decorations adorn the stucco walls while Latin music plays softly, suspending the disbelief of any diner that they are not south of the border; they are indeed in Northern Virginia.

Even for a primarily taco eatery, Taqueria el Poblano has a fairly large menu. Other offerings include burritos, taquitos, tostadas, and quesadillas. There is also a full bar, with an entire menu just of Tequila drinks (i.e. Margaritas), for all of you happy-hour goers out there.

Taste rises above all other categories whenever I form an opinion of a restaurant. In this respect, Taqueria hits a grand slam. Be sure to go easy on the delicious free tortilla chips and salsa before you order or you may not be able to enjoy the other great eats to come.

For light fare, the taquitos and quesadillas come highly recommended. The taquitos were especially and cooked to perfection – and not too greasy - with sides of tomatoes and guacamole.

As stated before, the principal fare of Taqueria is tacos. The “Los Angeles-Style” crispy chicken, beef, or pork tacos are delicious as expected. A hidden gem on the menu, however, is the Baja Fish Taco, which is beer battered fried Mahi Mahi with a custom “Mexican slaw” in a soft taco shell. You may think that fish and tacos don’t mix, but one bite of this will prove you sorely mistaken. Another interesting inclusion to the menu is Duck Carnitas, which consist of duck meat with cheese, onion and other toppings, on a tortilla. Along with each entrée are generously portioned sides of Mexican rice and refried beans.

Special features of Taqueria include an express lunch menu for food on the go and daily specials, including a crispy crab taco platter on Monday nights. There is also a Mexican Sunday Brunch for those of you who need to feed that craving for tacos after church. And, if you want to bring home the tastiness of the restaurant, there are various salsas for sale using Taqueria’s house recipe.

You would think that such great food would be expensive, but on the contrary; even poor college students such as myself can walk out of Taqueria without putting a huge dent in their wallet. The lunch specials are all around $6, while full entrees go for no more than $15.

In short, you are truly missing out on an exceptional place to dine if you have not already been to Taqueria el Poblano. Go to Taqueria el Poblano and make it “The tac ‘o’ the town” (their motto) that it deserves to be.