Really tasty and great service!

In DC for a trip with my family and I began checking out eateries weeks beforehand. Why? We're all vegetarian but we don't eat onion, garlic, leeks, or chives. As you can see, this is a major concern when it comes to eating out, which is almost unavoidable when traveling, because those ingredients are EVERYWHERE. I emailed District Taco and a representative emailed me back pretty quickly with a list of items I could have: cilantro, tomato, pineapple, sour cream, eggs, potatoes, salad with no dressing, and tortillas. When it came to sauces/salsa, the queso as well as the habanero, salsa de chil, salsa maya, tomatillo, and chiltomate salsas were safe. That was something! We were walking around the area and I spotted this place and we went in. There are various choices like breakfast tacos/burritos, regular burritos, tacos, quesadillas, etc. There is a line and then you go up to the cash register (there was only one open) and they take your order. I was a bit confused on how it worked and coupled with our dietary restrictions, it took a while. I let the guy see the email with what we could and couldn't have, but he seemed a bit confused on how to put in the order when it was apparent that a line had accumulated behind me so the pressure was on. I still don't know how their food works, but he recommended we get the breakfast versions of the taco and burrito because we otherwise would have sad tacos/burritos since we couldn't have the black beans or the guacamole. In the end, I ended up getting breakfast tacos (comes 3 to an order), a breakfast burrito, a cheese quesadilla, a side of chips and queso, and a side of chips and salsa. The queso comes with your order when it's ready and you get a good sized paper container for the salsa that you get at the salsa bar. They give you a number on this cute card and off you go! I sort of stood there by the pick up area, but it turns out that if you're eating in, they call out your number and they also may bring it to you. While you're waiting, there is the salsa station to fill up the little cups with your salsas of choice (and fresh cilantro/jalapeño). The mains all come with sides of a salad (shredded cabbage and diced tomatoes) and the breakfast tacos and burritos were filling and good. We got the basic ones with nothing else added in, so they were filled with eggs, potatoes, and cheese. They were good but the salsa added another dimension whereas the salad made it lighter/fresh. Tacos were essentially like the burrito but in taco form. The quesadilla was great (cheese and tortilla - what could go wrong?) and simple; no beans were added. The chips and salsa/queso was good as well. I couldn't really detect any onion or garlic, but when I had my overly sensitive husband smell it later, he said he detected something. I'm thinking there was cross contamination since they were located at a self serve bar and other unsafe sauces could have accidentally dropped in. All in all, a good option for us, though there is always a chance of cross contamination as long as it's not coming out of my kitchen. I wish they explained how everything worked there, but going with the flow is fine from time to time. I'm still wondering how I can add pineapple as a topping, just for fun. The food was good, though not the healthiest, and filling for a decent price. I wish we could have gotten more of the side salad. The place was big, open, and well lit. Cleanliness both in the eating area and bathrooms were fairly good, even though they seem to be pretty busy. Although District Tacos would have earned 3 stars, perhaps 3.5, from me, because of the prompt help from the rep through the email, I bumped it up to a 4. read more

District Taco - Cheese Quesadilla, Breakfast Tacos, & Breakfast Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Got food poisoning from this place. Never ever again!!!! Got the 3 tacos with sausage. NEVER AGAIN!!! read more

While to a business trip I found this taco shop. Being a native of Southern California and married to a half Mexican wonderful woman. I know a thing or two about this food. I judge Mexican food by how good there street food is. The tacos I had are very much like the type I have eaten in Chula Vista and Tijuana. Legit! read more

District Taco - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

One of my favorite places to go during lunch! Unfortunately, the restaurant is always super busy during lunch, with lines out the door, literally. It's best to go before noon or after 1:30pm. The best part of ordering the tacos is unlimited toppings! For $8, you can get three delicious tacos loaded with toppings--beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, jalapeños, you name it. Guacamole can be added for free if you get the veggie tacos; otherwise, it's extra. The salsa bar is huge and amazing! Spicy sauce, medium sauce, salsa verde, fresh cut jalapeños! All of the ingredients are extremely fresh and well stocked. read more

We used to love this place; however, they refuse to take your order with a human and the machines are difficult to order and customize with. Food is still good. read more

Not bad. It's like Chipotle, but with queso and fish tacos. The salsa bar was tasty and the fountain water was super cold. I liked these things especially. My opinion is probably a bit skewed because I came here during DC Pride weekend and I was so hot from rehearsal for marching in the parade that I could have eaten lava and thought it was refreshing. read more

District Taco - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I had the Burrito Al pastor today, finally. Stare decisis, *** read more

District Taco - Burrito Al pastor (updated) - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Vegetarian burrito was literally just rice and beans. I threw it in the trash.

I prefer this DT location over the one by Metro Center and the one by Eastern Market because of its size. On the other hand, I do tend to go at off peak hours so seating hasn't been a problem. The large windows and options for counter height seating and table seating and outdoor seating are also pros. I think the portions are great for the price and they have a self serve fresh salsa bar. read more

The place doesn't look like much at first sight and when you walk in it still doesn't look like much lolol. Anyway. I made my own tacos (3) and they were really fresh and tasty. I got chicken, lime rice, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and pica de gallo. No beans. My husband tried one and he also really enjoyed it. We also tried the churros which were also pretty good. I really like the fact that you can make tacos the way you want here. For sure better than chipotle tacos. read more

This is a restaurant with fast counter service and a somewhat industrial feel. The food here was okay, but nothing spectacular. I got chicken tacos with cheese, sour cream, guacamole, onions, and lettuce. There was a really small amount of cheese and sour cream, which was disappointing since I usually like to load up with those. I also got a churro, and although it was nice and sweet, it was also kind of hard. I think the flavor of everything was decent, though, and I liked how they have a whole sauce station for you to serve yourself and try different kinds. It wasn't a bad restaurant by any means, but I'd personally skip this one, because I think you can find better. read more

District Taco - chicken taco - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

This spot is weird.... Quality of the meats is good, but execution is sub par..... husband got a burrito, I ordered 3 tacos. He ordered off the menu, +lettuce and the lettuce was on the side, not inside the burrito....really? We didn't ask for a side salad. My corn tortilla was the driest wrap I've ever eaten..... 10/10 I'd recommend you eat somewhere else read more

If you're craving a decent burrito or taco outside of Chipotle do yourself a favor and come by DT. This location is by far the best and always has open tables. The best part is the salsa bar and the queso dip (extra). They rock at customizing orders too! I will say that there isn't a lot of consistently between all of the DTs. Some times they allow you to do something ((like guacamole on the side)) and some times they tell you no. I'm not sure if one manager is more strict but that's why we always come to this one. read more

DC has by far the worst Mexican food ever and it's unsurprising that District Taco falls right into that. I'm from a border state and I wonder why DC will set up taco places that have no resemblance to the real deal? Such a disservice to the Mexican community. It's beyond disappointing. For example, got the carne asada taco and this place didn't even have limes (like ever! not just this day). Never in my life have I been to a Mexican restaurant and they said they don't buy limes? The taste is bland, tortillas are unremarkable, and the toppings were lifeless. read more

District Taco - Carne asada 3x Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The food was ok. Nothing great but not bad. I wish there was a person who took your order instead of a tablet since it's hard to customize what you want (although that may be their goal). The burritos was "aight" according to my husband and the bowl was ok. My daughter liked the quesadilla but it was definitely over priced for what you got and we had to get her a second one. They also forgot our Queso and I had to ask for it. Over all decent but nothing stand out. read more

By far one of my Favorote taco spots in DC. The meats are seasoned nicely and I LOVE the fresh condiment bar. I am a taco fiend and I've never been disappointed by District Taco. Although it doesn't quite have the Taco Tuesday vibe you look for in a Taco Tuesday spot the actual tacos are definitely A-1. read more

District Taco - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I have a case of the mehs about this place. It's local and has great offerings but their menu is confusing as all get out, and I always freeze up when I'm trying to order. Everything is listed as toppings--even things that should go INSIDE the burrito, and it's next to impossible (in my opinion) to figure out which burritos are smothered and which are not. The burritos themselves are fine, and I probably should just ask when I'm ordering, but when there's a line I feel like there's a lot of pressure to just order quickly, and then I leave disappointed. read more

District Taco - Your burrito is not automatically smothered and it's hard (for me at least) to figure out which ones are - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Good food great prices good sales I liked it who would of thought they would have brought some home to cali read more

District Taco - Not bad - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This review is for catering.The last two times we ordered catering for our lunch meetings (under 10 people), the orders were missing entire employee meals or sides. Called as soon as we noticed & the woman we spoke with told us to bring it up to District Taco Dupont & reference our order # the next time around so that we can somehow get reimbursed for items we paid for but never got. Well I just did that today & none of that happened. Love the food, in fact I'm usually the biggest advocate for DT when it comes to company lunches - but they've got to do better with how they handle these type of situations. No one likes to feel deceived! read more

Not impressed. I should have gone to have Belgian mussels and beer instead. Not even as good as Taco Bell (which I detest), unfortunately. The staff were polite though. I had a taco salad. The flavors were ok, but the salad itself was kind of lame and not enough chips. I suppose this is what the Millenials in D.C. call fast-Mexican food. I may try it again should I happen upon it again. read more

District Taco - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Meeting a friend downtown so chose this place which is right in the center of the downtown commercial area. It gets pretty crowded with long lines during peak lunch time. Located on a corner, with a fair sized longish dining room with high and low tables, window counter seating as well as a few tables outside in a covered walkway area so not right on the sidewalk. Ordering is counter service. If eat in, you get a number to put on your table and food will be brought to you when ready. Menu is a bit confusing, not easy to figure out the exact price if getting custom fillings and toppings (getting a set might be easier), and at least the cashier I got was no help at all. She couldn't explain the process for me nor could I understand what she was saying, and obviously she didn't understand what I was saying either. And when I discovered I was charged for what I didn't order, the manager had to be summoned to make the correction. And on top of all that confusion my order took more than 20 minutes to arrive - by then it was already not even peak time anymore so there was no excuse for that kind of delay. I had shrimp tacos, as they didn't have fish that day. They tasted ok, medium portions, with small grilled shrimps and lots of cabbage. Might give a different location another try, but don't think there is any reason to return to this one. read more

See all

THE BIG: Washington DT aka the District of Taco. This shop is located southeast from the heart of Dupont and should not be missed! Big interior with plenty of seating. Near the back, there is a salsa bar with pico de gallo, salsa verde, etc. The shrimp and fish tacos are only available on certain days...I know the fish tacos are available all weekend...and they are DELICIOUS! THE BLACK AND WHITE: There's not many Mexican fares around Dupont (besides Surfside) so I would consider District Taco to be the closest. I would consider Mexican food to be one of my favorite cuisines (behind Japanese) and I'm glad this joint is so close to where I live. I always get the combo meal which includes 3 tacos and you can mix and match! I have a soft spot for fish tacos so I always get that. I think the fish they use is tilapia. It comes on a flour tortilla, garnished with slaw. Simple and delicious. I used to hate corn tortillas but softened (no pun intended) up to it when I visited Mexico and they only had corn tortillas. If you're looking for authentic-ish tacos, ask for corn tortillas and tell the cashier to make it mexican style (onions and green peppers as the garnish). Like I mentioned earlier... simple and delicious. They also have other options other than tacos like burritos and salads, but why get that when you can get tacos! THE FINAL BAMBOO: I usually spend $8 for 3 tacos and it fills me up! They also have LevelUp, just in case you forget your wallet. Affordable and the tacos come out pretty fast. read more

Edible tacos to end a desperate craving for semi-authentic Mexican food. But I'm not sure if my personal bar for al pastor has increased or if this place in particular is not that great, the tacos were just A-OK. I got al pastor, carne asada, and barbacoa tacos on corn tortillas. The salsas were very good as always (love the salsa bar) but the meat itself wasn't all that amazing. Carne asada was dry and flavorless. The al pastor was even drier. The barbacoa was good but lacked complex flavor. I was not that impressed but when you're desperate for food at 8:30 PM when everywhere else is either closed or full capacity, District Taco isn't that bad of a spot. read more

I've been to two of the District Taco locations now (M St NW and F St NW) and they both suffer from the same issue. The refusal to serve a normal sized portion of meat with the burrito bowl. It has to be an underhanded attempt to get you to pay for double meat. Has to be. And I do. I'm forced to pay for double meat or I find myself scrounging for meat in my bowl before being even a 1/3 of the way finished with my meal. I even find myself running out of meat sometimes when I pay for double. You should be better than that District Taco. The food itself is good just expect to pay more for what you would normally get elsewhere or be prepared to still be hungry in the not too distant future after you eat. read more

District Taco - They know me here... - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Late night place to eat in Washington DC after a long long day. I have it a 4 just because the tacos were a bit small but were very good. And also they do not have tacos Al pastor which is what I really came in for. read more

District Tacos. I loved the name, and the restaurant was near the hotel. Gave it a try. Wow, Nachos with barbacoa and dollops of guacamole and sour cream for $8? Sold. Very good food, reminded me of home, not that I was homesick. Very generous portion, the barbacoa beef was also quite generous. A great meal. Very similar in style and ambiance to Chipotle. Price, too. I deducted one star for the image burned in my mind of the big, black cockroach slowly climbing up the wall behind the order-taker's register. Food must be good here, I thought, since he's a fat one. read more

To piggy back on my other review of district taco, this is also a fantastic location. Service is impeccable and great for lunch if you're in the downtown area. Again get the burrito mojado. It's like nothing else. read more

District Taco - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Since District Taco has arrived on the scene, my fiancée has a hard time using the verb "to eat" without following it with "tacos." My first encounter was with their breakfast tacos - two layers of corn tortilla, plenty of filling, and free bacon and guacamole! Their salsa bar did the rest. Second encounter was lunch time. I went for the 3/$7 taco deal. Al pastor (with pineapple!) was the best, with the grilled chicken as a surprising second. It was incredibly flavorful, but a little greasy for my taste. All toppings are to order, and some birch beer mixed with cream soda washed it down. Don't forget to get a punch card (11th taco or burrito for free!) or use Level Up. The place is casual and has a fast food feel - no doubt about it. But service to table is extremely fast, and it is pleasant and airy inside. Don't wait to check it out! read more

District Taco - Salsa bar - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

YO I had maybe the best plate of nachos I've ever had in my life here!! I came here at around 8pm on a weeknight, having not really eaten all day... The restaurant was pretty empty, so there was no line. I was immediately drawn to the Nachos Borrachos, which are $8 nachos with black beans, cheese, guac (if you're vegetarian!), sour cream, and an INFINITE AMOUNT OF TOPPINGS. So I loaded up on pretty much every topping they had there, and then some at the !awesome! salsa bar--I ended up with a pretty hefty DELICIOUS plate of nachos! The chips are thin but really flavorful. All the vegetable toppings are actually legitimately fresh-cut, and you can taste it. The salsa bar's salsas were also ALL incredible. I just, like, LOVE nachos and I have nothing bad to say. Only half the plate filled me up (which, since I hadn't eaten all day... is impressive), and I was able to box the rest to go home (except ugh soggy nachos, amirite?) I can't wait to come back for more nachos... and try pretty much everything else on the menu!! read more

District Taco - Nachos Borrachos - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Fabulous place to eat! I am a Chipotle girl and usually skeptical of "knockoff" Chipotle. But their service really sold me. The order line didn't get nearly as bogged down as some similar places (it got a bit slow). Their pricing system is based on the dish you choose, not the meat and toppings, which is nice. The food was delicious. Nice thin chips, and the main dish was as great as Chipotle. And the salsa bar made my night! So many different kinds of salsa! Plus extra pico, limes, onions, and cilantro. I encourage you to try this place! I'm on vacation, and I'm sad there won't be one around when I go home... read more

District Taco - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I love Mexican food. It pains me to know that there is currently no taco emoji on my iPhone. I am obviously a fan of Chipotle, and have had some of the most glorious tacos in LA (Tacos Leo/Kogi), and I will say that District Taco is my favorite place in DC to get my fix. I don't stray from my usual, which is the Burrito Desnudo (Burrito Bowl). I get this with no beans, American way toppings (cheese, pico, lettuce), with half steak and half al pastor (DON'T FORGET THE PINEAPPLES). So. Much. Good. There's a salsa bar with salsas of varying levels of spiciness, onions, cilantro, and limes. I think this salsa bar is really what sets it apart from other places on the east coast (e.g. Chipotle). I always get extra pico to add to my bowl and a million limes because... I love limes. I promise you, the portions are pretty big for the price, but you won't want to stop eating, even if your stomach tells you to... The seating in this store is great, and they have free wi-fi (huzzah)! They keep the store clean, which is awesome. The staff have always been friendly, so no complaints there. My only complaint is that they've forgotten my pineapples two out of four times I've been here. I understand once, but twice? Come on, guys.... And the second time I was there I ordered a LARGE side of guac, but they gave me a small on top of the missing pineapples. :/ Minus one star for you guys. read more

District Taco - burrito desnudo + guac + chips + salsas + friend's bowl of food - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Solid tacos and solid service - what more could a girl ask for? (Well, besides diamonds and macarons.) The clean, Chipotle-esque interior is surprisingly spacious for a quick-fix type meal, and the salsa bar is nice touch too. You also get these supercute illustrated table number cards that also double as Spanish sentence flashcards (If you ever need to know how to say 'the bear sleeps during the winter' in Spanish, hit this girl up). The 3 for $7 tacos are the perfect amount to fill you up but not leave you hating yourself for stuffing yourself like a bear prepping for hibernation (usually what happens when I have Mexican food). The steak in the carne asada could have been a little less dry, but then again no steak is ever too juicy for me. The al pastor had the most packed flavor, but the vegetarian provided a nice balance especially with that FREE GUAC WHADDUPPP. Yep, I said free additional guac so go on ahead and knock yourself out. read more

See all

This place is just incredible! We were looking for somewhere to eat late night in dc. Due to COVID everything was closed. We walked from our hotel and got our food. The staff was kind and quick! We ordered so much food lol it was all delicious! The churros!! I would keep coming back over and over again! read more

District Taco is okay and it is slightly expensive for authentic mexican tacos. Anyhow, this one is located near Foggy Bottom so it does get a lot of customer traffic and due to this the upkeep is not on par although service is fast. There's a new one in Rosslyn and maybe that was in cleaner, but this location isn't as pristine as the original one in DC. read more

We were pleasantly surprised by District Taco. The ordering seemed similar to Chipotle - choose your carbs, meat, and toppings. This place offers more options than Chipotle, hopefully without the salmonella or norovirus! DT offers more meats, nachos, and even breakfast. We ordered nachos, 2 burrito bowls, and 3 tacos. All were good, but our favorite was the nachos. The chips are light and crisp. Almost too delicate for the meat and toppings, but with a little help from a fork, we managed to polish it all off. I like the self service salsa bar. They never refilled the limes while we were there, but the pico de gallo was excellent. Be sure to taste your sauces first if you're not familiar with what they are supposed to taste like. The sauce labeled mild tomatillo was actually a very spicy yellow sauce. My poor daughter did not know that tomatillo sauce was supposed to be green, not yellow. We ate here for lunch and joked around about coming back for dinner. Will probably return to try the breakfast sometime soon. read more

See all

Stopped here when I was visiting DC for work and was not sorry. GET THE BARBACOA! The hot salsa will make your eyes water. Loved my tacos and can't wait to return when I'm in DC again. Also it's super affordable. read more

The only thing I don't like about this place is how close it is to my apartment. It's dangerous! In all seriousness, these are by far the best fast casual tacos in the District -- not to be confused with the authentic places like Pica Taco and sit-down places like El Chucho. Like other fast casual style places, you can choose a bowl or several tacos, but the tacos are a great deal here: $8 for 3. After choosing a meat, you can choose the "Mexican," "Jefe" or "American" style for the toppings (or customize your own). There's a separate bar area where you can choose mild, medium, spicy, or extra spicy sauce to top off your meal. Having the selection (and option for a to-go dixie cup of a sauce) helps to make these fast casual tacos feel a bit more customized (and delicious). I wasn't blown away by the extra sides, like the chips and queso, but I also didn't really expect too much from a place that's clearly meant to be a grab and go meal. read more

To give you some background, I'm from LA, which has some of the best Mexican food in the world. I would dare to say it rivals Mexico's own home grown. So I hold Mexican food to a high standard. Of all the Mexican places I've eaten at in DC, this is right there near the top or at the top of that list. I ordered a Burrito Mojado, which is just a burrito covered in sauce, I always get the steak because it's has all of the best qualities of a delicious steak. Cooked thoroughly, has a teeny bit of char, and a soft but flavorful texture. Usually, I can't make up my mind what I want so I order two things, and usually the second item is their Nachos Barrachos. Man. The Queso cheese in the nachos, is straight laced with crack. When I eat at District Taco it's, an internal struggle with gluttony. So overall, if your going to eat at one Mexican place in DC, this is it. Also, their seafood special days, are exciting because it just goes to show how fresh their food really is since they only have it on limited days. read more

District Taco - Chicken Nachos Barrachos with all the toppings possible. And Burrito Mojado, with steak! De-freaking-licious - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Best Mexican Lunch stop in DC! I love so many things about District Taco. First is the food quality. I had three tacos: chorizo, fish, and carnitas. The first two were superb, the carnitas was disappointingly mild, but that was the only flaw I found with the tacos. I chose the soft corn flour for the wrapping and it was delish. The salsa bar... OMG. This is the best salsa bar I have ever seen! They had at least 4 different salsas, including some really hot ones and some more mild ones for the less adventuresome. The bar also had diced fresh jalapeños, yes fresh, the best! It drives me nuts when they serve pickled ones on the salsa bar... It also had cilantro and limes. Everything was fresh and well maintained. So many salsa bars look dingy, have poor selections and look stale; Not this one! In addition to the tacos, I had guacamole and chips. Guacamole was decent but not that exciting. Chips were solid. The second thing I loved about this place was the organization. It is similar to chipotle in having a system for ordering your meal sequentially... fun and efficient. The staff were upbeat, friendly, and efficient. The menu is also quite diverse with a wide selections of tacos and burritos. They even had a tempting breakfast burrito (before 10am) and salads and nachos. I can't wait to come back. read more

District Taco - Mexican Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia