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    El Taco Loco

    3.3 (37 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 10:30 pm

    Order El Taco Loco Takeout or Delivery

    El Taco Loco Photos

    EL TACO LOCO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - El Taco Loco

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    Tacos
    Ahra J.

    Such a great little spot hidden between other restaurants along the Main Street in Silver Spring. The place is small so be cautious if you're planning on brining a large group. However, we went with a large group and the owner was able to accommodate but granted most of his business seemed to be carry out. The service was excellent and for the most part I would nothing took more than 15 minutes to come out. The food was all delicious especially the birria pizza. However, don't expect an actual pizza, it's actually a large birria quesadilla but still did not disappoint!! The prices are also reasonable considering the price of everything ! Highly recommend if you're looking for some authentic cuisine!

    Steak quesadilla
    Nadjia C.

    This place is in a hotspot area yet hidden. The tacos were decent, I wish they offered more sauces for them. The star of the show was the elote! I kept contemplating if I wanted to order another. The quesadilla was very good as well, the tortilla tastes very seasoned or dipped into something before cooking because it was very flavorful. The horchata was l good as well I would've liked it a-little more sweet. The prices were also pretty good too!

    Birria tacos, Carne Asada tacos and Esquites along with the Crazy Fries

    Amazing food, great deals on specific days and great service. Doesn't get better then that and i think this picture speaks for itself lol we were planning to take a picture of when it came out but we obviously couldn't wait so definitely recommend! dining in is definitely apart of the experience!

    Lia M.

    My boyfriend suggested El Taco Loco and I'm glad he did. This brightly decorated taqueria in downtown Silver Spring was delicious. I got a carnitas taco and al pastor sopes, a typical order for me, and I loved both. The meat was super flavorful. I also got a strawberry margarita, which was strong. My boyfriend liked his machete. That and the sopes heated up well the next day. Staff was friendly. Looking forward to returning.

    Online Menu 2

    This is a HORRIBLE place to buy food! They cheat their customers! If you ever order from this place, please triple-check your oder before leaving!!! It' one thing to make mistake, which can happen, but cheating customers is simply disrespectful and dishonest! I gave them 1 Star because "Zero Star" is not an option! Last evening, I purchased the $15 "gorditas" combo, which comes as 3 corn tortillas filled with steak, veggies, and cheese. On ALL menus (both online and on their own restaurant menus), the description of the meals says the meals come with steak. When I picked up the food: 1) the restaurant team tightly packed my order in a plastic bag, likely assuming that I would not verify. When I checked my order before leaving the restaurant, I found out that they delivered only 1/3 of my order. 2) Also, the only 1 gordita they delivered, out of the 3, was incorrectly made; they used chicken instead of steak. When I brought these to their attention, they disputed, though they knew they've incorrectly delivered my order. They told me they would make two additional gorditas with steak but would not correct the one incorrectly made with chicken. They explained that I had not made a choice of meat, so they decided to go with chicken, and therefore, they were not willing to correct the one already made. That was so absurd! All menus clearly describe the gorditas as being made with steak so customers do not need to make a choice of meat. The restaurant team was so rude, and the Manager refused to intervene or help with the situation. They made me feel horrible! Their audacity to lie and arrogance made me sick to my stomach! At that point, I didn't want the food anymore. Of course, they refused to reimburse me. Mind you, I had to wait 30 minutes to get the food when I first ordered, then unfortunately I had to wait another 30 minutes for them to correct "as they wished" and endure their nonsense. At the end, they brought 3 gorditas with steak. The food was rudely and coldly handed to me, and they never apologized! As I was quietly waiting for them to correct "as they wished", I observed the restaurant - it was EMPTY, on a Friday evening, in the most vibrant and flamboyant part of the city center! No wonder...! See pictures.

    Tacos
    Patricia S.

    Taco Loco Mexican restaurant is a small establishment with good service. They offer both kiosks for ordering and tables for service. I tried the asada, chicken, and shrimp tacos with a side of rice. The tacos are on the smaller side, and the rice is decent. In general, the food is okay, and they have delicious side sauces.

    Tacos
    Kenneth K.

    My wife and I picked up from here for lunch a couple of weeks ago and we loved it! We had an Asada Burrito Mexican Wrap, a Lengua Taco, a Barbacoa Taco, a Birria Taco, a Fish Taco, a Sheep Barbacoa de Borrego Taco, and a Sheep de Borrego Virria Taco. All the food is wonderful and they are now the best tacos in Downtown Silver Spring. We look forward to ordering from them more and dining in person.

    This is how much beans it had, and no cheese, not even the powdered cheese on it

    My experience was rather disappointing. Came here and ordered the huaraches , and on the iPad it had a choice of cheese, so I ordered mine with cheese( I figured it would be like a quesadilla but different). I ordered three with horchata and flan. After a few minutes I guess there was an issue with the iPad and the order but they asked us what we ordered and when they guy came back the second time he said my order came with meat, frijoles and pico de gallo. I figured I would just get the cheese and beans and it would still be good, but when I got my order it was powdered cheese and a thin strip of beans on it. I get that I didn't order meat but you would think they would atleast put a little more beans or that they would specify that the cheese was powdered because the cheese was only in the front of the chancla. And the horchata tasted watered down even before the ice melted. We didn't get the flan so I had to eventually get up and ask about it but I had lost my appetite at this point and kindly asked for a refund. The staff were nice but honestly I would not come back. The place is a bit small but still a nice looking place.

    Tacos
    Taylor S.

    Just keeps getting better and better! They upgraded the salsa for the chips (it used to be really watery) and now it's very good! The salsa for the tacos is always good but beware the orange salsa is HOT. They also changed up the Pescado frito (it used to come on a plain white plate with nothing except the rice and beans and tortillas) now they have it on a fajita skillet and added jalapeños and onions soooooo good. Presentation is nice and appreciated. They continue to make the atmosphere and food better everyday! They also finally have a bar, drinks are good and HUGE (me and my fiancé split the michelada and we're both tipsy lol). Definitely one of our top spots in silver spring 10/10

    Taco Masita de Puerco

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    1 year ago

    Quick service. Menu expansive. Flavor I would rate average when compared to others in the area.

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    3 years ago

    Service is poor if you don't speak Spanish. I will not go back. My order was messed up and all he did was shake his head.

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    3 years ago

    Service and food was incredible. I Highly recommend the birria tacos or Mexican pizza.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great stuff hard to order from online though wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

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    3 years ago

    THEIR GAUC IS TO DIE FOR I also had a chicken burrito that was excellent! I will be returning

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    2 years ago

    No complaints. Food was savory. Place was clean. And service with a smile. Tacos, great look for silver spring.

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    3 years ago

    The quality of the food isn't there at all sorry I just wanted to be honest after I tried it

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    Ask the Community - El Taco Loco

    Cielo Rojo - Come to mama, chicken tinga tostada!

    Cielo Rojo

    4.5(617 reviews)
    1.5 mi
    $$

    Really understand why this place is so popular! Came here with some friends and had a lovely…read moreexperience. We were sat right away and I was surprised at how big the restaurant is (way bigger than it looks from the outside!). I started with a hibiscus margarita, which was delicious. Then we ordered a few things to split, including: guac and tostadas, charred cabbage, gorditas with chorizo, aguachile negro, and the beef short rib platter. The charred cabbage was the biggest sleeper hit. It was so flavorful and unlike anything I've ever had before. Everything else was delicious, although the aguachile was probably my least favorite of what we tried. We finished with the rose water tres leches and the dulce de leche crepes. The tres leches were pretty good but the crepes were amazing. I don't usually love dulce de leche, but it was definitely a standout.

    Overall, I had a positive experience dining at Cielo Rojo. The restaurant has a very inviting…read morespace, and it appears to be very kid-friendly. If you are planning to visit during popular dining hours, it might be worth it to make a reservation. We arrived during a weekend around 5:30 pm, and the place was somewhat empty. However, by 6-6:15 pm, the place was PACKED. I was a very surprised (in a good way) that the menu was a bit smaller compared to other Mexican/Tex-Mex restaurants in the area. I necessarily do not think the smaller menu is a bad thing because, with a smaller menu, a restaurant can focus on preparing everything well (i.e., it's easier to do a good job with 20-item menu versus a 50+-item menu). For my dining pleasure, I went with the enchiladas suizas with a few margaritas. Overall, I thought my plate was very delicious; however, other diners at my table and I noticed that the portion sizes were a bit small for the price. Perhaps, the restaurant uses higher quality ingredients for its dishes. Although the margarita sizes might appear to be small, they definitely are not "small" in power/punch, so the $13-$18 price range is appropriate. My favorite margarita of the night definitely was the El Jardinero, which was a wonderful mix of carrot, cilantro, peach, lime and a semi-spicy pepper of sorts. Collectively, we all thought the service was exceptional because our waitress constantly visited the table. Personally, I thought it was a bit overkill, but that's a very, very minor complaint based on my very, very personal preference.

    Photos
    Cielo Rojo - Indoor mural

    Indoor mural

    Cielo Rojo - HUEVOS RANCHEROS

    HUEVOS RANCHEROS

    Cielo Rojo - Restaurant

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    Restaurant

    Tacos Way - Menu

    Tacos Way

    3.6(27 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    This is a hidden gem in Silver Spring. The ambiance is very cute and cozy. The decoration is a…read moretwist of old traditional Mexican style but modern. The tables are super cute with traditional tiles. They have modernized taking your order with a kioas. My food was delicious. I left nothing. The guacamole was my favorite. The chips not so much but they were good. Actually I lied my Mojito was the best!

    I'd been meaning to give them a try because of the close location to home in Downtown Silver Spring…read moreand got my opportunity today before meeting a friend that was touring the apartment complex it's attached to. First, it's hidden and you could very well miss it with everything going on around the location like parked work trucks, trees and bushes. There is however lots of street parking and garage parking nearby. When I walked in, the place was completely empty but the employee working was friendly and quick to greet me and instructed me to the wall with screens to order. The menu is limited in my opinion, so I ordered the American Way tacos with chicken that only comes with cheese, lettuce and sour cream on the side. I added tomatoes for a $1 up charge and their taco salsa for another $1.50 up charge and they come 3 to an order. I also got a Jarritos fruit punch and my order came to a total of $19.60. While the dining area and bar is cute, I was quite disappointed with my food unfortunately. The chicken was flavorless and cold and given the price point, was absolutely not worth it. I would've been better off going elsewhere to get better tasting food for a fraction of the cost of the sub par tacos I had today. Perhaps I made a bad menu choice but I will not be going back.

    Photos
    Tacos Way - Outside

    Outside

    Tacos Way - Birria Tacos

    Birria Tacos

    Tacos Way - Carne Asada

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    Carne Asada

    Sabor Mixteco - Tacos de lengua

    Sabor Mixteco

    4.8(104 reviews)
    3.5 mi

    summary: a smallish taqueria located on the corner of Montgomery County, it thoroughly impressed…read morewith not just the food, but the "little things" along the way. Dining with kids can be challenging, so it's always nice when restaurants and staff are accommodating. The staff at Sabor Mixteca went above and beyond that. They were super fast with their service, but also showed warmth and kindness the entire time that made the meal delightful. The decor in the restaurant is vibrant and fun. They also had a clean, well-kept bathroom. The food was great. Everything came out in a timely manner and was excellently flavored and balanced. You could tell that this wasn't just like your run-of-the-mill taco joint. The flavors had a depth (especially the guisado) that brought things up a notch. But, like I was saying - although the food was great and memorable, I was really appreciative of how awesome the staff was and would love visiting again if we're in the area. Would definitely recommend.

    Overall: small Mexican spot with welcoming and kind service, good food, fair prices, bright and fun…read moredecor, has a single stall inclusive restroom, a baby changing table, and high chairs I felt super welcomed by the employees here. They were all sweet, kind, and happy to help. The kids got cute kids cups with silly straws. Chips and salsa were not included. The chips and salsa were the only things we weren't impressed with. Everything else was delicious. My shrimp tacos were full and had great flavor. They fell apart while eating them, maybe if they had less sauce or the tortilla was grilled a little more it would have held up but they were so good I didn't even mind it. Our kids and my partner loved all of their food as well.

    Photos
    Sabor Mixteco - Inside

    Inside

    Sabor Mixteco - Tacos

    Tacos

    Sabor Mixteco - Pollo taco

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    Pollo taco

    Lime & Cilantro - Chicken empanadas

    Lime & Cilantro

    4.5(105 reviews)
    1.3 mi

    Oh, I can't believe I didn't leave a review for the spot, even though I've been a few times though!…read moreIt's been a while, but man are they delicious. I would describe them as a combination of classic and elevated Latin food. The vibe of the restaurant is very casual, but the presentation of many of the dishes takes it to another level. They also have a wide selection of beer and wine. I have had tacos, octopus, breakfast tacos, and tamales. Everything was flavorful and quite tasty. I will admit service was a little slow the last time I went, but given the weather and the fact that we weren't in a rush it wasn't a big deal. If you haven't been yet, you should go. The colorful presentation reminds me of Palette 22, and rumor has it they are expanding to the Ethiopian restaurant that closed next door. I hope that's true!

    Nice ambiance and good brunch menu offerings. I didn't know that they only offered brunch during…read morethe weekend so I was a little disappointed as I wanted to try something more complex but we enjoyed what we ate. Could work on those fried plantains as they were a little soggy. The quinoa salad was good, a bigger portion would have been nice for the price paid and maybe if it would be easier to eat if served in a bowl. The chorizo sandwich was okay. Presentation and bread could be better. We left curious about their regular menu so we may give it a try some other time. Their staff were nice but not very knowledgeable about their menu items. They didn't really know how to answer my question about their vegan tres leches and told me it was not actually vegan after indicating it had condensed milk and heavy cream.

    Photos
    Lime & Cilantro
    Lime & Cilantro - Empanada

    Empanada

    Lime & Cilantro - Cilantro rice.  A simple dish, but a level above any I've had before.

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    Cilantro rice. A simple dish, but a level above any I've had before.

    La Malinche - Mussels from their Bottomless Brunch

    La Malinche

    4.2(619 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    The food was excellent. The service was great! The owner was lovely! A pleasant dining atmosphere…read morewhere the music is not too loud to allow for conversation. Good prices too! Will definitely come back!!

    All these years and I still haven't been on an occasion outside of their brunch LOL! It may not…read morehave been 4 years, but it has been quite a while since I last returned. I think they adjusted their lighting a little bit -- it was quite dim, and from the outside it looked pitch black. My friend made a reservation for 10 (only 6 showed), but it was fine and I feel like I always sit at the exact same table haha. The staff were very kind and asked if the first to arrive wanted to wait for others, and yes... yes we did. Once everyone arrived we dove right in and everyone enjoyed everything. We had every type of sangria and some of the highlighted foods were the mejillones, platanos, empanadas, pancakes -- on wait, let me speak on the pancakes for a second. A few times when I previously came they weren't sweet potato. I forget what the reason was, but while they and the syrup were still fantastic, I really missed the sweet potato element. But that's back now, and all is right with the world YAY! The eggs benedicts, patatas bravas, datiles, French toast, and huevos rancheros were highlights too. I think it's new, but they have a note that indicates there will be a charge for excess leftover food. I wonder when they added that?? We did an excellent job of eating literally everything, and everyone was satisfied at the end. The staff did an excellent job of checking in on us, gave us plenty of time for last call, and were so diligent. Mind you it wasn't crowded... but listen, it needs to be. I believe even the owner came by asking how everything was, and wished us well on our way out. It's been around a long time... if you haven't been to La Malinche yet, do yourself a favor and go. They have happy hour on weekdays, but the bottomless brunch... it's $41/pp now. Higher than ever, but still the best deal around.

    Photos
    La Malinche - The bar and sangria pitchers

    The bar and sangria pitchers

    La Malinche - Love these!

    Love these!

    La Malinche - Happy Hour food menu

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    Happy Hour food menu

    Taqueria Habanero - Tacos

    Taqueria Habanero

    4.3(1.1k reviews)
    3.9 mi
    $$

    The service was super quick! There may have been a 10 minute wait between ordering our food and…read morebeing served which was perfect. We got the guacamole to start which was some of the best, and most flavorful, guacamole that I've had in DC. Being from Texas, I'm very particular about my street tacos. These were the closest I've gotten to Texas street tacos since I've been in DC, and I've been here for 2 years! The place is small and intimate but full of energy - great place for a happy hour with friends or a more casual date!

    Not going to lie, walking up to the restaurant felt a wee uncomfortable but that is no fault to the…read morerestaurant just a note on the neighborhood. Restaurant was bright and welcoming and our waitress was lovely! In order of preference, we got the: Octopus tacos - Outstanding!!! There's a nice smokey char that adds flavor, sauce was fresh, and octopus was easy to bite through. Never had octopus tacos before and these were awesome!! I want to go back for this and to try other things! Huaraches - Bean filled and fried corn underlayer with sautéed steak and cactus on top -- cactus had a sour flavor and a light crunch with just a bit of slime kind of like okra, some folks aren't as into this but I liked it! Scallop tacos - Good sauce and nicely sized scallops. Salmon tacos - Good but did not standout, I'd skip unless you want something safe and it's your go to

    Photos
    Taqueria Habanero
    Taqueria Habanero - Fajita Mixta

    Fajita Mixta

    Taqueria Habanero - Birria tacos

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    Birria tacos

    El Taco Loco - tacos - Updated May 2026

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