Try the carne asada quesadilla -- so yummy! The Ballston location has a fun aesthetic, although there's not a ton of seating unless you're willing to sit outside. I've done pick up orders before, and the wait can be a little long. So yummy though! read more

This is the best Mexican food I have ever had in my life! So good, I ate here everyday I was in DC!

Fantastic tacos. A lot of varieties, all SUPER flavorful. Taco Bamba is an order-at-the-counter taco place. For eat-in orders, they'll bring the tacos to your table. They have a LOT of tack options, and you can also get quesadillas, the tacos as cups (no tortilla, kinda like a burrito bowl but taco sized), sopes, etc. And they have a tortas and a breakfast menu that looked pretty good. The traditional tacos (al pastor, barbacoa, etc.) are $3.50 a piece and the specialty tacos are $4.50. I got the breakfast taco, which is made with an egg, cheese, chorizo, a bunch of veggies, cream, cotija, guac, etc. It was great, and didn't lean too heavily on the the egg, so while it would be delicious at breakfast, it was just as good for dinner. I got the "One Night in Bangkok," with shrimp, chorizo, mint, basil, chili's, and crispy onions. That one was really fun, with just a little heat from the chilis and fun textures between the tortilla, shrimp, and crispy (and they were crispy) onions. And, I got the al pastor taco. The spices on the meat had a great, bold flavor. The pineapple added some sweetness. Warning: It was a bit spicier than other al pastor tacos I've had... I loved that, but if you don't like spiciness, that particular taco might not be the one for you. I also got their "bamba" margarita, which is their standard lime margarita. It was a good margarita to accompany the tacos... flavorful enough to stand up next to their intense tacos but not so intense that you wouldn't want to drink it alongside them. Bonus: Outside of happy hour specials and such, they're still only $7. The tacos are pretty hearty. Three tacos makes a filling meal. I was hungry and thought about getting a fourth but decided I could order more later. Glad I did because three was enough. And I'm not a delicate eater. They had a great rock playlist going. A lot of 90s rock, a few classics, a tilt to the heavy side. And the service, while order at the counter, was friendly, helpful, and alert. The only downside is that because they have a big take out business and have an order at the counter model, and everyone's filtering through one doorway into a limited space, you might have to navigate some chaos to order or pick up a to go order. A great dinner for my fiancée and I, including a margarita for each of us, came to just under $50 after tax and decent tip. Not a bad value for the neighborhood. And it was a great dinner. read more

Taco Bamba Ballston - Tacos Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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10/10 tacos i got the taco bamba and bangkok and it legit needed no salsa. im from la so tacos are a major thing and the bar is high. this place lowk set the bar especially in the dmv. i can't believe its a chain! also the churros were hot and the dulce de leche sauce was good but could have been thicker. the only issue with this location is the lack of seating and loud music, but the workers were very kind! read more

Taco Bamba Ballston - Taco Bamba Taco & one night in bangkok - Tacos Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Wow! Super great place. We had this delivered for lunch to the office and it was excellent. In my opinion, Mexican sometimes leaves you feeling kind of heavy and sluggish but this was super light! I had the taco salad and it was excellent and huge portions. Would recommend! read more

Taco Bamba Ballston - Taco Salad - Excellent! - Tacos Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

After the Taco Bamba in Chinatown closed down, we decided to finally make that short 20 min drive to VA and this location is def worth the drive! All their tacos were delicious but especially their specially ones. Also the churros might have been the best I've ever tasted! read more

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**FREE COFFEE FOR ANY ORDER AS LONG AS IT'S BEFORE NOON** ^ The coffee is a drip using La Colombe Coffee beans. In my opinion, it's a bit weak, but I mean, if it's FREE with my order, then I'll take any breadcrumbs I can get. Also La Colombe beans are top notched. Got two traditional tacos ($3.50 each, which is expensive!) - carne asada and lengua - for lunch which is usually enough for me since I don't eat a lot. Sadly, I have taste aversion towards onions and cilantro, which is like 2 of 3 main ingredients in a taco... so I had to opt out on those. At this point, it's just a corn tortilla and meat - like is that even a taco?? My fault, honestly. At most taco places, I usually add avocado (or God forbid, some cheese and lettuce) to my tacos and pay for the extras, but it didn't seem like Taco Bamba had this option in their online ordering system. They did have something called a "cabbage cup" for 50 cents extra, so I figured maybe I could get one of those and sprinkle the cabbage on top of my tacos. Turns out, "cabbage cup" replaces the corn tortilla. So I had one "taco" that was corn tortilla + meat and another one that was cabbage shell + meat. Sigh, I wish I liked eating onions and cilantro. * Lengua: Soft, tender, and juicy. Lengua is usually my go-to meat for tacos because it's so delicious. At most places, there is an additional charge for lengua, but glad this isn't the case for Taco Bamba. The lengua is almost at normal pricing here. This was the taco with the corn tortilla, so I drizzled some of the salsa verde on top of the meat. Spicy & a bit tangy, so it went well with the seasoning and flavor of the lengua. * Carne asada: This was the taco with the cabbage cup. Was not a very stable shell, so didn't want to risk putting salsa on the meat (unless I wanted a nasty spill everywhere). The asada was seasoned well and super juicy. They also gave a good portion, too! I kinda like the cabbage shell + meat, to be honest. Overall, not bad but it's just expensive for tacos. I hear this is the best taco place in the area and I definitely believe it. Well-seasoned meat and good portion sized per taco. I'd be down to pay $3.50 for a taco here again because the meat is tasty and delicious. read more

Taco Bamba Ballston - Top: Cabbage cup + carne asada Bottom: Corn tortilla + lengua Sadly, I don't like onions and cilantro... - Tacos Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

We went to taco Bamba me and my wife. The food was great. We had tacos of Carne Asada three each. They were delightfully good taste every little morsel inside nice experience. When we ordered, we were waiting the cashier brought the tacos to the table. That was really nice. Showed a lot of professionalism. read more

Taco Bamba Ballston - Carne asada tacos - Tacos Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Taco Bamba was a pleasant surprise! I love their salsa bar. They have a variety of tacos (including breakfast tacos that are available all day!) We got the guac and chips too and they were delicious! read more

Taco Bamba Ballston - Pescado Shrimp - Tacos Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Taco Bamba is the best! I have always loved their tacos and diverse menu and this location has really upped the Taco Bamba game! Some of my favorite tacos are the breakfast taco, the Arabe and the Taco Bamba. The standard tacos are also really tasty -- and they're a great size too. The drinks are also really good here. This location is a bit smaller than their original DC location but there are still tables inside and outside. Service is always fast and we love to order takeout from here whenever we are in the area. read more

Kicking off the new year with good vibes and good food (in mah belly)! I'm one of those that has been cooking and baking a storm since the pandemic, but when my baby asked for tacos, here is where we happened to land on a weekday lunch. A quesadilla for her, 3 tacos for me, and some seriously loaded fries for the both of us. The generously gracious cashier gentleman not only was patient with my questions, but also got my baby wanting an Aqua Fresca. Everything was stellar, but my absolute favorites were the spicy shroom taco and their Bamba fries; for my baby it was def her blood orange & strawberry Aqua Fresca (not going to lie, they did stellar with this one and it didn't taste like straight up sugar, but more juice to sugar ratio). We sat in the car and just smiled as we ate, but for me, perhaps it was more like a hungry hippo carnivorously devouring its prey as I was Licking my fingers of the remnants of the taco juice. You Cannot make this stuff at home. Thank you Taco Bamba for a wonderful mommy-daughter date! read more

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Food delish - the salad with a ton of ingredients has some garlic scoop in it that is to die for. Chips and queso is also really good, and cheap, too. Just some tips though: they are busy so check your order for mistakes. I've had a few. Make sure to order your cream fresh ahead of time, it costs $. I like this spot for quick, easy, Mexican food! read more

Yummmm this place makes some great tacos!!! Really liked the arabe but the others were good too. Service was awesome and very friendly. Cool wall art and general vibe. Would definitely come back! read more

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My wife LOVES Taco Bamba. She's still grieving the closure of the D.C. location so we drove to Ballston to pick up tacos for Taco Tuesday. During the pandemic, this location has the system down. You can either order through their website or walk in to safely order and then wait outside near their patio heaters for your food. They have a large menu of classic tacos and signature tacos and they fuse tacos with cuisine from around the world. I love the shrimp tacos on flour tortillas. They are larger than other taco spots. Their chips are salty and queso rich. read more

The best value taco spot in VA!!!! Taco Bamba has finally arrived in Arlington (Ballston)! Simply put -- amazing balls. I've visited almost every TB in VA & DC. NOM!!!!! I'm simple. So I approve of the basic tacos. TACOS TRADICIONALES $3.50 (comes with corn tortilla, onion, cilantro). My favs include: CARNE ASADA -- Beef, grilled, big portions! ** my go to ** deeeeelish!! AL PASTOR -- pork, pineapple BARBACOA -- shredded beef BIRRIA -- spicy goat CHICHARRON -- crispy braised pork, salsa roja, pickled jalapeno CHORIZO -- Mexican pork sausage LENGUA -- beef tongue. Sounds nasty. But don't hate it until you try it. Yummmmm Sauces salsa -- 4 types. All complimentary. They will automatically give you all of the sauces JEFFERY. $8 Think of a chimichanga. Deep fried burrito. Tex-Mex style. Well this is a Crispy Meat spring roll with Carne Asada, Pork al Pastor, Chorizo, Chihuahua Cheese, Peppers, Onions, & Serrano Salsa Verde. Deeelish. On the smaller side for the price you pay. Sweet treat alert. CHURROS. $4.50. You get 5 Mini Cinnamon Sugar Dusted Churros Served with Dulce de Leche (like caramel)!!! Mmmmmmm Corona. All orders are to go. No dining in. Pay inside or online. Wait outside for order pickup. I highly recommend, if you want a fast, affordable taco or even churro!!!! Yummy!! read more

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Great tacos, fresh ingredients, and decent prices. Definitely plan on returning. Very expansive menu as well with plenty of tacos to try.

The food was delicious!! The customer service was great!! It's a very small and intimate restaurant. Most people got their orders to go. Definitely can't wait to try the other locations. Each location is a different menu read more

Taco Bamba Ballston - Menu - Tacos Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I'm so glad this opened up one in Ballston!! I never really tried taco bamba before, besides the occasional leftovers from catering events at work, and I can't believe I waited so long to try it. For two people, we got the chilaquiles, a torta, corn in a cup, and churros for take out. We ordered online through their website and walked over to pick it up. It was ready for us even though we got their a little early, and it came with three sauces. There was more than enough and we ended up having half the torta and half the corn as leftovers. The shake and bake chilaquiles ($9.50) we're my favorite! We added an egg ($2) and it was fried perfectly so it would ooze when you cut into it. I thought the dish was very flavorful and the tortillas we're still crispy and not soggy We also tried the torta tradicional ($11) with al pastor which was okay, I wouldn't necessarily get it again. It was room temperature when we got it, and I tasted mostly beans. However, it is huge!! There was a little less than half for leftovers and when reheated i thought it tasted much better. The corn in a cup ($4) was good! I kind of expected it to be more creamier (aka dowsed in cream and cheese) buuut it wasn't, so I wouldn't necessarily get it again as a personal preference. I got it to be healthier but it's probably healthier than I'd like lol The churros ($4.5) were delicious!!! It was still crispy and tasted so good with the dulce de leches Overall, I'm looking forward to making this place a regular! read more

Taco Bamba Ballston - Chilaquiles, torta tradicional, corn in a cup and churros - Tacos Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Been here a few times. Tacos itself is decent. Cost was about $8-9 for 2 tacos. You order at the register and seat yourself. They have a mini bar inside. Still haven't found a taqueria place that is as good as California. This location is a little small, but they have seating outside as well. Overall, ok. read more

Taco Bamba Ballston - Tacos Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

The food was amazing! Mohini is such a good bartender! She constantly made sure we had drinks, food, and had a great conversation!

I've lived nearby for a few years and stopped by for lunch the other day. Honestly, I tend to look at this place for convenience so I'm satisfied every time I go as long as the food is ready on time, however, I've never had any concerns with the food quality or timing of my food being made to order. Overall, this is a nice spot on the corner of Wilson and Quincy. read more

This place is SO GOOD and this is coming from a Latina harsh Mexican food critic. I was pleasantly surprised. It was near my hotel and walking distance. I stopped by twice during my stay. Great customer service, excellent food, quick wait time for meals. I highly recommend giving it a try. read more

A friend invited me to the newest Taco Bamba location in Ballston. After learning that they had a Happy Hour (4p-6p) of course I was down! Who doesn't need a relief drink after work? For a moment I got excited and tad overwhelmed at the amount of crafted tacos that they had to offer. The combinations of flavors mention on the menu seemed to flow well together in my mind. I ordered: * Birria Taco with Goat- I've had Birria with Goat before...Slapped! This one seemed to have been missing something. Could it have been the consomé? * Taco Bamba- This one was good. It had a nice amount of spice with that chorizo. * And a Classic. The Chicken Tinga. * My friend had the Funs Over & the Jamaican Patty Empeñada. She didn't necessarily see the hype in the Patty. However, loved the Tacos! My honest opinion? ...I'm not going to say that it was horrible because it wasn't but I think it was the tortillas that were throwing me off. Maybe I should've thrown some salsa on there but they just seemed a little dry [yes, I'm aware that these were corn tortillas & what this means] in comparison to the amount of toppings that were happening with the tacos. I'd still give them another chance though! Please Remember to drink Responsibly. read more

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Once again, Taco Bamba was fantastic! It was my first time at this location in Ballston and the tacos were just as great as the other locations. We decided to order some new tacos and Jarritos flavors this time and loved everything! It was my first time trying the El Jeneral (the cabbage taco) and I have to say it was my favorite one of the meal- it was light and refreshing and so so flavorful. I will definitely order it again. I also ordered the Taco Bamba (a classic!) and El Arabe, which had a delicious crispy pita and beautifully seasoned chicken. The Salim Abu Aziz had a mosaic of middle eastern spices and flavors, the El Rico Pollo had delicious peruvian chicken, and the Small Biggie Burger was a very interesting concept and tasted like a burger. Overall a very nice clean location, with fantastic food and outdoor seating that's great for warm weather! read more

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my friends and I got there around 1630 and the service was a bit rough at first -- but then once the staff figured out we were going to be there for a few hours, the service was exceptional! So thank you for making our get get-together fun! read more

Terrible service. Worst service I've ever received at a taco Bamba. Waiters don't want to wait tables!!?? That's insane disappointed because I'm a regular at this restaurant just not this location read more

The best food I've had so far since arriving a few days ago. There weren't many options for a vegan/vegetarian (such as, I learned later that my beans had pork in them and that wasn't noted on the board) but the 3 folks in my group had options. The food was very tasty and the service was superb. I appreciated that one staffer came out to check on our experience. This is definitely a place to go. Some things to definitely grab based on my tastebuds alone: those drinks!!! I got mango, cucumber mint, and peach mango. Not too sweet and very refreshing. That's some good guac, enjoy it!!! From my crew: the green sauce from the sauce bar was EVERYTHING. read more

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Nice service. Decent tacos but all of them are extremely salty. The Al Pastor is not real Al pastor so a bit of false advertising. Same with the chicharron. Safe to say these are gringo tacos. With all the other taco options in the area, taco bamba does not stand out from the bunch. read more

Came here for lunch on a weekend, not very many people at all. The menu is a bit overwhelming, but I went with basic tacos. Got 4, all dirty, with some green salsa and red salsa on top of each: - carne asada: SUPER flavorful meat, chewy, juicy, amazing. I ate this one first and I think it was my favorite. - shrimp: superb grilled flavor on the shrimp, juicy, really delicious. This was really tasty too. - fish: the fish didn't have much flavor and was maybe a tad overcooked. I didn't like this one at all. - tongue: super soft, pretty tasty, tasted a bit fatty but maybe that's just how tongue is, not sure. Prices are okay, each taco was $4.50 pre-tax. The meats are really flavorful (aside from the fish). Plenty of outdoor seating and indoor seating, great spot! read more

I stopped in while visiting Ballston for work. I had the Taco Bamba, One night in Bangkok, and a birria taco dirty style. All were delicious. Great margaritas as well. Really great place. Super helpful staff. In today's world the prices are incredibly reasonable. I highly recommend. read more

Absolutely love TB (see my 5 star review of the Falls Church location) and so glad this one popped up in my hood. Like everyone else in Arlington, I couldn't wait to try it. Opening day was crazy so I'm giving them a pass for that day basing my review on the 2 other times I've had it. Both times the wait was longer than advertised when I placed my online order, pickup was chaotic, and the food was hit or miss. Tacos are still a must, but the tinga at this location was just a little tougher than usual. You can skip the chips and guac, as the guac honestly had no flavor. Dubs Jr. loves the El Gringo and Mr. Dubs is still ordering the Al Pastor (pork & pineapple) and Carnitas. Do not sleep on the El Rico Pollo taco though. The crispy potatoes and aji amarillo aioli are superb. This Peruvian chicken inspired taco is amazing and is only available at the Ballston spot. This taco was worth the all the parking hassles. Speaking of those...parking is a hot mess. Yes, it's Ballston and there is very limited parking but the curbside line is always packed with people parking illegally and all over the place. Usually I park further down by the Sweet Leaf on Quincy and just walk up and get my order. There is limited indoor and outdoor seating, so it's best to visit on off-peak times if you want a seat. I have visited almost all other TB locations (Falls Church, Vienna, Downtown DC-no longer open, and Springfield) multiple times and prefer them to this location even though this one is in my neighborhood. Not going to lie though - I probably will roll the dice and give Ballston another shot. read more

Taco Bamba is one of my favorite taco places in the area. A lot of great and unique taco options but my favorite is the slum dog billionaire. The chipotle pork vindaloo in it really makes it. read more

Taco Bamba is hands down one of the best places to get your taco fix in Ballston. The speciality tacos are out of this world and you'll want to try every single one of them. The flavors are unique, bold and they leave your taste buds singing. The location might be small, but don't let that deter you from trying their delicious tacos. In fact, my tip for you is to take your food to go and enjoy it in the nearby park if the weather is nice. This way, you can fully enjoy the deliciousness of the tacos while taking in some fresh air and sunshine. Whether you're in the mood for something spicy or something more on the mild side, Taco Bamba has something for everyone. Check it out! read more

Breakfast lunch dinner - doesn't matter I'll eat there! I truly think taco bamba is like no other and they have a special place in my heart. Every location has a slightly different menu but still some great quality items. I usually order 2 tacos and that is enough food for me. The tacos are normal sized but jam packed with ingredients and flavor. The Arabe is incredible, getting any taco dirty style is a great idea ! I have been on a breakfast kick recently so I've been going in the mornings and you just can't beat the taste of their food! read more

Since this was my first time here, I wanted to taste the meat first so that I can try it out in other forms (bowls, tortas, etc) next time. So i ordered three tacos: lengua, al pastor, and the taco bamba First thing I noticed that these are slightly bigger than authentic street tacos. Each came with a good portion of meat! The tortillas are sandwiched by a nice layer of cheese. I gotta say that these tacos werent the best Ive tried unfortunately. I found the meat to be on the dryer side and lacked flavor (especially the al pastor which is my go to filling). I liked the texture combination of taco bamba but i also felt like something was missing. I would love to comeback and try their breakfast items or their tortas which is what theyre known for! I am not giving up on this place yet!! read more

Taco Bamba Ballston - Lengua Taco, Al Pastor Taco, Taco Bamba - Tacos Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Love this place! Great tacos and sides, and everything is reasonably priced. Our family ordered takeout from here and the food was fresh and delicious. I had a "Fun's Over" crispy cod taco and a Pescado taco. My wife had a Salim Abu Aziz and a "one Night in Bangkok". We each enjoyed our selections very much. The chips and nacho cheese were great. Chips were very fresh. read more

Taco Bamba Ballston - Fun's Over taco with black beans and rice and chips - Tacos Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Got delivery thru Uber Eats, the food came very fast and well packed. I tried most of the traditional taco fillings: lengua, chicken tinga, birria, shrimp, barbacoa, carnitas, al pastor. This is the first time trying Taco Bamba, and I did enjoy every taco. Comparison to Tacos y Tortas La Chiquita (my favorite place in NOVA): 1. Taco Bamba prices are about the same ~$3.50 per taco 2. size is about the same. Most of Taco Bamba's tacos include a pretty large amount of meat except for the lengua tacos, which is really unfortunate because lengua is my favorite, the amount of lengua meat in the tacos is about half the size of the other ones for some reason 3. Taco Bamba's taco meat flavors are good but I think Tacos y Tortas La Chiquita is still better spiced. The one taco that I did find Taco Bamba's to be better is the shrimp taco, lots of plump and juicy shrimp, good citrus flavors and spices. Overall, Taco Bamba is very good and closer to me so I'll definitely visit again in the future, still prefer the very authentic and tradtional tasting tacos from Tacos y Tortas La Chiquita though. read more

I've eaten here a few times and it hardly disappoints. I'm leaving four stars because my taco orders weren't always correct but they were good no less. Also, it's disappointing that the black beans contain pork and their guacamole portion is on the smaller side. Highly recommend the cup o'bamba and quesadillas-fav menu items I've tried! read more

This past Saturday, I had a Taco Bamba and Mexican corn at the Shirlington location. I was very disappointed in both items as well as the service. With the Taco Bamba all I could taste was the hot pepper which was burning my tongue, the carne meat had no taste and one piece was so rubbery that I kept chewy it until I had to put it in a napkin cause it was to chewy. The service was slow, but it was not that busy. read more

Taco Bamba Ballston - Tacos Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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We ordered online and pick up was quick and easy. Although Taco Bamba was more expensive than other taco shops in the area (around $0.50 to $1 more per taco), the serving sizes were bigger than what we've seen. Our favorite taco was by far the Al Pastor. The pork was juicy with a smokey, tangy spice and the soft pineapples complimented the flavors well. We felt indifferent about the other tacos we ate. The Barbacoa tasted exactly like Chipotle's. Both the Camaron and Carne Asada were plain; the beef was cut in large chunks and too well done which made it hard to bite through. Taco Bamba, the namesake taco, was decent, but the flavor was dominated by meaty notes with little nuance beyond that. The Churros, with a doughy inside and crunchy outside, lacked cinnamon sugar but the dulce de leche was delicious. read more