Bartaco Reston

This place was packed for a Thursday evening. My family waited a little bit over 30 minutes for a table of 5, but we were able to step outside and enjoy the water fountain across the street. We eventually got squeezed into a table of four but it was comfortable enough for us.
Hostess was great. She brought a coloring book for my son. I was surprised because you usually get one piece of paper only. Bonus point for this coming from a family with kids so they definitely do think about families.
Our server Jake was excellent. He was attentive considering how busy the restaurant was that evening.
Also, when they brought out the food, they pointed to each taco telling you which one was which so you wouldn’t have to guess.
We’re from out of state so we wanted to try as much as we could off the menu.
For the tacos, I took one bite before adding any of the three different sauces available for you on the table. Then I added the sauce to see if it would help accent the flavor.
Pork Belly Taco — Phenomenal and a must if you are a lover of pork belly which I always have been. Flavor was great that I really didn’t need to add any additional sauce but I did anyway because I love spicy food. Another order was placed!
Fried Oyster Taco– Another must! I was thoroughly surprised at how good it was that we ordered a couple more. Again, no sauce was just fine but I needed that spice to kick in.
Chicken Taco — Probably my least favorite. I don’t think I’ll ever order the chicken again. It almost had a Cajun flavor to it and even after adding the spicy sauce, it still wasn’t as great as the others. Unfortunately, it was the only taco left on the table at the end of our meal.
Beef Taco — My husband enjoyed this one the most. I wasn’t a fan of it. I think there was too much beef but who complains about getting too much meat? I liked this one with the spicy sauce.
Fish Taco — Only because I’m not a fan of Cole slaw, I didn’t like this one too much. The fish however was cooked just right. It had a crispy texture to it. I had to put sauce in this one to mask the slaw. Many reviews have enjoyed this one so this is just a «me» thing.
Duck Taco — For me, I love duck, but without the sauce it was too sweet for me. It was definitely better adding the spicy sauce.
Shrimp Taco — I wasn’t blown away with the shrimp taco but still thought it was better than the chicken, duck and beef. This one could have been fine with or without the sauce.
Chicken Bowl — My son ordered this and he wasn’t a fan of the chicken flavor. It’s the same flavor as the chicken taco. The grilled vegetables were great though. He ended up finishing off the rotisserie chicken.
Cheese Quesadilla — Nothing to note about. You can’t go wrong making a cheese quesadilla. My daughter enjoyed it because she’s a cheese lover.
Cucumber Salad — Serving size surprised me for a side dish. It was an ample amount. I did like the flavor and it was a great combo to eat with the tacos.
Highly Recommend: Pork Belly and Fried Oyster Taco
Can Do Without: Chicken Taco or Bowl
We spent about $ 100 for a family of five. Considering we got drinks, alcohol and so many different variety of foods, the total was not that bad for eating out once in a while with the family.
If you’re in the area, this is a definite spot to hit!

Why isn’t there 0 star option?
Food is still decent.
Service at the bar … Wow … Can you say incompetent?!? Don’t hire pretty blond thing and expect her to be smart. Epitome of a dumb blond. Even confirming 3 times of the order she still gets it wrong.
Further removing a drink that is not empty without asking?!? I don’t pay $ 12 for a cocktail to be taken away when I’m not done.
Staff needs more training. Just wow.

Came here this past Sunday for dinner with my friend. The food was pretty good, the service was top notch, ambiance was beautiful and modern, and the drinks were fantastic.
My friend is not a vegetarian, and I am a vegetarian. There aren’t many vegetarian items on the menu aside from basic cauliflower rice bowl and tacos — but that was enough for me.
My only complaint was that I asked them to put our tacos in separate plates because I didn’t want my tacos to touch the ones that had meat in them — and they said they would but when it came out they were all together. To their credit — the waitress was willing to take it back to fix, but I said it was fine.
My friend ordered a Arnold palmer and they literally brought out a liter for him. I got the blackberry soda and was very pleased with it.
Overall — great experience. I will definitely be back here sometime soon and will write a more detailed review.

Tacos were great! We loved the oyster, pork belly and banh mi. The tacos are pretty small but the waitress warned us in the beginning that it would probably take 4 – 5 tacos per person. Really went there because we were craving for mexican corn and it didn’t disappoint either!

Bartaco was everything I wanted plus more in a taco joint. From the open interior to the 3 giant cubes of pork belly on my taco, my first experience here blew all other taco places out of the water.
Some highlights are as follows:
— Easy to comprehend menu. First thing that turns me off at a restaurant is when the menu is overly stimulating. Bartaco kept it simple and to the point.
— Foolproof ordering. With their checkbox ordering system, there’s really no reason to mix up your orders. If the food comes out wrong, it’s either on you for checking the wrong box or on them for reading the wrong line. No blame game here.
— Pork Pastor and Pork Belly! They do not skimp out on their meat. So flavorful, juicy, and not too fatty. When in doubt, go with the pork.
— Efficiency. A container for silverware and extra napkins, extra menu, extra ordering cards, pencils, hot sauces, etc. All of this at your fingertips without having to constantly call your server.
— Family style vibes. You get a small plate and the tacos come out all together on one tray. I’m always a fan of communal eating. Here you get the concept of it without having to worry about that one person who eats twice as fast as you and ends up eating double the amount of portion, leaving you with that one half eaten taco with only 20% of the meat (i feel very strongly about this if you can’t tell).
I will most definitely revisit this place and try the fried oyster taco, Mexican corn, and churros!

Had high expectations because I’ve heard countless people tell me how delicious this place was. My oh my, I was not disappointed at all! You order the tacos just like an a la carte sushi restaurant. My family of four ordered twenty-​four tacos and it was more than enough to feed us. We got a variety of tacos and I’ll have to say the best ones were– the pork belly, the duck and the baja fish. These are a MUST HAVE. The falafel was my least favorite, I think it was over-​cooked. The pork belly just melts in your mouth and the duck was savory-​deliciousness. I cannot wait to come back to experience a meal here again.

Great food, really enjoyed everything! The three of us got a small guacamole, two tacos each, and churros — it was the perfect amount. The tacos were spicy chorizo, duck, falafel, cauliflower, Baja fish, plus one more veggie one I can’t remember. (The veggie selection was great!)

I just want to start off by saying this might be my new go-​to taco place in NoVA.
Came in one random afternoon with two other friends. Really didn’t know what to expect but the after looking this place up and seeing the variety of selection they had, we decided to stop by. We ordered the typical but our waitress insisted that we try two of her favorites (fried oyster and fried avocado). When we were hesitant, she said the tacos would be on her and not to worry about it. Wow, I would’ve definitely missed out if I hadn’t tried them. I think fried oyster was by far my favorite! A must try in the Reston area and a special thank you to the waitress who blessed us with the free food!

Great patio and atmosphere! Service was fast, attentive and wonderful. Food had mixed reviews from our group– two enjoyed, two would not return.
The food is very eclectic and served as small plates. Small menu — you fill out a form similar to ordering sushi.
The tacos are unique — small corn tortillas. The filling is not a typical Mexican fare. We had the sesame rib eye (tasted as if sautéed in sesame oil), chicken (very spicy), duck and fried oyster. No one enjoyed the chicken, two of us enjoyed the rib eye, I enjoyed the duck and fried oyster. They also have rice bowls — one enjoyed the rib eye rice bowl.
Guacamole is wonderful and the plantains were very tasty.
The concept and taste of food felt like it had an Asian fusion influence.

Very first visit to Bartaco and it was okay. Service was fast and friendly and I love the pitcher of unsweetened ice tea and the pitcher of water. I would give 5 stars just for the tea but don’t want to overly skew the ratings :-)
I had the lunch special. I liked the option to pick my selections on the paper lunch menu (nice that pencils and bottled water are present). Food came quick enough. Tried three tacos and the chicken soup as well as the chips and salsa. Never seen chips like these — big guys that you break apart but they were tasty and the salsa was okay.
The chorizo taco was nice and spicy but the other two — chicken and pork were hard for me to tell apart from each other. For my taste a soft taco from Chipotle has more flavor.
I’ll go back and try a few more items, especially the churros.

Service was worse than before, unfortunately. First, they gave us all our food at once so our tacos got cold while we were eating our plantains and guac. It would have been nice if they could have spaced it a little. Also, our waitress got the check wrong and we couldn’t get her attention because she was flirting with the bartender.
But I had the plantains for the first time and the dipping sauce was super delicious!

Loved! I was super hungry and got the pork belly rice bowl, mahi mahi taco and the chicken taco.
All three were fantastic! My only complaint is that the tacos were small. But I loved how this restaurant does takeout, and prepared the food within 7 minutes!
If you are getting one of the rice bowls, I would ask for a side of their sauces– rice can be a bit dry.

Hip taco joint with a modern and fusionistic take on Mexican food.
— THE FOOD: The menu is literally small, but there are plenty of delicious options. We split an order of guacamole, which was fresh and flavorful, and plantains, which are awesome on their own but came with a scrumptious dipping sauce. I then had the lunch tray, which at $ 10 for three tacos and a salad was a pretty good deal. The tacos are fairly tiny though, so keep that in mind as you’re ordering. We finished with the churros, which I thought were perfect on their own, but they also come with chocolate dipping sauce.
— FOR THE VEGGIES: I only paid attention to the tacos since I was getting the lunch tray, and there were three vegetarian options so I had one of each. The three — cauliflower, Portobello, and falafel — are a nice balance since the cauliflower is crunchy and somewhat spicy, the Portobello is creamy and cheesy, and the falafel is… well, falafel, but it was tasty! The chopped salad was also very good — lettuce, vegetables, some cheese, and fresh avocado.
— ATMOSPHERE: This is a pretty casual place, but makes for a fun lunch or dinner option.
— SERVICE: We were seated right away but when we arrived there at 11:45 am (on a weekday) the place was already full, so plan to arrive before the lunch rush. You write your order on a little slip and they deliver your food — pretty efficient! The service was quite friendly and quick.

Bartaco is a spot that I probably will not re-​visit unless I’m in the area. No special visits for me. Not because the food or service was bad, but because it’s not in my area and not worth the trip.
Overall, my happy hour drink with jalapeño flavor was pretty good. It didn’t hurt that it was only $ 5. My rice bowl was cool — decent flavor profile but not a large portion. I was definitely hungry while eating it, and unsatisfied afterwards.
Happy hour on a Friday at this spot was crazy. My friend and I arrived at 4:30 pm and were at to have our choice in table. I can’t say the same for the people who came in at 6 pm or later. The bar was super crowded amd every table was occupied. If you’re looking for a popular spot in this area with decent food and drinks, check it out.

I was fortunate enough to first try BarTaco at a Unilocal Event. I later came on my own for lunch and then last night with a girlfriend from France I hadn’t seen in three years who wanted to try it out per my suggestion.
We arrived at 5pm and were seated immediately. Our server was very friendly and quickly explained the way they do service (which is very similar to when ordering sushi).
We started off with the large guacamole and salsa. We were so engrossed in our conversation and our delicious starters that we initially forgot to put up our taco order. Our server came to check on us and we immediately set out to finish ordering. Honestly, we were both already a bit full from the copious appetizers and wanted a bit more time to digest before ordering the tacos, but felt compelled to do so. I’ll explain a bit later why we rushed to order second course.
I ordered the duck and the pork belly. Both melted in my mouth and were so full of flavor. Although fairly stuffed, we decided to order two (could have probably just ordered one) orders of churros. The dough is perfectly soft in the center, which works well for soaking up the spice chocolate sauce. She ordered the ribeye and the shrimp bahn mi and said both were also very good.
Our service was outstanding and the young man was quite nice, asking my friend which country she was from, etc. I have to say, however, that I was a bit miffed that the manager was watching our table and getting annoyed that we weren’t ordering more food, eating it faster and leaving. He was quite visual (giving our table dirty looks, shaking his head, putting his head in his hands) about it from the hostess stand. I can assure you, our two top by the window wasn’t taking up space from long lines of waiting patrons-​there weren’t any. I know at times as Americans we are known for faster in-​and-​out dining, but taking one’s time to enjoy one’s meal, especially since we kept ordering food, shouldn’t cause a manager to react as he did. I worked many years in upscale restaurants and it’s just not very professional (go rant in the back room). My dining partner did not see any of this as she was facing away from the hostess stand and I wasn’t going to bring it to her attention. It made me however a bit anxious and annoyed. It took a bit way from my most recent experience, keeping me from giving it a full 5 stars.

My first visit, some time ago now, was highlighted with awesome customer service & lots of free dishes. It definitely won me over, but not being naïve I knew all visits would be like this first one, so I’ve put in a couple more experiences before writing this review. What has stood consistent throughout each visit, are the delicious hand crafted, all natural, fresh ingredient drinks. Depending on your selected potion it can be a bit pricey, but worth every penny.
Small in size, big on taste — it’s the tacos that have me hooked & they pair quite nicely with the margaritas too! Some are certainly better than others. My favorites have been the duck & pork belly, packing in big flavor & the Baja fish with yummy, fried crunchiness. My least favorites have been the chicken & mahi-​mahi as they significantly lacked flavor & the ribeye, the sauce too sweet for my taste. If you’re with a group, the tray of tacos is the way to go. Not only value priced for the wide variety, but also includes guac n’ large tostada style chips, tamales & an assortment of sides. Ordering a tray also seems to cut down on the annoyance of being served your tacos, sauces & sides in random stages. I speculate that the kitchen operates in stations & not collectively to compile orders as a whole.
As far as the sides go, the grilled corn is a must try. Basically Mexican street corn. I’m not a corn on the cob fan, but I have found if you request it off they go too heavy on the crema & crumbed cheese. To be noted, the plantains come with a creamy, delicious dipping sauce though it’s not noted on the menu & if tamales are your thing, you’ll want to go with the pork over the mushroom.
Being the only location in VA & DMV area, this Bartaco has it’s own one-​of-​a-​kind vibe regardless of it’s other locations 100’s of miles away. Always packed, even during lunch hours. I’d highly recommend calling ahead if you’re looking for table/​patio service, as they don’t do reservations. If you’re driving over, there’s free garage parking at the corner of Bluemont & Explore. ¡Buen apetito!

Came here after work on a Wednesday evening and really liked it! It’s in Reston Town Center, and there’s garage parking by the place.
I got here around 5pm and asked to be seated out on the patio area because the weather was nice as I waited for 2 other people.
I ordered a mojito for myself while waiting for my friends. Once they came, our server explained the ordering process since this is our first time here. He also brought out the happy hour menu drink menu. Would have been nice to have that when I sat down and before I ordered my drink. The happy hour menu has about 3 or 4 drinks on it. The mojito I got was not from the happy hour menu and it was $ 12. One of the drink from the happy hour menu that we got was sanguina, $ 6 – tequila, blood orange – it was good!
There are order cards that you mark on for the items that you want. Fairly simple. There are various tacos, appetizer plates, rice bowls and dessert that you can order. Our group only got some drinks and tacos. Tacos are $ 2.5−3.5 each.
The taco sizes are small. I would say 3 tacos here = 1 regular taco maybe. They are delicious! I started with 3 tacos first and ordered 3 more. The first 3 I got were: fried oysters (3.5÷5), Baja Fresh (3.5÷5) and duck (4.5÷5). I got three more: chicken (4.5÷5), Mahi Mahi (⁴⁄₅) and shrimp banh mi (⁵⁄₅).
My favorite from the ones that I got was the shrimp banh mi, duck and chicken but the others were quite good as well. They are small so 6 tacos and a drink or two was more of a happy hour filling than a dinner filling for me whereas my friends were really full. So that depends on you.
My friends also enjoyed the tacos they got. The different tacos they got that I didn’t get were the falafel taco and pork belly taco. They liked the porkk belly taco and wouldn’t get the falafel taco again.
I wasn’t aware this was a chain, but I would recommend this place, something for after work if you wanted some small bites.

Went here last night with my husband for date night before our movie time. Before we sat down, my husband confirmed with the bartenders if the bar area was first come, first serve because we saw two open seats. They said «Yes!» so we went to sit down and I’m assuming the manager? which was a lady came over to us to ask if we were having dinner and if we were on the waitlist. we said «Yes, we are having dinner and no we weren’t on the waitlist.» Then she says Okay let me grab you another stool because the one my husband was sitting on was too high.
Anyways, we ordered and the side of corn on the cob was amazing and very flavorful. I ordered 2 pork belly tacos and my husband got 1 shrimp banh mi taco and 1 fish taco. My pork belly tacos didn’t taste the same and good like how it was the first couple of times I’ve been there. I think since they are so busy down — the quality of the food has gone down. My husband didn’t really enjoy his tacos either.

Solid 5 stars. I was a little naïve and wasn’t aware this was part of a chain, but despite this I was very pleased with this place. We arrived on a Saturday, about 30 mins after opening. We were greeted warmly, and seated immediately.
I absolutely loved the décor in the place. A very well decorated, beach vibe going on. Loved all of it.
I can’t remember his name but our waiter was extremely friendly and very thorough in explaining their menu and how food is ordered and served there, family style. He did a great job of selling their guac, chips and salsa, which proved to be very yummy. I could have drank the salsa! So good!
We were frequently checked on by other employees, and frequently by our assigned waiter, making sure our needs were met. Some of the best service I have had in a long time. We even overheard an additionally impressive situation with the group of older women seated next to us. One of them found the coffee to be too bitter. One of the employees went next door to Barcelona (a sister restaurant) and brought her back a coffee from there. We were very impressed. They definitely went the extra mile to make sure she was happy. Bravo!
We ordered a total of 6 tacos. While they are on the small side we were comfortably full by the end. We tried two chicken, falafel, two baja fish, and the ribeye. All very yummy and I can’t wait to go back! I think it was $ 26 before tip. No drinks, just water. Very reasonable. If you are a fan of tacos, and even some unique ones (I’ve heard you should ask about their secret taco!) this is a great place to check out!

This is my fourth visit to Bartaco. I wanted to swing in on V-​day with my husband after drinks and apps at Jackson’s and before dinner at Barcelona.
It was crowded as usual. We managed to squeeze into a spot at the bar and order a mojito (they make them the best). I told my husband the $ 9 mojitos take 9 minutes to make — and it did! They shake those shakers hard — smashing up all of that fresh mint! No wonder their bartenders have visible muscles! The staff is always great — friendly, alert, helpful, responsive, efficient. We didn’t have enough time to order any nibbles, but I’ll bring him back soon.
Another great visit!