Surfside Taco Stand

You know, I just can’t rate this any higher than two. The food can range from pretty good to just bleh. The breakfast options are good if you can get them, but the burritos which come with a pathetically small side salad aren’t very satisfying. I’ve had both the Andros, Martinique and the Bonaire, or the steak, chicken and shrimp respectively need a whole bunch of that hot sauce they have available.
The agua frescas they have are delicious but pretty pricey and when you get a burrito and a drink you’re out about 12 – 13 bucks. Even their breakfast options, which are cheaper isn’t that substantial and the bacon option in particular is pretty greasy and made it a little hard on the stomach since now coated in bacon grease.

If you’re leaving the bars or clubs late at night and you’re hungry, forget grabbing a slice of pizza. Come here! They have delicious tacos. Definitely get the Cabo San Lucas. I’ve tried a few but my favorite is still always the Cabo. The guy recommended the Rio one but I thought the pork was way too dry. The tacos come in 3 and come with seasoned rice which is also good. They also have burritos and quesadillas available. The chips and guacamole are also good!

My boyfriend and I stopped by Surfside in DuPont and got their Maui, Rio and Phuket tacos. I would definitely come back for their food because the best part — they are open 24 hours! The order of favorites would be Phuket, Rio and then Maui. For $ 9, they give you two tacos and some rice. Definitely a good amount of food for your money! However, I found a really long black hair in my rice that made me not want to eat the rest of my Phuket taco.

One evening, a friend recommended that we come to Surfside after a night out. First, a few observations:
–As others have said, it is an actual stand, so there is no seating save for the few tables and one bench outside.
–Credit/​debit only. They don’t accept cash. Some people see this as a big negative, but I don’t because this is DC. If it were the opposite and they were cash only, then I would be irritated.
–There is a different menu if you’re there from 11pm to 11am versus the rest of the day. I have to admit it’s a bit confusing because some options are on that smaller menu, but the descriptions of those options are on a different one, and some things are only listed on a piece of paper in the window (like the queso). You kind of have to look around for a while to piece together all the things you want to order.
–While one of Surfside’s attractive features is definitely that it’s open 24 hours a day, it is on the pricey side for a late-​night stand sans indoor seating. The two of us got an order of queso, a steak quesadilla each, and water for $ 32. We tried to use the special they advertised where you can use the Georgetown Events app for $ 5, but as another Unilocaler said, it wasn’t working.
Now on to the core review. They offer a fairly wide variety of different tacos, burritos, and quesadillas, along with some juices that I’ll have to try next time. It’s nice that they provide an array, rather than just the standard «taco with cheddar jack cheese and tomatoes.» The line here doesn’t move super quickly, but I give them a pass since they prepare each item fresh. The Belize quesadilla is done well in nearly every way. The grilled skirt steak is tender, and lean. The one low point for me was that the grilled red onions 1) don’t taste or look like red onions and 2) have a really strange texture, so unpleasant I took them out of my quesadilla (and I’m not the type to do that normally).
The tortilla chips are good and the queso is, well, pretty standard. If you’re looking for queso blanco/​queso fresco, keep looking. This is more along the lines of the queso you can find at a carnival, but with some small chopped peppers that add a little kick.
Surfside is solid. Its prices rival some low-​key restaurants that use similarly fresh ingredients, but its prime location allows it to command more attention.

I just want to say I found a piece of hair in my taco… Since that’s out of the way let me start my review!
It’s a great stop to make after a long night out! They are open ²⁴⁄₇! They do not take cash so be sure to have a card at hand. I was pretty confused because I was trying to hand the guy cash and he kept saying no cash. And even after he said no cash I still handed him the cash… I was thinking huh? How do I pay for it then! Then I realized, oh they don’t take cash because it’s open ²⁴⁄₇ and it’s not safe to have so much cash in their registers… So don’t pull an Ann! Have your card ready!
As far as the food goes, it is delicious! The taco shell is perfect. The filling is fresh! I just wish I did not find a piece of hair in it…

Whoa, I was not expecting this! Surfside Taco Stand is bomb diggity.
I was randomly walking around DC about midnight as I’d totally forgot that unlike NYC, DC is not a ²⁴⁄₇ city. What this meant is that the kitchen at the restaurant I’d been looking forward to having a late-​night dinner at had closed 10 minutes before I arrived [insert spat of expletives here]. So I walked and walked, looking at menus and smiling at hostesses as I indecisively searched for an alternative.
Surfside has a limited menu at night and of course what I initially wanted was no longer available. So I continued to walk around. I was going to eat at Nando’s, which is right around the corner, but the staff kept saying how they were closing soon. I got the idea that they didn’t want to serve anyone else (rude). Back to Surfside I went.
I ordered the Bora Bora tacos (grilled marinated chicken on flour tortillas with mandarin orange, avocado, peanut sambal, cilantro and radish) and took the order back to my hotel room. The tacos were amazing. I’ve never had mandarin oranges or peanut sambal on a taco but this was the perfect combination. I also asked for a side of their house-​made sour cream, which was cool and flavorful — the perfect condiment. The side of rice it comes with was buttery and soft. My meal completely surpassed my expectations.
Now, I have to make a comment about something I noticed, too: There was a group of seemingly intoxicated bro type college dudes in front of me on line. They were incredibly rude and condescending to the staff at Surfside. One guy wasn’t happy with his tamale and was complaining about it to the staff. I’m all for sending food back when it’s not up to snuff, but there’s a way to do it. Mr. Not Satisfied also was the only Hispanic looking male in his group (the rest were White) and I don’t know if it made him feel better about himself to demean other Hispanic people in the presence of his friends, but that’s the impression I gathered. This is a real juvenile move and I felt embarrassed for him, even if he was unaware of how his behavior looked himself. Me and the people behind me on the line were shaking our heads. Point is, overnight staff shouldn’t have to deal with this kinda BS d-​bag clientele. I guess it comes with the territory, and the staff here handled Mr. I-Don’t-Like-My-Tamale with grace, but this makes it no less wrong. Behave yo-​selves, people! Had I been the slightest bit more turnt up I would have had to tell this young man about himself. I’m sure I would have done him a life-​long favor.

The food was good for a stand. I’m giving it 5 stars bc I couldn’t think of anything to complain about. I got the shrimp and my honey got the rockfish. The shrimp and rockfish were seasoned VERY well. All of the veggies were very fresh. The pineapple was delicious and so was the mango salsa. For under $ 10 a piece and open 24 hours you can’t beat it. We got hungry around 11 last night and this was the perfect spot. I’m sure they get a lot of business after the clubs and bar hopping. We’ll definitely be back.

Tacos were pretty good and love that its open all night! It was a life saver after a long night of drinking and being out in DC. They did run out of a lot of stuff we wanted to eat, but I’m not going to complain because it’s better than being hungry after you drink.

This place is great for lunch and for after dinner! I haven’t been here for late night, but hope to go. I’ve found their servings very filling and tasty. I also have never had an issue with getting a table here.
Since it’s getting colder, I doubt I’ll go as often because there is only outdoor seating. However, during the summer and early fall, it was a good place to get a quick bite while enjoying the sunshine.
The last time I was there, I had the shrimp and avocado tacos and they were my favorite so far.

Two stars for the eats and one extra star for being open late at night. I fly to DC fairly often from the Left Coast and typically find myself looking for dinner after the kitchens of most restaurants have closed. At 11PM, even at Dupont Circle, the bars were serving drinks but no longer could offer anything like a dinner.
A bouncer at one of the bars suggested Surfside; I’m mighty glad that he did. I ordered the night-​time tilapia special and thought that it was completely palatable. The rice that came with my tacos didn’t taste at all Mexican, but the tacos themselves were vaguely in the right direction. The creamy sauce on top of the tacos surprised me – there’s nothing like that where I live — but I decided that the tacos were inaugurating a new food group and tried not to view them as living on the same planet as the tacos in CA. They were definitely OK!
Yes, I’d come back again. Happily!

I was reticent to try tacos or Mexican food in DC. Seating is outside but this is by no means a hole in the wall or quasi food truck taco place. Wahoo’s fish tacos (without the fish) or a more flavorful Chipotle is probably the best comparison.
Anyway a plate of two loaded double corn tortilla tacos and yellow rice is $ 9 or $ 10. This is about average for six inch tacos loaded to the brim. I had the Rio (pork pastor and pineapple) and it was flavorful but the pork seemed very tough, dry and crisp. The menu includes burritos and quesadillas and shrinks during late hours.
For tacos your options late night are beef or chicken which doesn’t seem coincide with the Surfside moniker. I didn’t try the Maui (rockfish) and I’d be willing to give it a chance but the other regular fish was tilapia (the new catfish). I think they would be better off going more local and offering a Maryland crab option.
The niche here is that Surfside is open 24 hours, albeit with a reduced evening menu. A good place if its late and you’re stumbling back home after closing time.

Food was good but wasn’t anything spectacular. I ordered the steak burrito bowl. It was pricey for what was given. A small bed of lettuce with some sort of dressing, some lightly seasoned steak and rice and corn. The portion was ridiculously skimped. Maybe only half of my bowl was full the other half of the bowl was empty. And for almost $ 11 a bowl, I found this kind of repulsive.
The service was not good. I ordered my food very quickly because I knew what I wanted but I still felt rushed. After waiting in line for 40 minutes, you’d think they would have a little more patience with their customers.
I probably won’t be back. The crowd was weird and the establishment just didn’t have good customer service and it was way too pricey for what you got.

Surfside Taco was one of the few places open on Labor Day, on a Monday morning. In fact, they’re open 24 hours a day, but still surprising for them to be open on a holiday. Note: They’re credit card only. No cash accepted.
In some ways, this Taco Stand feels like a vacation spot with its kitschy Caribbean license plates decorating the stand and a few tables. Dare I say I could feel an island breeze at this intersection?
Pros:
— Decent rice and beans. Quite possibly some of the tastiest I’ve had.
— Open 24 hours
— Generous portions of scrambled eggs in burritos
Cons:
— I ordered a breakfast burrito and I had egg shells in my burrito. Bleh.
— Slightly confusing menu especially if you’re there between 11pm and 11am. Limited selection, so you can’t have fish tacos between that time.
— Service was just ok, a little subpar.
Mackinac burrito is your typical breakfast burrito with eggs, meat, potatoes (maybe not so much potatoes). Maldives was good with the egg, mushrooms and spinach, but it does get watery from the mushrooms/​spinach. Aguas frescas are a little too sweet, but a nice treat.
I’m not dying to come back, but it’s a decent spot if you want something besides a burger (Shake Shack down the block) that seems to be open all the time.

Ricos tacos, la salsa de mango deliciosa muy buen servicio, pero no reciben efectivo. Tampoco tienen bebidas naturales.

Solid tacos. Had the bora bora. Th taco was great for a late night meal. The fried rice on the side was the bomb. Thanks late night tacos were great. Bummed that we missed the 11am to 11pm breakfast tacos.
The service was so-​so. The lady who called our names was pissed that we didn’t hear her the first time and just disappeared from calling names for 5 minutes.

I’ve been to Surfside Tacos a few times, and while the food is pretty tasty, this is a pretty expensive place for street food.
The menu is expensive here, with tacos and burritos. There is certainly been an explosion of cheap taco places here in DC lately, but Surfside seems to have take the «better ingredients» tack.
I mainly stick with burritos myself, and they are pretty filling here. And but there is strong competition from Chipotle down the street, to be honest. Considering that I would tend to like the Chipotle burritos better, this one isn’t much better.
For taste and flavor, the tacos are better, but more expensive than the burrito for what you get. For me, the tacos are the stand out.
I definitely like the fact that this location is open 24 hours. It’s hard to get any semblance of quality at a late night, so if you’re in the area after going out, this is a great option.

It’s an okay late night taco stand. Seating area is limited to the few tables in front. You can’t mix and match tacos. I got the Rio, I felt like the pork needed more seasoning. The yellow rice was good though. Would go back only if I was drunk/​hungry and needed something at that very moment.

I’ve been here a few times already and all the tacos I’ve tried have been good. Today I’m retrying the Phuket because I’m writing this review and wanted to test for consistency. The tacos were tasty as usual, but on this hot summer day I should have gotten a fish taco.
Other tacos I’ve tried were the Cabo San Lucas, Negril, and Rio. The Cabo would classic flavors of what we’d be most used to in a steak taco. The Negril is a nice flavorful fish taco, probably better than most I’ve had… or maybe I’ve just had bad luck with fish tacos. The Rio is a pretty standard pork and pineapple. If you’re deciding on a Rio, I’d say just go to District Taco for a better cost per taco. Biggest thing I wish this place had would be a tongue taco.
Additionally, this place has a drunk menu (11pm-​11am) and they only take credit card. You alcoholics out there don’t have to worry about fumbling with your precious bills and coins. So yeah… tacos, what’s not to love?

As a resident of the Georgetown area, I frequent the Surfside location in Glover Park quite frequently. I must say that I had no clue that there was a 24 hour taco stand here in the city.
My friend and I were driving around trying to find someplace to eat when we stumbled upon this gem. Much like their store front location, this stand has delicious, quality and fresh tasting food. I’m partial to the St. Croom quesadilla, and as usual it didn’t disappoint.
A couple of things to note about this location. The first is that it is 24 hours. This is great news to anyone needing a quick, after club, taco fix. The other thing to note, is that they are credit/​debit only. I imagine this is because of their location and hours, they don’t want the liability that comes with keeping cash on hand.
Bottom line, this is great food and a great option for a late night bite.

If you’re not a true taco lover this place ain’t for you. Served on corn tortillas with a side of yellow rice, are taco greatness. I stumbled upon this place after an interview and ordered the «Negril» with blackened tilapia, spicy cabbage and chili ranch (which I asked for on the side) and a Caribbean named drink that had coconut milk. While I can’t remember the name of the drink, I can tell you it was delicious and I don’t even like coconut flavored anything.
Having to make my order fresh, the wait wasn’t long at all. These guys are pros. Cash isn’t accepted, so even if you forgot to grab a drink like me, the price, no matter how small, must be paid via credit or debit card.
I didn’t give them a 5-​star because I’ve had better. The food was good, authentic and fresh but… I’ve had better. BUT, for it to be a 24 – 7 gig, the service and food was right on point.
I’ll be back to try other menu items, and so should you.

«Surfside Taco Stand» is exactly that… a Taco Stand. There’s no indoors — you order at the window, take your food, and go back to work (I assume… where else would you go? In the summer, at least you could sit outside in the circle and eat)
Options include tacos, quesadillas, burritos, and rice bowls. The menu overall is a pretty cool one, well-​differentiated from Chipotle, District Taco and the like because there are more options, with diverse meats and toppings.
I went with the «Phuket» taco, which includes beef short ribs with sesame slaw and scallions. It comes with 2 tacos and includes a small side of rice. The order was ready super-​quick, which was great… it’s cold out! Also, I was awkward ordering the «Phucket» taco.
I was pretty happy with my order — the meat in the tacos was really tasty, tender (not chewy) and well-​sauced. I liked the asian-​style toppings. The side of rice was… blah. Tasted more like mush. But overall, a solid lunch and a nice change-​of-​pace.
Value ($ 10 for 2 tacos) is pricey but not out of the ordinary for the area. It does cost $ 4 to add a third taco, which seemed a bit outlandish.
Part of the reason I went today was the giant sign advertising $ 5 off your first order if you have the «Georgetown Events App» (a Level-​Up app) — I also had $ 2 credit for referring a friend, so expected to pay like 3 bucks. However, when my co-​worker and I tried to pay, the scanner didn’t work, so we had to use credit cards and pay full price. I talked to Imogen B, and she said the system was down last week too! Annoying to end up paying much more than I thought I would.
Surfside is open 24 hours per day, with an «11 pm to 11 am» menu — fascinated to see how that works out for them.
UPDATE: Went back, and was told the system was still out of service. This is getting ridiculous.