Tacos Impala

New location coming soon (thank god)!

Another WARNING!
Taco Impala is indeed closed and the folks who took over do not know the first thing about Tacos. I just got some from there this afternoon and I got the chicken from a philly cheesesteak in my quesadilla with some plastic tasting cheese.
They are still using the old signs and trying to rope in customers who used to love the old stand. Too bad no one will report them and ask them to atleast make their own menu.
Anyway, dont go to this place if you want tacos.
If you want a 4 dolla cherry slurpy, sure go check it out.

Is this some sort of joke? Ground beef (!!!) tacos on par with a public school lunch. Anyone who years for real Mexican tacos will be hugely disappointed. Simply shiteous «tacos.»
***UPDATE: Tacos Impala is closed and the Water Ice place that currently makes the shiteous tacos is not affiliated:

After leaving CA, I thought I’d never have an authentic Mexican taco again. I cried a little when I thought of all those nights I had in front of the taco trucks with fresh warm tacos nearby. But as fate would have it, the smell of Taco Impala drew me to this tiny store front as I was walking past during a night of bar hopping on H St. My prayers had been answered.
PROS:
I love that they make their corn tortilla fresh so it doesn’t have that stale dry taste of pre-​packaged tortillas. The carne asada is good but their carnitas is pure genius (especially if you like garlic).
CONS:
Their mild salsa impala has a lot more flavor than their «spicy» salsa verde. And I would not call the salsa verde spicy at all. Also, I find $ 3 to be slightly expensive for a taco.
Regardless, I’ll know where I’ll be before, after and probably during a night of drinking on H st.

Late night? Craving tacos? Indecisive? I would say Tacos Impala is just what you need.
This little hole in the wall dishes out some good tacos until 3 AM — a total joy for those who are tired of diner food after a late night. At $ 3 a taco you only have to choose between the 3 options which make up their menu: Pork, Steak (carne asada), and veggie with the option of covering them with green (spicy) or red (less spicy) salsas.
Make sure you aren’t wandering around H St. looking for a walk-​in restaurant. Oh, no. When I say «hole in the wall» I mean, hole in the wall. Not a sit-​down restaurant, not quite a food stand (though you will be standing), at Tacos Impala you go up to a window and place your order.
If only there were a marachi band outside, I would’ve danced a happy dance when I bit into my delicious little taco.

A bit disappointed by this one. These are «authentic» Mexican tacos, as in traditional flour tortilla with mostly chunky meat and little seasoning. These are not the Americanized version of the taco that I make at home, which btw is a mean taco (thank you McCormick’s seasoning). So if you love the sour cream, cheese, and guac, they’re all missing here. Leaves you with anemic tacos in my opinion (i.e. cheese makes everything better).
I do love the Philly Water Ice stand and that tacos are only sold in the off-​season. I hate the hipsters that invaded my neighborhood and discovered this place.

I LOVE TACOS. Lovelovelove. I consider myself an expert– being a Mexican from Mexico, raised in CA thereafter. So I will gladly and succinctly say that these are the first (and only) DELICIOUS and authentic tacos I’ve had in DC. In fact, I may go there first thing tomorrow.
Specifically:
— The carnitas are THE BOMB (yea, I just said that).
Only downsides:
— THREE DOLLARS? They are $ 1 too much. The perfect, simple taco should be $ 2, max. That being said, I did order $ 30 worth the other day. Every bite was worth it. (I should add that this was for 2 people, I did not eat all 10 tacos. Though I would.)
— Avoid the vegetarian. It’s o-​k. I love beans so my standards are what you would expect them to be after 28 years of homemade bean goodness. These need a little bit more flavor but the real prize is the carnitas anyways so just eat that.
And tragically– it’s only a pop up! So go get your tacos– stat! And bring me some while you’re at it.

This deserves somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. Considering I didn’t eat dinner before embarking on a night of drinking (always a solid idea, I know) and had only a small bite to eat at Fruit Bat, around midnight I was seriously craving some munchies. Enter Tacos Impala, the taco hole in the wall (literally).
For $ 3, I got a relatively small carne asada taco with salsa verde (the supposedly spicy salsa). I’m not gonna lie, the carne asada was pretty tasty. I was very disappointed by the salsa verde though. My taco had no heat to it. In fact, had I not spilled some of the salsa on myself, I would not have know it was there at all.
Overall, this is definitely a good place to grab a late night snack.

Really good tacos! I’m in love with places that serve things out of windows, there’s a certain charm to it you don’t get from places that let you sit down. The tacos are $ 3 a piece and they do have a vegetarian option, if you’re one of those.
My only complaint is the spicy sauce doesn’t even resemble spicy. It’s tasty, for sure, but I’m used to having a cup of liquid fire sauce served with my tacos (District Federal Taqueria, Mixtec)

Yummy!!! I read about it on Frozen Tropics as I like to try out new places in the neighborhood. I am so happy I stumbled up on this pleasant surprise.
I went down and got two carne asada and one pork taco. I’m not one for sauces so I told them to keep it. When I got home I opened up my bag and was surprised at how generous they were with the meat. All of the ingredients down to the tortilla were fresh. I also decided to spruce it up a little bit, I added some cheese and fresh cut avocados. I was full after eating two but had to eat the third, they were just too good to stop. $ 3.00 for a taco??? So worth it!!!
With all of the new bars and spots on H Street it is great for drunkies who are hungry after all the drinking. They are open till 3 AM on the weekends. Very Convenient!!!
I second the fact that we need this place around year long, I would hate to see it leave when spring hits.
Here is the link with a review

3.25 stars. I think that every neighborhood needs a late night taco stand. Then again, maybe that it just my Texas roots shining through. These tacos aren’t as flavorful as the ones you will find at El Charrito Caminante, but they certainly fill a void in the H Street neighborhood.
You can order three different flavors: braised pork, carne asada, and vegetarian. I tried the braised pork and carne asada tacos with the salsa verde. Apparently, the salsa verde was supposed to be spicy, but I could barely taste it. The rest of the ingredients were tasty, but once again they did not have the freshness that one experiences at the standard-​bearer (the aforementioned El Charrito Caminante).
Tacos Impala is open until 11 PM on a Monday. If this place is open past 2 AM on a weekend, it instantly becomes one of the greatest experiences in the entire neighborhood. If not, they will just have to settle for having a better taco than the ones at H Street Country Club.

Had Tacos Impala twice in the past month. A very very welcome addition to H street. While waiting in line, somebody thought we were crazy for paying $ 3 per taco. Ummm, this ain’t no taco bell, dudes. They are open late, too, which is a brilliant idea for us drunks. Highly recommended!

I tried this place for the first time a week ago and I’ve already been back 4 times. Consistently good, fresh, authentic tacos. Tacos are $ 3, but they’re big enough that I think two is a meal. They only offer 3 varieties: steak, pork carnitas, and veggie. I’ve had the steak and pork, which are both great. The last time I went there I asked for some cheese on the steak taco, which I liked. The cheese is like a ricotta, so it isn’t what I expected, but it definitely works.
One of the people working there told me that they’re renting space from the water ice place during the winter, so hopefully they’ll find a way to stay open during the spring and summer.

I having been craving a really really good taco ever since my trip to Mexico City last year. And now I’ve found it.
This is simply a really basic cilantro, lime and salsa taco served on small six inch round fresh tortilla with a large helping of either pork or steak. And it’s simply amazing. At $ 3 each, two tacos is a meal and three tacos is a party. So go ahead and order them. You will not be disappointed.
Only thing I do want to note — I hear they are only open until the Philly Water Ice place reopens in the spring. That’d be a total shame to have Tacos Impala close. Hopefully they find a way to stay open during the warmer months. It’d be so worth it.

I tried Tacos Impala for the first time last night. It’s true what you’ve heard, everything is made fresh to order. So, if you’re looking for fast food, try taco bell. If you’re looking for good tacos and can stand to wait a few minutes, come to Tacos Impala!
I had read the reviews about the size of the tacos, so my two friends and I decided to get four of each variety — half with the mild salsa and half with the spicier salsa.
Carnitas: I’m not a huge fan of pork, but the flavor of the carnitas was hard not to like. The seasoning was great and the pork wasn’t fatty. N and S are pork eaters, and I think this was their favorite.
Carne: The Steak was lean and well spiced. The radishes were a great addition color and flavor wise. All three of us liked this one a lot.
Bean: The bean taco was not what I expected — not your typical refried pinto beans. That said, it’s a close call between the steak and bean taco for me. S wasn’t a fan of the cheese on the bean tacos (she’s more of a sharp cheese fan), but N and I thought it was a great addition.
Salsa: Neither salsa was very spicy, in my book, but they were both very flavorful. Next time I think I’ll splurge for some extra salsa.
We split the extra three tacos once we decided what our favorites were. We were pretty stuffed after four tacos. For $ 12 and cheaper-​than-​you-​can-​get-​at-​a-​bar drinks at home, I can’t complain about the price. And when I find myself out and about at the H Street bars, this will be a great place for the late night snack.

What a pleasant surprise to see the Philadelphia Water Ice space being put to use during the off season. Tacos Impala is a great addition to the H Street strip, and they have tacos worth waiting in 30 degree cold for! The carne asada tacos I tried were delectable and really hit the spot: tender, flavorful beef on a nice tortilla, and salsa with just enough kick to it.
A decently priced taco at $ 3 (for this area at least) with no frills or fuss. Definitely check out this place if you get a chance!

I would replace my pink taco w/​one of these tacos and never go hungry or lonely again.
I constantly miss the simple, authentic $ 1.50 tacos from my old hood in Chicago, Pilsen. Just meat, onions & cilantro, & homemade salsa on a freshly made corn tortilla was all I needed. Tacos Impala are taking that place in my heart. No, they’re not the same, they do cost a bit more. But the meat is way better quality and you can really tell! The slow-​cooked carnitas are subtley and perfectly seasoned and melt in your mouth. The carne asada is surprisingly tender and tasty. The meats each have their own unique flavor. The green salsa is my favorite over the red. I even love the vegetarian taco!
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I will continue to patronize this business and tell everyone I know how great it is. H St needs more quality food at reasonable low prices.
p. s. Lindsay L, you went to the wrong place. They don’t serve cheesteaks at Impala. Maybe you went to Dannys and got confused (in which case I am very, very sorry).

I must have visited Tacos Impala on an off day, or I was very spoiled by the amazing and authentic taco stands Chicago had to offer … but our tacos were seriously disgusting. And it takes a lot for food to taste gross when you’re drunk and starving.
Reading through the other reviews, I’m really wishing I had their experiences. There were no Mexicans preparing our food. Nothing tasted fresh or authentic. It just tasted like grilled meat slapped on a soggy taco with watered down salsa. It was essentially flavorless.
Also? We had to wait almost TWENTY MINUTES once we ordered our food. For tacos. There was only one person in front of us. They got a cheesesteak. It took them 15 minutes to get that.
Even if the food was Wolfgang Puck delicious, $ 12 for 4 small tacos seems kind of silly.

They serve just tacos. Simple as that.
Pinto beans.
Corn tortillas.
Shredded Lettuce.
Cheese.
Choice of two sauces at an additional fee.
They do serve bebidas (drinks)– last time I went, they have lemon and mango flavored sodas in glass sodas with a seal of approval all way from Mexico. (It got a «Made in Mexico» stamp! Although it should have said «hecho en mexico»).
Vegetarian tacos are to die for. Two thumbs up by this San Diegan.
NOTE: A bit expensive– two mini tacos for $ 6. A bit disappointing, but I will go back and splurge on them.
NOTE to Deafies: one of the employees know a bit of ASL– she can read fingerspelling if she is not familiar with a sign (her ASL vocabulary is definitely limited).

Brilliant use of the Philadelphia Water Ice stand during the winter months, and perfect location to capture the business of the late night, hungry and drunk H street crowd.
Tacos are fresh, well-​seasoned, and delicious! I had the carne asada and the pork taco — both are super tasty though, for once, pork beat steak. The salsa had a great smooth and smoky flavor. I chickened out and got mild, but will have to try the spicier version on my next visit. Only thing I didn’t love was the taco shell, mainly because the double shell was distracting from the taste of the delicious contents.
Can’t wait to see what Toki Underground has to offer once they get the restaurant opened.
Bottom line: Yum!