Taqueria Nacional

Texans take note of this place. More like visiting Mexico at meal time than any other place I’ve found in DC, especially since Mixtec closed :-(. Squash blossom tacos? Check. Nopales tacos? Yep. Aqua frescas? Hell yeah. I’ll be back for my Mexico fix for sure.

Tacos come with a side of attitude. The lady at the counter this Sunday morning is really rude. Try El Sol or El Chilango, instead, where the staff has manners.

Expensive for tacos.
Very crowded on nice-​weather weekends.
A little expensive for «happy hour.»
Nice micheladas, perhaps the only ones in DC.
Hurried staff, not terribly friendly.
Hipster-​pretentious-​ish.

Tiny portions, but quality tacos. This is the only restaurant I know of in the DMV where you can get authentic Mexican tacos. The menu is simple, but so far I’ve enjoyed every taco I’ve tried. I also recommend ordering their yucca fries.

We went there for lunch. I feel like I am in Mexico. The interior was fun and exotic.
Food was a good quality. They do have a vegetarian taco options too. I ordered vege taco and shrimp taco. And it was very tasty.
The price was very good. I paid $ 15 for two of us.

Breakfast here is AMAZING! Moves from San Diego and I had come to terms that I would just have to eat Mexican food when I want back to CA because everywhere I’ve been in DC is not the kind of Mexican I’m used to. The salsas are all made from scratch and you can tell in the delicious flavors. I got the huevos rancheros and they were so good. I’m coming here every weekend it’s so good.

The food is really good. The carnitas tacos were very good, so was the steak quesadilla. The tacos are very small, about have the size of a regular taco and twice as much ($ 4), but again they were good.

I think I like Taqueria Nacional more when it was back in its hole-​in-​the-​wall space near Union Station. Or maybe it’s just the nostalgia of being a Senate staffer making the walk over to get my fix of more authentic tacos and some yucca fries. Now that they’ve moved to the prime real estate of the 14^th st. corridor, I fear that they’ve gone Hollywood and forgotten their roots.
The tacos I had were still decent, still better than others, but they were so much smaller than I remember. Two bites and their gone. I know traditional street tacos aren’t known for their size, but for some reason these seemed tiny to me. Perhaps it was because I was in a rush and couldn’t stop to truly enjoy the full effect of the food (as I really did just scarf down my tacos), but I left slightly disappointed, though still willing to come back and give Taqueria Nacional the attention and attentiveness it deserves.

I went to Taqueria Nacional for the first time on 2÷21÷16. While the food the decent, the restaurant had a long red carpet at the front door because it had been raining earlier in the day. The rug was not properly placed on the floor and there were no caution signs around the area. Needless to say, I slipped and fell, hard. I was with a friend and no one from the staff came to help. It wasn’t until my friend yelled for help did Patron come over. They then went and told the manager she needed to come speak to me, and she was oblivious. I explained to her what happened and she said the landlord put the rug there…
She then gave me her number to call in the morning because I had to go to urgent care for x-​rays. The floors are concrete and I went down fast on my elbow, knee, and ankle. SURPRISE! I’ve called twice and no one has returned my call and they don’t have a voicemail setup.
Terrible experience.

It’s got potential so I’ll round it up from 2.5 stars. Happy hour looks good.
The tacos were smaller than I expected for the price. I got two breakfast tacos, one with chorizo & potato and one with bacon. They got the job done and would’ve been more acceptable if they were $ 1-​$ 1.50 cheaper in which case I would have gone with three. It’s worth a shot if you want tacos in the 14^th/​U st area.
Disclaimer: I’ve previously lived in Dallas (great breakfast tacos) and San Diego (great Mexican) so my views may be skewed.

Yes indeed! So it was a Friday, the day of the big Blizzard of 2016 and my friend and I had just are breakfast. We knew we were going to be snowed in for the rest of the weekend and wanted to make the best of our time out. So it’s 12 noon and we’re looking for the alcohol! Does no one have any drink specials in the midle of the day!!! There’s a blizzard coming! I noticed a Taqueria on a side street and I love tacos and usually where there are tacos, there is TEQUILA!!! Thank goodness, they were just opening and welcomed up with open arms! No they weren’t offering drink specials or happy hour, but the regular prices were so reasonable that we had definitely found our home for the next few hours. Now let me say, one of the owners Ann was the absolute best! She was warm and welcoming and made our experience awesome. They have their usual lime marrgarita and then the ‘seasonal’ flavor which is Cranberry Pomegrante. I personally think the Cranberrry Pomegrante should be a regular, I loved it! A little while later Ann’s business partner John came out and greeted us, he was a gem as well. It was our first time there and they really treated us like family. We were still full from breakfast so we didn’t get to try the tacos, but definitely will return and give them a taste, they looked very yummy though. We did however sample their seasonal taco which had turkey meatball and honestly I would never normally put that together as a taco, but it was surprisingly very tasty and I would definitely order again. Taqueria Nacional won me over with the awesome margaritas and even ‘awesome-​r’ customer service. Can’t wait to come to happy hour and see Ann and John again!!!

Prices for taco range between $ 3 – 5. Each taco is about the size of your palm. Two bites and it’s done. I’ve been to many taco places up and down the east coast. You can get good quality tacos for half that price and triple the portions. I know this is a very expensive area but it’s just not worth it.

Good quesadillas and tacos!
There was plenty of space on the tuesday during happy hour.

Taqueria Nacional has some pretty solid tacos. As other reviewers have said, there’s definitely an authentic vibe here with double corn tortillas and fresh ingredients. When I went I had the carne asada, the barbacoa, and the lamb. All were good. I’m not a big fan of the queso, which I found to be a little bland. My other quibble is the price. I felt that the price per taco was a bit high in comparison to some of the other good taco options in DC.

Decent tacos, but for the size (they’re small), it’s expensive. Flavor was OK but I wasn’t impressed.

We were in the mood for tacos and were walking down 14^th Street when we saw a colorful sign that said Taqueria. Talk about good advertising. We looked at the menu posted outside and it looked promising so we thought we would give it a shot.
Taqueria Nacional works a bit differently from other taquerias that I have been to. They are a fast casual restaurant. You place your order on one end, chose your toppings, and pick up and pay for your food at the other end. On this visit, I decided on the steak, fish, and lamb tacos, all on corn tortillas. Just letting you know so you are not surprised. I paired the tacos with their suggested toppings so I could get e better sense of their food. The food came out quickly and the staff moved us through the line efficiently.
The tacos themselves were delicious. The meats were seasoned well and flavorful. I enjoyed the toppings too. My favorite was the fish taco with their slaw. The fish was hot, deep fried, and delicious.
Prices for tacos range depending on what you get but it’s relatively affordable for the area. They also have a variety of alcoholic and non-​alcoholic refreshments. On this visits, we decided not to indulge in adult libations. I don’t regret it. The food here is good and it is in a great location on 14^th street.

First of all, you don’t get a lot of food for your dollar. The tacos are very tiny and served on RUSTY oval trays. You get to add topping on whatever you order, but it doesn’t add up. I personally don’t like corn tortillas, and they wouldn’t substitute the tacos with flour tortillas, even though they have them and make the quesadillas with them. You end up with tiny circles of tacos with a pile of toppings on them.
The guacamole was decent.
Yucca Fries were good.

First of all, I absolutely adore the décor in this space! It’s an old post office and they embrace that theme, mixed with a shabby chic style of tile, chandeliers, and a large painting of the Virgin de Guadelupe. As for the food itself, it hits the spot, but it is certainly not the most authentic in the area (or the cheapest — most tacos are $ 3.50+). All of the tacos I’ve had so far here, however, are generously stuffed to the brim. Two tacos for me is absolutely plenty, though any companion here enjoys my third taco those times when my eyes are bigger than my stomach.
The service can be a bit rude– and occasionally slow. For example, I stopped by at 1pm on a Saturday, excited to get steak and fish tacos, but they grumpily informed me that they hadn’t switched from the breakfast taco menu and the wait could be up to 20 minutes. I did not stick around, especially because of the brusque tone.
Nonetheless, the tacos here are good for a quick bite and the late night happy hour specials sound fantastic! I haven’t been by yet, but craft beer/​wine for $ 4 and margs for $ 5 after 7pm around U Street? That’s pretty unheard of at this point!

I’ve tried liking the tacos so many times. A plus is they have more than one vegetarian taco. A plus is they have beer and margaritas. And the chips are pretty good.
The tacos are pretty flavorless. Quesadillas take longer than tacos, but I would say the quesadillas are a tad bit better.
The restaurant can be crowded and people DO linger. You may not always be able to find a seat. Less of a problem in decent weather when you can sit out front.

It seems like an interesting place to get dinner. We just got drinks (margaritas) which weren’t bad for the cost and location. But, this isn’t a spot to come to just for drinks.

I came here craving some good tacos on a Sunday night after watching football and left somewhat unsatisfied.
First off, the location was hard to find, mainly because it was dark outside, but it didnt help the sign was also tiny. Inside, it had a good hispanic feel with the décor and latino music playing in the background. The tacos were a big on the expensive side. A single taco is about $ 4. I got one fish and one carnitas taco. I’m also not a big fan of corn tortilla and asked for flour but unfortunately they don’t carry them. If you are really craving a flour tortilla, they do use flour tortilla for their quesadillas. When I got my tacos, they were tiny! Like super tiny! I inhaled both of the tacos in 4 bites. The fish tacos were fried triangles and lacked some punch. The carnitas taco was alot better because of how juicy the meat was and the toppings worked well with the meat. Again they were on corn tortillas, so that didn’t help the taste test… at least for me.
Positives, nice décor, chefs and cashier were nice. However I think this solo trip here is enough for me.

To say I got taco happy here would be an understatement. I went for each taco they had on the menu. All of the tacos were small but had a very generous amount of meat on them. The al pastor was my favorite but all were pretty average, solid value though.
They have a few Mexican beers on tap and margaritas buy cup or pitcher. Started with a Pacifico and transitioned to the tasty margaritas.
I thought this place was decent and would come back again. I wonder what Donald Trump would do.

I lived in Texas and in Oklahoma where there is authentic Mexican and Tex-​Mex. This is nothing compared to anything I am used to.
For Mexican/​Tex-​Mex meet should be flavorful, if not slow braised. The food was dull and uneventful.
If you are desperate, then this could be your place. They got a bonus star for having Mexican drinks, but who drinks Mexican beer without lime?! Who?!

I understand it’s DC, but these tacos were definitely not worth it! For 3.50 a pop, their tacos are okay. Despite this, their décor and set up is really open and pretty awesome. With a nice outdoor patio/​seating area and Latin inspired decorations and lights on the inside, this place has some good vibes.
Highlights:
–their guacamole is on point! Not a huge portion, but still good! Would suggest getting it on the side!
–PRIME TIME HAPPY HOUR & MARGARITA MONDAY: Tuesday to Friday, From 7 to close they serve 3 dollar beers and 5 dollar margaritas! Margaritas are also 4 dollars on Mondays from 7 to close! Their beers aren’t pint size, but 2 for 6 dollars will give you a good buzz. Also their margaritas are quite the creepers!

My friends and I went here last night and loved it. We had several tacos — fish, chicken, veggie — with both soft and hard shells. The prices were remarkable: from $ 2.50 to 3.50 for each taco. And they were very good! The guacamole, which we ordered separately, was excellent. One of my friends ordered a large salad, which she said was quite good as well. We ordered the Yuca (sp?) fries on the sides. Perfection: crisp on the outside, light on the inside. The wine was fine — nothing out of the ordinary. Service was friendly and speedy. I loved the décor of the place. Felt very Havana. The seating was comfortable (padded chairs) and I loved the fact that there was an indoor/​outdoor «ledge» where friends could sit across from each other — both from outside and inside the restaurant. I will definitely be back.

2.5 stars.
Super, super bland tacos. The fish in the tacos was dry. The chicken was tasteless. The best thing about this place is appearance. Both the food and the restaurant look great. Sadly the food’s taste doesn’t come close to matching its looks.

Finally some good low cost tacos on 14^th street. Stumbled in here after an afternoon of furniture shopping. A beer and a couple of tacos made all the difference. The Mexican hot chocolate was pretty clutch too on a cold, wet day. Planning to come back in for the real lime margarita happy hour.
The other really cool thing about this place is that they use sustainable and locally sourced (where practicable) meats and vegetables. You can definitely taste it in the food too. Everything we had definitely tasted fresh and not frozen/​reheated.
I took off one star because the service was slow and a little confused. I’m sure they will get it worked out soon.

We walked past this while going to BakeHouse earlier in the day (A coffee shop next door) and it put this place on my radar to try at a later date. Oddly enough, later in the day it was snowy so we decided to go here for dinner. Looking at it from the outside, I thought that this was a sit-​down restaurant; however, it is actually ended up being a fast casual style food where you order and take your food to a table to eat.
The menu has quite a bit of typical Mexican options– tacos, quesadillas, guacamole, salads, etc. I opted to go with a shrimp quesadilla based on the recommendation of the guy taking orders and also got some guacamole with chips. When you order a quesadilla you have to fill out a little card with what you want with it– The options include salsa (red or green), shredded lettuce, sour cream (slightly saucier version), etc. When I circled everything I didn’t think they’d all be actually on top of the quesadilla– If I ever go again I would order the toppings on the side since the red salsa and sour cream drizzled all over it made the quesadilla very mushy and difficult to eat. I also don’t think I’d order shrimp again as it tasted like the small frozen shrimp you can get at the grocery store in the freezer isle. However, the chicken cubes on my girlfriend’s salad were pretty tasty– I think I’d get chicken next time. The guacamole was pretty solid– with chunks of onion, tomato, avocado, etc in it. It was a large container and enough for 2 to 3 people to enjoy.
All said and done, I don’t think I’d pick this place over chipotle or pica taco right down the street; however, If I’m in need of alcohol with dinner, this place has a full bar as well. The food and environment seemed average to me– nothing to complain about but nothing to tell my friends about. I was also bit surprised how long it took to make a quesadilla when there was no one in front of us waiting for food.

This is my third time and food gets better every visit. I love this place… i started with Guacamole and salsa
I like it spicy so I always add to my salsa. If allowed i would eat these chips and salsa three meals a day. Now i am finishing my Alambre. This was a bigger meal than normal bu i cannot get enough of Nacional’s food

Taqueria Nacional was once named one of the five best new Mexican restaurants in the US by Bön Appetit in 2007 and is known for their organic, vegetarian, and gluten-​free options. It is owned by John Fulchino James Beard Award winner Ann Cashion who also own Cashion’s Eat Place. My friend recommended that we try this spot, and I being a huge taco lover, couldn’t say no.
I ordered three tacos — two steak and one carnitas. Each taco was $ 3.50, typical DC prices. When ordering, it’s a bit like Chipotle. They make the tacos and then ask if you want cilantro, onions, sauces, etc. Luckily, I didn’t experience a long wait time. They are fairly unique in that they offer eggplant, cactus, egg-​and-​green-​chili, and even acorn squash tacos. The tacos were good. Both the steak and carnitas were very chewy and tender. Taqueria Nacional also offers quesadillas and some other specials.
The restaurant is a former Post Office and you can still see remnants left behind. For example, an old rusty mailbox has been repurposed to serve as where you stack your trays. Overall, the restaurant is clean and has plenty of seats.
While good, I still prefer Tacos El Costalilla and La Mexicana Bakery in Alexandria for my taco needs. Also, I’m not a big fan of their wire racks. Toppings fell through the holes and onto the table. A lot messier than just using a closed serving plate or dish.