Taqueria el Poblano

I stopped in today while I was in Del Ray running errands. I usually walk right by this place on my way to Los Tios (big mistake), but today, stopped in after finding that every restaurant was packed. I sat down at the bar and ordered a Port City Optimal Wit.
The bartender, Kate, brought what looked like a very non-​traditional pico de gallo and some very fresh looking chips. I tried the pico and instantly smiled. This was no bland, tender tongue salsa. I tasted habanero pepper and there was some definite kick. It was the perfect amount of heat and flavor.
I asked Kate what she recommended while also mentioning that I was in a finger food mood. She said the shrimp taco was a must-​have, and I added a fish taco and LA Style crunchy beef taco to her recommendation. After I ordered, Kate brought over a habanero sauce for the tacos. She told me that I’d want it if I like heat, and that she puts in on just about everything.
A few minutes later, three tacos arrived. The shrimp taco was served on a flour tortilla with pico de gallo, pickled onion and what looked like a guacamole crema. The shrimp were on the smaller side, but had great flavor. I tasted the taco as it was served and then added the habanero sauce. Wow! The taco was fantastic and the pickled onion really made it. All too soon, I finished the shrimp taco and moved on to the fish taco. It was fried mahi mahi served on a soft corn tortilla with pico de gallo, and covered with very fine slaw. I immediately added the habanero sauce and again tried to eat it slowly. The fish was flaky and very tasty, and the taco itself was delicious. I finished the fish taco and went for the crunchy style beef taco. The shell was deep fried and the beef was shredded. This was my least favorite taco, mainly because I didn’t like the fried shell. The filling was very tasty and I later realized I could have gotten this on a soft flour tortilla. I’ll order it that way next time.
What a great find. They have great chips and salsa, excellent food, and very friendly and quick service. I need to go back and try more of the menu items and the award winning Margaritas. Like I said, I used to just pass right by here on my way to Los Tios. I won’t make that mistake anymore!

Love the food here. Brought an out of town guest here to experience. Unfortunately our server’s head was not on us today. I asked for NO SALT margarita, I got salt. He asked for taco soft she’ll and got hard/​crispy. Each time, the items were dropped so fast and the sever took off and not to be found for mins. So not worth waiting around for. I did inform her later that she got 2 things wrong and that obviously her mind was not on customers today. She did offer free guacamole to make up for the error but we were almost done eating and full, so declined. Get with it servers, pay attention. You primary function is customer service and food orders. While writing this review, she came and gave me a complimentary margarita… NO salt. That fixed my order but not my friends.

Yum! Margaritas! Habanero Tequila and fresh lime juice. Yum! Street Tacos! Meat and cheese inside a delightful corn tortilla and then the whole thing goes in the fryer. Topped with lettuce and sour cream. Seriously good. It can be pretty crowded so expect to wait on a busy evening. Service is typically very fast and attentive, but don’t expect any warm fuzzies here. It’s good, homemade food! It’s good drinks! It’s to the point.

Always consistent, flavorful, and delicious and very moderately priced. Recommend any fish, lobster or crab specials, which are creative and top notch. Much better than the Tex mex stuff you get at Guapos or Los Tios even though places sell our.

A friend who grew up in Del Ray recommended this spot. A group of us shared the guacamole (fresh, tasty) and the queso (blah, to me, but everyone else loved it).
My entrée was the chicken burrito with all the trimmings on top: guacamole, crema, red sauce. It was massive and I couldn’t finish it all. I found the flavors to be delicious but the shredded chicken didn’t look particularly appetizing. Washed it down with a limeade, which was also massive and comes with sugary syrup on the size for each person to alter the tartness to their personal liking.

Decent mexican food, I got the beef burrito «al arriba.» Bonus points for a generous amount of steak, but the whole thing could have benefited from more seasoning as it was very bland. This is definitely a high on quantity and moderate on quality restaurant.
The chips and salsa were quite good, the homemade salsa was tasty and a good level of hot (a little mild for me but good for the masses). There are better places for mexican food in Alexandria if you’re willing to drive beyond Del Ray. I do hear that this place is known for margaritas. We didn’t partake on this visit, but I might have to return to see what all the buzz is about.

I wouldn’t see A-​OK, just «ok.»
My companion and I stopped by during Art on the Avenue for a late lunch. We were lucky a table opened and waited while it was bused as this was a very busy time in the area. The table was in a corner which allowed me a good view of the restaurant. It is a casual place with eclectic décor, bordering on the quaint. Pleasant enough with good service.
We were quickly presented with chips and salsa, just your standard east coast chip and bland salsa. But we were hungry and glad to start munching while we made our choices.
I was thrilled to see baja fish tacos on the menu. Having lived in SoCal for years, I sure miss these in the East Coast. I tried one and accompanied it with a shrimp taco and refried beans. To my surprise the beans were quite tasty, I usually go for black beans (don’t care for refried), but these were good, and the only reason why I didn’t rate the restaurant two stars. The tacos were another story, and not a pleasant one. For over five and four dollars each (respectively) I expected something different. The fillings leave much to be desired, they’re meager and spark-​less. The baja fish taco was served on a tasteless corn tortilla (a single tortilla!) that broke immediately, of course, that is why two need to be used. I had to ask for a tortilla to continue eating my lackluster meal. I was provided with a quarter-​slice of lime, which added a little flavor to a very bland meal.
My companion had a chicken burrito which was large and nothing to write home about.
Yet another Mexican meal in the DC Metro area that is best to be forgotten. Another Mexican restaurant off my list while I search for decent Mexican food in the East Coast.

Such a great place for tacos! Make sure to get them «LA Street Style» for a special treat. I have a renewed love for this place & I’m not easily pleased with Mexican food. Be prepared for a dive experience and make sure to get the queso fundido!

I came here on a weekend for lunch. My husband and I have been wanting to try this place for a long time. I am from California and desperately miss good Mexican food. The place is small and really loud but they appear to move people through pretty quickly.
We started with their famous margarita. The margarita was good, not too sweet and definitely can’t beat it for the price. Their chips were very good, not oily at all and were nice and crispy. Their salsa was also very good too, it had a really good flavor.
I had the chicken mole verde and my husband had their burrito with pork. My chicken was very good but was lacking a little in the flavor department. I added their house salsa and their spicy habanero salsa to kick it up a bit and that was very good. My husbands burrito was definitely more flavorful and it was huge.
The staff was attentive and I thought service was very good. Does this give my favorite restaurant back home a run for its money? Definitely not, but it was certainly good enough and I would totally come back.

This is my wife and my favorite Mexican restaurant in the area. Always fast service and the food is great. Very tasty margaritas and burritos.

went here on a Thursday night back in early June.
Small place, but served decent Mexican food for the area. I got the enchiladas and had the margarita. Got my mexican fix here, can’t complain.

my recomendttion:
Lobster taco (When they have a Special), Shrimp Taco Mexican Slaw, and monster burrito.

I was in Del Ray and walked by this little place. The sign said «Voted best margaritas!» I said to my friend, «we should check this place out sometime.» Someone walking by vouched that they had good margaritas. I was sold.
I went to this place on a Friday. There was a bit of a wait. I didn’t realize the place was so small. We both ordered margaritas. I ordered enchiladas and my friend ordered tacos. Our food was really bland so we asked for hot sauce. They make their own habanero sauce and that really perked things up. If we didn’t have the sauce we would have been miserable because it had no flavor and my dish was on the small side. The margaritas were okay. You could tell they used lime juice rather than just the mix but it was not the best.

Possibly my favorite casual Del Ray spot of all the options. I think this tops Los Tios — which is where you can go for larger groups, but Taqueria el Poblano is more affordable, more cozy, has spicy margaritas, and just has a better overall atmosphere and food.

We came on a stormy Saturday night was seated fairly quickly with an option to sit in or outside. The brought us chips and salsa. The chips seemed freshly made with a nice homemade mild salsa. Very tasty.
I ordered the al pastor taco that was super fatty so very unpleasant for me. I wish there was a little more flavor. The chorizo quesadilla was half moon shaped and I have had better chorizo. There was no spice kick that I am used to with chorizo. The Mexican sangria tasted a little watered down with too much sprite.
The power went out because of the storm and they were quickly cleaning up. I thought it was funny that besides one flood light the only other thing that had power were their credit card machines. They were going to get paid… no lights and all lol…

My perfect meal:
Habanero margarita (s)
Steak taco
Lobster taco (when on special)
Everything here is delicious and fresh. Servers are friendly and prompt, food is great, margaritas are really good.

Best authentic margaritas and fish tacos!!!
Location is great!
Place is tiny and can be a bit crowded on weekends.
Definitly plan ahead or you may not be able to get a table.

Whenever I stop to eat at Taqueria el Poblano, I usually get the LA-​style crispy tacos ($ 3.95 each), either adobo-​seasoned pork or Chile-​braised shredded beef. I also like the Baja fish taco, which is beer-​battered and fried Mahi-​Mahi. I also like their tostada ($ 12.95), which are two crispy tortillas topped with beans, cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, and your choice of chicken, beef, pork, or veggie. Last time I came here, I ordered the tostada and a crispy taco and my server was really considerate and said that since the tostada usually comes with two tortillas, he’d ask the kitchen to give me just one so I can eat my taco too.
Food comes out very quickly. Service is quick and friendly too. Great place for adults and families alike. They have a small outdoor patio. Cell phone service sucks inside, but I’m too busy chowing down my tacos to notice.

Taqueria is an interesting little Mexican restaurant in Alexandria. My boss took me here for lunch recently. Our visit started a bit disappointingly when we sat outside and no one came out to serve us despite the lack of customers at the restaurant when we came. We finally gave up and moved inside, where we were served after being seated.
The chips are salsa are complimentary, and the salsa is pretty tasty, though the chips are indeed kind of bland, as other reviewers have noted. We also began with the guacamole, which was delicious, but contained far too few chips for how much guac there was.
For an entrée, I had a Green Chili Pork Burrito al Arriba. The beans were delicious, though the burrito was a bit skimpy on the pork. The green chili was good, but no where near as good as authentic green chili. The guacamole and sour cream were top notch, though.
By the end of my burrito, I was stuffed. I like that this place will fill you up for not a lot of cash, which is difficult to find near D.C.
In short, this place offers decent food (depending on what you order) and good value for your money, but the service is in need of improvement.

This is my go-​to neighborhood spot. I like a lot of the other restaurants in my neighborhood, but Poblano is where we go the most. The food is good, and the price is right.
My order rarely branches out: fresh margaritas (the new habanero one is becoming a quick favorite) and a tostada. Both are excellent. For some diversity, sometimes I get a few tacos, especially the fish tacos with slaw or when available the crab special. If it is Sunday morning, and I made it for breakfast, I like the huevos divorciados or the breakfast enchiladas. One of the waiters always recognizes us and is exceptionally nice.