ABC Canteen

I love taco tuesday. Tacos for $ 2. You just need to get a minimum of 4. We tried their lengua tacos. They were so good. Wes the owner is awesome. I want to go back to try their new soup, pizole.

This is a good mom and pop local taco shop. Great place to go if you want quality Mexican food. Their tortillas are made fresh as soon as you order. I decided to stop by here one day for lunch since it has 4.5 stars out of 5. I came around 1 and it wasn’t busy at all. I ordered three tacos barbacoa, chicken and fried cod with a side of rice and beans. Also, nachos with chorizo. They have a fresh salad bar with unlimited servings! Service here is great the kind lady that took our order was very kind and friendly. Once we sat down our food was brought to us and ten minutes later the same lady who took our order comes to our table to see if everything is okay! Quality service at his finest! Although the tacos were great the one thing I will say is that the Nachos were kind of dry for my liking. That doesn’t take away from the fine exceptional service this place offers when you when you’re there! I will definitely be returning!
Side note: On Tuesdays they have a 4 tacos for $ 8 special!

I’m a fan.
I was surprised by the fish and chips. The fish was really good for a quick stop shop. Like a big step up (giant leap) from Long John Silvers at about the same price. Came out hot and fresh. Tartar sauce was good and they had malt vinegar and a small but nice variety of hot sauces.
The fries were good, as another reviewer compared them to McDonalds fries — I would say that is accurate — except they were hot and fresh!
Also had a carnitas taco. It was good, but as it is served, it’s just meat in a corn tortilla. True they have a condiment bar, so I loaded on some pico and salsa, but I would have liked to see something else on the taco — like a sliver or avocado or something, or have an option for cheese if you wanted it. The carnitas were very moist and juicy like they had just taken them out of a crockpot or similar in the back. The flavor was good, but at the same time kind of neutral — nothing that struck me with a «what did they put in this pork??» feeling. That being said, it did it was good and I was happy with my taco. It got devoured.
Only thing I wish is I wish they served the fish and chips with coleslaw included and they had avocado or more toppings with the tacos.
And as an irrelevant sidenote. If they added fried shrimp or something to the menu that would be cool. With that batter and hot fresh frying going on and I see they have rolls, I bet they could whip up a mean shrimp po’boy! :)
Oh, and they should open up a sister store in Sterling, VA. We don’t have any quick and fast seafood in Loudoun as far as I know. Not even a LJS or a Capt’D’s or anything like that.
Thanks for the yummy grub, ABC!

I give the food 4 stars & added one more for the great customer service from the owner.
I stopped by on a Thurs afternoon & there were a few customers. The owner was very friendly & polite with everyone. I ordered a steak mojo sandwich & an horchata for a total of $ 10.50. The sandwich came out quickly & the owner brought it over to my table. It looks like it’s the barbacoa beef that they use for tacos & some other dishes. It was very tasty! I didn’t care for the horchata, it was a whole lot of cinnamon & sugar in milk.
The part that won me over as a loyal customer was when there were 2 women with babies in their arms & a small child sitting at a table. It appeared as though they were taking shelter from the blistering cold while waiting for the bus. They didn’t seem to purchase anything. The owner walked over to them & offered the small child some cookies.
I have seen owners yell, demand a purchase & act rudely to people like that. A business owner that cares about the community deserves the support of the community.
I can’t wait to go back with friends & family & try more items from their menu.

Tried the carnitas, steak and pork tacos and I really liked the carnitas the best because it was tender and flavorful. The pork was dry in my opinion.
My favorite was the fish and chips entrée. The fish order comes with 3 pieces of fresh, tender cod that I highly recommend. I also tried the buffalo wings and they were decent. Overall, I would come here for the fish as well as the salsa bar and friendly owner/​staff. I would recommend adding more to the salsa bar such as toppings for the tacos (lettuce, guac, corn etc).

Absolutely satisfied with the food and service here! Back then, I remember coming here when it was still Arthur Treachers, and known for their fish n’ chips. ABC Canteen’s beer battered cod is equally as delicious and amazing as the next. I came with my friends around 2 pm on a Saturday. It wasn’t too busy but soon began to during our meal. Although the exterior didn’t seem very appealing as well as the surrounding but inside it’s quite the opposite!
Very clean and nice interior. We were welcomed by the owner who shared with us that they had been open about 9 months. Luckily the Unilocal community exists to help me discover such treasures. He explained the menu to us and that the tortillas were freshly made as well as other ingredients and such, which is definitely a bonus. We decided to order three orders and told him to «surprise us» with three different kinds of tacos.
The tacos came out in a timely manner and looked as great as they tasted. We helped ourselves to the condiment bar which seemed to have fresh ingredients such as a pico de gallo, diced onions, jalapeño peppers, cilantro, and different choices of salsas from mild to hot or BBQ, to choose from! I love that you have the option to mix and match and also try different things tailored to what you like.
For the tacos, we had a mix of barbacoa, steak, and fish tacos, which was delish! The rice and beans were good too but honestly the tacos came in generous portions enough to fill you up.
Overall I really enjoyed dining here and really do believe they have great food along with a very friendly atmosphere. I hope to come back and try out other dishes in the near future! Definitely have to try the hush puppies and the tamales, so much food to choose from~

Friendly and helpful staff. Barbacoa tacos are top notch. Tamales are perfectly done. Salsa bar has homemade sauces that are wonderfully unique.
I also enjoyed the flautas, and the refried beans and rice were fresh and delicious.

What a great little restaurant! My favorite places are the ones that surprise you, and even though the reviews are all quite good, I want sure what to really expect when pulling in to the parking lot of ABC Canteen.
I had a Canteen salad with Carnitas that was just right, with lots of avocado and a sprinkling of tomatillo salsa for some zip. The portion was generous and the ingredients were all fresh and tasty.
I tried an order of the cod croquettes as a bonus, and they were surprisingly tasty! If you like crispy fried anything, then this is a great combination of flavors without being greasy. Very impressive.
I’ll be back soon.

This spot is a hidden gem and is now a go-​to lunch spot for me while at work. The food was great (good quality ingredients, excellent marinated meats good quantity). As of now, I’ve tried the Canteen Salad with carnitas and tacos (chicken, carnitas and barbacoa). The salad is great — love the fact that it comes with a healthy portion of fresh, good quality avocado (lots of places tend to skim on this). The tacos were good too — served with your choice of meat in a tortilla and then you dress them yourself at the salsa bar (which is pretty solid — they keep the salsas, cut onions, green peppers, etc. fresh).
It’s also priced very reasonably and the staff is very good. I call in my order from work often and so far, it has been perfect every time!

Finally decided to check out this place that’s basically in my backyard! It’s in a small strip of stores and parking is interesting, but there are three reserved spots just for ABC Canteen customers which is nice.
We happened to come in for Taco Tuesday which means $ 2 tacos! We got 2 barbacoa and 2 carnitas and an order of Fish n Chips. The owner was there and very polite and personable; telling us about the menu and options, noting that everything is made fresh to order, even the tortillas! To the side, there is a small taco bar with accouterments for your soft tacos. The barbacoa was very flavorful as well as the carnitas; both were most and come to your table bare and ready for personalized toppings from the bar that includes, radish, salsa, cilantro, lime and 3 – 4 different sauces from tomatillo to smoky/​hot. The Fish n Chips is cod and tasted very fresh. The batter is light and the french fries are almost EXACTLY like McDonald’s (never a bad thing).
The owner spoke to us after the meal and I offered some suggestions that would bump up this rating that included more selection for the taco fillings such as some more adventurous parts like tongue/​lengua and tripe. The owner shared that he hasn’t been able to find a good vendor for the lengua and their kitchen limits the production of grilled stuff like Mexican corn as they only have a range. Another suggestion I have would be to double up on the tortilla for each taco like some of the places in DC do which I found to be helpful in terms of keeping everything together. All in all, a very good experience with decent food. Looking forward to seeing what else this place will offer!

Update — Finally got around to trying the fish & chips and the fish was well worth it. The batter was light and crispy and the fish definitely flaky. The tartar sauce was good, too. I also ordered the hush puppies and was told by the owner that they had just changed the recipe. They are still a crunchy nugget of goodness, but not as sweet as before. They were also a bit denser in texture.
November, 2015 — Get the hush puppies! Seriously, so good I didn’t want to share them. The carnitas are still a little too greasy, but the condiment bar has plenty of acid to help cut through the grease.

Former fine dining restaurant worker here, so take that with a grain of salt.
Placed my order and got it to go at 8:30 on a Sunday night. They had my order ready within ten minutes of my phone call and the product did not suffer at all. The restaurant was noticeably clean as well. I got the following:
Chorizo taco — Great soft tortilla, tasty yet not greasy chorizo, and then the sauce bar was used to complete the rest. Great taco.
Pork tamale — was a bit soggy, but I did get it to-​go and they thoughtfully wrapped it in foil and of course it was still in the husk. With the addition of salsa, it was quite good.
Steak Mojo Sandwich — steak was pretty good and the rest of the ingredients were great, fresh compliments. Adding bits of the different salsas and its a winner.
Fish n Chips — expertly executed beer-​batter style fish n chips. Big, fresh cod flakes in a tempura style of long fillets. Its impressive how well they executed British style fish n chips.
As previously referenced, they had a salsa bar of fresh ingredients (cilantro, lime, onion, etc.) and salsas (four different types). Those really were nice additions to all the items.
And I got this entire meal for about 20 dollars. Even if everything wasn’t outright perfect, they do a lot of things well and the combination of quality, price, and experience can’t be beat. I highly recommend this to anyone for any meal, no matter the cuisine preference. I think my order demonstrated they’ll have something for all types of palates that they recipient will like. Cheers!

I’m not sure how I’ve managed to avoid writing a review of this place, but it’s time to correct that oversight. The tacos here are made to order, and it’s clear the restaurant cares about the quality of its meats. I’m a particular fan of the chorizo, but they’re all good. You’ll get tacos with the meat filling, and then you’re free to wander over to the fixins bar and finish them off with onions, pico, and lots of different salsas. I wasn’t thrilled with the nachos; they’re not terrible, but the cheese wasn’t melty enough and they just ended up being more stuck together than I’d like.
I haven’t tried the fish and chips yet, but I’ve seen the plates brought out to others, and they look fantastic. Definitely on my list to try on my next visit.

The solicitous and soft-​spoken manner of the proprietor notwithstanding, I was let down by the food I had. I was left feeling I should have just ordered a straight up fish and chips. The fish tacos I had were very plain. Given that the whole place is self-​professedly a canteen, where you serve yourself and bus your own dishes, I felt like I was having to work for a lunch which ultimately wasn’t satisfying.
The art of the taco is in the right balance of condiments and filling. Since the kitchen doesn’t serve it dressed up already, I, left to my own devices, certainly didn’t get it right dressing up this batter-​fried fish finger in a corn tortilla. I carted a suite of condiments over, I found my own fork (after realizing I couldn’t hold the taco together and had a mess on my blouse to prove it), and I tried to fix up the tacos with little success. The salsas did not seem to pair up right with fried cod. As a side, I had ordered gaucamole (fine) and chips (on the salty side). Not sure what it is but I got the feeling that there is a cross-​over kitchen thing going on here, between a traditionally English fried food offering, done with Asian sensibilities but reincarnated into a Mexican suite of menu offerings. In and of itself fusion isn’t an objectionable approach, but the fish taco failed in execution.
The owner had been kind enough to add in a plastic tub of their home-​made tartar sauce and I could see that the cod and the tartar worked well together. So, my tip for you all is, stick to the straight up Mexican taco offerings with lots of carne, barbacoa and puerco, or else get yourself a plate of good ol’ pub style English fish and chips. (They have the tartar sauce done right and malt vinegar set out for your fries).
All in all, I have little motivation to return to this humble little shop in Fairfax that is receiving a lot of Unilocal love.

AMAZING fish and chips! The batter is so light and crispy and fresh, and the cod inside is delicate and perfectly cooked.
We had the croquettes too, which were also very good, but paled slightly in comparison with the fish and chips. Finally we had two tacos: carnitas and steak. They were both wonderful. The carnitas was unbelievably moist. I don’t know how they do it.
The service was fast and friendly. The place was quiet but busy on a Saturday afternoon. The owner came to talk to us when it slowed down. He is very down to earth and eager to know where his customers are from and what they think. He seems to have a great business model and definitely ha great food!

I’m generally a believer in judging a book by its cover, but don’t be fooled by the humble exterior, ABC Canteen is putting out some really tasty food. This isn’t upscale mexican with a laundry list of different styles and options, this is a small neighborhood joint with a fairly short menu. That said, pretty much everything on the menu is done exceedingly well.
My personal favorite is the three-​taco combo with one barbacoa, one carnitas, and one chorizo, all of which are flavorful and tender. I like that they have the confidence in their product to serve it straight; just a made-​to-​order soft tortilla and the meat. Yes, you can dress it up as you want from the toppings bar, but they really don’t need anything more than maybe a squeeze of lime and some fresh tomato or a touch of salsa. No need to drown it in lettuce and cheese, these are some damn fine tacos! The chicken was fine the one time I tried it, but nothing noteworthy, and my wife certainly enjoyed the fried cod when she tried it (the batter does seem to be beer batter though, so if you don’t like a hint of beer flavor you may want to go with something else).
The other really remarkable standout for us is, surprisingly, the hush puppies. They are clearly made in house and cooked fresh for you, and both times we’ve ordered them they’ve come out still sizzling from the fryer. Hush puppies are an interesting thing, the are both simple and yet incredibly easy to mess up. They are often dry, bland, and/​or overcooked, but ABC Canteen seems to have them really dialed in. They are two-​bite sized, which lets them stay a little more moist inside, crunchy on the outside but still tender inside, and with just enough salt and sweet to really make the cornmeal flavor pop. All in all the best just puppies I’ve had in a long time, and at a mexican place in an old Arthur Treachers.
On top of the delicious food, the co-​owner that runs the register most of the time is super friendly, which is always a plus. I think we’ll be here quite often, and so should you…

Yay, I’m happy ABC Canteen did not disappoint. I think they fully deserve their high marks. The food was affordable and filling. We got 3 tacos, a steak and cheese sub, hush puppies and a soda. It was about 20 or 21 dollars. They got the order slightly wrong so I was given a complementary taco. I could not finish it all. Even without that we probably went overboard with the hush puppies.
The owner was manning the register and he was very kind and offered suggestions. I tried the carnitas, chorizo and barbacoa (and also chicken) and preferred them in that order. I hope one day they might offer al pastor, that would put them over the top. The meat overall was very flavorful and not dry like another recent experience at another taco establishment. I also read that for carry out they separate the toppings which is good to know so the tortilla doesn’t get too soggy.
The salsa/​toppings bar could be a little easier to use. The toppings don’t come off of the spoon that easily. Maybe experiment with tongs?
Even though the store looks very small from the outside there were about 7 – 8 four-​tops. There were a couple of other diners (single and family) and some carryout orders.
They don’t have a huge menu but I have a feeling everything is probably good.

After passing by this place countless times I decide why not stop in and see what it was all about. I walked in and it was a bit quiet… that usually a red flag for me but I was hungry so… I decide I would let the food speak for itself.
I decide the best choice for variety would be tacos 3 tacos and a soda for $ 8.00. Meat choices were between chicken, barbacoa, carnitas, chorizo and fried cod. So I went with chorizo, fried cod and carnitas. Because the restaurant was empty I felt the need to grab my order Togo. After being rung up I was told there was a taco toppings bar. So I took a glance and grabbed a few items. Although I did feel weird over doing the toppings but considering I wasn’t eating here I figured it would be okay.
There was chopped chilantro, radishes, chopped onion, chopped jalapeños, mild, medium and hot salsa, pico de gallo and limes. The owner was nice enough to bring me a bag for my toppings and placed them in my order bag. He asked me about how I had heard about the place and I told him I had passed by it many times and had read a few reviews. He said «I think you’ll really like them.» I told him I hope so.
When I arrived home I took my container out of the bag… Confused… usually when you order tacos they are already made. In this case I have 2 containers for meat chorizo and carnitas and a foil wrapped fried cod. 3 corn tortillas wrapped in foil. Boy was I glad I grabbed all those toppings cause I would of literally had meat and tortillas. Which in some cases isn’t bad. This was indeed a street taco meat and a few toppings. I just had to DIY my tacos which I guess is fun in which case I don’t have to clean up much and I get to top my tacos with what I want.
Corn tortillas were definitely home made in taste it wasn’t overly grainy like typical processed tortillas are made. The meat was good carnitas moist but more of a pulled pork then a carnitas because it was a bit too mushy. The chorizo was okay… and the fried cod probably would be good if I had eaten right then and there instead of letting it sit. But the Cod was meaty not overly battered and I could still taste the fish. The toppings I grabbed were all very fresh and added that extra umph to my tacos.
Looks like Fairfax just created my new Togo taco place! I shall be back for more tacos maybe a tamale and definitely some fish and chips. ABC Canteen may look sketch and is a bit deceiving but the good places usually are. I hope this place is here to stay because it feed my craving for corn tortilla tacos and they have tamales.

I need to update my review because I really have been enjoying this place after being here a few times now. I like to know that each time I order something it will turn out exactly the same and delicious if I try something new.
There has been an upgrade in plates when dining which was a nice little touch. The salsa bar has moved to the side of the room so it is now in a location away from the register to stop the influx of customers getting in the way of paid customers. All that means is this place has been getting noticed and more and more people have been checking this place out.
My favorite eats here are: hush puppies, canteen salad with barbocoa, fish and chips (add the cheese and bacon for more deliciousness), and the cookies. I just tried their cookie tonight and wow I am sold. It was one of the best cookies I have had in a long time.
I love the fact the owner is super friendly and makes an attempt to get to know his customers. That is rare in this area but makes a huge difference.

The prices are great, the service is awesome, and the food was fresh!
We ordered the nachos with barbacoa, the 3 taco (barbacoa, carnita, chorizo) combo with the drink, a chicken mole tamale, and fish and chips. This all came out to be around $ 25.
The nachos were good, with big chunks of barbacoa. Very cheesy, and great appetizer!
When the tacos came out, they were filled with very excellent quality meat. I enjoyed the juicy and well-​cooked flavors of the baracoa, and the carnitas. Both were very tender. Chorizo came in as my least favorite of the three, but it was still SUPER excellent so that says something about the food here.
The tamale was good, very fresh tasting, and homemade with love. I’m not a big fan of tamales personally, but I was happy to try it here! Cheese and bacon fries were on point; they use real bacon not just the tiny fake bacon bits in a can. Thumbs up!
Last, but not least, the fish and chips. Sometimes I have intense odd cravings for this, and I’m happy to see that Fairfax has a spot like ABC Canteen to serve up some great stuff! They use fresh cod, and it was super flaky and the batter was light and crispy. Fries were EXCELLENT with these! Super crunchy and a perfect companion to the yummy entrée.
The salsa bar is great, many different toppings such as mild, hot, green salsa, pico de gallo, onions, cilantro, limes, etc.
Overall, I loved it. Drove out 30 minutes just to try ABC Canteen based on the reviews. The owner was very nice, and so was the cook. They gave us a 40% off coupon to use, even without it this place is worthy to come back to!