Tacos El Chilango

I came here with a friend after work! Solid tacos. I would definitely come here. No bells and whistles just good tacos! I like that the salsas are serve yourself so you can choose.

I’m still dreaming about these tacos the next day. The cheese and avocado might be my new favorite taco, but solid performance for the meat tacos as well (I think we tried each one except lengua — al pastor or carne asada were probably the best). A+, and we will be back!

Loved it!!! My boyfriend is from Mexico and I am half Mexican so we are hard to please as we know what a real taco taste like. Its a small place but the food is worth it. Tacos ala campechana (pork and chicken mixed together) or the mushrooms tacos… Delicious !

Best tacos I’ve had in the area (both meat and veggie options) great toppings, fresh corn tortillas, and awesome guacamole.
Tradition tortilla chips for the guacamole would be so much better than the bagged Tortilla chips served.

I had been craving tacos ever since I got back from Texas last month and wanted something tasty and authentic. So when my girlfriend sent me the, «hanging in the city?» text, on a Friday afternoon, I knew tacos would be the move. I spotted Tacos El Chilango a few weeks earlier while taking the scenic route from my yoga class and was so intrigued by it’s sidewalk presence that I knew I’d be back. (Not really sure how I overlooked it all these years). I was thoroughly pleased as soon as i walked through the door. Even thought the inside seating area is quite small and filled with ikea-​type furniture, I find the overall décor delightful! Bright colors everywhere. Pictures of Mexican figures like Frida Kahlo and Maria Felix all over the walls. A little Univision playing on the screen. And the tacos are reallyl good! I got a chicken and 2 steak tacos with their in-​house margarita. Their recipe produces tacos reminiscent of those from the trucks down in Texas: lots of flavor and authentic in taste. I’ve definitely found a new taco place.
FYI: The establishment doesn’t open until 4:00pm Monday thru Saturday, so don’t show up at noon like I did… twice.

Carne Asada was alright and so was the horchata. Considering the high price I find it disappointing.

Passing this place all the time, I finally checked it out.
First of all, the guacamole had next to no avocado in it. I’d call it salsamole. It was mostly onions and tomatoes.
The tacos were OK, nothing to gloat or write about. They put minced onions on EVERYTHING. Not a good place to take a date, for many reasons, because you’ll be tasting the onions for the next 3 days. The menu was small, and the food reminded me of a food truck.
I guess if you’re drunk and it’s late it’s delicious?

I am originally from Los Angeles, California and I have to say that these tacos are unfortunately not good. Not to mention that they are EXTREMELY expensive. I could get better quality tacos for cheaper in LA. I am very disappointed that DC lacks a selection of Mexican food, let alone food that tastes great. Will not be coming back.
Service was excellent.

A lot of tasty tacos! And drinks! And habanero peppers!

Went here recently for dinner and was fairly pleased. These are not the best tacos I’ve had in the DC area but they are quite good. I tend to judge taquerias by how good they make their pastor tacos. These were ok.
The tacos were more expensive than Taco Bar in Germantown and with much less meat. I was actually surprised about how small they were. The chips and salsa were expensive and underwhelming.
I had the lengua tacos, which were ok, and combination chicken and chorizo, and steak and chorizo. The steak and chorizo were the best. Their sauces were good. The horchata, on the other hand, was only decent. Taco Bamba still my favorite taco shop in the DMV.

What delicious tacos! This place is the dictionary definition of a «hidden gem».
The staff is always friendly, and the place is always clean. There is limited seating inside however unbeknown to most people, there is a patio in the back!
I have tried all the tacos here and love them all. There are vegetarian options too for all of my veggie friends!
Besides the regular soda selection, they serve beer and authentic drinks, i.e. horchata or orxata which is deliciously refreshing.
A must go for taco lovers! Can’t wait to go for another quick taco-​luscious dinner again!

I finally tried this place after walking by it nearly daily. The tacos, in my opinion, are fairly good, a lot of reviews on here complain about the cilantro and chopped onion being overboard but i really enjoyed that element. I had the al pastor taco, chicken taco, and I believe the steak taco and the al pastor was by far my favorite.
What brings this place down is the quality of the meat. Parts of the steak were a bit chewy and I wish they would use a better cut and be more generous with the meat: everything else ratio. That being said for price and overall flavor this probably the best you can do in the U street area

if you know me, you know tacos are my new weakness. when i’m craving tacos, there’s really no stopping me!
i’ve been on a quest to try most DC taco spots, and this was next on my list. came here recently, and got the mixto tacos (steak w/​sausage) and chips and guac. the tacos were delicious and cheap ($ 7.50 for an order of 3!) and the guac was thick and chunky — just how i like it — and not too spicy, but not too drying. they also obliged extra chips when i needed.
definitely recommend this little join for anyone in the area needing to get their taco fix on.

I’m originally from ca but only In DC for the summer. I’ve missed great tacos. I’ve found the spot! Decently priced and extra tasty. A short walk away from the u street metro (13^th street exit).
Craving authentic Mexican. Stop by tacos el chilango and give it a try

Stopped in here quickly while waiting for a table next door just for some chips and spicy guacamole. It was somewhat pricey but the guac was tasty, although not very spicy at all, sadly. Also, I was a little shocked that it cost extra to also get salsa with the chips, given that that should be standard. Not a bad snack, but nothing noteworthy.

Taco’s and Horchata are a special way to quickly obliterate my food cravings. Really want to get brownie points — blow my face off with tasty spicy accoutrements.
Okay okay, now that I’ve got my ranting out of the way — you come here for tacos. There is absolutely nothing fancy about this place. It’s the relic of a easier, simpler time on U/​V Street. If you’ve been to Tijuana and seen the taco carts on the side of the road … this would be the place, only converted to a fixture with walls. It adds to the charm.
They really dumb down the menu here — 3 tacos for $ 9 bucks. That’s the gist — don’t come in here and lollygag to get something other. The heavy hitters are the Chorizo, Tongue, and Al Pastor. Each taco is an okay size on its own — but three of them filled me up propper. The habenero slaw is nothing to mess around with — it will f you up. Be warned.
The place is tiny, seats are limited. There is a small back patio — but I think half the charm is grabbing your tacos and sitting on the stoop/​curb outside to fulfill your gastro needs. If you do end up grabbing a seat — be friendly and have conversations with those next to you.
Some things I didn’t like, which precluded the all mighty 5^th star:
1. The Horchata was watered down, significantly. The cup was about a 12oz cup which was half filled with ice. Total cost was $ 3. Felt like I was ripped off.
2. I watched them prepare chips and salsa. The salsa was ‘cut’ with water — I literally watched them go to the sink behind the counter and put unfiltered water in.
Aside from that, this place is a solid home run. Their only realy contender is Super Taco in Admo, which I love, but hey … you’d have to go to Adams Morgan. Yucl.

A very tiny tiny place. Right next to Izakaya Zeki.
Could barely grab a seat on a Saturday night around 7. A lady stepped on my foot while she was ordering at the counter and didn’t even notice. That’s how small and cramped it is. The tables are very close together so you can clearly hear the next conversation over.
We ordered all the tacos, and they were fantastic. I loved the chorizo in particular. The Al Pastor was just OK (the Al Pastor at District Taco taste better/​pineapple is more fresh). Your tacos are served on a plastic plate so it’s a super casual place. The guac was ~$ 6 (almost the price of two tacos!) for a tiny bowl, but the flavor did not disappoint. The horchata was good, not too sweet which I appreciated! Refills are $ 1.
I would return, and perhaps not get my foot stepped on!

Not sure how this place has a 4 star rating … I’m actually quite perplexed. I spotted this a few weeks ago driving by and decided to see what Unilocal has to say about it. 4 stars and tons of reviews… made me want to try it! I ordered 3 steak, 3 al pastor, 3 chicken, and an order of spicy guac. They didn’t have an option of flour or corn they only had corn so you can’t switch it up
The steak tacos were made with the thin cheap steak you can buy at the grocery store but never do because it’s terrible. They cut it into tiny little squares to try to hide that they’re chewy and nearly inedible. I tossed out 2 of the three tacos.
The chicken was made from thin chicken breast that were cut into thin chunks again… they were overcooked and bland tossed slightly in taco seasoning. Not that great either.
The al pastor was mixed with pineapple and onion and we’re very sweet tasting. The meat was the best of the three but mixed with pineapple made them overly sweet and just unnatural tasting for a taco.
The chips were from a bag and they wernt the good kind… they were the kind you buy in college when you’re on a budget.
The guac was difficult to find any resemblance of an avacado– they mashed it down into a liquid and added a bunch of other things. I’m a fan of chunky guac so it didn’t really hit the spot. I could see some people enjoying this more than me.
The salsas on the side were quite delicious (i asked for all three that they have) and I like that they provide you with cucumber chunks, limes, and radish slices.
The total of this food was 31 $ which is extremely pricy for what it was. I’m bummed I strayed away from the usual pica taco down the street to try this place but at least now I know.

The essence of the restaurant is that it tries to duplicate what makes cheap Mexican food good in other cities but only copied the imagery, not the taste. I don’t go to cheap Mexican restaurants for the ambience, maybe others do?
Starting off a meal with chips may color everything else: they are, possibly, an actual joke. Anyone can pour (a rather small number of) chips from a bag into a container. These aren’t homemade, they aren’t good, they aren’t warm, etc. The salsas are basic. They taste fresh; fresh, not good.
The tacos have the right ingredients: double tortillas, main ingredient, onions, cilantro. But the tortillas have clearly been sitting out too long: they taste gritty not airy. The meat has been cooking/​simmering for too long: they are dry pebbles instead of juicy bites. The cilantro is fresh chopped, congratulations.
I see the appeal of a cheap Mexican place near 14^th street. If that’s what you want, you’ll unfortunately have to go elsewhere.

What? I mean they are A-​OK, but they taste like tacos. I ordered five different tacos. They were all solid, but they weren’t piled high ingredients and toppings, and they didn’t pop as anything special. They all seemed good, but really nothing special. I enjoyed the homemade salsas.
Price wise… $ 2.75 is the going rate for a tiny taco at a hole in the wall joint. So, it’s fair. I’d go back, but I’m not in a rush.
They might deserve 4 stars, but I’m choosing 3 because my experience didn’t match the hype. Other restaurants take time to match flavors and toppings to land in the 4 – 5 star range.
It seemed clean and had a nice back patio.