Tacos El Chilango — Restaurant in Arlington

I grew up in Clearwater, Florida, surrounded by top-notch authentic Mexican food establishments. My next-door neighbors also happened to be from Mexico, & we became family, so I grew up on legit home-made Mexican food. Nobody's tamales will ever compare. Ahh, but I digress. There doesn't seem to be a huge Mexican presence here in the DMV. I have had some decent tacos, but nothing that reminded me of the ones I grew up on. As soon as I saw this taco truck I knew it was going to satisfy my hole in the wall craving. I ordered in Spanish and the owner, Jesus , complemented me on my Spanish and struck up a conversation with me. I think my Spanish sounds a lot better than my actual knowledge of it because I only understood about 2/3 of what he said, but it was a good conversation nonetheless and he seems like a genuinely kind person. I ordered two tacos and he threw in an extra free one. I will definitely be returning to this establishment. The tortillas were insanely good, they tasted homemade. I was able to try the asada, the pastor, and the chorizo. My personal favorite was the chorizo. It was mildly spiced and quite flavorful. It was some of the best chorizo I've ever had. The pastor was tender, a good solid choice. The asada had good flavor, but there was lot of gristle. As others have mentioned, the star of the salsa show is definitely the habanero! If you like spice do not pass this up! It's not insanely spicy, maybe about as spicy as Diablo sauce from Taco Bell. It's got such a good flavor though and it really adds to the overall experience. Every order comes with sliced radishes, cucumbers, and limes. I'm not going to lie and say these were the best tacos I ever had, but they were good, very satisfying, and the most authentic tasting Mexican tacos I've had here in the DMV. I will most definitely be back, and if you're in search of authentic Mexican tacos I definitely suggest you give them a try. As others have said it is cash only! Jesus, if you are reading this, thank you so much for your hospitality, and for bringing a little taste of Mexico to the DMV. You are appreciated.

What my stars mean:

5 is outstanding, a must-experience, someplace I would bring/recommend to a tourist

4 is great, someplace I would love to go back to again and again. Backup options to bring/recommend to a tourist

3 is good. Someplace I would return to if in the area. I probably wouldn't recommend to a tourist, but possibly to a local.

2 is ok but only because it is either cheap or convenient.

1 means I...

If you’re like me, a Mexican who has been on the search for the best taco in the DMV, look no further than Tacos El Chilango. The service is quick, friendly, and efficient. The food will have you begging for more.

The menu is simple, offering a selection of 7 different tacos. Despite the small selection of offerings, all the tacos are packed with flavor, meat, and traditional toppings. They also have salsa verde, salsa roja, and habanero to enjoy with your plate. If you don’t enjoy spice, stick to salsa verde.

Between my partner and I, we tried the chicken, asada, pastor, and chorizo tacos and all were hits.

Here’s how they ranked for my partner: Al pastor Chicken and asada (tied)

Here’s how they ranked for me: Asada Chorizo and chicken (tied)

You truly can’t go wrong with your selection here. I’m certain you’ll be more than happy with your picks.

Things to know before you go: There’s nowhere to sit, so be prepared to sit on the side walk, your car, or take the order to go. As others have mentioned, this is a cash only establishment so come prepared.

PS - Shoutout to the cook who gifted me an extra taco with my order. It was much...

customer service descent salsa not hot meat lacked seasoning tortilla were a decent size sanitation should have been air tight due to covid...

I believe these tacos could have potentially been better if I didn't get them to go. My steak tacos where nice but could use seasoning. My daughter enjoyed the chicken ones and my husband said he enjoyed the al pastor. My langua tacos had absolutely NO seasoning at all. I almost felt the need to recook them in seasoning but in stead I dumped salt all over it to get some flavor, but unlike some other trucks these where tender. It may have been also the fact that the place had an half an hour left to close, but that may also be me trying to not be so harsh. As a food service professional I also stood back and watched as someone pull a used balled up pair of gloves out from a corner, flipping them inside out and blowing them up with his mouth to try to get them on his hand. While the customer service was nice, the older gentlemen who took my order, leaned over the window and used hand sanitizer on his used overused gloved. Nevertheless I sent 60$ and me and my family ate the tacos. I rate them...