La Jarochita Restaurant — Restaurant in Manassas

I’ve heard really good things about this place for many years and have always wanted to go, but just never had the chance, until recently! I went around lunch time on a Tuesday and they weren’t very busy, so I was able to order pretty quickly. I only speak English, but I’ve a “brown skin” person, so Spanish people always want to speak Spanish to me first, but when I replied in English, that wasn’t a problem – I bring that up, because normally at authentic Mexican taquerías this normally is an issue.

They make a large offer of proteins in any style of serving you want (Example: You can get Pollo in a taco, gordita, sopes, tortas, etc), so I got a pollo and an asada. They have a big bin of pico to scoop out once you get your food and that had the best, freshest flavor! Their green and red sauces were both very nicely done and both were spicy, with the red being very hot, but tasty.

The pollo was excellent – Lots of great flavor, quite possibly one of the best pollo tacos I’ve had! The asada was dry and not flavored very well. The fresh lime I squeezed on top really helped to light it up, but it still needed more help, so I used lots of salsa.

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience here. I can see why they’re rated so high, definitely...

Finding good, authentic tacos in the DC metropolitan area is like finding the right pair of high-waisted shorts. You often come short and when you finally come across a decent pair, you marvel in awe. That's what it was like finding La Jarochita.

My husband is from SoCal and since moving to Virginia, he's been searching high and low for genuine Mexican tacos that aren't District Taco recommendations from locals. We were able to find one in Alexandria but since moving out to Fairfax County, we've been looking for another one closer to us. Of course, La Jarochita is located a little further out west in Manassas but we are more than willing to drive the 20-25 minutes to secure consistently tasty tacos that won't break the bank.

Recommend coming here when the trompo (the vertical spit that al pastor is cooked on) is on, as it makes the al pastor fresher and tastier. The trompo is open Thursdays from 5-11pm, Fridays from 5pm-midnight, Saturday from 2-12pm, and Sundays-Mondays from 5-11pm. Even if you don't, the various meats are all so scrumptious. I've tried al pastor, carnitas, asada, and cabeza - highly recommend any and all! I've also had their tamales. Again, spectacular.

This is now our go to taco restaurant in the area. Can't...

La Jarochita is well known in Northern Virginia and probably one of the most popular among Mexican taco restaurant. This place used to be on top of its game, but recently it has gone down hill when it comes to customer service and ambient. To start off, you aren’t greeted by any of the workers and they all seem to be in a terrible mood. To make matters worse, the cashiers are always very rude and get annoyed every time you try to place an order. Which from a business stand point, does not make sense as you want your customers to feel welcomed as much as possible. To add on to this terrible experience, the prices of the food just keep on rising and rising while the quantity of food keeps on getting smaller (meat wise). If you thought that was bad enough already, then be prepared to hear that you must pay an additional $1 for a single extra paper plate. Yes that’s right. Not 25 cents, 50, 75 cents, but a whole dollar for a paper plate, which you can buy 100 of them for 5$ at any retail store such as Walmart or target. In conclusion, this place still serves great tasting food, but with the tiny portions of food and terrible customer service, it leaves you with a bitter feeling that makes you not want to ever come back...