Chaia Tacos Chinatown — Restaurant in Washington

Absolutely delightful spot!! Whether you're gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, or none of the above, Chaia is a must-try! They have the most delightful tacos, with the most flavorful and fun combos of veggies. I usually opt for a taco trio, but, from there, the decision-making starts to get a bit challenging -- they have such a fun assortment of tacos, so it's nearly impossible to settle on just three!

Their creamy kale and potato is a classic for a reason, with a great richness from the cream / pepper jack and heartiness from the potato. They also top the taco with a bit of salsa verde and pickled onions, the perfect little vinegary / peppery bite to cut through the rest of the taco.

The braised mushroom and smoky collard green tacos are equally delicious, and they definitely pack a deep earthy, umami and smoky flavor. They're extremely mushroom / collard green-forward, so I'd only recommend these if you're a huge fan of either vegetable. They're both a bit on the lighter side, so they're the perfect way to balance out a heartier taco like the creamy kale and potato or sweet potato hash.

Chaia's sweet potato hash has to be one of my favorite tacos; not only are the sweet potatoes perfectly cooked, with a nice, soft interior and crispy outer shell, but they have a great smokiness from the chipotle peppers that balance out the slight zing from the feta and arugula pepita salsa. Similarly, the roasted butternut squash taco is incredible, with a great hearty yet somehow light-ish base from the squash and layers of flavor from the goat cheese, caramelized onions, chipotle yogurt, and mint.

If pure veggies aren't your thing or if you're looking for a bit more protein, the scrambled egg and black bean taco is calling your name! It's a wonderful taco, perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and has a wonderful creaminess from the queso fresco, freshness from the cilantro and salsa, and tiny hit of heat from the jalapeno. I usually need to get at least one of these guys in my trio to create a balanced meal, but it absolutely deserves...

I really wanted to love this place. Vegetarian tacos - what’s not to like? Well, to start with - there is a place to order, with nobody there. Eventually, after turning around looking obviously lost to the three folks working in the food prep area and realizing they were not going o come to my rescue and take an order, I found a screen. Tucked to the side. It did say “order here” but it is an afterthought to the very obvious counter with familiar touchpad behind which someone typically takes an order. But nobody shows up there. It is a decoy.

Order sorted on the screen. Taco trio, regular cheese, and a hazy IPA. $22 before tip… what is the tip protocol when there is literally nobody there?

The order came quickly. 3 beautiful looking tacos - eggplant, mushroom, kale and potato - all looked beautiful - all on awesome handmade tortillas.

But wait - no salsa. Anywhere. No way to add hot sauce? This is a serious error at a taco place. Okay. So now each taco has to be perfect, because you can’t add anything!

And if the only spice in the world were salt, than this place nailed it. Lots of salt was the thing that tied all three tacos together.

All that said, the hazy IPA...

My, what can I say. This place (the food) was unexpectedly great considering all of my tacos have always had some sort of meat in them.

The staff was nice, friendly, and helpful by way of greeting my co-worker and I, making suggestions, and allowing us to try samples of the fillings that we were undecided about. I knew right away from visiting their website that I was going to try the braised mushroom taco. I was not disappointed. It was great and so was the potato and kale taco. I sampled the sweet potato and the cabbage. Those were not high on my list of must haves but my co-worker liked the sweet potato filling. I do plan to visit again soon and will be getting the mushroom and potato and kale tacos along with trying the quesadilla.

During our visit, we decided to dine in after we ordered. Once the decision was made, we went to wash our hands. The restrooms were nice, bright, and clean. That was a super plus for me.

The only con, which really isn't' a con, is that the restaurant is cashless. So if you are like my co-worker who is a cash carrier then other arrangements will need to be made prior to stopping in. Otherwise Chaia is...