DC Taco & Wings — Restaurant in Washington

amazing food | affordable price | quick service | friendly staff

I grew up in rural Eastern Washington State, where Mexican food was just a part of life. We used to live in a large house with three orchards surrounding it, and every summer, hoards of pickers from Mexico would show up to pick our cherries with their children. We used to make all manner of tacos and mole on the porch with the guys for their lunches, often times using the cheaper parts of cows and pigs (tongue, head, tail, liver), cuz that's what these guys could afford half the time. When I moved to Salt Lake City later as an adult to work as a cook, tamales were brought from home by my coworkers all the time, and you could usually buy tamales in the parking lot of Smith's/Walmart from middle-aged Mexican moms looking to score some cash. Likewise, there were taquerías from downtown to West Valley.

With all of that in mind, when I moved to the DC Metro, not only was I crushed by the general lack of Mexican food in the area, but by the fact that what few Mexican restaurants there are so watered down, only serving cuts of meat or certain cooked meats that Americans can buy at any grocery store (carnitas, carne asada, steak, chicken, etc.). I had to scour the internet for a place where I could get some lengua tacos, only to find that the nearest restaurant was in DC itself (I live in Maryland). But, while it definitely can be a hassle trying to get there from where I live, it is well worth the commute. It's the only place around here where I can get lengua, and the way they prepare their tacos is top quality, and compared to the watered down, half-Mexican restaurants in the area, the price of the tacos themselves is pretty reasonable too.

I would recommend this place to anyone in the area looking to try some REAL Mexican food, and furthermore, if you have never had lengua, this place is the place to make it happen, as it is steamed to perfection, coming out perfectly soft, and served with cilantro and onions. That's another thing about this area - it can be so hard to just get some tacos with cilantro and onions! Everybody wants to drown you in their salsa options. Can a man get some simple, home-style tacos? At Pica Taco, yes. Otherwise, I haven't been able to find them. And speaking of salsa, they continually serve you good portions of chips and salsa, and the chips are perfect. Thin, crisp, and lightly salted - not like those over-seasoned chips at Oyamel that taste like they just came out of a bag from the grocery store. Sometimes the best things are the simplest.

So, if you want to taste Mexican home-cooking, and you want to mix it up a little bit with some lengua or al pastor, this...

I just bought the Taco Tuesdays special- buy 3 tacos, get one free. When i gott home, I was SOOOOOO disappointed. My tacos were PLAIN!! No tomatoes, no lettuce (I asked for a side salad and she said no lettuce was available so I should have known better.), no cheese, and no seasonings at all!! I even asked the preparer for some extra Pico de gallo, and there were NO TOMATOES in the side container!! I thought that odd, but just shrugged,, and kept it moving. Back to the side salad...the preparer told me that they didn't have any lettuce (I'm thinking, for everything else- except the tacos, right?- my faultfor not asking!!) so she said "how about some rice and beans"; I said yes. They were also PLAIN and had NO SEASONING!! It's 60% my fault; I should have checked the food before I left; shame on me. No, actually, shame on them for serving food like this!! I've bought food from here before, on numerous occasions, and was completely satisfied. This trip was sooo disappointing!! Here's the bottom line- if you want "Food Truck" quality, like they serve at construction sites- go here. Otherwise, go to Bandit Taco for taste, presentation and everything else. This is the LAST TIME that I will spend money here! And YOU should look someplace...

Local food critic here from Northwest Indiana visiting. Do not waste your money or time going to this place. Its a sad state of affairs when the only edible thing were the tortilla chips. I ordered a steak taco dinner and this was by far I repeat by far the worst steak taco I have ever gotten in my life. One bite was all that was required. I was in a party of five and literally everyone took a bite, and SPIT IT OUT! One member of my group nearly vomited at the table from this terrible meat being passed to the public. This is the type of food I would expect from a stall in a third world country. The meat was not fresh. The steak tasted old and metallic like it has been sitting in the metal container for days. When I asked the cooked about the meat she was very unapologetic and non empathetic. I feel like she almost knew the food was garbage. The house salsa was old and tasted borderline rancid. If you value your gastrointestinal intestinal tract avoid this place at all cost. I would not send my...