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I've been here on multiple occasions and being a Texas native I crave real Mexican tacos at time. This has been my go to place, so that should say something. I ordered by calling ahead, so I wouldn't have to wait. The location is next to a Chinese food restaurant, pawn shop and car wash. You can't miss the big sign out front and one way entrance with no parking. I ordered two al pastor and one carne asada taco and it was delicious per usual. It came with all the usual toppings, as expressed in other reviews, but they seemed to have left my salsa out and the al pastor did not come with pineapples. Luckily for me, I had all the missing ingredients at home. Conclusion: want great tacos? Come here Also, indoor seating is available for now.
My son wanted tacos afterschool. My first time they were very welcoming and the service was quick. He had 3 chicken tacos I tried the shrimp tacos, barbacoa taco and another chicken taco. Music was great and it just felt very homey. Coming back for those shredded chicken tacos
Jarochita #2 is a small spot inside a strip mall near Ballston in Arlington, VA. The space is no-frills, but that's how you know it's really good. A small area in the back makes burritos and tacos. I ordered two al pastor tacos on flour tortillas. They are larger than expected and comes with lime slices, radishes and salsa verde. It comes out hot and really hits the spot. Among the best tacos in the D.C. area.
This place is placed in a small strip mall next to a Chinese takeout place but PLEASEEEE don't let it fool you. I'm from Queens, NY and there are a lot of taco places in Queens. I've had my fair share of mexican food and this is by far the most delicious I've had. For those who don't understand Spanish the staff speaks little English but are super helpful and nice. I made friends with the cook my first time there. I had the al pastor, carnitas, and asada tacos and LET ME TELL YOU. MY MIND WAS BLOWN. My mom had a steak burrito and it was so fkn tasty y'all Im sorry but this place is so worth it. Literally $2.50 for a taco which is such a good price.
Collecting your Jaro hearts should be easy if you come here for tacos. Christina Perri told me. I do really like the tacos here. They are excellent and I enjoy them thoroughly. On the other hand the wait time is really long, and the service leaves a lot to be desired. After paying, they told me 10 minutes. 10 mins later, I came back - not ready. So I went away for another 10 - and they still weren't ready. I came back again 10 minutes later, and although they were ready the guy asked me to pay for them. I told him I had already paid the girl for them and then he went into the back and I heard shouting in Spanish. I'm sure they assumed I couldn't understand, but I did. They were yelling because apparently they were debating as to whether I had actually paid for them. Nice of him to believe me for $7 worth of tacos. I won't forget that in a hurry. Anyway it's just about 5-star standard food with two or three star service so it averages out to 4.
Good spot for tasty tacos. They have a large selection of meats to choose from and will top them however you want - reminiscent of Chipotle, just less hectic and with more flavor. Definitely top your tacos with their salsas, they're fresh and spicy and make me happy. Also, keep your eye out for the Mexican donuts, bunuelos, they're inexpensive and come in lots of different flavors. There is not a lot of English spoken in here, the folks are really friendly though and at least pretend not to mind when I have to point at things because I don't know how to ask for them in Spanish. The only negative comment I have is that parking is often problematic. The lot is small and services several other businesses.
This place is tucked back in a strip mall near a car wash. Very casual with a steady clientele of non English speaking locals. Service is friendly and fast- counter style ordering. My friend got the carne asada and pastor tacos. His tacos were cheap and I will get them next time! The meat was incredible and flavor deep; the two tasted very different. Both contained well-seasoned meat. The fixings bar was there to add even more to the flavor. But I have to take off a half star (in theory) because there was no pineapple. This is a five star experience except tacos al pastor have pineapple!!!! If they had pineapple I would probably eat here once a week! I ordered the pastor torta because I've even carrying around a photo of it of for years; I'd been wanting to try it. My torta was heavy and huge. I only ate half and the other half made a great lunch the next day. The meat was spicy the peppers sweet. There were different textures going on between the lettuce, tomatoes, and raw onion. There was cheese too. It had a lot of liquid so it wasn't dry but there was no way to eat it without making a mess. A delicious mess!!! It looked like the picture but had no black beans as described in the picture. Putting this place in my permanent rotation.
Small parking lot, outlet center has two pupuserias and a Chinese spot that were both busy. Environment- impatient cashier took our order. Small kitchen with one cook. Several people sitting at high top tables. Workers lacked communication. Even with language barrier(i can speak Spanish but because I'm black(dominican)they assume so i left it to english) Chicken burrito- chicken, rice,lettuce, white onions & cilantro, pretty tasty. Not enough salt(don't even like too much salt on food honestly). Put together well, didn't fall apart. Chicken Taco- $2.50 for 1 of any taco. The tortilla fell apart, possibly from steam of meat. Filled with cilantro and onion. Plate came with radishes, lime & onion slices. Steak Taco- steak bits were very tasty but just that, crunch tony steak pieces. Not sure if it was leftover from a long day or the norm. Salsa bar had plenty of options. 3 sauces, limes, onions, cilantro, jalapeño, radishes & cabbage mix. Would return and get steak taco
If you are looking for the street stall taco experience in Mexico, this is the closest proxy in the Washington DC area (perhaps barring the El Chilango food truck west of Rosslyn on Route 50). A glance at the posted list of tacos will compound the sense of 'authentic': you can get a $2.50 taco with Tripa (beef intestines), Buche (pork stomach), Cueritos (pigskins), Cabeza (beef head), Sesos (beef brains) or Lengua (beef tongue). Given my queezy tummy, I stuck to the tried and tested Al Pastor, sliced off slow-grilled, Doner Kepab-style, vertical meat spit. This is how street stalls in Mexico slow-grill their Al Pastor meat. Also I tested the Chorizo. My next test of authenticity is the size of the tortillas. These are small, thin, served doubled, and definitely pass the sniff test. Now on to the toppings. Sliced radishes? Check. Dangerously spicy looking concoction with vinegary onions and sliced unidentified chillies? Check. Limon, cilantro, salsa, and cut up jalapenos? Check. All good. The next time I go I'll be hunting for some crema and guacamole, and maybe tell them to go more generous on the salsa, but I was slightly scared of the spiciness. My tab? $9 for three generous and deliciously savory tacos, fully loaded and fully authentic. I am so happy to have found a tacqueria which has authentic spice levels, just the right mix of crunchy, zesty toppings to offset the flavorful meat, and the small tortillas. Check all my other tacqueria reviews and you'll see I have been complaining about U.S.sized tortillas (so wrong!) and U.S. quantities of meat in tacos (doubly wrong!). Not here. This is the real deal. I didn't drink the horchata but they do have that as well as the zingy Mexican sodas. I am in heaven. You'll find me here, with the friendly, young staff who are running around making sure you are well-taken care at least once a week. Oh, when you are done eating, check out the panaderia next door with fantastic sweet breads and cakes for breakfast the next day. They also have fabulous dried chillies, dried spices and crates of mangos. A full bakery and a butchershop adjacent to the restaurant. Truly wonderful. All those immigrant-bashing Repugs on Congress need to visit, and they will be seduced into signing a common-sense immigration amnesty for the country, immediately. Immigration's true riches are to be seen and tasted here. Arlington has just gone up in my ratings thanks to this modest exterior, but authentic and big-flavored Mexican establishment.
So my quest to find a taqueria joint in this area that has pork on a vertical spit-fire grill is finally done! This place is legiittt, they slice pork off of a burning vertical spit and you get the perfect texture for Al Pastor tacos, the only real way you should eat al pastor tacos. Everywhere else here are fake al pastor tacos where the pork is fried on a skillet. They even slice a fresh pineapple which goes perfectly with the sliced pork. The carnitas here are pretty legit as well, it's not soft and has a perfect outside, slightly charred texture. They also have some other really interesting meat options, as in pig brains, cow head, beef lengue (which is pretty common actually), beef intestines, pig skin, and other organs you probably don't want to hear. Yes I did try some of said stuff above, and they were actually good. But the al pastor was definitely my favorite, followed by the carnitas. Everything is really fair prices, only $2.50 for legit tacos, and they give a lot of meat too. The staff who work here are really nice and helpful as well. It's not as good as Tacos El Gordo (the infamous taqueria joint, originally from Tijuana, with ones open in San Diego and Vegas), but it's still really good and now I don't have an urge to fly out West to have to get verticle spit sliced pork al pastor tacos, I can just come here now. I was soooo full and yet I kept eating past what my stomach could handle, a mark of a five star place.
This place is sooo good! Great tasting street tacos... it's nothing fancy but packed with locals, always fresh and delicious!
4 months ago
No gasten su dinero este lugar el servico es pesimo y Nada que ver si quieres pozole este lugar no vende nada bueno miren la foto esto es sopa de pollo con color y nada mas por $15.00 read more
I'd consider this a hidden gem in Arlington. Out of so many Latin spots to try, this is one of the best in the area. Fresh food 24/7. I keep going back for their tacos. In the pictures attached you'll see a lunch special I got - Al pastor tacos (3) w/ a soda (can) for $12. I've also been getting fresh guacamole with fresh (warm) chips. I want their chips recipe - it's beyond delicious! This past week was the first time I tried their Al pastor tacos and they were super tasty. I usually get their shrimp tacos, which I also highly recommend. I've ate inside several times and recently been ordering for to-go. This is somewhere that I will continue to frequent. read more
1 year ago
Makes your food fast, but my order was very disappointing. I paid $11 for this Chicken Quesadilla. It tasted okay, very bland but tasted fresh. very disappointed 4/10 read more
5 years ago
I've been here on multiple occasions and being a Texas native I crave real Mexican tacos at time. This has been my go to place, so that should say something. I ordered by calling ahead, so I wouldn't have to wait. The location is next to a Chinese food restaurant, pawn shop and car wash. You can't miss the big sign out front and one way entrance with no parking. I ordered two al pastor and one carne asada taco and it was delicious per usual. It came with all the usual toppings, as expressed in other reviews, but they seemed to have left my salsa out and the al pastor did not come with pineapples. Luckily for me, I had all the missing ingredients at home. Conclusion: want great tacos? Come here Also, indoor seating is available for now. read more
2 years ago
My son wanted tacos afterschool. My first time they were very welcoming and the service was quick. He had 3 chicken tacos I tried the shrimp tacos, barbacoa taco and another chicken taco. Music was great and it just felt very homey. Coming back for those shredded chicken tacos read more
2 years ago
I loved going to Jarochita in Manassas for lunch, but ever since I moved to Arlington I was missing authentic tacos. I didn't even realize they had a second location. My favorites were the Al Pastor and the Barbacoa. read more
Jarochita #2 is a small spot inside a strip mall near Ballston in Arlington, VA. The space is no-frills, but that's how you know it's really good. A small area in the back makes burritos and tacos. I ordered two al pastor tacos on flour tortillas. They are larger than expected and comes with lime slices, radishes and salsa verde. It comes out hot and really hits the spot. Among the best tacos in the D.C. area. read more
4 years ago
This place is placed in a small strip mall next to a Chinese takeout place but PLEASEEEE don't let it fool you. I'm from Queens, NY and there are a lot of taco places in Queens. I've had my fair share of mexican food and this is by far the most delicious I've had. For those who don't understand Spanish the staff speaks little English but are super helpful and nice. I made friends with the cook my first time there. I had the al pastor, carnitas, and asada tacos and LET ME TELL YOU. MY MIND WAS BLOWN. My mom had a steak burrito and it was so fkn tasty y'all Im sorry but this place is so worth it. Literally $2.50 for a taco which is such a good price. read more
Collecting your Jaro hearts should be easy if you come here for tacos. Christina Perri told me. I do really like the tacos here. They are excellent and I enjoy them thoroughly. On the other hand the wait time is really long, and the service leaves a lot to be desired. After paying, they told me 10 minutes. 10 mins later, I came back - not ready. So I went away for another 10 - and they still weren't ready. I came back again 10 minutes later, and although they were ready the guy asked me to pay for them. I told him I had already paid the girl for them and then he went into the back and I heard shouting in Spanish. I'm sure they assumed I couldn't understand, but I did. They were yelling because apparently they were debating as to whether I had actually paid for them. Nice of him to believe me for $7 worth of tacos. I won't forget that in a hurry. Anyway it's just about 5-star standard food with two or three star service so it averages out to 4. read more
3 years ago
7 years ago
Good spot for tasty tacos. They have a large selection of meats to choose from and will top them however you want - reminiscent of Chipotle, just less hectic and with more flavor. Definitely top your tacos with their salsas, they're fresh and spicy and make me happy. Also, keep your eye out for the Mexican donuts, bunuelos, they're inexpensive and come in lots of different flavors. There is not a lot of English spoken in here, the folks are really friendly though and at least pretend not to mind when I have to point at things because I don't know how to ask for them in Spanish. The only negative comment I have is that parking is often problematic. The lot is small and services several other businesses. read more
7 years ago
This place is tucked back in a strip mall near a car wash. Very casual with a steady clientele of non English speaking locals. Service is friendly and fast- counter style ordering. My friend got the carne asada and pastor tacos. His tacos were cheap and I will get them next time! The meat was incredible and flavor deep; the two tasted very different. Both contained well-seasoned meat. The fixings bar was there to add even more to the flavor. But I have to take off a half star (in theory) because there was no pineapple. This is a five star experience except tacos al pastor have pineapple!!!! If they had pineapple I would probably eat here once a week! I ordered the pastor torta because I've even carrying around a photo of it of for years; I'd been wanting to try it. My torta was heavy and huge. I only ate half and the other half made a great lunch the next day. The meat was spicy the peppers sweet. There were different textures going on between the lettuce, tomatoes, and raw onion. There was cheese too. It had a lot of liquid so it wasn't dry but there was no way to eat it without making a mess. A delicious mess!!! It looked like the picture but had no black beans as described in the picture. Putting this place in my permanent rotation. read more
7 years ago
Small parking lot, outlet center has two pupuserias and a Chinese spot that were both busy. Environment- impatient cashier took our order. Small kitchen with one cook. Several people sitting at high top tables. Workers lacked communication. Even with language barrier(i can speak Spanish but because I'm black(dominican)they assume so i left it to english) Chicken burrito- chicken, rice,lettuce, white onions & cilantro, pretty tasty. Not enough salt(don't even like too much salt on food honestly). Put together well, didn't fall apart. Chicken Taco- $2.50 for 1 of any taco. The tortilla fell apart, possibly from steam of meat. Filled with cilantro and onion. Plate came with radishes, lime & onion slices. Steak Taco- steak bits were very tasty but just that, crunch tony steak pieces. Not sure if it was leftover from a long day or the norm. Salsa bar had plenty of options. 3 sauces, limes, onions, cilantro, jalapeño, radishes & cabbage mix. Would return and get steak taco read more
12 years ago
If you are looking for the street stall taco experience in Mexico, this is the closest proxy in the Washington DC area (perhaps barring the El Chilango food truck west of Rosslyn on Route 50). A glance at the posted list of tacos will compound the sense of 'authentic': you can get a $2.50 taco with Tripa (beef intestines), Buche (pork stomach), Cueritos (pigskins), Cabeza (beef head), Sesos (beef brains) or Lengua (beef tongue). Given my queezy tummy, I stuck to the tried and tested Al Pastor, sliced off slow-grilled, Doner Kepab-style, vertical meat spit. This is how street stalls in Mexico slow-grill their Al Pastor meat. Also I tested the Chorizo. My next test of authenticity is the size of the tortillas. These are small, thin, served doubled, and definitely pass the sniff test. Now on to the toppings. Sliced radishes? Check. Dangerously spicy looking concoction with vinegary onions and sliced unidentified chillies? Check. Limon, cilantro, salsa, and cut up jalapenos? Check. All good. The next time I go I'll be hunting for some crema and guacamole, and maybe tell them to go more generous on the salsa, but I was slightly scared of the spiciness. My tab? $9 for three generous and deliciously savory tacos, fully loaded and fully authentic. I am so happy to have found a tacqueria which has authentic spice levels, just the right mix of crunchy, zesty toppings to offset the flavorful meat, and the small tortillas. Check all my other tacqueria reviews and you'll see I have been complaining about U.S.sized tortillas (so wrong!) and U.S. quantities of meat in tacos (doubly wrong!). Not here. This is the real deal. I didn't drink the horchata but they do have that as well as the zingy Mexican sodas. I am in heaven. You'll find me here, with the friendly, young staff who are running around making sure you are well-taken care at least once a week. Oh, when you are done eating, check out the panaderia next door with fantastic sweet breads and cakes for breakfast the next day. They also have fabulous dried chillies, dried spices and crates of mangos. A full bakery and a butchershop adjacent to the restaurant. Truly wonderful. All those immigrant-bashing Repugs on Congress need to visit, and they will be seduced into signing a common-sense immigration amnesty for the country, immediately. Immigration's true riches are to be seen and tasted here. Arlington has just gone up in my ratings thanks to this modest exterior, but authentic and big-flavored Mexican establishment. read more
So my quest to find a taqueria joint in this area that has pork on a vertical spit-fire grill is finally done! This place is legiittt, they slice pork off of a burning vertical spit and you get the perfect texture for Al Pastor tacos, the only real way you should eat al pastor tacos. Everywhere else here are fake al pastor tacos where the pork is fried on a skillet. They even slice a fresh pineapple which goes perfectly with the sliced pork. The carnitas here are pretty legit as well, it's not soft and has a perfect outside, slightly charred texture. They also have some other really interesting meat options, as in pig brains, cow head, beef lengue (which is pretty common actually), beef intestines, pig skin, and other organs you probably don't want to hear. Yes I did try some of said stuff above, and they were actually good. But the al pastor was definitely my favorite, followed by the carnitas. Everything is really fair prices, only $2.50 for legit tacos, and they give a lot of meat too. The staff who work here are really nice and helpful as well. It's not as good as Tacos El Gordo (the infamous taqueria joint, originally from Tijuana, with ones open in San Diego and Vegas), but it's still really good and now I don't have an urge to fly out West to have to get verticle spit sliced pork al pastor tacos, I can just come here now. I was soooo full and yet I kept eating past what my stomach could handle, a mark of a five star place. read more
4 years ago
This place is sooo good! Great tasting street tacos... it's nothing fancy but packed with locals, always fresh and delicious! read more
5 years ago
Great tasting, authentic Mexican food at a great price!! My husband and I got tacos and sopes with al pastor, asada, and chorizo. It was all so fresh and amazing. The al pastor has amazing flavor and is so tender. We will definitely be back!! read more
5 years ago
Delicious authentic tacos with corn tortillas filled to the brim with choice meat. Impressed with how many different options this place has. Tacos comes with standard cilantro and onions, but they also included a pickled onion and peppers which added a lot of flavor and crunch. My go to lengua and cabeza were very good. Would come here again! read more
5 years ago
3 years ago
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7 years ago
Just add this to my list of favorite taco places in Arlington. I end up getting the same thing every time--al pastor and carnitas. The meat is flavorful, and everything tastes really fresh. There's a few different sauces to choose from, and I definitely like the spicy one. They open early on Sundays (either 9 or 10), which is great for me. Staff has always been very friendly. Parking lot can be tough to navigate during busier hours. read more
12 years ago
It was Kids Day 2014 and we decided to take my nieces and little brother somewhere new. My mother had brought me a grand opening leaflet for Jarochita #2 and I was sold. I love latino/asian markets with a butcher in the back, a bakery section, and an eat-in shop on the side. I have to admit that I haven't traveled to far outside of Arlington in search of tacos. These tacos blew my mind though. I went again that same night for dinner. For lunch, I had a carne asada gordita, a chorizo taco, and an Al Pastor taco. My nieces both had carne asada tacos, my boyfriend had the pork burrito, and my little brother had the carne asada torta. We all left satisfied, taste- and fullness-wise. The Al Pastor meat was tender and I loved the chunks of pineapple. I like to think of the pork meat on the spit as a mexican döner. The gordita's masa was not bland, so the meat did not need to be strongly seasoned. The taco's tortillas were heated appropriately and stayed soft. Thank goodness after having some super hard and dry tortillas at Pollo Campero a few weeks earlier. There was a toppings bar with various salsas, onions, cilantro, lime wedges, radishes and pickled jalapenos for the tacos. One negative, I would stay away from the refried beans because they were served cold and were not as thick as I would like them. The prices were reasonable and I spent less money than if I had taken the kids to a chain restaurant. Three tacos, a burrito, and a torta will each average around $7.50. Although the shop was decently full, we did not wait more than 5-6 minutes for our food, except for my boyfriend. He ordered his burrito in a quiet voice (he's shy when speaking in Spanish) and it was never entered into the system. I found the service to be quick and decently friendly for being so busy. The food does not always come out at the same time, so be aware of the orders that they are calling out. The shop was very clean in my opinion. On the shop side: They have a wide variety of dried and pickled peppers, taco meat, cheeses, creams, and freshly baked breads. I didn't buy anything but would consider shopping there the next time I grab lunch there. read more
5 years ago
Poor experience and food. I tried to order the chicken mole burrito but the checkout lady stopped me and suggested the chicken mole plate, so I got that instead. Aubs order chips/salsa and a chicken taco and a pastor taco. My chicken mole plate should not have been served, this plate contained 3 small chicken wings (the third was all bone no meat) drowning in mole sauce with over cooked, soggy mushy Mexican rice, and some refried beans. I've order chicken mole at a lot of place and have never received chicken wings before, usually it's a breast or filet, even a leg would have been better in this instance. 20 mins later I was finished with my plate and Aubs was mostly finished with the chips, we realized that they had forgot the tacos. So we went to inquire and they admitted that they forgot, 5 mins later we had tacos. Now I gave them 2 stars because Aubs did enjoy the chicken taco, but we both agreed that the pastor taco had over powering seasoning and was hard to eat without several glasses of water. Terrible cinco de mayo, I won't be back. read more
6 years ago
5 years ago
I went to eat today but to be honest the tortilla they used is old and nasty I been feeling sick all day after I eat there my stomach is upset read more
10 years ago
Update 3: This last weekend, I had the chile rellenos, my wife had the pozole, and we had another asada sope. I stand by my previous statement that the Asada sopes are the best thing on the menu. Never disappointed in those. As far as the chile relleno and Pozole go, they were both pretty good. I haven't really seen other Mexican food aside from tacos in the area, so my standard of comparison might be too high (read: My grandmother). On another note, 5 stars for the pan dulce alone which is always on point. read more
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More info about Jarochita #2
85 N Glebe Rd
Arlington, VA 22203
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(703) 528-2789
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