I've walked by this taco stand serving up voluptuous smoke and aromatic meat scents so many times on the streets of Capitol Hill, but finally got the chance to try it.
I had the lengua taco and the al pastor vampiro.
The biggest thing that stands out is how much meat they give you. The lengua taco was packed with beef tongue, but it's completely dwarfed in comparison with the al pastor vampiro, which feels drowning in a mountain of red pork. A vampiro is a taco that's essentially grilled on a melted bed of cheese, causing it to develop a cheese crust at the bottom.
Both of these were pretty good. The taco was pretty simple, but the beef tongue was very fatty and juicy. The tortilla itself wasn't anything special though as it tasted pretty standard. The crunch from the cheese on the vampiro was excellent - different from any other Mexican food item I can recall. The downside with making it open faced is that it was hard to keep all the toppings on top while eating.
But the al pastor on top, coming from the trompo, was a mixed bag. On one hand it was pretty juicy, but on the other it didn't feel like it should coming from the trompo. It was missing smokiness and seasoning, tasting relatively plain.
The build-your-own toppings bar was a great addition, with some excellent salsas in particular.
Obviously with just two items the portion wasn't huge, but I wouldn't say this is the most expensive. Certainly not cheap at over $4 a taco, but I have seen worse.
Overall, if you're looking for a quick dinner that doesn't cost you much, this is a great spot to get it. 8/10 read more