Iris T.
Yelp
In DC for a trip with my family and I began checking out eateries weeks beforehand. Why? We're all vegetarian but we don't eat onion, garlic, leeks, or chives. As you can see, this is a major concern when it comes to eating out, which is almost unavoidable when traveling, because those ingredients are EVERYWHERE. I emailed District Taco and a representative emailed me back pretty quickly with a list of items I could have: cilantro, tomato, pineapple, sour cream, eggs, potatoes, salad with no dressing, and tortillas. When it came to sauces/salsa, the queso as well as the habanero, salsa de chil, salsa maya, tomatillo, and chiltomate salsas were safe. That was something!
We were walking around the area and I spotted this place and we went in. There are various choices like breakfast tacos/burritos, regular burritos, tacos, quesadillas, etc. There is a line and then you go up to the cash register (there was only one open) and they take your order. I was a bit confused on how it worked and coupled with our dietary restrictions, it took a while. I let the guy see the email with what we could and couldn't have, but he seemed a bit confused on how to put in the order when it was apparent that a line had accumulated behind me so the pressure was on. I still don't know how their food works, but he recommended we get the breakfast versions of the taco and burrito because we otherwise would have sad tacos/burritos since we couldn't have the black beans or the guacamole.
In the end, I ended up getting breakfast tacos (comes 3 to an order), a breakfast burrito, a cheese quesadilla, a side of chips and queso, and a side of chips and salsa. The queso comes with your order when it's ready and you get a good sized paper container for the salsa that you get at the salsa bar. They give you a number on this cute card and off you go!
I sort of stood there by the pick up area, but it turns out that if you're eating in, they call out your number and they also may bring it to you. While you're waiting, there is the salsa station to fill up the little cups with your salsas of choice (and fresh cilantro/jalapeño).
The mains all come with sides of a salad (shredded cabbage and diced tomatoes) and the breakfast tacos and burritos were filling and good. We got the basic ones with nothing else added in, so they were filled with eggs, potatoes, and cheese. They were good but the salsa added another dimension whereas the salad made it lighter/fresh. Tacos were essentially like the burrito but in taco form. The quesadilla was great (cheese and tortilla - what could go wrong?) and simple; no beans were added. The chips and salsa/queso was good as well. I couldn't really detect any onion or garlic, but when I had my overly sensitive husband smell it later, he said he detected something. I'm thinking there was cross contamination since they were located at a self serve bar and other unsafe sauces could have accidentally dropped in.
All in all, a good option for us, though there is always a chance of cross contamination as long as it's not coming out of my kitchen. I wish they explained how everything worked there, but going with the flow is fine from time to time. I'm still wondering how I can add pineapple as a topping, just for fun. The food was good, though not the healthiest, and filling for a decent price. I wish we could have gotten more of the side salad. The place was big, open, and well lit. Cleanliness both in the eating area and bathrooms were fairly good, even though they seem to be pretty busy.
Although District Tacos would have earned 3 stars, perhaps 3.5, from me, because of the prompt help from the rep through the email, I bumped it up to a 4.
![District Taco by District Taco [official photo]](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62555479/District_Taco_VA_nachos.0.0.0.jpg "District Taco by District Taco [official photo]")
