Taco Bamba
Taco restaurant · Kings Park West ·
Creative and traditional tacos, street food, and cocktails
Creative and traditional tacos, street food, and cocktails
"I enjoyed Taco Bamba’s creative tacos at the tournament—chef Victor Albisu, a big Tiafoe fan, said he’s thrilled that tennis and tacos go hand in hand this year and noted that both Taco Bamba and the tournament have grown enormously in recent years." - Evan Caplan
"Chef Victor Albisu’s Taco Bamba locations in Virginia are open for carryout and delivery, including options like “build-a-taco” kits. Diners can order margarita mixes, too." - Adele Chapin
"Favorite Fast Bites of the Year*: Taco Bamba Taqueria" - Tierney Plumb
"Albisu opened his fifth Taco Bamba location yesterday inside University Mall in Fairfax, giving the decorated chef another venue to fuse traditional Mexican street food with a playful, irreverent spirit — exemplified by the new “Robinson Ramen” taco engineered by Albisu and chef de cuisine Tom Hall. Inspired by George Mason students' ramen habits, they deconstructed a bowl of ramen to make it taco-friendly: carnitas braised with shoyu and star anise, fresh noodles boiled then finished on the flat top for crunch, and a hyper-reduced ramen broth tweaked with citrus and chiles that’s tossed with the braised pork and noodles. Complementary elements include canned corn and scallions, salsa machado, and a togarashi-spiced tartar sauce that incorporates eggs and Kewpie mayonnaise. The result is a deliberately “crazy” combination that still sits alongside a rigorously authentic approach to classics such as al pastor, carnitas, birria, lengua, and tripe, and reinforces Taco Bamba’s reputation for not taking itself too seriously while respecting traditional flavors." - Gabe Hiatt
"Opening Thursday, December 6 inside University Mall across the street from George Mason University, the new Taco Bamba will be the chain’s fifth area location. I note chef Victor Albisu—who studied politics and international relations at Mason and quips “They say you can’t go home again, but apparently you can go back to college”—developed the Fairfax menu with chef de cuisine Tom Hall, and the menu is already online. Following Taco Bamba protocol it offers traditional tacos, nachos, sopes, tortas, posole rojo, and elote, plus custom tortilla stuffers such as ramen noodles with shoyu carnitas, fried chicken thighs, and General Tsao’s cauliflower. A “nuestros” section unique to Fairfax features the Robinson Ramen (noodles and pork), the Ol’ Mick Nugget (crisp chicken, sweet-and-sour barbecue mustard, and pickles), and the Savage Sub-Mariner (fried calamari); vegetarian options include the Mr. Chow (cauliflower subbing for General Tsao’s chicken) and the Fairfax 4-way (blistered Brussels sprouts with granola and cashew crema). The menu also carries indulgent items like the cheeseburger-style El Gringo taco and a Papi John quesadilla with pepperoni and chorizo." - Gabe Hiatt