Taqueria El Mexicano

Run don't walk!! Bring you translator because there's a language barrier... no air conditioner so you will definitely feel like you are in Mexico while delightfully enjoying the authentic cuisine they serve! Everything we had was above expectations!

I loved the food. So did my kids. We got trips tacos torta milanesa de pollo and tamales. It’s was most definitely delicious authentic Mexican food. I work at at a Mexican restaurant in New York my self and I have tried most of Mexican food. But this place it’s the GO To If u wan real Mexican food and hungry

Taqueria El Mexicano is one of many taquerias hidden within shopping centers in this area in Maryland. I stopped in for a Saturday lunch. Here’s my experience: 1) Food: They have a full menu of tacos from pollo to carnitas and many other items like burritos. Even though Yelp directed me to the tacos, I ordered a carnitas burrito. I have no regrets. The burrito is stuffed with rice, buttery carnitas and veggies. It comes with a green salsa and a red salsa both with the right amount of kick. I added an orange can soda bringing my bill to $11. Not a bad deal at all! 2) Service: The staff are nice, but I did have to wait for 25 minutes for my burrito to go. There was a healthy flow of customers, but not that many to cause a delay. 3) Atmosphere: It’s what you want in an authentic taqueria- decorations on the wall that take you to Latin America and simple tables. If you love a good burrito, check out this spot!

Tacos Al Pastor were amazing for this area (not as good as the ones available in Mexico City). It was a bit more expensive than I expected. I’d love to come back to try other items.

Tacos de Birria are amazing, staff is friendly, I’d definitely suggest going with three. Was worth the drive.

Food was pretty decent but the cheese wasn’t melted on the birria tacos and my jarito was flat :(

Small place in a little strip mall with delcious, authentic food. The carne asada was delicious, but the mole is the real star. Everything comes with fresh sauces, tortillas and superb pinto beans. The salad was a little wilted and an after thought, but everything else fresh and good.

This was a great place to stop and eat. Took me home for a little bit. Good flavor, great customer service authentic feel... obviously.

Three points Cz they don't have any vegan option on menu but I'm also glad they made vegan tacos for me (wasn't that good though, more veggies would have been better) and vegetarian quesadillas for others. It's a cute lil Mexican restaurant, just don't have much vegan options, for some reason I thought they can make a lot of items without meat and dairy but maybe not.

Taqueria El Mexicano is one of many taquerias hidden within shopping centers in this area in Maryland. I stopped in for a Saturday lunch. Here's my experience: 1) Food: They have a full menu of tacos from pollo to carnitas and many other items like burritos. Even though Yelp directed me to the tacos, I ordered a carnitas burrito. I have no regrets. The burrito is stuffed with rice, buttery carnitas and veggies. It comes with a green salsa and a red salsa both with the right amount of kick. I added an orange can soda bringing my bill to $11. Not a bad deal at all! 2) Service: The staff are nice, but I did have to wait for 25 minutes for my burrito to go. There was a healthy flow of customers, but not that many to cause a delay. 3) Atmosphere: It's what you want in an authentic taqueria- decorations on the wall that take you to Latin America and simple tables. If you love a good burrito, check out this spot!

ABYSMAL CUSTOMER SERVICE. LITERALLY BRAIN DEAD. I wasn't feeling well and all I wanted was a hot bowl of pozole. I placed an order for pozole , coffee, coke, and a couple of tacos. The only thing that arrived correctly were the tacos... I didn't receive any pozole, no coke, and instead of coffee I got a cup of soggy oatmeal in milk.... WHAT THE FRACK. I called the restaurant to ask what happened and the person who answered just said "yeah, yeah". Not even an apology for not bothering to read the ticket and not bothering to send even half the order. They literally didn't care. Restaurant business is hard, but you deserve to fail if you treat your customers like that.

Certainly deserves a much higher rating. The mole and Carne asada are excellent, reminding me of Mexico. The mole has the sweetness I recall from boyhood and just needs to be spiced up.

Came here for dinner and had three tamales and tacos de carne asada. Pretty good overall. Friendly staff. Not crowded.

I'm giving them a 4 when they really deserve a 5 but I'll tell you why. I've been eating from this place for YEARS! BEST TACOS IN THE AREA! PERO... The last year they've been slacking. From the overly salty salsa to recently getting tacos that are mostly fat. Funny part is they order is always on point when I go into the store but if I have it delivered... Basura. They need to get it together.

I ordered delivery from this place on a whim, and when my tacos arrived on a paper plate covered in foil I knew it was going to be good--like it was straight out of a friend's house. The birria consommé is super rich, and the tamale had seasoned masa with a good amount of pepper and chihuahua cheese. Awesome.

I love a good mole, and Taqueria El Mexicano is the place for it. Their mole is rich, smoky, and delicious, plus it's huge and reasonably priced. The rice and beans were good too, but the mole takes center stage. I also had an al pastor taco and snacked on some chicharrones de harina with hot sauce. The taco was great, and I enjoyed my chicharrones. No strawberry soda though. The staff is friendly, but the place is small and the parking is tough. Try coming a bit later at night for better parking, but definitely do try to get here, as you won't be disappointed.

I've been coming here for years and never got charged for a simple substitution. It's disappointing that they've started doing that. But the food is pretty good and authentic. They had a few shaky cooks but it's evened out. I hope they reconsider their policy.

Everything was delicious! After hearing this place was in the Washingtonian best 20, we ventured over. The restaurant is situated in a little strip of storefronts that is sort of hidden, across from Tick Tock Liquor. It is obviously frequented by locals; we were the only non-Spanish speakers there. Much of the menu is in pictures on the wall behind the counter, though, so that combined with some elementary Spanish made ordering easier. They also have daily specials, and a printed menu that had some different selections. We ordered the Adobo Pork, which came with corn tortillas, rice, and beans. It was very good- great, rich flavor to the sauce. Even the beans were noticeable superior to usual beans. We ordered the bean and cheese Pupusas. These were also wonderful- perfect and crispy. I don't understand how just beans and cheese and dough can be so freaking good. Carbs, I guess. The slaw and sauce were great and enhanced the dish. We also ordered two tamales- the red sauce, and a mole sauce tamale, which was a daily special. They both had uniquely rich and different tastes. I will definitely come back here. So many other dishes look great. The food was prepared perfectly, with fresh ingredients and a wide variety of dishes and flavors. Prices are reasonable. Seating area is adequate, although perhaps not the most comfortable. If I have one complaint, it's that they don't carry diet coke (regular coke only)!

So, there is a menu board behind the counter, but no prices. Do the prices change daily? I came with a coworker and she ordered some sort of meaty platter and a guava drink. Her tab was about $17.00. I ordered two pupusas and my bill was just over $5.00. The pupusas were good, probably more than the place I usually get them from, but not by much. She enjoyed her meal, but having Latin roots and having also lived in Texas she thought this place was more Salvadoran than Mexican, hence the pupusas. I'm not a meat eater, and the menu is high in meat entrees, but it was busy when we were there, so they must be doing something right.

Husband and I takeout from here last night and this place is going to be our go to taco spot! Really enjoyed the steak, al pastor and carnitas tacos as well as the pupusas. The rice and beans we ordered on the side are so so, but get the job done. Packaged very well and generous with hot sauces on the side.

Tacos was very good in addition to tamales. No English menus but I understood most of it. A friendly place, I'll go back.

Went for the mole and I was blown away. Super complex flavors covering a tender chicken breast and thigh. We also got Alhambra, which was delicious, but it's hard to go wrong with several different types of meet slathered in melted cheese, and tacos de pastor, barbacoa, and lengua. Barbacoa was perfect! The place was cozy with Christmas decorations and locals. Loved our meal here!!

Within the past 7 days, I admit that my husband and I have ate food from Taqueria El Mexicano iin Hyattsville Maryland at least twice. Each time we have got the beef steak tacos that come with cilantro onions and some delicious green tomatillo and some type of orangish sauces. My husband has also come to enjoy the tacos from this place and I also like that the tacos are affordable/a good bargain for what you get in exchange (for instance, I paid only 12 dollars total for 4 tacos for my husband and I on a recent trip). I have eaten at this place from time to time since late 2013.

Listen, the sanitary practices of this place are far from healthy. I found short black hair in my tacos not once but TWICE. The first time I informed the woman at the counter and she brought me a new one within a couple seconds which already seemed suspicious. Then right before I took a bite I decided to check again just in case and oh wow what a surprise another hair strand of the same color and length between my tortillas. I go up to the woman a second time to complain and now she tells me it's MY hair. This has happened to me before, a restaurant telling me it's my hair when it obviously isn't my hair type so at this point I'm pissed. I get a third and final round of tacos and my food is cold with a lesser amount of meat so it's obvious they didn't bother to make me new tacos but instead took the meat from my previous taco and reheated the same tortillas. They really thought they I wouldn't notice? Don't waste your time coming here. Also, their agua frescas taste like plastic.

Wish I could give this 6 stars. Very authentic, amazing food every time, the family that runs this is amazing. The mole is the best, I always get the Mole. love the Fajitas, tacos are super fresh.. the list goes on.. and always ample parking. and very decent prices too! Simple dining option but amazing flavors so this is our local go-to. I brought my Mexican heritage mates here and they loved it and would always visit when they're in town (They're based overseas now) This is such a gem and our family favorite, a few of us went to the best San Diego restaurants in Old Town and we still preferred Taqueria El Mexicano here!!! The crowd is mostly Hispanic and the occasional regulars/gringoes (us) that have made this their local. It seems like the family knows all their regular customers!

Stopped by this local gem last night because it was "National Taco Day." What that means exactly... I don't know. But it was an arbitrary reason for my boyfriend and I to have tacos... so we were all in! I did a quick "taco" Yelp search (I know, I know) in the Takoma Park area, and this is one of the 4 or 5 restaurants that popped up. Disclaimer: there is literally a restaurant or two on every block in this area! It was a bit overwhelming actually, but only a few are listed on Yelp. I decided to take a chance and check out Taqueria El Mexicano, and I'm glad I did. We walked in and were greeted by a nice young man. We let him know that we were hungry, that it was National Taco Day (LOL), and if there were any recommendations he had. So full disclosure, I wouldn't say that my boyfriend and I are taco connoisseurs or anything, but we know and love a good taco. I was lowkey praying that this spot was decent because I know I wouldn't hear the end of it if it wasn't. Praise Baby Jesus because it didn't disappoint. We ended up ordering 10 tacos total (six for him and four for me), and it was filling. We ordered chicken, steak, shrimp and pork shoulder with pineapple (I forget the proper name). I hadn't had the foresight to call the restaurant in advance, so we had to order and wait. It wasn't a big deal though because it was less than 10 minutes and our tacos were ready. I'm happy to report that they were REALLY TASTY! I wish I had taken a picture of the menu since it's not online. I'll be sure to do that the next time I go back. Oh! They also own a bakery two doors down on the same strip that had many pastries and cakes as well. Check it out.

Have to say the tacos here are better than the placita with less fat more meat lol and the pupusas was also very good and had a lot of cheese in it! Y el jugo de jamiaca was on point lol cant wait to come back and try different type tacos

Chourico tacos. Really, that's all you need to know. This little place is in an unassuming strip mall just off of 193. Surrounded by beauty supply stores ad lube shops, it's easy to miss, but you really don't want to -- you REALLY don't want to. This food is fresh, flovorful and super authentic. We went for a smattering of tacos, and while everything was delicious, the chourico took the (eh-hem) taco. SO GOOD. Service is friendly, and relatively quick. Our to-go order was ready within 10-minutes, meaning it was prepared fresh and just for us (I like that). While corn tortillas aren't normally my favorite, these were smooth and held together well -- none of that gritty, crumbly mess at all. The ambience isn't exactly awesome, nor is the horchata -- there was actually a very distinct flavor of moth balls to it, which meant I couldn't get it down, which meant it was a waste of money. I am sure this can be improved upon easily (hint, hint). I love you, Taqueria El Mexicano. I'll be back as soon as I can!

Hands down best mexican restaurant I have been able to find so far in the DMV area. Do try their mole poblano and chile relleno. Make sure to order extra handmade tortillas - you will not regret it.

Amazing mole. That's really all I have to say! Great moles are hard to find and this place has them. (And unlike the other review I read on here, my helping of chicken with the mole was very generous w a huge breast and massive leg.) Tacos al pastor and the pupusas are also top notch (queso con loroco pupusa is fresher and filled w more loroco than others in town). They have a unique menu compared to other establishments in the area (more Mexican than other Mexican/Salvadoran places - for DC places that is, so still very Salvadoran compared to food in Texas or Mexico). And there are literally about 5 other taquerias across the street but this place seems the most crowded. That says something. Very helpful and quick staff as well. Clean restaurant also

This restaurant was on the Washingtonian Best Places to Eat. It should not be. The owner is rude, the food is terrible. The parking is abysmal. The prices were raised recently by scratching the original prices and writing over them with new prices. So G.H.E.T.T.O. (YES. I'm being petty). There is another restaurant that has received excellent reviews. It's called El Mexireno, and it is in Oxon Hill, MD. This restaurant is great, not because it's on some arbitrary "Best of" list. A list skewed toward DC and VA, to the dismay and punishment of PGC and Montgomery County (I'm being petty again). It's great because of all the reasons a restaurant should be great. Great food. Great service. Great parking. Plus you get the added benefit of obtaining cool points derived from your own adventurous spirit, and not because of some "off-the-rack" review that was handed to you by a person who never rides the Green line (Yeah. I went there).

Tamales are some of the best I've tried in DC. The Pozole is pretty good too. There's a conveniently located Panderia next door, too. No frills decent Mexican food. Def not TexMex or Baja Cali Mexican food but works for me!

Local place that is straight to the point on what they offer: tacos and other delicious Mexican food. Stopped by for a quick bite before grocery shopping and it was just what I wanted. I ordered 3 steak tacos that were seasoned very, very well. Enough seating for medium sized groups, and good prices for the portion of food that you get. I'd recommend it if you are in the are and want some good food quickly. Not giving 5 stars because although the steak was seasoned well, it was a bit fatty. It also was stuffy in the restaurant and could have used some AC since it was a pretty hot summer day.

Delicious. Shit bangs. Carnitas were on point. Guac was stellar as well. Looking forward to going back for more.

Nice, tasty visit; my second. Many Hispanic customers, but wait staff is quite bilingual. Today I had Chile rellenos platter. Awesome. Cheese and beef stuffed Chile, in sauce. Tasty flavored rice. Warm corn tortillas, bowl of frijoles. Three fresh salsas. Lots of bottled drinks, but also horchata, cantelope , and another fresh fruit drink.

Easygoing spot. Friendly staff. The salsa is nice n hot , the guacamole is tasty, and the chips are crunchy. Good aguas frescas. The adovo verde was delicious. The pollo en mole was rich and flavorful but a bit too sweet for my liking. The rice has lots of carrots, corn and peas in it. Wish the beans were refried but they were good.

Awesome tacos! First, the homemade corn tortillas here are incredible. They stand up to the taco toppings but are not dry. Had the chorizo, carnitas, barbacoa, cueritas, and lengua tacos. All are flavorful and amazing. They come with lime, radishes, and 3 salsas. Also had the bean and puerco pupusas. The pork , beans, and slaw had loud flavors and the pupusa dough was the perfect consistency. Also had the chicken flautas. Love the crunch in the shells and the queso fresco that is layered on top. Chicken is not super flavorful, however, the salsas are varied and perfect. They infuse instant flavor into the flautas. The place was clean and the service was 100% friendly. Can't wait to come back and try even more dishes!

I really enjoyed my meal here, but it didn't get off to a great start. First, they said they "couldn't do" bean tacos. Really? REALLY? Who ever heard of such a thing, of course you can. You simply put beans in the tortilla instead of meat, but ok, some places don't like to alter their offerings... So I said fine, then tell me what I can order? Started out with the "sope." Basically a fresh tortilla topped with beans, lettuce, cheese, sour cream. It was very good, particularly when you top it with one of FOUR salsas they bring to the table. Then I moved onto the chile relleno which very good as well. I mean who knew a pepper and some cheese could result in something magical, but they do. It also came with rice, beans, and another grilled, but not stuffed pepper. That little guy had some kick to him that I had not anticipated. Prices were reasonable, and the crowd was pretty quiet. The TV was playing Mexican classics. I had a professor who told me Mexicans loovveee their classics. The way these 20-somethings eyes were glued to the screen, I could see that. Now, they probably weren't Mexican, but that cinema was shown throughout Central America as well. I will return.

Very good service and food ! You knew what ?! The price is good too ! It's a nice pick

The tacos were so good! 3 tacos for almost $10. They were really large and filling though. The doubled up corn tortillas were good. The langua and carnitas were so tender. The sauces they have on the side were really good too, with one spicy option.

I was on my lunch break and still searching for the best Chile Relleno's in Md so I decided to stop here. It's a small mom and pop type of place with no frills. My Chile Relleno's were ok but nothing to call home about. I was extremely disappointed that there was a drunk man walking from table to table and no one said anything. He came and sat down at my table and started talking. I felt really uncomfortable so I immediately ate and left. I won't be back again!

The food is authentic. The tacos de lengua are a must and the pancita is so great on a cold day. The food comes out at a decent time even for a large family like mine. I definitely recommend this place.

Very decent and affordable Mexican/Salvadorian food. I tried the pork tacos and a cheese pupusa. The pork tacos were street cart style (soft tortillas with onions, cilantro, and lime) and were very good. The hot salsa they provided was ok. The cheese pupusa was very tasty. They also have bottled Mexican Coke, which has real sugar instead of the high fructose corn syrup that US Coke has. Also, the dude at the register spoke English well, which is very uncommon in these types of places. I'd definitely hit this spot up for tacos and/or pupusas again. Yum.

I love this place. Just to get this out of the way, if you're the kind of white guy who is going to freak out about being the only non-Latino in a restaurant then this isn't the place for you, then again, if that's the case, I also have to wonder what you're doing in Langley Park to begin with ;) You don't have to speak Spanish to order, but depending on who's behind the register it might help. I've worked my way through most of the tacos and can say they are all first-rate, easily among the best I've had in this area. The meats have been perfectly cooked every time, with the lengua (beef tongue) being my favorite. Honestly, it's the best lengua taco I've probably ever had. They make the tortillas in house and I'm pretty sure there's some lard in them because they have a rich, slightly fatty (in a good way) flavor that is light years from store-bought tacos. The house made salsas are also terrific, with the the spicy bright red sauce having a somewhat smoky flavor that makes me wonder if they use annatto paste when making it. The pork adabo verde is wonderful, with fork tender pieces of stewed pork shoulder and a delicious sauce that will make you want to lick the plate clean. The mole was excellent, but I have to knock a star off for how stingy they are with the meat. One small chicken drumstick? Really? The posole is also first rate and the serving size is quite large - this is a massive bowl of soup that is perfect to savor on a cold day. Take-out is an option here, but I never use it because I'd deprive myself of the jars of homemade salsa that accompany each meal. My advice would be to do likewise and eat in. So, yeah...it's kind of a small hole-in-the-wall located along a not particularly picturesque stretch of strip malls off University Blvd, but nonetheless, it makes some of the best Mexican food I've had in the area and I'm happy it's nearby.

Great food in a friendly atmosphere. The inside is kind of a dive, but clean with good service. While waiting in line to order, I was looking at the board overhead and wound up ordering foods that were not on the menu. The Posole was delicious and the portion was large - big enough that it would be a good lunch or a shared first course. The tamales were nicely done and had a great balanced flavor.

Came here because it's ranked number 90 on Washingtonian's Top 100 Restaurants of the year and it's not too far outside of DC. We tried the mole poblano and costillos as our main dishes and shared a few tacos and tamales. I found the tacos to be pretty basic and couldn't tell the carnitas from the chicken and the costillos were a little salty. However, everything else was good. I loved the mole sauce on the chicken, I dipped everything in it; even the ribs were better with the mole. The mole tamale was my favorite thing. I typically only eat tamales until the filling is gone and toss the rest of the corn masa but even the masa on these was delicious and I didn't waste a bite. There was only one woman at the register and her English was somewhat limited, luckily they have a gigantic picture menu posted for those of us with limited Spanish.

My Wolfpack and I ate the carne asada, beef tacos, el pastor tacos and tamales. Carne asada was salty, beef tacos were very overcooked- borderline burnt. The tamales were dry. The only good thing was the el pastor tacos. Horchata was done with water, not milk. Although staff was pretty cool and friendly.

A little gem of authentic Mexican food in the area!! The mole is to die for! I called MANY other restaurants and no one had mole or knew where to find it. I don't understand how all the Mexican restaurants on yelp can get 4.5 stars but have no idea of what mole is... Try this one to calibrate the scale!

Not sure why this restaurant gets such high ratings. Went for take out the other night and the carne asada plate was unbelievable small for the price. I should have believed the other reviewer who had mentioned this. So quantity was small but on top of that the quality was not great either. Everything was so highly salted that I ended up throwing away half of my meal. Not only the meat itself but the rice and beans were very salty... Staff at the front were friendly and nice, but not sure that makes up for poor food quality that is expensive.

Excellent Mexican food. My wife is from Mexico and we know what real Mexican food is. We were so happy with this place. The tacos (barbacoa, al pastor, lengua, and carnita) were great. Also had the pork pozole. The pozole was rich in flavor and very meaty. This can be a meal in itself.

I love this place! Hands down my favorite authentic Mexican taco restaurant in the area! The people are very nice and the food is AMAZING! I've lived in this area my entire life (30+ years) so I know what's good!

I'm originally from San Diego and finding good Mexican food here in Maryland is a challenge. I usually divide Mexican restaurants in the U.S. into two categories: larger, chain restaurants that will serve chips & salsa, quacamole, sour cream, & margaritas. The second category is smaller, more traditional places that have none of the above ingredients and where you'll generally find the truly latin folks going for their daily meals. Although there are good establishments in both categories, the second category is the type I truly enjoy as I grew up on this type of food in San Diego. Taqueria El Mexicano's flavors are exactly the same as the food I miss in California and definitely falls into the second category, so if you prefer chips & salsa and margaritas this is not the place for you. So far I've tried the tamales (all of their flavors), guarache, tacos, eggs & jamon, mole poblano, plus the chile relleno special they had on sale one day. All of these are delicious and remarkably true to the flavors of Mexico. As other reviewers have mentioned, their tortillas are freshly made and do not come from a factory - big bonus point as far as I'm concerned. The salsas they bring to the table are also delicious and come packing heat. The tomatillo salsa is so good I even use it on the tamales - it's definitely my favorite though you can't go wrong the tomato/cilantro and green salsa as well. I've enjoyed every meal I've had there and highly recommend this place to anyone who enjoys more traditional Mexican food. The staff is friendly as well and always attentive.

Mole Poblano is soooo good! crummy? yes, but that's what make this place so pleasant, the cashier is so friendly and everybody really enjoy the food. We also had ribs and tripe/hoof soup which really hit the spot. Next time I want full menudo! Have the juice instead of soda. We had Hibiscus and Tamarind, which goes really well.

Tried it after seeing it touted in the WaPo. As much as we wanted to like it, we probably won't be going back. The food at La Casita is so much better.

Good flavors but expensive and small portions compared with other taquerias in the area.

Delicious and legitimate Mexican food (not Salvadoran-Mexican or Tex-Mex). Friendly and fast service.

This place was featured in the Washingtonian Top 100 in 2016. Came here for lunch. Good service. In enjoyed the food.