Tortacos

Address: 9629 Lost Knife Rd., Gaithersburg, MD 20877

Phone: 240-632-9423

Cuisines: South American, Mexican

Price Range: Inexpensive

Dress: Informal

Reservations: Not Needed

Website: Click here to open in new window.

The decor, or lack thereof, doesn’t inspire sticking around, but the danger of ordering takeout from this tiny strip-mall spot is that you might miss the fixings bar—a Shangri-la of toppings including limes, lettuce, radishes, cilantro, pico de gallo, salsas, and other condiments for decorating the silver-dollar-size corn-tortilla tacos. Fresh guacamole augments tender chunks of steak asado and juicy chicken tacos, while a little pico de gallo and lime taste great with spice-rubbed carnitas.

Also good: Lengua (braised beef tongue) tacos; tacos al pastor; sopes—rounds of fried tortilla lightly grilled and piled with refried beans, lettuce, sour cream, and queso blanco.