Why go: The mounted deer heads are unexpected and the 20 varieties of tacos are daunting, but this is the area’s best taqueria. Pork cheek, pork lip, and pork leg are as authentic as it gets, and they make for often-luscious eating. Corn tortillas are snatched right from the griddle, and condiments include two vibrant salsas as well as fresh pickled onions.
What to get: Pork-leg, lengua (tongue),chorizo, and al pastor tacos (made with pork sliced from a vertical spit, the result of the arrival of Lebanese immigrants in Mexico City nearly a century ago) and topped with thin-sliced pineapple and chopped onion; green-chili chicken tamale.
Best for: A very satisfying fuel-up.
Insider tip: Be prepared to attempt some Spanish. If you don’t—or even if you do—you might wind up with a slightly different order than you expected. Next door is La Flor de Puebla bakery, home of pillowy, fresh-fried, cream-filled doughnuts.
>> See all 2010 Cheap Eats restaurants here.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
