Cheap Eats 2019: Chaia Tacos

Cost:

One of our favorite vegetarian taco spots is Chaia. Photograph by Scott Suchman ; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky.

About Chaia Tacos

Cost:

cuisines
Mexican
Location(s)

Washington, District of Columbia 20007
615 I St NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20001-3735
Eat Great Cheap 2019

About Eat Great Cheap 2019

This article is a part of Washingtonian’s Eat Great Cheap feature, our annual list of where to eat (and not break the bank) right now. Our food editors put together the best new restaurants around DC where you can find Detroit-style pizza, Japanese egg-salad sandwiches, chicken-nugget-filled tacos, and more—for $25 or less per person.

What started as a farmers-market stand drawing lines for beautifully prepared vegetables in fresh-pressed corn tortillas has evolved into two popular DC taco shops. The sunny new Chinatown outpost offers more seating and an expanded menu worth exploring for crisped open-faced tlayudas and seasonal shrubs on tap (go for the strawberry-basil). Still, it’s the tacos stuffed with either creamy kale and potato or braised mushrooms and feta that make the place a destination. Meat? What meat? You won’t miss it at all.


Ann Limpert
Executive Food Editor/Critic

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.

Food Editor

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.

Jessica Sidman
Food Editor

Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.