25 replies to this topic

[deangold]

Tacos. 14 kinds. Nothing else. Each taco is a couple of griddles tortillas heaed to that just perfect spot between puffy and crispy. A pile of meat is added (in my case today, al pastor which is marinated pork on a spit carved schwarma/gyros like and lengua- tongue. Both were wonderful with the right amount of saltiness. They are served on a palte with some lime wedges, cucumber slices, a few radishes, cilantro & onion. You get a trio of jars with a cilantro spiked green salsa, a nicely spicy red salsa and a third: slivered onions and fresh chiles. This third is the magic ingredinet that takes these tacos to LA Tacqueria level. They add a nice burn and cut the greainess of the rustic fillings (along with the lime). These are real deal tacos and clearly the best I have had in DC. I have not been to the one in Arlington whose name I currently forget. But these would stack up nicely against the hundreds of anonomus spots in Van Nuys or in East Hollywood or East LA. $2.00 each. No orchata or beer but a huge array of bottles sodas.

Tacqueria La Placita
5020 Edmonston Rd
Hyattsville, MD 20781-2738
(301) 277-4477

[deangold]

Thanks for posting about this. I gotta get out there and try it.

Update: Barbacoa good in a rich but not greasy sot of way. Cesina {salty beef} spectacular. Carnitas pretty bland and dissapointing. 4of 5 are pretty spectacular and I am sure the Bistec is great as it is the same meat as the Cesina without the salt. Next up for me will be costillas, masita & chorizo. Moving slow for some reason after they gave me 4 tacos when I ordered three!

[zoramargolis]

Cesina {salty beef} spectacular.

Cesina is a Oaxacan speciality. Are the people who run this place from Oaxaca? Are there other Oaxacan dishes on the menu, or is it strictly tacos?

[deangold]

Cesina is a Oaxacan speciality. Are the people who run this place from Oaxaca? Are there other Oaxacan dishes on the menu, or is it strictly tacos?

Only tacos and a palteof either grilled chiles and onions or something else geen & white. I will ask next time. Plus I got my lifetime supply of neon green food coloring today in my Jarritos Limon. Tacos Aztecca down the street becons as well.... There is a thuird palce further south east {towards 450} but given the fact that it was dead empty whole Azteca and La Placita were rocking does not speak well if the wisdom of crowds is to be believed. Tacos Ricos I think.

[DCDuck]

My co-worker and I took a field trip to Hyattsville and Taqueria La Placita today for lunch, and it is the real deal. Between us we sampled five of the fourteen available options, and all of them were delicious. We sampled the barbacoa, bistec, cesina, lengua and chorizo. All fantastic. If forced to choose, at this point, I think I'd go with the cesina, but from what we tried you just can't go wrong. We followed our meal with some pastries from La Flor de la Puebla next door. All in all an excellent Friday field trip. We will definitely return.

I am curious about the other taquerias in the immediate vicinity. Tacos Azteca was completely empty when we went by, but one further south appeared full.

[deangold]

My co-worker and I took a field trip to Hyattsville and Taqueria La Placita today for lunch, and it is the real deal. Between us we sampled five of the fourteen available options, and all of them were delicious. We sampled the barbacoa, bistec, cesina, lengua and chorizo. All fantastic. If forced to choose, at this point, I think I'd go with the cesina, but from what we tried you just can't go wrong. We followed our meal with some pastries from La Flor de la Puebla next door. All in all an excellent Friday field trip. We will definitely return.

I am curious about the other taquerias in the immediate vicinity. Tacos Azteca was completely empty when we went by, but one further south appeared full.

Thast funny becaue the last time I was there Tacos Azteca was jumping (with a line equal to La Placita's) and Tacos Ricos (the little blue house like one with tha parking on the side adn in back) was forelornly empty.

I am going to do a run tomorrow I think. I may get a taco at each. Ahh the sacrifices we make in the interest of science.

[fuzzy510]

Heck of a lunch at La Placita today. Played it a bit safe today with the pastor and carnitas, and both were very good. Just a little squeeze of lime put them over the top.

I'm anxiously awaiting my return visit, when I hope to take a look at some of the less common areas of the menu.

[deangold]

While the pastor is superb, the carnitas does not show the glories of the place. Cabeza is beef head and Buche which I think is just parts better left unspoken are favorites. The Barbocoa and the Cecina are my not fatty and gelatinous picks.

Do you think I go there too often that two of the order takers know my name when I place my order?

[fuzzy510]

While the pastor is superb, the carnitas does not show the glories of the place. Cabeza is beef head and Buche which I think is just parts better left unspoken are favorites. The Barbocoa and the Cecina are my not fatty and gelatinous picks.

Do you think I go there too often that two of the order takers know my name when I place my order?

I noticed your critique of the carnitas, and considering I enjoyed mine, it just makes me anxious for a return trip to try some of their stronger offerings.

And I can certainly understand why you go so damn much, both because of the food and the general atmosphere of the place.

[1000yregg]

I went here one afternoon last week- it was great- had the pork cheek, ear and lamb barbacoa tacos. The place was crowded with World Cup viewers.
I agree with Dean, the spicy slivered onions are amazing.
I do find the menu (with pictures) funny because essentially each taco looks the same.

In the parking lot, I had Raspados (mexican snow cone) from a small cart. It went well with the heat of the day.

pics

[tfbrennan]

Cesina is a Oaxacan speciality. Are the people who run this place from Oaxaca? Are there other Oaxacan dishes on the menu, or is it strictly tacos?

Owner is from Puebla.

[deangold]

I went here one afternoon last week- it was great- had the pork cheek, ear and lamb barbacoa tacos. The place was crowded with World Cup viewers.
I agree with Dean, the spicy slivered onions are amazing.
I do find the menu (with pictures) funny because essentially each taco looks the same.

In the parking lot, I had Raspados (mexican snow cone) from a small cart. It went well with the heat of the day.

pics

The air horn the cooks were blowing regularly added a certain flavor to my tacos this morning. To me it was like a Vuvuzuela but infinitely worse! But the tacos {cecina, barbacoa & costillias} were goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood!!!!!

[deangold]

Are they open on Sunday mornings? We're heading home from Annapolis tomorrow and would love to get some tacos...

I am 98% positive that they are.

[Ericandblueboy]

They were open at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday and already very crowded. I ordered 1-7 plus chicken just so my wife has something to eat.

The tripa (inner guts - most likely intestines) was the only one that I didn't finish - I love cleaned and stewed intestines but am not a huge fan of grilled/sautéed guts - I might have taken more than 1 bite but for having so much else to eat. My wife ate the chicken, pastor (spicy pork) and cecina (salted beef) and I ate the rest - lengua (tongue), suadero (beef), cabeza (head meat), and carne asada (grilled steak). Most of these tacos were pretty bland so we spiced them up with the green hot sauce. The chicken, the tongue, and the salted beef were the most flavorful so I really liked those. I ate only 1 tortilla with each taco and it held up just fine.

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[Ericandblueboy]

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[tfbrennan]

I do find the menu (with pictures) funny because essentially each taco looks the same.

And even on the plate -- our table's second order of the night of 3 carne asada and 1 cecina; couldn't tell which one was the cecina by looks alone.

[DanielK]

What everyone else said. This place is a gem. I had lengua, costilla, and cesina, (and I was easily able to tell them apart.) My daughter had suadero and carne asada, and even though the order taker didn't speak a whiff of english, she knew enough to say "cilantro and onion?" to her, so she could say "no!"

5 tacos, 2 mexican cokes in the bottle, $13.

Azteca and Ricos were dead, Placita was hopping at 6:30p tonight.

[synaesthesia]

Having gotten back from eating tacos in SF two weeks ago, I have to say thumbs up on the moist tasty costillas. Meh on al pastor for me as the meat itself was relying way too much on the addition of pineapple - was longing for a few crispy bits. And thumbs down on the carne asada for being pretty dry, and no seared surfaces at all. Love the incendiary salsas though.

That being said, I saw a much larger variety here than other places, and I'd still be willing to try a few more options.

[deangold]

You need to try the Cecina which is the same carne asada with a load of seasoned salt sprinkled atop. When the Al Pastor is crispy {which means not very long after opening time} it is AMAZING. Middle of the lunch rush or late afternoon, not so much.

Cabeza, lengua, cachete, costillias are my go to's. Chorizo con Heuvos is a day stopping breakfast

[DCDuck]

Agree 100% on the cecina. No matter what else I order, I'll always get at least one of those. I'll also typically get lengua and chachete.

[Tweaked]

Delicious stuff.  Stopped in around 2:30 on Saturday afternoon, short line, parking lot full, but several tables available.  Looked like I was hitting the end of the lunch rush.  By the time I left, there was a good number of open parking spots.

 

Ordered the chorizo (could have been more chorizo-y) and the barbacoa lamb (awesome).  Loved how straight forward it was, just corn tortillas, meat, scattering of onion and cilantro, squeeze of lime, splash of hot sauce.  Some slices of cucmber and radish on the side. 

 

Wish I had hit this place up when I lived on the Hill. 

[DanielK]

Delicious stuff.  Stopped in around 2:30 on Saturday afternoon, short line, parking lot full, but several tables available.  Looked like I was hitting the end of the lunch rush.  By the time I left, there was a good number of open parking spots.

 

Ordered the chorizo (could have been more chorizo-y) and the barbacoa lamb (awesome).  Loved how straight forward it was, just corn tortillas, meat, scattering of onion and cilantro, squeeze of lime, splash of hot sauce.  Some slices of cucmber and radish on the side. 

 

Wish I had hit this place up when I lived on the Hill. 

 

This is still my go-to restaurant for a quick meal on the way to DC United games - a quick 10 minutes from RFK.

[deangold]

Delicious stuff.  Stopped in around 2:30 on Saturday afternoon, short line, parking lot full, but several tables available.  Looked like I was hitting the end of the lunch rush.  By the time I left, there was a good number of open parking spots.

 

Ordered the chorizo (could have been more chorizo-y) and the barbacoa lamb (awesome).  Loved how straight forward it was, just corn tortillas, meat, scattering of onion and cilantro, squeeze of lime, splash of hot sauce.  Some slices of cucmber and radish on the side. 

 

Wish I had hit this place up when I lived on the Hill. 

 

Chorizo and carnitas are their weak points.  Cabeza and lengua their best.  Damned good al pastor if they ahve crispy bits and the costillas are fab.  The chorizo does make a good add to the heuvos at breakfast.  

[DCDuck]

Agree on carnitas, that's really the only menu item I've been disappointed in. Cecina is my go-to, although lengua, cabeza and al pastor are also all fantastic. 

[deangold]

Forgot about the cecina.  Buche if you want a mouth full of funky flavors.  Trippa is pretty gamy too; not your well cleaned and flavorless style.  

[DCDuck]

The place came up in Kliman's chat today, FWIW. Mentioned the fact that he's reviewed it positively, and that they even put it on the cover a few years ago (which I was angry about at the time as I didn't want long lines), and that despite that the patrons haven't changed.  Which I have noticed as well.