Tippy's Taco House, Local Quick-Serve Tex-Mex Chain in Three Virginia Locations

[DonRocks]

You can get a better meal at Tippy's Tacos.

 
I don't think this is any sort of bold statement - there's no doubt you can get a better meal at Tippy's. Order a sunken California Burrito Dinner, and a half-pint of Queso Dip (with tostadas, not chips), and pour it right on top. Use the large, yet firm, tostadas as your utensil (optimally snapping them in half, and also using the plastic knife and fork as adjuncts, on an as-needed basis, to cut and tear the burrito), and dig right in.

(P.S. Feel better after venting?)

[Kibbee Nayee]

I don't think this is any sort of bold statement - there's no doubt you can get a better meal at Tippy's. Order a sunken California Burrito Dinner, and a half-pint of Queso Dip (with tostadas, not chips), and pour it right on top. Use the large, yet firm, tostadas as your utensil (optimally snapping them in half, and also using the plastic knife and fork as adjuncts, on an as-needed basis, to cut and tear the burrito), and dig right in.

(P.S. Feel better after venting?)

Uh....yum! That sounds like a treat that would cap off a night of fine carousing. Thanks for the menu suggestion, Don. And oh, by the way, the next day, when this concoction works its way through the digestive track and comes out the other end, it will still be better than anything on the menu at Austin Grill.

[fuzzy510]

I don't think this is any sort of bold statement - there's no doubt you can get a better meal at Tippy's. Order a sunken California Burrito Dinner, and a half-pint of Queso Dip (with tostadas, not chips), and pour it right on top. Use the large, yet firm, tostadas as your utensil (optimally snapping them in half, and also using the plastic knife and fork as adjuncts, on an as-needed basis, to cut and tear the burrito), and dig right in.

(P.S. Feel better after venting?)

Holy hell, I think my arteries clogged a little bit more after just reading that, Don.

[DonRocks]

Seriously, I read that they are bringing Tippy's Tacos back.

What the hell are you on about? There are plenty of Tippy's right now, Merrifield, for example.

[Michael Landrum]

What the hell are you on about? There are plenty of Tippy's right now, Merrifield, for example.

Click.

You know where to send the apology.

[DonRocks]

Click.

Well I'll be a son of a bitch.

I've been going to Tippy's for decades - I'd buy a half-pint of queso just to pour over my California Sunken Burrito (scooping up the whole thing with the big, round tostadas; not the triangular tortilla chips). Terry Theise's son used to work at the one in Laurel (which I believe is now TerrapinToucan Taco House), where I've spent many a meal - his revelations about Velveeta broke my heart.

[bschulman]

Well I'll be a son of a bitch.

I've been going to Tippy's for decades - I'd buy a half-pint of queso just to pour over my California Sunken Burrito (scooping up the whole thing with the big, round tostadas; not the triangular tortilla chips). Terry Theise's son used to work at the one in Laurel (which I believe is now TerrapinToucan Taco House), where I've spent many a meal - his revelations about Velveeta broke my heart.

That is Ike's (one of our Founders) dad bringing back the place he owned for years (while Ike was growing up) before selling it (the Rockville franchise location). Ike is helping him bring it back to Rockville. Old School.

[Antonio Burrell]

When my kids used to do summer rec in fairfax I remember there being a Tippy's Tacos out there. I liked it because it reminded me of Taco John's but better. The food had/has a homie feel to it and it wasn't fast fast food. I liked the beans quite a bit and the enchiladas were good too.

[MsDiPesto]

Tippy's is my default for Mexican to go. Love the chili gravy.

[schulju]

That is Ike's (one of our Founders) dad bringing back the place he owned for years (while Ike was growing up) before selling it (the Rockville franchise location). Ike is helping him bring it back to Rockville. Old School.

I can promise you a whole gang of folks who work in our new Gburg HQ building (adjacent to the Rio complex) will be knocking down the door. All I ever hear from the old timers here is how they miss Tippy's!

[hm212]

I was in Rockville Town Center last night and noticed a coming soon sign for Tippy's Taco in the old Bobby's Crabcakes location.

I have never been to Tippy's Taco and hope it is good and does well (but somehow in my mind will be a comparison of "this is what we lost Bobby's for).

I still wish them well and maybe they can knock my socks off.

[William_V]

The one in Merrifield is very good - has a nice homey feel to it. The sauce is great. I don't like the one in Springfield as well for some reason. I have a feeling they operate pretty independently.

You have to look carefully for the Merrifield one. It's on the north side of Lee Highway just east of Cedar lane.

[MsDiPesto]

The one in Merrifield is very good - has a nice homey feel to it. The sauce is great. I don't like the one in Springfield as well for some reason. I have a feeling they operate pretty independently.

You have to look carefully for the Merrifield one. It's on the north side of Lee Highway just east of Cedar lane.

That Merrifield store is the one I frequent too, the people who work there are very welcoming.

It's right next to the flag store, (where all your flag and inflammatory bumper sticker needs can be satisfied). I often get the "Monterrey" that comes with a soft taco instead of a hard taco for a few cents extra, and sometimes an extra container of chili gravy.

Their taco specials on the weekends are great for impromptu neighborhood parties in the summer.

[DanielK]

I was in Rockville Town Center last night and noticed a coming soon sign for Tippy's Taco in the old Bobby's Crabcakes location.

I have never been to Tippy's Taco and hope it is good and does well (but somehow in my mind will be a comparison of "this is what we lost Bobby's for).

I still wish them well and maybe they can knock my socks off.

Well, after dinner at the Rockville location tonight, my son said exactly that.

"Dad, we lost Bobby's for THIS? We could have gone to Taco Bell for a better, cheaper meal."

Smart kid.

[jandres374]

Kilman seems to have enjoyed it.

Ike Grigoropoulos, part of the triumvirate of restaurateurs that operates Cava, has installed a Tippy's Taco House in the location previously occupied by Bobby's Crab Cakes, in Rockville Town Center. According to the Washington Business Journal, Grigoropoulos plans to open several more in the region. Grigoropoulos's family first brought the Texas-based franchise to the DC area; the restaurateur got his start there, washing dishes.

This new Tippy's is not quite the old Tippy's -- there are, get this, fajitas on the menu -- but the tacos (I got them with homemade beans) were right on, thin and crunchy and not tricked-out. Just as important, Grigoropoulos has reproduced the distinctive Tippy's salsa (a vinegary, tomatoey mix that I've always felt compelled to apply generously) and come close to reproducing the equally distinctive Tippy's guac (more black pepper than most). I'll be back. ...

[DanielK]

The shells were indeed crunchy, but everything was incredibly bland - shells, meat, cheese, even the chili. The guac was just plain no good.

I wasn't exaggerating - I really would go to Taco Bell before returning.

[jandres374]

The shells were indeed crunchy, but everything was incredibly bland - shells, meat, cheese, even the chili. The guac was just plain no good.

I wasn't exaggerating - I really would go to Taco Bell before returning.

Thanks for saving me the trip - was thinking of heading there this weekend to check it out. Think we will hit Spice Xing instead.

[DanielK]

Think we will hit Spice Xing instead.

Always a good call. A few bites in I looked across the street and tried to justify tossing the rest and getting dinner at Spice Xing instead. Heart said yes but budget said no.

[MC Horoscope]

Thanks for saving me the trip - was thinking of heading there this weekend to check it out. Think we will hit Spice Xing instead.

Don't forget La Canela as an option at the opposite end of Gibbs St!

[Joe H]

Kilman seems to have enjoyed it.

"Grigoropoulos's family first brought the Texas-based franchise to the DC area; the restaurateur got his start there, washing dishes."

I really doubt this. I had the first taco in my life at the Tippy's on Flower avenue a block off of Piney Branch road in 1959? 1960? Regardless, I was in junior high school at the time and I have absolutely no memory of anything that could have been washed.

[DanielK]

"Grigoropoulos's family first brought the Texas-based franchise to the DC area; the restaurateur got his start there, washing dishes."

I really doubt this. I had the first taco in my life at the Tippy's on Flower avenue a block off of Piney Branch road in 1959? 1960? Regardless, I was in junior high school at the time and I have absolutely no memory of anything that could have been washed.

Could be cooking utensils and such, Joe, not plates for the customers.

Everything at the Rockville location was disposable except for the plastic baskets.

[monavano]

We picked up a couple combo dinners to go last night, and used a coupon from a book bought from a neighborhood school kid. Basically a bogo deal.

I'd say TTH is a step above Taco Bell, with about a dozen pre made ingredients that get used for the menu items in some form or fashion.

It's cheap and it satisfies a junk food urge. Eg. the tacos and burrito were about on par with what I'd make at home with a kit (yes, I do from time to time ).

[JayCobb1045]

Is Tippy's Taco House the same as Tippy's Tacos in Fairfax on 29 and Jermantown? If so, I fall under the category of folks who weren't impressed. Several of the guys in my office grew up around here and one day they got to talking about a place they remembered from many a beer fueled meal - Tippy's Tacos. How good it is, how much they miss it, etc. Needless to say, by the end of the conversation we had all resolved to go there for lunch.

I was not all that impressed. It certainly wasn't bad, but it also wasn't anything at all to write home about. The beef was bland, the cheese sauce seemed processed, the hot sauce was not memorable...just eh.

But here's the thing - theys guys from my office loved every bite! From the mixed reviews above, I think this must be the kind of place that gets a "pass" on being slightly subpar from many of its guests because of the place it holds in their memories. For the rest of us...keep looking, I wouldn't go out of my way for Tippy's.

[B.A.R.]

Tippy's Tacos in Fairfax is no more. Some kabob house now.

[DonRocks]

Tippy's Tacos in Fairfax is no more. Some kabob house now.

There were actually two in Fairfax, both on Lee Hwy - one closer to Merrifield, the other closer to downtown Fairfax.

[Bob Wells]

The Tippy's in Centreville is right next door to where I get my hair cut. I might have tried it once, but have absolutely no recollection of anything about the food, good or bad.

[Kibbee Nayee]

The one in Springfield is on my guilty pleasures list. It's on the strip of restaurants in Brookfield Plaza along Spring Garden Drive, one of my favorite progressive eating mini-strips in northern Virginia. A few doors down from Tippy's is (and this is not an all-inclusive list) --

Eastern World Market -- Good place for exotic ingredients, spices, rice, noodles and veggies.

Super Halal Meat -- A hidden gem of a butcher shop, with some of the best chicken and lamb in Springfield.

Oh Bok Jung -- Credible Korean in the old Sahm Oh Jong place.

Karahi Kabob House -- Replaced Ravi Kabob and is related, and just as good.

Thai Ghang Waan -- Replaced House of SIam, where we once had a Rockwell $20 dinner event, and is an incredible hidden gem of a Thai resturant.

Pizza N Pizza -- A surprisingly good halal pizza carry-out, offering such delights as chicken tikka stromboli, shish kabob stromboli and of course, chicken tikka pizza and shish kabob pizza.

And all of this is in the equivalent of a small city block...! Tippy's is in good company.

[DonRocks]

The one in Springfield is on my guilty pleasures list.

Man, I used to dig their Chili Con Queso until I found out what it was (in particular, the one in Laurel which became Toucan Taco). I'd get a Sunken California Burrito, rip it open, pour a half-pint of queso on it, and scarf it in the car with a bag of broken tostadas (better than chips for scooping *and* cheaper).

[monsterriffs]

Fun fact: Ike G./Akis and I went to Greek school together back in the 80s/early 90s. Yes, Greek School on Saturdays is a thing.

I always remember how he and his cousins would talk with such love about Tippy's, and the love was clear because it was such a unifying bond for their family. When I heard Ike was opening Cava, it made complete sense to me given his family's history with Tippy's. Nice to hear he's paying homage to his roots with this move.