Tia Queta, Owner Roberto Montesinos on Del Ray Avenue in Bethesda since 1977

[mtureck]

chips almost as bad as the Worst I've ever had from Ta Queda in Bethesda,

Ha, I thought it was just me! Possibly the worst initial impression from any restaurant I've ever eaten ate came from the chips at Tia Queda.

[Chris Cunningham]

Ha, I thought it was just me! Possibly the worst initial impression from any restaurant I've ever eaten ate came from the chips at Tia Queda.

LOL...Yes, Tia Queda...I was thinking Al Queda as I had my first and last meal there that day last July. I have no idea who or what created those things...simply unfathathomable at how horrible those chips are

[DonRocks]

Ha, I thought it was just me! Possibly the worst initial impression from any restaurant I've ever eaten ate came from the chips at Tia Queda.

LOL...Yes, Tia Queda...I was thinking Al Queda as I had my first and last meal there that day last July.

Queta, goofballs.

Tia Queta opened in 1977 (*), and makes the list of Oldest Restaurants in the Area. I could swear they used to have a Virginia branch, but I can't find anything about it.

I went here in the 1980s and remember thinking how quirkily charming it was, although I had a very immature palate at that point. I'm pretty sure I skipped the decade of the 1990s, but went again several years ago in the 2000s - it's the kind of place you just want to love.

(*) Although the young snot on the telephone threw a hissy-fit when I asked - this article implies 1977; this one says 1980.

[Joe H]

Once upon a time Enriqueta's (30+ years ago?) in Georgetown was D. C.'s best... I believe that Tia Queta is related and came after. Curiously, the address, 2811 M street in Gerogetown is/was also home to Dos Lobos which we once went to and left tremendously disappointed, missing Enriqueta's.

[MsDiPesto]

A former colleague used to host Happy Hours there last year, I didn't think it was that bad.

[mtureck]

To be fair, my horrible experience there was six years ago. For all I know they now have the best Mexican food and the most transcendent tortilla chips in the area.

[stockwatch_1999]

When I was there, the chips were the perfect round kind (tasted like they could have been straight from the Tostitos bag). For the area, IMHO if what you are looking for is reliable tex mex, then the Guapos a few blocks away is a much better choice.

[zoramargolis]

When we first moved to this area in 1996, we went fairly often and the food was reasonably good. They had unusual dishes on the menu like manchamantel, a fairly obscure Oaxacan molé. A couple of years later it started getting inconsistent and then, after a couple of very disappointing meals, we stopped going, and haven't been back for many years. I have no recollection of the chips being bad, however.

[mtureck]

When I was there, the chips were the perfect round kind (tasted like they could have been straight from the Tostitos bag). For the area, IMHO if what you are looking for is reliable tex mex, then the Guapos a few blocks away is a much better choice.

Yup, that was exactly my thought at the time...I couldn't believe they were serving stale Tostitos. And yes, I'm a big fan of Guapos as well.

[MsDiPesto]

Guapos is going on the must try list, then!