Destruya Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 I've yet to have one of their chicken mole tamales. Seems if you go there when it's dark outside, you can kind of cross tamales off the menu. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyG Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 We visited this afternoon and tried one of each taco, except for the vegetarian. Lengua tacos were one of today's specials and my second favorite, after the chorizo. They're all good, and the made-to-order corn tortillas are vastly superior to prefab corn tortillas I've had elsewhere. Unlike the prefab tortillas, these were stretchy enough to not split and spill their filling all over us. BTW, they are now running a Taco Tuesday special, 4 for $8. My only complaint is that for a first visit, it can be a little challenging to decide which of the toppings from the toppings bar might best complement the flavors of each. The horchata is an eye-opener. They are making it fresh in-house and it is lighter in texture, smoother, and more flavorful than I've had at other venues. We were the only customers there for a bit and the gentleman who brought us our food, upon hearing my "wow, this is really good," told us that most places use a purchased powder to make their horchata. I suspect that they are also using a better quality of cinnamon than is used in the powdered mix. Posole (a special of the day) and a selection of tamales came home with us for tomorrow's lunch. I look forward to devouring them tomorrow. If only they were closer to my Herndon base of operations we'd be there frequently. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScotteeM Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 I've yet to have one of their chicken mole tamales. Seems if you go there when it's dark outside, you can kind of cross tamales off the menu. Indeed, as has been mentioned up-thread, the tamales are made fresh once a day, and when they run out, they're out. They're worth a visit earlier in the day, if you can swing it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScotteeM Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Stopped by for take-out today (had my dog in the car) and over-ordered, of course, but there's nothing wrong with these leftovers! I had the chicken mole tamale again, and it was better than I remembered. The Mexicali with carnitas is a wonderful bowl of rice, lettuce, cheese, salsa and meat of your choice, with the sauce of your choice and sour cream. I wanted to try a Horchata, but they couldn't make it today, so instead I got a lengua taco. I like that they wrap the tortilla flat to keep warm and the meat filling is in a little container. Keeps the tortilla from getting soggy before one has the chance to eat it. The lengua was really tasty, and much better than what I remember having at Fuego Cocina y Tequileria (much better tortilla, too). It was a very happy lunch! Also, the lady behind the counter is extremely nice and helpful. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScotteeM Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 I've had the pozole and flautas twice now, and they are wonderful! They remain a special--Wesley told me yesterday that he won't offer pozole in the warmer weather. So if you want some, you'd better go soon! Lengua tacos are also on the specials board, and they also are the best I've had. Of course, I've only had lengua tacos and pozole at one other restaurant--a "fancy" place in Clarendon with lots of tequila. Wesley's versions are much better, IMO. I also agree about the horchata. The version I've had elsewhere was heavy and granular, but Wesley's is light and smooth. My husband had the chicken mojo sandwich yesterday, which he really enjoyed. We didn't try the new Sunday special of batter-fried shrimp and fries, but it sure looks good! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodeats Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 The horchata was so refreshing! We went Friday night and ordered a few tacos, the pork & tomatillo tamale, a side order of cod, and hush puppies. Hush puppies definitely hit the spot, although if you order this, you might not have room for the flautas. The pork taco was really good, and the fish and hush puppies not heavily-sitting, but I found the tamale only so-so. I'm not sure if I expected more flavor, or just hyped up my expectations? But that horchata.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mare22204 Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 Someone mentioned pork tamales? I feel like I rarely see pork as an option when I find a place that makes tamales. After all the other posts about this palce, I can't wait to try it out. Sadly(?), I never did get to try out Arthur Treacher's. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reedm Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 A year after my first visit, ABC Canteen remains an excellent option. One of today's specials was a fried shrimp platter, consisting of nine perfectly cooked shrimp coated in the same batter they use for the fish, fries, cole slaw, and cocktail sauce. I followed my instincts and ordered the shrimp, and they were delicious. Perfectly cooked, without a hint of grease, they didn't really need any sauce. I was happy to witness a steady stream of customers on hot Sunday afternoon, and the owner was hospitable and friendly as always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 1 hour ago, reedm said: A year after my first visit, ABC Canteen remains an excellent option. One of today's specials was a fried shrimp platter, consisting of nine perfectly cooked shrimp coated in the same batter they use for the fish, fries, cole slaw, and cocktail sauce. I followed my instincts and ordered the shrimp, and they were delicious. Perfectly cooked, without a hint of grease, they didn't really need any sauce. I was happy to witness a steady stream of customers on hot Sunday afternoon, and the owner was hospitable and friendly as always. I was here a couple weeks ago with Matt, and Wesley brought out a few of these shrimp (I introduced myself after paying for my order) - although I didn't have any, they looked just about perfect - "greaseless" as you say - and Matt said they were about as good as fried shrimp can be. (Just to keep the track record "greaseless," I put two extra dollars in the tip jar on the way out.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weezy Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 stopped in for some fish & chips today, and the fish was tender and flaky and the frying was flawless as we've come to expect. The big news (to me) is that Wes says he's started making 2 batches of tamales a day (at least on the weekends; I didn't ask if that was true during the weekdays), with the second batch ready around 3-ish in the afternoon. I missed out on tamales again today, the table before me having ordered the last two. I almost wish I'd had errands that kept me in that area of town for another couple of hours so I could have picked some up to take home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracisk Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 On 12/22/2015 at 11:48 AM, dracisk said: So I did stop in on Sunday to pick up dinner for me, my husband, and my stepdaughter after a rare visit to Fairfax. I'm going to be back out in Fairfax tomorrow not far from ABC Canteen and am planning to pick up dinner again. I was thinking about the posole, but I don't see it on their menu online. Is it a special? If so, is it often or rarely available? Any other recent tips since it's been almost exactly a year since I ate there? Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 9 minutes ago, dracisk said: I'm going to be back out in Fairfax tomorrow not far from ABC Canteen and am planning to pick up dinner again. I was thinking about the posole, but I don't see it on their menu online. Is it a special? If so, is it often or rarely available? Any other recent tips since it's been almost exactly a year since I ate there? Thanks in advance! See those fried shrimp Matt had a couple of posts ago? Get them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracisk Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 Just now, DonRocks said: Get them. Do you think they'd travel 45 minutes back to Silver Spring OK? I avoided the fish and chips last year for that reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 5 minutes ago, dracisk said: Do you think they'd travel 45 minutes back to Silver Spring OK? I avoided the fish and chips last year for that reason. No. The better and more delicate the fried seafood, the shorter the life span it has. In Japanese tempura specialty restaurants, for example, you're supposed eat everything the moment it arrives. Get the Tamales. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracisk Posted December 17, 2016 Share Posted December 17, 2016 1 minute ago, DonRocks said: No. The better and more delicate the fried seafood, the shorter the life span it has. Figured. Oh, well. I'm going to be at a party out there and am picking up dinner to bring home to my husband and daughter in Silver Spring. Some day I'll have to eat in so I can enjoy the fried shrimp! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reedm Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Stopped by today with my parents, who are visiting for Christmas. I was pleasantly surprised to see plenty of customers, since I think ABC Canteen is one of the best places to eat in the Fairfax City area (even if it is just outside the city limits). Three of us ordered the fish and chips, which my 70+ year old mom declared to be the best she'd ever had. (She's got very discerning tastes, so that says a lot.) The specials board listed Pozole with two accompanying chicken flautas, and I'd seen it a few times before, but I decided not to pass it up this time. I'm fairly certain this is the first time I've had pozole, so I'm in no position to comment on authenticity, but I can tell you it was absolutely delicious. The soup was incredibly clean tasting, with bite-sized chunks of pork (smoked?), hominy, and diced avocado. Wes suggested the addition of onions, radishes, and lime juice, and also provided a nicely spicy/hot chile powder mix. Wes mentioned he took in off the menu in July, but had so many requests that he added it back to the menu. Perfect on a cold day. Wes remains as nice as ever, ABC Canteen is immaculately clean, and the food is fresh and prepared to order. It doesn't get much better than that. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracisk Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 13 minutes ago, reedm said: The specials board listed Pozole with two accompanying chicken flautas, and I'd seen it a few times before, but I decided not to pass it up this time. I'm fairly certain this is the first time I've had pozole, so I'm in no position to comment on authenticity, but I can tell you it was absolutely delicious. I didn't report back, but I had this special, too, and totally agree with this assessment (no expert on posole but delicious!). I also tried some of the barbacoa from my husband's tacos, and it was smoky and delicious. And the hush puppies were as amazing as I remembered from last year. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScotteeM Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 This is still my favorite lunch place! I love the tamales, and the tacos, and any time posole is on the specials menu I order it, with the flautas. I asked Wesley once if he uses frozen or canned hominy. The answer is: None of the above. He buys dried hominy, reconstitutes or soaks it, peels off the skin, and cooks it. I'm not really clear on the whole process, but it sounds extremely labor-intensive. I'd rather eat his posole than try to make it that way myself. Suffice to say, the posole is made with lots of TLC. My husband loves the steak mojo sub, and does enjoy the shrimp and chips from time to time. He also likes the fish and chips. I have lots of photos, but here are the most recent: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 3 minutes ago, ScotteeM said: My husband loves the steak mojo sub In all seriousness, does "mojito" mean "little mojo?" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrXmus Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 I'm very sad to say (for all of us who have enjoyed ABC Canteen) that they'll be closing as of 11/28. I went today with my wife and visiting mother because I couldn't think of a better casual lunch for our group after a turkey overdose yesterday. Wes had a sign on the door stating that Tuesday, the 28th, will be their last day. I'll miss all the dishes I ate there and I'm kicking myself for not having eaten at least one of everything. I'll miss the tamales and hushpuppies most of all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 19 hours ago, DrXmus said: I'm very sad to say (for all of us who have enjoyed ABC Canteen) that they'll be closing as of 11/28. I went today with my wife and visiting mother because I couldn't think of a better casual lunch for our group after a turkey overdose yesterday. Wes had a sign on the door stating that Tuesday, the 28th, will be their last day. I'll miss all the dishes I ate there and I'm kicking myself for not having eaten at least one of everything. I'll miss the tamales and hushpuppies most of all. The sad news. I will be going there one more time as a gesture of respect. ABC Canteen will be retired, strongly, in Italic, as perhaps the greatest fish-and-chips restaurant the Washington, DC area has ever known (with an equal amount of respect to Ferhat Yalcin and Fishnet, and a nod to Ford's Fish Shack and Eddie Moran at Fish Taco (and Eamonn's!)) For posterity: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destruya Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 Well, I know where I'm going (early) for lunch tomorrow. I hope they're not closing for financial reasons - once they start knocking down that shopping center they'd probably *clean up* for lunch with the construction/demolition workers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ulrath Posted November 25, 2017 Author Share Posted November 25, 2017 This is crushing. So sorry to hear that Wes. My family will be coming tomorrow for one last fish and chips fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracisk Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 Oh, no! My annual trip to Fairfax is coming up in a couple of weeks (during which I would pick up food from ABC Canteen to bring back to Silver Spring) and they'll already be closed. I'm currently out of town so won't be able to visit before Tuesday. Very sad to learn of their closing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captcourt Posted November 27, 2017 Share Posted November 27, 2017 Paying homage right now with a lunch of cod, hushpuppies, a carnitas taco, and baseball and food talk with Wes. Just stellar all the way around. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ulrath Posted November 30, 2017 Author Share Posted November 30, 2017 Went on Sunday. Good as always. Will poor out a 40 of birch beer in your memory. Wesley, if you ever do anything else in this industry, please let us know. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgreen Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 Man, this sucks. Sitting in the parking lot now on my way home the airport and see the sign. Booooo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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