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Start a Top 5 for MexicanEditor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in Washingtonian. Updated August 2026.
Taqueria Habanero · Columbia Heights
Run by a husband-and-wife team from Puebla, making their own tortillas and charring their own peppers in-house. The menu runs from al pastor with pineapple to goat barbacoa and cheesy Yucatecan shrimp tacos, with chilaquiles a strong breakfast option. A no-frills counter that leans on technique rather than atmosphere.
El Sol Restaurante & Tequileria · Logan Circle
Opened by Mexico City-born siblings Jessica and Alfredo Solis, this Logan Circle taqueria is known for standout fried-shrimp tacos alongside a broader seafood-forward menu. The bar leans into tequila, rum, and mezcal cocktails, giving it more of a destination feel than a quick counter.
Anafre DC · Columbia Heights
A sister restaurant to El Sol from the same Solis siblings, built around seafood and Mexican-style pizza rather than standard tacos. The octopus-laden pizza is the draw, an unusual format that still leans on the family's seafood expertise. Distinct enough in concept to stand apart from its Logan Circle sibling.
Oyamel · Penn Quarter
Jose Andres's Mexican cocina, where the tableside guacamole mashed to order in a stone molcajete is the signature move. The menu draws on Mexico's regional diversity rather than a single Tex-Mex playbook, with a lively dining room to match. A single DC location, not a multi-state chain.