La Mexicana Bakery & Taqueria

I really like this spot. Ample parking. Food doesn’t take extremely long. Love getting the steak quesadilla, papusas, and maracuya juice. Decent prices. Not too cheesy, not too greasy, steak wasn’t stringy or chewy. Can’t really ask for too much more.

Best tacos I’ve had in Virginia. And I’m from California and grew up in places with mostly Spanish names! The owners are really nice and helpful. My son, who did not grow up in California, has decided he can eat lengua because of this place! These tacos remind me of the taco trucks we went to in the middle of the night in the dodgy parts of town in college.

I must have gone there on the wrong day or something. I got 4 tacos and they were dry and not very tasty. Sorry, but based on those tacos — I wouldn’t go back.
I even went out of my way like 8 miles to go and check them out. There are places closer to my house that serve tastier tacos.
Even though I didn’t order any desserts… it did look like their desserts were looking good. Their Tres Leches and Flan de Caramelo were looking inviting. Oh, and I must say that the guy Spanish guy working there was very friendly.

This is authentic Mexican food and baked goods and deserts all freshly made from scratch! I had some tacos — both the fish and shrimp. My wife had the steak tacos and one of my daughters had sopes. And we also ordered Tres Leches Cup and Mexican Wedding Cookies for desert.
The fresh baked cookies and other deserts also looked delicious, but we’ll have to come back to try more items. It would be too much sugar and too tempting if we had bought more.

I have lived in the area for over 6 yrs, This is the only place that I have found that makes rosca de reyes and it is good. For that it derserves more than 5 stars!

best Mexican food I have had in the DMV area! I only wish I lived much closer so that I could go here alll the dang time.
So the best item was the carne asada… cooked to perfection and the savory seasoning was just drool-​inducing. Next up on my fave list was the refried beans. You would think that beans are beans but oh no, my friends. Whatever addictive ingredients they put in their beans made it so that I was tempted to just eat them with the rice and then die happy.
Also had a chicken taco, steak taco, and barbacoa taco… all very very tasty and tender as well, but not quite as delish as that carne asada… yummm.
Honestly, it seems you cant go wrong here. except I cant say I thought the baked goods were that stellar. Tried the tres leches and a Mexican wedding cookie and both were totally meh, unfortunately. But anyways, if youre ok with no frills, quick service in a strip-​mall, then this is THE place. Looking forward to many returns

My fourth Saturday lunch in a row and another 5 star rating. To me, the food, service and friendliness are tops.
This time around I ordered a beef burrito and another freshly made mango drink… the burrito served up fresh and hot… a tasty lunch.
As mentioned in another one of my earlier reviews… the location is in a modest strip mall off of Rt1 south Alexandria… and yes, the store is a bakery /​restaurant with a solid menu… good authentic food for the price.

I can keep this review short and sweet. My husband and I have been here a couple of times and so far the food has been excellent. Customer service is good. We will be back.
I only deducted a star because of price. It’s just a wee bit on the pricer side, but nothing to keep us from coming back or nothing that should hinder anyone from trying it out. I would definitely suggest checking this place out.
Oh and a special note to whoever baked the the almond cake. It’s the bees knees!

Without a doubt, this IS as good as it gets in the DMV.
Let’s get the sole negative out of the way, right now. This needs to be addressed, and I can’t keep dancing around it anymore.
The food is too delicious for a one and done visit. I find myself fiending for another bite with every passing day, and I fear that I am not long for this world if I can’t get my fix. Images of tacos make me oddly excited, in a way that would make the Baby Jesus cry.
If I could mainline their offerings, I would. I haven’t ruled it out as a possibility in the future.
In all seriousness, I had the Mexi/​Cuban torta, and was pleasantly surprised by the play of textures and flavors it brought to the table. The huge wedge of avocado paired nicely with the jalapenos and cheese, and the ham and carnitas smothered in onions was divine (though the heavy slab of ham made the sandwich more filling than I expected. I was only able to eat half).
The fish in the fish tacos was extremely delicate and juicy, and flavored to perfection. All of the tacos were glorious, really. I had an opportunity to try nearly every taco available, in addition to a chorizo sope, and they all hit the mark. Tender meats, well seasoned, juicy, with a pleasant kick.
Favorite so far as been the Chile Verde Taco. Mah GAWD.
I’ve discovered how I’m gonna die, gorging myself on tacos until I break. Frankly, that sounds like a wonderful way out. 10/​10, would die again.
I am become taco.
Edit: Also, I was a huge weirdo, and insisted on giving the man behind the counter a hug after fattening myself up on tacos. It was awkward all around. I may have lingered too long with the embrace as well. :X

Bomb tamales!!! Just under $ 2 per, but worth the price. I’ll be back for more!
Only tried the tamales to go, but the rest of the menu looked really good. I’ll have to come and dine in the near future.

This place is kind of far down Route 1, but totally worth the trip. Awesome, authentic mexican food. I love the tortas and the carnita tacos. My torta had a good amount of ham and hit the spot. I’ve been here a few times, but find it odd that they run out of bakery items so frequently.

Best carnitas tacos on the East Coast. Just like back home in SoCal. Oh, and it’s a great bakery too. Try the Mexican Wedding Cookies.

BEST DAMN LENGUA TACOS EN THE CIUDAD!!!
Full menu en mi Fotos. So go take a mira.
I ordered Lengua which is tongue. Sounds not so yummy to those who think inside the box. Free yourself from boring foods and try something outside your comfort zone!
To do this, I recommend the lengua. For under 10 American pesos you can have three mouthwatering lengua tacos on corn tortillas with all the fixings booYAH! Not sure what the spicy green sauce is but it goes great with the lengua.
Bring some gum because the onions can get strong.
I used to live in Houston where Taco trucks were everywhere and this place comes pretty damn close to what I’m used to.
GO PEOPLE! VAMANOS!!!

Pretty darned good! I got an enchilada platter and it had great beans, rice and I loved the enchilada which was a carne asada beef one. I also enjoyed my margarita. The chips were kind of on the stale side but were acceptable, and the salsa was really good. Would totally come back!
The service was also really good. I would say they were low on ambiance but whatever, the food was awesome.

Last time I reviewed this taco shop I couldn’t decided if it was my favorite spot (in the area). After many more visits, and a lot of tacos and sopes and guanabana juice, I’m calling it. La Mexicana is THE BEST spot around.
The quality of the meat and tortillas is so far superior to anything else on offer in the area that I’ve decided the lack of a topping bar, which disappointed me initially, cannot be held against them any more.
Each taco comes topped with cilantro and onion anyway, and the sope is already loaded up with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, cheese and a creamy sauce. Plus, they have two salsas in squeeze bottles (a green and a red with visible pepper seeds), you just have to ask for them. I prefer the green salsa, but honestly everything is so tasty you almost don’t even need it (almost… I’m addicted to spice).
My favorite meats here are probably the birria and the chorizo, but the carnitas and lengua are also better than anywhere else in the area. The tacos come pretty heavily filled, so three is definitely enough for a meal. I’m still not sold on the tamales, but honestly, I’m not a big tamale fan in general, so take that with a grain of salt. Otherwise my only other minor, nitpicky complaint is that the plastic knives are not sturdy enough to cut through the sope, so I end up just having to tear it apart with my hands like a heathen. But it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.

Having read this shop’s stellar reviews from reviewers whose opinion I respect, I really was expecting so more, but unfortunately, that just wasn’t the case. This little bakery really was a combination of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
The Good: the owner was very nice as was my order of refried beans and rice. I was also very happy drink of horchata which was as good as anything I had in Spain.
The Bad: their special hot sauces really weren’t to my taste as they seemed to dominate the meal, not add to the flavor.
The ugly: my soft shell tacos were so dry that had to take them home in an attempt to bring them back to life with some salsa. It was as if the meat had been sitting out all day under a heat lamp or something. I ordered three tacos (grilled steak, carne assada, and chicken), so I am fairly certain that this dryness wasn’t part of the plan.
I feel awful writing this review, for Unilocalers love this place, and I wanted to as well. Perhaps I caught them on a bad day, but I don’t think I will return anytime soon; there is a wonderful taco joint down the road that never lets me down, 100% authentic it is the gold taco standard. I’m heading there tomorrow and beg forgiveness for having a wandering taco eye.

Delicious first experience!
I had the fish tacos. Slightly crispy fish served over 2 warmed tortillas with a generous helping of pico de gallo (cilantro, jalepenos, tomatoes and onions) and lime.
Husband ordered the California Burrito and said it was delicious. The meat was seasoned very well, so well that he said he didn’t even miss having sour cream or guacamole.
My daughter had the cheese pupusas said they were yummy too.
Lots of desserts to choose from.
Prices were very reasonable.
The guy that took our orders were friendly and helpful.
Will be back to try other items on the menu.

I love, love, love the soft shell tacos from La Mexicana! Being the native Southern Californian I am, it’s been a tough transition to live in the DC area and be deprived of good Mexican food. But I have finally found the place that screams AUTHENTIC. The soft shell tacos from La Mexicana are both authentic and delicious! Such a great deal — and all for under $ 10.
The storefront is nothing to write home about. It’s tiny, with limited seating, and doesn’t try too hard. But the service is super friendly and they have a wonderful selection of both tacos and desserts!
I ordered 3 tacos — 2 Carne Asada and 1 Pollo. I got them with red salsa, cilantro, onion, radish, and lemon. So so so good! I felt like I was in heaven eating those tacos. To any Southern Californian living in the DC area: if you have been craving good, authentic Mexican food and have been disappointed by all the purportedly Mexican restaurants in the area, visit La Mexicana!

Alright, I’m going to have to give La Mexicana Bakery & Taqueria 5 stars for their AWESOME tacos and superb chips & guacamole. Yes, you’re paying about $ 8.50+ for 3 tacos, but trust me these tacos are filled to the point where you can barely hold the taco in one hand. Trust me, you will be STUFFED. My favorite taco is hands down the chorizo for its spiciness and intense flavor.
Don’t quote me on this, but I have a feeling they make their tortilla chips in house too. I usually don’t really care for tortilla chips because most restaurants load them with wayyy too much salt, but La Mexicana Bakery & Taqueria’s tortilla chips only have a hint on salt on them. The guacamole is also very fresh, and I love how they put a lot of pico de gallo in their guac to give it that extra zing.
Definitely going to be a regular at this taqueria FOREVAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Craving tacos? COME HERE!
I have been here twice now and the quality and taste of the tacos is superb. The first I visited this establishment I gave them a four star. The food was very good however I wanted to give it another shot to check out their consistency.
Fast forward to now, my gf and I wanted to go back and have some tacos and this time it is worthy of my 5 star rating. We ordered the chips and guacamole, and two orders of 3 soft tacos. She opted for 3 chorizo and I got 1 steak and 2 chorizo. The chips and guac were awesome. I believe the chips were made at the restaurant. The guac consisted of a lot of tomatoes which I personally loved. At first when it came out I thought there was a higher chip to guac ratio, however after eating it I quickly realized it was the perfect amount. The tacos once again were mouth watering tasty, this time I think our tacos were loaded with even more filling barely able to close. As I mentioned in my initial review use the green sauce on your tacos, it adds a whole new dimension to your tacos.
If you read my other reviews you may notice I don’t give out many five star reviews. But this place definitely deserves it. This taqueria can take on some competition from Los Angeles because it is that good. I highly recommend it and will be a repeat customer until the day I no longer like tacos! (probably never)

La mejor comida waoow! Las tortas los postres son los mejores y los precios muy accesible ni hablar los dueños muy atentos! Les recomiendo este lugar
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