The Early Word on Taco Bamba from Victor Albisu

Taco Bamba opened about two weeks ago in a tiny strip center in Falls Church, not far from Tysons Corner. It's an unusual location for a taqueria from a well-known D.C. chef, but Victor Albisu has a family connection to the location. But how's the food? Here's what the first bloggers, Yelpers and others had to say about Taco Bamba.

The Stuffed Tacos News: Right now, Taco Bamba is earning 4 stars on Yelp with 21 reviews in already. One is from Montaign G. who says, "3 tacos for $8 is a steal :)  Flavorful carne asada, tender barbacoa, and sumptuous pulled chicken are just a sampling of their delectable menu offerings. I will definitely be back to try their other taco options, but will need some time to digest and recover. Dieters beware! - These people do not skimp out on their taco fillings!" [Yelp]

The So Very Mediocre News: Yelper Silvie S. says, "I decided to try one traditional taco and one specialty taco. I got my go-to al pastor and the Taco Bamba which was steak and chorizo. It was so very mediocre. I felt the meat was dry and under-seasoned which just killed it for me. I'd suggest using the spicy salsa to improve that, which btw, was very mild." [Yelp]

The More Than Reasonable News: Yelper Devo H. says, "This is a very solid taqueria.  Some say the price point is too high but my response is, go to Taco Bell. I've been twice and each time I was satisfied with my order." [Yelp]

The Organ Meat Initiate News: Yelper Becky T. says, "Everything was good, but my favorites were enchilada, black pearl, and spicy shroom. I'm not an organ person, but the chef told his tripa was his favorite - it definitely melted in my mouth. I think if I was used to eating organ meat, I would be all over that." [Yelp]

The Chowhound Rave and Rant: Two opposing opinions on Chowhound. The first, from MikeR: "Nothing fancy here, but there's more originality on the menu than your average taco joint..The barbacoa was really flavorful, the carnitas kind of tame, but they have a couple of good sauces that spiked them up." Meanwhile, Steve counters, "The pre-sliced 'al pastor' was carried out in a huge bin from the kitchen, so nothing freshly carved off a spit like at La Placita in Hyattsville. The pork is dried out and stringy, with the only juiciness coming from too many pineapple pieces, making it more a pineapple taco than a sauce which has pineapple as just one of the flavors." [CH]

The Facebook Shoutout: Fan Larry says, "Great tacos, and a great addition to the area." [FB]

The Intriguing Salsa News: Zagat says that "Taco lovers can choose among distinctive versions of traditional fillings (called Tradicionales) like barbacoa, tongue and chorizo, and Albisu's creations (called Nuestros) made with the likes of sweetbreads, shrimp or duck confit. There's also his version of a Baja fish taco and his riff on a BLT. Six intriguing salsas are free." [Zagat]

The Troubling Tortilla News: Over on Don Rockwell, BklynBoy shares that his "biggest disappointment were the tortillas. They were flour instead of corn and were not house made. My wife, the Arizonan, seeing the packaged soft tacos opted for the crispy tacos which were made from masa and they worked better than the soft flour ones. For me, the result was like having great pastrami on wonder bread." [DR]

The Underseasoned News: Also on Don Rockwell, ericandblueboy says, "Frankly, the food wasn't good enough to warrant me going back. The meats (I had asada, barbacoa, lengua, and suadero) were generally dry and under seasoned (the suadero was the only one that had enough salt). The meat was plentiful though, either that or my stomach shrunk. I did not finish all 4 tacos (even after discarding a layer of tortilla after eating the first taco). " [DR]
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